The panther lay
quietly at the feet of his mistress, his wise head resting on his
forepaws. Azraele now took her gay Persian shawl from her waist and
made ready to lay aside her caftan. But first she made a few steps
toward the cliff, which shut her off from the sight of the men.
Sanga-moarta was ready to plunge after her.

"You are crazy," said Zulfikar in his ear. "Are you going to betray us
by your curiosity?"

"The boy is in love with the woman," whispered Clement.

At this instant a splash was heard in the water as if some one had
jumped in and was playing in the waves. Sanga-moarta tore himself
madly from the grasp of his comrades and ran with a wild cry down to
the pool. At this cry Azraele, in all her enchanting beauty, sprang
out of the water, looked with flashing eyes at the bold man, and said
to her panther,

"Oglan, seize him!"

Until then the panther had lain motionless, but the instant his
mistress called him to a struggle he jumped up with a snarl, caught
hold of the Wallachian, and with one movement drew him to the ground.

Sanga-moarta did not defend himself against the beast, but stretched
out his hands entreatingly to the charming woman, appeared to be
drawing in her beauty with his thirsty glance, while he dragged
himself with a groan to her feet; Azraele gazed at him wildly, and,
wrapped in her cloak, watched her pet panther tear the youth; for the
beast was never drawn to any one except for his death.

"I'll go to his help," said Clement, mad with terror,--and drew his
sword.

"Stop. Don't be foolish," said Zulfikar. "There is something more
sensible for us to do. The iron door has been left open; let us slip
in while the lady is occupied and find out what there is of interest
here for our masters. If not of interest to yours it certainly will be
to mine."

With that the two men stole through the doorway, groped their way
along the narrow passage that seemed to be hewn into the rock and at
its end discovered, by the light of a lamp hanging from the ceiling,
that there were several small doors on both sides. They opened one
door after another and came to a room with no other doorway. The light
of the outer world came through the window. Through this they hurried
on and coming to a second iron door, passed through and found
themselves in a large court surrounded by high walls. By climbing the
wall they saw from its summit the vale of Szamos stretched below them;
and then they discovered