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16 THE SENTENCE OB' MEHEMED. Stories in which the fate of a life is made to hang upon the outcome of a game ox chess, are not uncommon; but, as the read ers of Romance, can testify, they are al most always full of interest. Here is one which is probably among the most power ful ever written. It is also from the magic pen of Msurioe Jokai, and is translated from the Hungarian for Romance by J. Murry Mitchell. hmanza.de me hemed, the Sirdar of the auxiliary troops of Tunisi,v»as known on account of the , rigorous discipline that he exercised over his soldiers. “It is not the enemy you must fear, but me,” he would often re mark to the young soldiers, who came to increase the ranks. Thus his army was an army of heroes, who had no fear on the battle-field, but who trem bled in the presence of their leader. The first campaign in which they fought was at Albania, in the battle against the rebel Greeks, and on that occasion Mehemed’s men proved them selves efficient. It happened that Mehemed one day ordered eight soldiers to remain in ambush at the “five fountains” of Arta, at which point the Greeks were likely to open their attack. They were to stop any one who should try to pass by, and they were strio Jy cautioned not to dismount or fall asleep. The soldiers executed with exact ness all their instructions. A vehicle, which attempted, toward midnight, to cross the line unobserved was discovered and stopped. The man who had charge of the oxen which drew it ran away, abandoning his wagon. On this wagon was a barrel. It was easy to ascertain what the barrel con tained, even without dismounting and without falling asleep. You only bad to open the bungbole to smell the pleasant odor of liquor escaping from it. And it must have been an excellent liquor, compounded largely (f figs and ary raisins. The Giaurri (Cbr stiane) undoubtedly kne>v what w»s good. / _ / The soldiers had not been forbidden, if they seized liquor, to drink ft. And really they did not drink directly from the barrel; they merely sunk bulrushes in it, through which they sipped the sweet and intoxicating liquid. Was it not harmless to sip with such thin rushes? One could scarcely call that drinking! But just ly does the Prophet remark that wine Is a deceitful beverage, in which the devil has had his hand, since this drink brings men to every evil. First, the soldiers asked each other why they should sit in their hard sad dles, when the grass made such a soft bed on the ground. And if they lay there for only a short while, nobody would know it: they could tie the horses to the wagon, and these cer tainly could tell no tales. After they hau dismounted, the infernal drink persuaded them that it was a useless task for eight men to remain on guard; four would suffice, and the rest could sleep. To the four men who were to keep awake, the waiting for their turn seemed too long,and they agreed that two might sleep, while the other two remained true to the orders. Maruf and Sefer were the two de signated to watch for the rest. “Do you know,” said Sefer to his friend, “do you know that one man is of the same value in this case as two? It will do just as well if only one of us watches. Do you not agree?” Maruf assented. “I propose,” continued Sefer, “that we play a game of chess; the loser will have to watch, and the winner may sleep.” Maruf accepted the conditions. Tne two Bedouins prepared the ground in front of where they stood, and with their spears they traced a square, dividing it into sixty-four smaller squares. Then they substitu ted for the regular pawns the fruits of the woods. The Wild pears became kings, the apples queens, the castles were represented by acorns, the bish ops by rose-hips, the knights by nuts and the pawns by berries. The men thus provided, the game began by the light of the camp-fire. At first Sefer held the advantage but that inebriating drink overcame him, little by little, so that he was not in condition to distinguish his pawns. He lost his queen, and was very near being checkmated. “Sefer, you are in a bad mess,” re marked Maruf when he saw that the game was in his hands. “You are right. lam as sleepy as the sea when it is calm.” “You are losing the game.” “I can see that, too!” “Well, he down, in the name of Al lah. I will watch for you.” Sefer shook his friend’s hand in grateful acknowledgement of the sac- riflce.and he thought be spoke to him, but he only dreamed it, for he fell asleep immediately. Maruf, on the contrary, kept his eyes open, and leaning on his gnn, he looked at his sleeping companions. But that devilish drink began to mur mur softly: “Why do you not sit down? You could see just as well!” As soon as he was seated, Satan again began to tempt him. “Why do you tire your eyes? If you shut one of them, you will see with the other just as well as with both.” Maruf reflected that, if his eyes were closed, his ears were open, and that he would be ready to start at the smallest danger that might threaten his companions and himself. And with the firm purpose of not falling asleep, he slumbered as heavily as the rest. In the mean time, the hidden Greeks came all of a sudden upon the sleeping men, untied the horses of the Turks and would certainly have killed them, had not Maruf’s horse, as though he foresaw the danger, begun to neigh. The first to awaken was Maruf, and in a few moments the rest were ready. They ran to get their arms and stood on the defence, now fully awake and sober. They threw themselves on the ene my; but it was of no avail. The Greeks had mounted the horses and laughed at the Turks, who endeavored to overcome them on toot. Maruf’s horse alone would not sub mit to the Greek who bad mounted him, and began to rear and plunge until he had succeeded in throwing the rider. He then kicked him and returned to his owner. Eight men had one horse left among them. What was Mehemed going to say? The Bedouins, yet young, were cast down at the thought of death. They knew their leader would have no pity for them; and still sadder were they at the loss of their beloved horses. Os what use is a mah without a horse? Mortally worried at the punishment they expected, they returned to head quarters, and, brought face to face with Aiimanzade, they narrated what bad happened; how they bad diso beyed his orders, how they bad fallen asleep after drinking the liquor, bow the last two watchmen bad played chess, and finally how they had lost their horses. Ahmanzade was not in the habit of making a display of passion when he had to pass sentence. In his immovable face no one could read whether he decreed life or death. “As for eight men tbere remains only one horse,” be remarked, “you will agree with me, that there are seven of yon too many. 1 have never read in the Koran nor in the Azorat that eight men should ride one horse, and as you are such good players, sit down and let skill decide which of you is to be the man who is to have tbe one horse. All the others are sen tenced to die.” Having said this, Ahmanzade had four chess-boards brought in, for the Turks are in the habit of carrying chess-boards with them, even in war. As soon as tbe men were arranged, he ordered the Bedouins to begin their play. Twelve of the best marksmen were ready with their rifles to shoot the losers. Two or three gave in at once to their stronger adversaries; in oth ers, despair battled with craftiness against the advantage of their more skilful opponents, and the former would win when the latter had victory in their hands. The losers were immediately remov ed, and the noise of several shots indi cated that they had ceased to exist. The first tilt was over. Four had lost, four were winners. These last were paired. New hopes and new fears. A danger would pass unobserv ed, and he who had made the error would raise a cry which was his death sentence. Again two lost, and again two were shot. And now only two remained— Maruf and Sefer. They found them selves, as they had been before, in front of the camp-fire. They were the best players. They began the game with a good deal of caution, resting their foreheads on the palms of their hands, thoughtfully calculating every move, without hesitating but without hurrying. For a long while neither of the two succeeded in obtaining an advantage; for each gain there was an equal sac rifice. The spectators nod to each other when either one makes a brilliant move. Little by little, the number of pawns on the chess-board diminishes; ths main figures lie scattered to tbe right and to the left; the situation be comes plainer; a few more moves, and Sefer will lose his castle! Maruf has one more castle than his adversary, and this means a good deal at the present stage of tbe game. The crowd believes that the game is in his hands. All of a sudden, great drops of sweat cover the forehead of Maruf—a fear overtakes him, he trembles through all his body. He has noticed that, if his adversary sacrifices his queen in stead of the castle, he can checkmate him with the bishop, Would Sefer THE SOUTHERN FARM. see that move? On that depends life and death! , t . . Sefer looks at the chess-board for a long while; his looks betray that he has seen the move that will save him. But he does not touch the men, and he seems to hesitate. “Maruf,” he asks all of a sudden, “how many children have you at borne?” .. ( “Four,” is the answer that comes from trembling lips. “You have a good wife?” “An excellent wife,” answers Maruf with a sigh. Sefer passes a hand over his face, and begins to murmur as though he were praying. Then he asks for water; he washes bis eyes, his hands,—first the left hand, then the right hand. Unseen, two guardian angels watch ever by those who pray. “Yesterday night you gave me the game so that I might sleep,” he says. Maruf does not answer, but bows his head in assent. . “You have always been a good friend of mine, Maruf.” Maruf lets his head drop on his breast entirely overcome. Sefer then slowly lifts his hand to the chess board and makes a move, not with the queen, but with the castle. “Checkmated!” you hear murmured on all sides. Maruf has won, and Se fer lost. Sefer rises quietly, offers his hand for the last time to his friend Maruf, who seems nailed to his place, and signals to the soldiers to be ready. Two seconds later a shot announces that the tournament is over. But Maruf does not stir. With in tent eye he looks at the board and witb trembling hand he puts the pawns in their places, but like one wno does not know which are the places assign ed to them. The other men are con fused with the pawns; the white with the black. “Get up,” exclaimed Ahmanzade. “Ride y.our horse, you are to live!” The Joan, however, does not move, and continues witb his vacant stare to arrange the chess-board, making strange moves with the figures. “Wbat an absurdity !” he exclaims, laughing recklessly. “One has a tur ban, and the other a horse’s head!” “Pick him up,” orders Mehemed. And two soldiers lift him. Maruf, however, continued to laugh with a lunatic’s laugh. Heaven, earth and men were now alike unknown to him. During move he had become mad. / Romance. \ THE THRIFTY JAPANESE. Hard-Working? Industrious People Who are Simple in their Tastes. What is the reason that Japan has no poverty problem. One reason Is proba bly to be found in tne land system, which has given to every worker a holding and encouraged him to supply his own wants by his own labor. Efforts has thus been developed and wants are limited. Anoth er reason lies in the national taste for country beauty. Nowhere else are parties formed to visit the blossom trees, and no where else are pilgrimages simply for the sake of natural beauty. A country life has, therefore its own interest, and men do not crowd to the cities for the sake of excitement. There is, too, in Japan, a curious absence of ostentatious luxury, says the Fortnightly Review. The habits or living are in all classes much the same, and the rich du not out shine the poor by carriages, palaces and jewelry. The rich spend their money on curios, which, U costly, are limite 1, and the most popular agitation is that against the big European houses which ministers build for themselves. Wealth is thus not absorbed, and is more ready for invest ment in remunerative labor. The last reason which occurs to the mind of a traveler with comparatively few oppor tunities for forming opinions is the equal ity of manners in all classes. Rich and poor are alike courteous It is not pos sible to distinguish employ er from laborer by their behavior; all are clean, all are easy, all are restrained. The governor lets his child go to the common school and sit next to the child of the casual laborer, certain that his child will plck up no bad manners and get no contamination in thought or in person. This equally enables rich and poor to meet as friends, and gifts can pass without degradation. The rich nobles in the country, just as the university men whom we meet in Tokio, are thus able to give to those whom they know to be in need, and friendship becomes the channel of charity. The question is, will this sur vive the introdrction of the industrial system? 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