Welcome to Part Two of The Quest of the Sacred Slipper, our latest audio adventure in Tales for Our Time. We thank you for all your kind comments about this choice for our seventy-ninth yarn. In tonight's episode of Sax Rohmer's tale, an Englishman has returned to London with something the Mohammedans are very anxious to recover:
"Those who sought to recover what I had in the case feared that my death en route might result in its being lost to them for ever. They awaited a suitable opportunity. They had designed to take it at Port Said certainly, I think; but the bag was too large to be readily concealed, and, after the outrage, might have led to the discovery of the culprit. In the second place, they are uncertain of my faith. I have long passed for a true Believer in the East! As a Moslem I visited Mecca—"
"You visited Mecca!"
"I had just returned from the hadj when I joined the Mandalay at Port Said! My death, however, has been determined upon, whether I be Moslem or Christian!"
"Why?"
"Because," came the Professor's harsh voice over the telephone, "of the contents of the brown leather case! I will not divulge to you now the nature of these contents; to know might endanger you."
To hear me read the second episode of The Quest of the Sacred Slipper, please click here and log-in. If you missed part one, you'll find that here.
Tales for Our Time started as an experimental feature we introduced as a bonus for Mark Steyn Club members, and, as you know, I said if it was a total stinkeroo, we'd eighty-six the thing and speak no more of it. But I'm thrilled to say it's proved very popular, and we now have quite an archive. If you're a Club member and you incline more to the stinkeroo side of things, give it your best in the Comments Section below.
We launched The Mark Steyn Club over eight-and-a-half years ago, and we're truly grateful to all those members across the globe who've signed up to be a part of it - from Fargo to Fiji, Vancouver to Vanuatu, Cook County to the Cook Islands, West Virginia to the West Midlands. If you've enjoyed our monthly Steyn Club audio adventures and you're looking for a birthday present for a fellow fan of classic fiction, we hope you'll consider our special Club Gift Membership. That said, aside from Tales for Our Time, The Mark Steyn Club does come with other benefits:
~Exclusive Steyn Store member pricing on over 40 books, mugs, T-shirts, and other products;
~The opportunity to engage in live Clubland Q&A sessions with yours truly, such as this Wednesday's;
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~Mark's video series of classic poetry, and his weekend music show;
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~and the opportunity to support our print, audio and video ventures as they wing their way around the planet.
To become a member of The Mark Steyn Club, please click here - and don't forget that special Gift Membership. As soon as you join, you'll get access not only to The Quest of the Sacred Slipper but to seventy-eight other audio adventures.
One other benefit to membership is our Comment Club privileges. So, whether you like my reading of this latest Tale for Our Time or are minded to toss it overboard, then feel free to comment away below. And do join us tomorrow for Part Three of The Quest of the Sacred Slipper.
