a footpath leading from the wall into the
forest below. Down they ran breathlessly. There first the two men
dared look at each other. Clement thought he still heard the wild,
clear voice of the demon-woman, the growl of the panther and death-cry
of the Wallachian.

"We have done well to take this path," said Zulfikar. "For we never
could have found our way back without a guide over the way we came.
From here we shall easily make our way."

They now found two woodcutters who were fastening their rafts to the
bank.

"What is this castle?" asked Clement.

"Where? What castle?"

Clement looked behind him to point out the castle, and lo, there was
nothing that could be seen to resemble a castle even from afar. One
rock was like another. The peasants laughed aloud.

"It is better not to say anything," said Zulfikar; "evidently they do
not know what is in this vicinity. From the outside there is nothing
to be seen but unhewn stone; the bushes cover the very opening that we
came through."

Then they asked their way; and turned back to Marisel, where they did
not stay to be questioned about Sanga-moarta's absence but mounted
their horses and rode off.

Zulfikar would have been glad if Clement would have gone with him to
Banfy-hunyad, but when he learned that this place was under the
direction of Dionysius Banfy he started off alone to collect the tax,
although the Lieutenant gave him the comforting assurance that he
could count on blows there more surely than on tribute.

* * * * *

Clement gave Ladislaus Csaki exact information of what he had seen and
received as a reward for his discovery a hundred gold pieces, with the
green boots thrown in.

Zulfikar had a more unusual experience. When he reached Nagy-Varad he
gave Ali Pasha the tax collected and told him what he had learned of
Azraele. Corsar Bey had stolen her from Ali Pasha when she was
thirteen years old. Ali had offered two hundred gold pieces as reward
to the man who should bring him information of the abode of his
favorite, so Zulfikar came away with the purse of two hundred gold
pieces when he left the Pasha. The Aga over Zulfikar learning of this,
found a pretext to bind the deserter and sentenced him to a hundred
blows on the soles of his feet unless he bought off every blow with a
ducat.

"That I will not do," replied Zulfikar, "but I will put in your hands
the present that Dionysius Banfy sent Ali Pasha when I trie