Audiobook: Through the Mists. III. The Red Star | Arthur Conan Doyle

Through The Mists three I the red star is a short story written by Arthur Conan Doyle first published in the scribers magazine in January 1911 The House of theodosius the famous Eastern Merchant was in the best part of Constantinople at the SE point which is near the Church of St Demetrius here he would entertain in so princely a fashion that even the emperor Maurice had been known to come privately from the neighboring bukin Palace in order to join in the rry on the night in question however which was the 4th of November in the year of Our Lord 6:30 his numerous guests had retired early and there remained only two Intimates both of them successful Merchants like himself who sat with him over their wine on the marble Veranda of his house whence on the one side they could see the lights of the shipping in the sea of marora and on the other the deons which marked out the course of the Bosphorus immediately at their feet lay a narrow straight of water with the low dark Loom of the Asiatic Hills Beyond a thin Haze hid the heavens but away to the South a single great red star burned sullenly in the darkness the night was cool the light was soothing and the three men talked freely letting their minds drift back into the earlier days when they had Stak the their capital and offen their lives on the ventures which had built up their present Fortune the host spoke of his long Journeys in North Africa the land of the Moors how he had traveled keeping the blue sea ever upon his right until he had passed the ruins of Carthage and so on and ever on until a great tidal ocean beat upon a yellow strand before him while on the right he could see the high rock across the waves which marked the pillars of Hercules his talk was of darkk skinn bearded men of lions and of monstrous serpents then Demetrius the cian an austere man of 60 told how he also had built up his mighty wealth he spoke of a journey over the danub and through the country of the fierce Huns until he and his friends had found themselves in the mighty forest of Germany on the shores of the Great River which is called the elb the stories were of huge men sluggish of mind but murderous in their cups of sudden midnight broils and nocturnal flights of villages buried in dense Woods of bloody even sacrifices and of the bears and wolves who haunted the forest paths so the two Elder men kept each other's stories and awoke each other's memories while Manu ducas the Young Merchant of gold and ostrich feathers whose name was already known all over the Levant sat in silence and listened to their Talk At Last however they called upon him also for an anecdote and leaning his cheek upon his elbow with his eyes fixed upon the great red star which burned in the South the younger man began to speak it is the sight of that star which brings a story into my mind said he I do not know its name old lascaris the astronomer would tell me if I asked but I have no desire to know yet at this time of the year I always look out for it and I never fail to see it burning in the same place but it seems to me that it is redder and larger than it was it was some 10 years ago that I made an expedition into abisinia where I traded to such good effect that I set forth on my return with more than a 100 camel loads of skins Ivory gold spices and other African produce I brought them to the Sea coaster at Asino and carried them up the Arabian Gulf in five of the small boats of the country finally I landed near Sabah which is a starting point for Caravans and having assembled my camels and hired a guard of 40 men from the wandering Arabs I set forth for maaba from this point which is the Sacred City of the idolators of those parts one can always join the large Caravans which go north twice a year to Jerusalem and the Sea Coast of Syria our route was a long and weary one on our left hand was the Arabian Gulf lying like a pool of motten metal under the glare of day but changing to blood red as the sun sank each even evening behind the distant African Coast on our right was a monstrous desert which extends so far as I know across the whole of Arabia and away to the distant Kingdom of the Persians for many days we saw no sign of Life save our own long straggling line of Laden camels with their tattered sarthy Guardian in these deserts the soft sand deadens the footfall of the animals so that their silent progress day after day through a scene which never changes and which is itself noisess becomes at last like a strange dream often as I rode behind my Caravan and gazed at the grotesque figures which bore my wees in front of me I found it hard to believe that it was indeed reality and that it was I I Manuel ducas who lived Liv near the theodosian Gate of Constantinople and shouted for the green at the Hippodrome every Sunday afternoon who was there in so strange a land and with such singular comrades now and then far out at Sea we caught sight of the white triangular sails of the boats which these people use but as they are all Pirates we were very glad to be safely upon Shore once or twice too by the water's edge we saw dwarfish creatures one could scar ly say if they were men or monkeys who borrow for homes among the seaweed drink the pools of brackish water and eat what they can catch these are the Fish Eaters the ikagi of whom all harus talks surely the lowest of all the human race our Arabs shrank from them with horror for it is well known that should you die in the desert these little people will settle on you like caran crows and leave not a bone unpicked they gibbered and croaked and waved their skinny arms at us as we passed knowing well that they could swim far out to seea if we attempted to pursue them for it is said that even the Sharks turn with disgust from their foul bodies we had traveled in this way for 10 days camping every evening at the vile Wells which offered a small quantity of abominable water it was our habit to rise very early and to travel very late but to Halt during the intolerable heat of the afternoon when for want of trees we would crouch in the shadow of a sand hill or if that were wanting behind our own camels and merchandise in order to escape from the insufferable glare of the sun on the seventh day we were near the point where one leaves the coast in order to strike Inland to muraba we had concluded our midday Halt and we just starting once more the Sun still being so hot that we could hardly bear it when looking up I saw a remarkable sight standing on a hillc to our right there was a man about 40 ft High holding in his hand a spear which was the size of the Mast of a large ship you look surprised my friends and you can therefore imagine my feelings when I saw such a sight but my reason soon told me that the object in front of me was really a wandering Arab whose form had been enormously magnified by the strange distorting effects which the hot air of the desert is able to call however the actual Apparition caused more alarm to my companions than the imagined one had to me for with a howl of dismay they shrank together into a frightened group all pointing and gesticulating as they gazed at the distant figure I then observed that the man was not alone but that from all the Sand Hills a line of turban heads was gazing down upon us the chief of the escort came running to me and informed me of the cause of their Terror which was that they recognized by some peculiarity of their headgear that these men belonged to the tribe of the DWS the most ferocious and unscrupulous of the bedwin who had evidently laid an ambuscade for us at this point with the intention of seizing our Caravan when I thought of all my efforts in abisinia of the length of my journey and of the dangers and fatigues which I had endured I could not bear to think of this total disaster coming upon me at the last instant and robbing me not only of my profits but also of my original outlay it was evident however that the robbers were too numerous for us to attempt to defend ourselves and that we should be very fortunate if we escaped with our lives sitting upon a packet therefore I commended my soul to our blessed Saint Helena while I watched with despairing eyes the stealthy and menacing approach of the Arab robbers it may have been our own good fortune or it may have been the handsome offering of beeswax candles four to the pound which I had mentally vowed to the Blessed Helena but at that instant I heard a great outcry of Joy from among my own followers standing up on the packet that I might have a better View I was overjoyed to see a long Caravan 500 camels at least with a numerous armed guard coming along the route from mararaba it is I need not tell you the custom of all Caravans to combine their forces against the robbers of the desert and with the aid of these newcomers we had become the stronger part the Marauders recognized it at once for they vanished as if their native Sands had swallowed them running up to the summit of a sand H I was just able to catch a glimpse of a dust cloud whirling away across the yellow plain with the long necks of their camels the flutter of their loose garments and The Gleam of their Spears breaking out from the heart of it so vanished the morus presently I found however that I had only exchanged one danger for another at first I had hoped that this new Caravan might belong to some Roman citizen or at least to some Syrian Christian but I found that it was entirely Arab the trading Arabs who are settled in the numerous towns of Arabia are of course very much more Peaceable than the beduin of the Wilderness those sons of Ishmael of whom we read and holy WR but the Arab blood is Covetous and Lawless so that when I saw several hundred of them formed in a semicircle around our camels looking with greedy eyes at my boxes of precious metals and my packets of ostrich feathers I feared the worst the leader of the new Caravan was a man of dignified bearing and remarkable appearance his age I would judge to be about 40 he had keine features a noble black beard and eyes is so luminous so searching and so intense that I cannot remember in all my wanderings to have seen any which could be compared with them to my thanks and salut ations he returned a formal bow and stood stroking his beard and looking in silence at the wealth which had suddenly fallen into his power a murmur from his followers showed the eagerness with which they awaited the order to tore upon the plunder and a young Ruffian who seemed to be on intimate terms with the leader came to his elbow and put the desires of his companions into words surely oh revered one said he these people and their treasure have been delivered into our hands when we return with it to the holy Place who of all the K will fail to see the Finger of God which has led us but the leader shook his head nay Ali it may not be he answered this man is as I judge a citizen of Rome and we may not treat him as though he were an idolator but he is an an unbeliever cried the youth fingering a great knife which hung in his belt were I to be the judge he would lose not only his merchandise but his life also if he did not accept the faith the older man smiled and shook his head nay Ali you are too hot headed said he seeing that there are not as yet 300 faithful in the world our hands would indeed be full if we were to take the lives and property of all who are not wither forget not dear lad that charity and honesty are the very nose ring and halter of the true Faith among the faithful said the Ferocious youth nay towards everyone it is the law of Allah and yet here his countenance darkened and his eyes Shone with the most Sinister light the day May soon come when the hour of Grace is pass and woe then to those who have not hearkened then shall the sword of Allah be drawn and it shall not be sheathed until the Harvest is reaped first it shall strike the idolators on the day when my own people and Kinsmen the unbelieving qur shall be scattered and the 360 Idols of the Jabba Thrust out upon the dung heeps of the town then shall the saah be the home and temple of one God only who Brooks no rival on Earth or in heaven the man's followers had gathered around him their Spears in their hands their Ardent eyes fixed upon his face and their dark features convulsed with such fanatic enthusiasm has showed the hold which he had upon their love and respect we shall be patient said he but sometime next year the year after the day may come when the Great Angel Gabriel shall bear me the message that the time of words has gone by and that the hour of the sword has come we are few and weak but if it is his will who can stand against us are you of Jewish faith stranger he asked I I answer answered that I was not the better for you he answered with the same Furious anger in his swarthy face first shall the idolators fall and then the Jews in that they have not known those very prophets whom they had themselves for told then thus will come the turn of the Christians who follow indeed a true Prophet greater than Moses or Abraham but who have sinned in that they have confounded a creature with the Creator to each in turn idolator Jew and Christian the Day of Reckoning will come the rager muffins behind him all shook their Spears as he spoke there was no doubt about their earnestness but when I looked at their tattered dresses and simple arms I could not help smiling to think of their ambitious threat and to picture what their fate would be upon the day of Battle Before the battle axes of our Imperial guards or the spears of the heavy Cavalry of the Armenian thieves however I need not say that I was discreet enough to keep my thoughts to myself as I had no desire to be the first martyr in this fresh attack Upon Our blessed faith it was now evening and it was decided that the two Caravans should camp together an arrangement which was the more welcome as we were by no means sure that we had seen the last of them are orders I had invited the leader of the Arabs to have supper with me and after a long exercise of prayer with his followers he came to join me but my attempt at Hospitality was thrown away for he would not touch the excellent wine which I had unpacked for him nor would he eat any of my dainties contenting himself with staled bread dried dates and water after this meal we sat Alone by the smoldering fire the Magnificent arch of the heavens above us of that deep rich blue with those gleaming clearcut Stars which can only be seen in that dry Desert Air our camp lay before us and no sound reached our ears save the dull murmur of the voices of our Companions and the occasional shrill Cry of a jackal among the sandals around us face to face I sat with this strange man the glow of the fire beating upon his eager and imperious features and reflecting from his passionate eyes it was the strangest vigil and one which will never pass from my recollection I have spoken with many wise and famous men upon my travels but never with one who left the impression of this one and yet much of his talk was unintelligible to me though as you are aware I speak Arabian like an Arab it Rose and fell in the strangest way sometimes it was the babble of a child sometimes the incoherent raving of a fanatic sometimes the lofty dreams of a prophet and philosopher there were times when his stories of demon of Miracles of dreams and of Omens were such as an old woman might tell to please the children of an EV there were others when as he talked with shining face of his converse with angels of the intentions of the Creator and the end of the universe I felt as if I were in the company of someone more than mortal someone who was indeed the direct messenger of the most high there were good reasons why he should treat me with such confidence he saw in me a messenger to Constantinople and to the Roman Empire even as St Paul had brought Christianity to Europe so he hoped that I might carry his doctrines to my native City alas be the doctrines what they may I fear that I am not the stuff of which Pauls are made yet he strove with all his heart during that long Arabian Night to bring me over to his belief he had with him a holy book written as he said from the dictation of an Angel which he carried in tablets of bone in the nose bag of a camel some chapters of this he read me but though the precepts were usually good the language seemed wild and fanciful there were times when I could scarce keep my countenance as I listened to him he planned out his future movements and indeed as he spoke it was hard to remember that he was only the wandering leader of an Arab Caravan and not one of the great ones of the earth when God has given me sufficient power which would be within a few years said he I will unite all Arabia under my banner then I will spread my Doctrine over Syria and Egypt when this has been done I will turn to Persia and give them the choice of the true Faith or the sword having taken Persia it will be easy then to overrun Asia Minor and so to make our way to Constantinople I bit my lip to keep from laughing and how long will it be before your Victorious troops have reached the Bosphorus I asked such things are in the hands of God whose servants we are said he it may be that I shall myself have passed away before these things are accomplished but before the days of our children are completed all that I have now told you will come to pass look at that star he added pointing to a beautiful clear Planet above our heads that is the symbol of Christ see how Serene and peaceful it shines like his own teaching and the memory of his life now he added turning his outstretched hand to a Dusky red star upon the Horizon the very one on which we are gazing now that is my star which tells of Wrath of War of a Scourge upon Sinners and yet both are indeed stars and each does as Allah May ordain well that was the experience which was called To My Mind by the sight of this star tonight R and angry it still Broods over the South even as I saw it that night in the desert somewhere down yonder that man is working and striving he may be stabbed by some brother fanatic or slain in a tribal Skirmish if so that is the end but if he lives there was that in his eyes and in his presence which tells me that Muhammad the son of abdalah for that was his name will testify in some noteworthy fashion to the faith that is in him