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 Numerical
and
Statistical Methods
for COMPUTER ENGINEERING
Gujarat Technological University 2017
Second Edition
 About the Authors
Ravish R Singh is presently Academic Advisor at Thakur
Educational Trust, Mumbai. He obtained a BE degree from
University of Mumbai in 1991, an MTech degree from IIT
Bombay in 2001, and a PhD degree from Faculty of Technology,
University of Mumbai, in 2013. He has published several books
with McGraw Hill Education (India) Private Limited on varied
subjects like Engineering Mathematics (I and II), Applied
Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, Electrical and Electronics
Engineering, etc., for all-India curricula as well as regional
curricula of some universities like Gujarat Technological University, Mumbai University,
Pune University, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University, Anna University,
Uttarakhand Technical University, and Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Technical University
(formerly known as UPTU). Dr Singh is a member of IEEE, ISTE, and IETE, and has
published research papers in national and international journals. His fields of interest
include Circuits, Signals and Systems, and Engineering Mathematics.

Mukul Bhatt is presently Assistant Professor, Department of

Humanities and Sciences, at Thakur College of Engineering
and Technology, Mumbai. She obtained her MSc (Mathematics)
from H N B Garhwal University in 1992. She has published
several books with McGraw Hill Education (India) Private
Limited on Engineering Mathematics (I and II) and Applied
Mathematics for all-India curricula as well as regional curricula
of some universities like Gujarat Technological University,
Mumbai University, Pune University, Jawaharlal Nehru
Technological University, Anna University, Uttarakhand
Technical University, and Dr A P J Abdul Kalam Technical University (formerly known
as UPTU). She has seventeen years of teaching experience at various levels in
engineering colleges in Mumbai and her fields of interest include Integral Calculus,
Complex Analysis, and Operation Research. She is a member of ISTE.
 Numerical
and
Statistical Methods
for COMPUTER ENGINEERING
Gujarat Technological University 2017
Second Edition

Ravish R Singh
Academic Advisor
Thakur Educational Trust
Mumbai, Maharashtra

Mukul Bhatt
Assistant Professor
Department of Humanities and Sciences
Thakur College of Engineering and Technology
Mumbai, Maharashtra

McGraw Hill Education (India) Private Limited

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Numerical and Statistical Methods for COMPUTER ENgiNEERiNg
(Gujarat Technological University 2017)
Copyright © 2017, 2016 by McGraw Hill Education (India) Private Limited.
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 Dedicated
To Our Parents
Late Shri Ramsagar Singh
and
Late Shrimati Premsheela Singh
Ravish R Singh

Late Shri Ved Prakash Sharma

and
Late Shrimati Vidyavati Hemdan
Mukul Bhatt
 Contents
Preface xi
Roadmap to the Syllabus xv
1. Error Analysis 1.1–1.18
1.1 Introduction 1.1
1.2 Accuracy and Precision 1.1
1.3 Types of Errors 1.2
1.4 Sources of Errors 1.2
1.5 Significant Figures 1.3
Points to Remember 1.17
2. Roots of Equations 2.1–2.73
2.1 Introduction 2.1
2.2 Bisection Method 2.2
2.3 Regula Falsi Method 2.15
2.4 Newton–Raphson Method 2.22
2.5 Secant Method 2.39
2.6 Successive Approximation Method (Iteration Method) 2.49
2.7 Descartes’ Rule of Signs 2.55
2.8 Budan’s Theorem 2.58
2.9 Bairstow’s Method 2.62
Points to Remember 2.72
3. Systems of Linear Algebraic Equations 3.1–3.63
3.1 Introduction 3.1
3.2 Solutions of a System of Linear Equations 3.2
3.3 Elementary Transformations 3.2
3.4 Numerical Methods for Solution of a System of Linear Equations 3.3
3.5 Gauss Elimination Method 3.4
3.6 Gauss Elimination Method with Partial Pivoting 3.15
3.7 Gauss–Jordan Method 3.20
3.8 Gauss–Jacobi Method 3.31
3.9 Gauss–Siedel Method 3.37
3.10 Ill-Conditioned Systems 3.61
Points to Remember 3.62
viii Contents

4. Interpolation 4.1–4.100
4.1 Introduction 4.1
4.2 Finite Differences 4.2
4.3 Different Operators and their Relations 4.6
4.4 Interpolation 4.19
4.5 Newton’s Forward Interpolation Formula 4.19
4.6 Newton’s Backward Interpolation Formula 4.30
4.7 Central Difference Interpolation 4.39
4.8 Gauss’s Forward Interpolation Formula 4.40
4.9 Gauss’s Backward Interpolation Formula 4.44
4.10 Stirling’s Formula 4.48
4.11 Interpolation with Unequal Intervals 4.55
4.12 Lagrange’s Interpolation Formula 4.56
4.13 Divided Differences 4.70
4.14 Newton’s Divided Difference Formula 4.71
4.15 Inverse Interpolation 4.84
4.16 Cubic Spline Interpolation 4.86
Points to Remember 4.99
5. Curve Fitting 5.1–5.27
5.1 Introduction 5.1
5.2 Least Square Method 5.2
5.3 Fitting of Linear Curves 5.2
5.4 Fitting of Quadratic Curves 5.10
5.5 Fitting of Exponential and Logarithmic Curves 5.18
Points to Remember 5.26
6. Numerical Integration 6.1–6.41
6.1 Introduction 6.1
6.2 Newton–Cotes Quadrature Formula 6.1
6.3 Trapezoidal Rule 6.2
6.4 Simpson’s 1/3 Rule 6.9
6.5 Simpson’s 3/8 Rule 6.19
6.6 Gaussian Quadrature Formulae 6.31
Points to Remember 6.40
7. Ordinary Differential Equations 7.1–7.64
7.1 Introduction 7.1
7.2 Taylor’s Series Method 7.2
7.3 Euler’s Method 7.9
7.4 Modified Euler’s Method 7.16
7.5 Runge–Kutta Methods 7.28
7.6 Milne’s Predictor-Corrector Method 7.53
Points to Remember 7.63
 Contents ix

8. Statistical Methods 8.1–8.98

8.1 Introduction 8.1
8.2 Data Analysis 8.2
8.3 Classification of Data 8.2
8.4 Frequency Distribution 8.3
8.5 Graphical Representation 8.4
8.6 Measures of Central Tendency 8.15
8.7 Arithmetic Mean 8.15
8.8 Median 8.24
8.9 Mode 8.31
8.10 Standard Deviation 8.36
8.11 Moments 8.49
8.12 Random Variables 8.62
8.13 Discrete Probability Distribution 8.63
8.14 Discrete Distribution Function 8.64
8.15 Measures of Central Tendency for a Discrete Probability
Distribution 8.78
Points to Remember 8.93
9. Correlation and Regression 9.1–9.58
9.1 Introduction 9.1
9.2 Correlation 9.2
9.3 Types of Correlations 9.2
9.4 Methods of Studying Correlation 9.3
9.5 Scatter Diagram 9.4
9.6 Simple Graph 9.5
9.7 Karl Pearson’s Coefficient of Correlation 9.5
9.8 Properties of Coefficient of Correlation 9.6
9.9 Rank Correlation 9.22
9.10 Regression 9.29
9.11 Types of Regression 9.30
9.12 Methods of Studying Regression 9.30
9.13 Lines of Regression 9.31
9.14 Regression Coefficients 9.31
9.15 Properties of Regression Coefficients 9.34
9.16 Properties of Lines of Regression (Linear Regression) 9.35
Points to Remember 9.56
10. Trend Analysis 10.1–10.31
10.1 Introduction 10.1
10.2 Objectives of Time-Series 10.1
10.3 Components of a Time-Series 10.2
10.4 Measurement of Trend 10.3
10.5 Freehand or Graphic Method 10.3
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x Contents

10.6 Method of Semi-Averages 10.5

10.7 Method of Moving Averages 10.7
10.8 Method of Least Squares 10.16
10.9 Measurement of Seasonal Variations 10.23
10.10 Method of Ratio to Moving Average 10.23
Points to Remember 10.31

Index I.1–I.3
 Preface
Mathematics is a key area of study in any engineering course. A sound knowledge
of this subject will help engineering students develop analytical skills, and thus
enable them to solve numerical problems encountered in real life, as well as apply
mathematical principles to physical problems, particularly in the field of engineering.

Users
This book is designed for the 4th semester GTU Computer Engineering students
pursuing the course Numerical and Statistical Methods (CODE 2140706). It covers
the complete GTU syllabus for the course on Numerical and Statistical Methods for
computer engineering branches.

Objective
The crisp and complete explanation of topics will help students easily understand the
basic concepts. The tutorial approach (i.e., teach by example) followed in the text will
enable students develop a logical perspective to solving problems.

Features
Each topic has been explained from the examination point-of-view, wherein the theory
is presented in an easy-to-understand student-friendly style. Full coverage of concepts
is supported by numerous solved examples with varied complexity levels, which is
aligned to the latest GTU syllabus. Fundamental and sequential explanation of topics
is well aided by examples and exercises. The solutions of examples are set following a
‘tutorial’ approach, which will make it easy for students from any background to easily
grasp the concepts. Exercises with answers immediately follow the solved examples
enforcing a practice-based approach. We hope that the students will gain logical
understanding from solved problems and then reiterate it through solving similar
exercise problems themselves. The unique blend of theory and application caters to
the requirements of both the students and the faculty. Solutions of GTU examination
questions are incorporated within the text appropriately.
xii Preface

Highlights
∑ Crisp content strictly as per the latest GTU syllabus of Numerical and Statistical
Methods (Regulation 2014)
∑ Comprehensive coverage with lucid presentation style
∑ Each section concludes with an exercise to test understanding of topics
∑ Solutions of GTU examination papers from 2010 to 2015 present appropriately
within the chapters
∑ Solution of 2016 GTU examination paper can be accessible through weblink.
∑ Rich exam-oriented pedagogy:
ã Solved Examples within chapters: 420
ã Solved GTU questions tagged within chapters: 112
ã Unsolved Exercises: 148

Online Learning Center

All the C Programs included in Numerical and Statistical Methods (Computer
Engineering) are available on OLC link http://www.mhhe.com/singh/nsm2e/cse/gtu2017

Chapter Organization
The content spans the following ten chapters which wholly and sequentially cover
each module of the syllabus.
o Chapter 1 introduces Error Analysis.
o Chapter 2 discusses Roots of Equations.
o Chapter 3 presents Systems of Linear Algebraic Equations.
o Chapter 4 covers Interpolation.
o Chapter 5 deals with Curve Fitting.
o Chapter 6 presents Numerical Integration.
o Chapter 7 explains Ordinary Differential Equations.
o Chapter 8 discusses Statistical Methods.
o Chapter 9 deals with Correlation and Regression.
o Chapter 10 introduces Trend Analysis.

Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the following reviewers who reviewed various chapters of the script
and generously shared their valuable comments:

Ramesh S Damor L D College of Engineering, Ahmedabad

Jyotindra C Prajapati Marwadi Education Foundation Group of Institutions,
Rajkot
 Preface xiii

Vijay Solanki Government Engineering College, Patan

Prakash Vihol Government Engineering College, Rajkot
Manokamna Agarwal Silver Oak College of Engineering and Technology,
Ahmedabad
Som Sahni Babaria Institute of Technology, Vadodara
Bhumika Maheshwari Gandhinagar Institute of Technology, Kalol
Urvi Trivedi SAL Institute of Technology and Engineering Research,
Ahmedabad

We would also like to thank all the staff at McGraw Hill Education (India), especially
Piyali Chatterjee, Anuj Kr. Shriwastava, Koyel Ghosh, Satinder Singh Baveja,
and Vibha Mahajan for coordinating with us during the editorial, copyediting, and
production stages of this book.
Our acknowledgements would be incomplete without a mention of the contribution of
all our family members. We extend a heartfelt thanks to them for always motivating
and supporting us throughout the project.
Constructive suggestions for the improvement of the book will always be welcome.
Ravish R Singh
Mukul Bhatt

Publisher’s Note
Remember to write to us. We look forward to receiving your feedback,
comments, and ideas to enhance the quality of this book. You can reach us at
[email protected]. Please mention the title and authors’ name as the
subject. In case you spot piracy of this book, please do let us know.
RoAdmAP to the SyllAbuS
This text is useful for
Numerical and Statistical Methods (Code 2140706)
For Computer Engineering
Module 1: Mathematical Modelling and Engineering Problem-Solving
Approximations and errors; Significant figures; Accuracy and precision; Errors;
Round-off and truncation errors; Error propagation

GO TO
CHAPTER 1: Error Analysis

Module 2: Roots of Equations

Mathematical background; Bisection; Regula falsi method; Newton–Raphson
method; Secant method; Successive approximation method; Budan’s theorem;
Barristow’s method; Case studies

GO TO
CHAPTER 2: Roots of Equations

Module 3: Systems of Linear Algebraic Equations

Mathematical background; Gauss elimination; Pitfalls and techniques for
improvement; Matrix inversion and Gauss–Seidel methods; Ill-conditional
equations; Predictor-corrector methods; Case studies

GO TO
CHAPTER 3: Systems of Linear Algebraic Equations

Module 4: Curve Fitting

Mathematical background; Least squares method; Linear and polynomial
regression; Lagrange’s interpolating polynomials; Spline interpolation; Case
studies

GO TO
CHAPTER 4: Interpolation
CHAPTER 5: Curve Fitting
xvi Roadmap to the Syllabus

Module 5: Numerical Integration

Newton–Cotes integration formulae; Trapezoidal rule and Simpson’s rules;
Interpolation; Case studies

GO TO
CHAPTER 6: Numerical Integration

Module 6: Ordinary Differential Equations

Euler’s method; Runge–Kutta methods; General methods for boundary-value
problems; Case studies

GO TO
CHAPTER 7: Ordinary Differential Equations

Module 7: Statistical Methods

Frequency distributions; Data analysis; Expectations and moments; Corelation
and regression; Trend analysis; Seasonal effects; Cyclical fluctuation; Moving
average; MSE; Predictions; Non-parametric statistics; Computer-based
resampling techniques; Confidence intervals and statistical significance

GO TO
CHAPTER 8: Statistical Methods
CHAPTER 9: Correlation and Regression
CHAPTER 10: Trend Analysis
CHAPTER
1
Error Analysis

chapter outline
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Accuracy and Precision
1.3 Types of Errors
1.4 Sources of Errors
1.5 Significant Figures

1.1 IntroductIon
The main goal of numerical analysis is to develop efficient algorithms for computing
precise numerical values of mathematical quantities, including functions, integrals,
solutions of algebraic equations, solutions of differential equations, etc. Often the
numerical data and the methods used are approximate ones. Hence, the error in a
computed result may be caused by the errors in the data, or the errors in the method, or
both. In any numerical computation, there are four key sources of errors:
(i) Inexactness of mathematical model for the underlying physical phenomenon
(ii) Errors in measurements of parameters entering the model
(iii) Round-off errors in computer arithmetic
(iv) Approximations used to solve the mathematical systems

1.2 AccurAcy And PrecIsIon

Measurements and calculations can be characterized with regard to their accuracy and
precision. Accuracy refers to how closely a computed or measured value agrees with
the true value. Precision refers to how closely individually computed or measured
values agree with each other. Inaccuracy is the systematic deviation from the truth.
Imprecision refers to the magnitude of scatter. Figure 1.1 illustrates the concepts of
accuracy and precision.
1.2 Chapter 1 Error Analysis

Fig. 1.1
The term error represents the imprecision and inaccuracy of a numerical
computation.

1.3 tyPes oF errors

There are various types of errors in measurements and calculations:

(i) Absolute error
(ii) Relative error
(iii) Percentage error
Absolute error It is the difference between the measured or calculated value and
true value. If xexact is the true or exact value and xapprox is the measured or calculated or
approximate value, the absolute error dx is given by
Œa = d x = xexact - xapprox

relative error It is the ratio of absolute error and true value of the quantity.

dx xexact - xapprox
Œr = =
x xexact

Percentage error It is relative error expressed in terms of per 100.

dx xexact - xapprox
Œp = ¥ 100 = ¥ 100
x xexact

1.4 sources oF errors

There are three sources of errors, namely, inherent error, truncation error, and round-
off error.
Inherent error It is the error that pre-exist in the problem statement itself before
its solution is obtained. Such errors arise in the values of data from the real world or
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 1.5 Significant Figures 1.3

by uncertainty in measurements or due to the given data being approximate or due to

the limitations of mathematical tables, calculators, digital computer, etc. These errors
cannot be completely eliminated but can be minimized if better data is selected or
high-precision computer computations are employed, e.g., representation of irrational
numbers such as p, e, 2 cannot be represented with a finite number of digits. Even
a simple fraction in many cases has no exact representation, such as a rational number
1
.
3
truncation error It is the error that results from using an approximation in place
of exact mathematical expressions. It is caused by truncating a finite number of terms.
The most common example is the truncation of an infinite series to a finite number of
terms, e.g., sin x is represented by the Maclaurin series as

x3 x5 x7 x9
sin x = x - + - + -  • = xexact
3! 5! 7! 9!

But, if sin x is calculated by terminating the series up to x7 or x9,

x3 x5 x7 x9
sin x = x - + - + = xapprox
3! 5! 7! 9!
Hence, truncation error = xexact – xapprox
round-off error It is the error that results due to chopping or rounding or arithmetic
operations using normalized floating-point numbers. It is due to the inaccuracies that
arise because of a finite number of digits of precision used to represent numbers. All
computers represent numbers, except for integer and some fractions, with imprecision.
Digital computers use floating-point numbers of fixed word length. This type of
representation will not express the exact or true values correctly. Error introduced by
the omission of significant figures due to computer imperfection is called round-off
error.

1.5 sIgnIFIcAnt FIgures

The significant figures of a number are digits that carry meaning contributing to its
measurement resolution. This includes all digits except (i) all leading zeros, and (ii) all
trailing zeros when they are merely placeholders to indicate the scale of the number.

Rules for Identifying Significant Figures

(i) All nonzero digits are considered significant, e.g., 93 has two significant
figures, i.e., 9 and 3, while 135.76 has five significant figures, i.e., 1, 3, 5, 7,
and 6.
(ii) All zeros between two nonzero digits are significant, e.g., 205.1308 has seven
significant figures, i.e., 2, 0, 5, 1, 3, 0 and 8.
1.4 Chapter 1 Error Analysis

(iii) Leading zeros are not significant, e.g., 0.00075 has two significant figures,
7 and 5.
(iv) Trailing zeros in a number containing a decimal point are significant, e.g.,
13.4000 has six significant figures, i.e., 1, 3, 4, 0, 0, and 0. The number
0.000134000 still has only six significant figures (the zeros before the 1 are
not significant). The number 120.00 has five significant figures since it has
three trailing zeros. The number of significant figures in 8200 is at least two,
but it could be three or four because it is not clear if the zeros are significant
or not. To avoid uncertainty, scientific notation is used to place zeros behind a
decimal point, i.e., 8.200 × 103 has four significant figures, whereas 8.2 × 103
has two significant figures.

example 1
Find the relative error and percentage error if 0.005998 is truncated to
three decimal digits.
Solution
xexact = 0.005998
xapprox = 0.005
xexact - xapprox
Relative error =
xexact
0.005998 - 0.005
=
0.005998
= 0.1664
xexact - xapprox
Percentage error = ¥ 100
xexact
= 0.1664 ¥ 100
= 16.64%

example 2
For a = 3.141592 and an approximation value of a as 3.14, evaluate
absolute error, relative error, and percentage error.
Solution
aexact = 3.141592, aapprox = 3.14
Absolute error = da = aexact – aapprox = 3.141592 – 3.14 = 0.001592
d a 0.001592
Relative error = = = 5.0675 ¥ 10 -4
a 3.141592
da
Percentage error = ¥ 100 = 5.0675 ¥ 10 -4 ¥ 100 = 0.05067%
a
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come. As for myself, I’m trying to place this gentleman; something
about his face seems familiar. It may be I’ve noticed him on the
Midway at some time.”
Aleck buys his cane, and continues to keep a good distance
between the couple and himself. They are simply looking at the
curios displayed by the cunning Japs, and appear to be more
engrossed with each other than the objects around. All of which
causes our bachelor the most peculiar sensations of his life.
At one moment he has firmly resolved that he will not seek the
presence of this fair one on the succeeding night, and immediately
he has bitter reflections, of which he is ashamed later on, reflections
that bear upon Dorothy in the sense of her mother being brought up
in the peculiar tenets of Oriental life, which in a measure may have
descended to the daughter.
Again his mind undergoes a change, and he scores himself for such
a thought. He remembers the face first seen under the wintry sky of
Canada, and again on the Ferris wheel of the Midway; remembers
that she claimed her mission to be a sacred one, and until further
proof to the contrary is brought he must believe in her innocence.
What if this is some lover who has incurred the parental anger, and
whom she dares not receive at home—he has the face and bearing
of a true man.
“Don’t imagine you have a mortgage on her affection, Aleck Craig,”
he mutters sneeringly, as if to mock the strange feeling of pain that
assails his heart; “and it's none of your business if by chance she
has met her fate before discovering that a bachelor of your size was
haunting the Fair looking for her. Well, perhaps I may strike up an
acquaintance with this young fellow, and, confound it—be a brother
to her yet.”
“I thought it would happen. I looked for just that same thing to occur,”
breaks in Wycherley, in a thrilling stage whisper.
“What now?” asks Craig guiltily, fearing he has again been talking
indiscreetly above his breath.
“Wait a minute! Examine these elegant tablecloths worked with silk;
aint they beauties? Now, the coast of Bohemia is clear.”
Aleck of course turns his head quickly to see who has caused such
commotion in the mind of his companion, and Wycherley watches
the face of the Canadian, well knowing it will be an index to his
feelings. A figure is moving down the aisle—a woman dressed
attractively, but heavily veiled. As soon as Aleck’s eyes fall upon her
graceful form, he is struck with the peculiar charm of her person, and
the actor seeing this bends over to say:
“I see, you, too, have guessed her identity. It is the Veiled Fortune
Teller of Cairo Street—and yonder is Dorothy. Perhaps the strange
events of this remarkable night are not yet concluded, my dear boy.”
 BOOK TWO.
The Man from Denver.
 CHAPTER IX.
NEWS FROM COLORADO.
Wycherley is right; Aleck has recognized the cloaked figure. There is
some undefinable quality about her carriage that betrays her—a
gliding movement, so totally unlike the action of an American. What
adds power to the suspicion is the fact that she seems to follow the
couple whose movements Aleck and his companion have been
watching.
“I feel as though some sort of crisis were approaching, Claude. Now
do you suppose she suspects what manner of face that veil hides?”
he asks his friend.
“Oh, as to that, Dorothy has thrown back the veil impatiently a dozen
times in order to look at some curio, but, being bothered with the
bold glances her beauty draws from some of the visitors here, lets it
drop again. If this be Marda, as you seem to imagine, depend on it,
she has seen the girl’s face.”
“What will she do?”
“Ah! there I must confess my weakness. We might consult the black
Nubian who holds forth in that sacred chamber of the mosque.”
“To the deuce with him and his folly. I imagine we can get a better
answer by watching these people, though, in one way, it goes
against my grain to play the detective.”
“Bah! you’re too conscientious. Remember, we are not mere
curiosity mongers, nor reporters seeking a sensation, but sworn
protectors to this lovely Hebe, who lacks a brother’s care. Under
such circumstances, Aleck, anything is fair in love or war.”
“Be it so. I must accept your version, and stifle my dislike to the task
by remembering the demands of duty.”
“Bravo! you’ll get there yet. They are quitting the bazaar, and she is
close behind. Now watch me play a little side game.”
In an instant Wycherley has managed to pass around a table and
meet the cloaked and veiled figure at the doorway. The execution of
the maneuver is first-class. A bent pin or some such object in the
lapel of his coat catches the floating veil, and for the second time
inside an hour the Cairo Street fortune teller finds herself shorn of
the gauzy covering that has been used to screen her features.
“I really beg pardon! too awkward of me, to be sure. You—why, can it
be Miss Dorothy Cereal?” says the vagabond, with a look of well-
simulated surprise.
The other hastily replaces the veil, but not before he notices the
alarm and perturbation his pretended recognition has caused.
“No, no,” she mutters wildly; “it is one mistake, sir. I assure you.”
Then she darts out of the bazaar door like a frightened deer.
Wycherley laughs softly to himself at his success.
“What do you think, now?” he asks of Aleck, who joins him outside.
“There can be no mistake about her identity. We have yet to learn
whether this can be the Marda of the past, the mother whom Dorothy
has been taught to believe dead.”
“I believe I have settled even that,” declares the actor. “Come, let us
continue to keep them in sight while we talk.”
“You said something to her as you bowed with the grace of a
Chesterfield. I was not near enough to hear what it was.”
“But you noticed her confusion?”
“It was very apparent.”
“I pretended to believe it was Miss Cereal, and addressed her by that
name.”
“Jove! and she——”
“Denied it with a trembling voice and great earnestness. I have
known all along she was a foreigner from the quaint way she had of
expressing herself in English. Upon my word I am more and more
inclined to believe your remarkable theory to be true.”
So they saunter along, keeping a safe distance behind, yet close
enough to see all that occurs. The two in front talk together in low
tones such as would befit lovers. More than once Aleck finds a bitter
feeling taking root in his heart, and it is only through severe
measures that he is able to crush it. A new experience is being
forced upon him, and when he realizes how his work of the early
night must go for naught if there is another Richmond in the field, he
smiles in the grim way some men have when inflicting torture upon
themselves. He could not look more rigid and contemptuous were he
holding a red-hot iron to his flesh and searing the fang-marks left by
a mad dog.
As for Wycherley, that merry rascal appreciates the situation—and
though incapable of experiencing the same sensations that creep
over Aleck, he knows what it means. In his accustomed way he
jokes about it.
“Feel like you’re marching to your own funeral, eh, Craig? Never
mind, you can still be a brother to her. Great institution that. To my
personal knowledge I occupy that delightful place of uncertainty to a
dozen dainty despots here and abroad. I am connected, as it were,
by ties of consanguinity to nearly every city of first importance in the
world. Oh, take a veteran’s advice, my dear boy, and let no such little
trouble disconcert you. A merry life—to enjoy pleasure as she flies—
that’s my motto, and sad will be the day when I part from it.”
There are grains of sound philosophy in much that this strange
genius says, if one can only separate the wheat from the chaff. Craig
hears as in a dream, for his mind is upon those ahead. Shall he
continue this espionage? Is it right? Where is the middle-aged
duenna who was with Dorothy earlier in the evening? He knows she
is secretly in the pay of the plotting pasha, but the young girl must as
yet be ignorant of this fact. Perhaps she has left the other at a
certain place, where she may be found later.
It is growing late.
By degrees even the Midway is thinning out, for people know the
horrors awaiting them in the grand crush for accommodations on the
street cars, and are urged to hurry on this account, though none of
them ever escape the jam.
While passing the large building where the Tyrolese warblers invite
the passers-by to gaze upon the cyclorama of the Alps, some
impulse causes the couple ahead to enter, and the veiled woman, as
if led by an attraction she cannot resist, follows.
“Let us wait here. They must come out by this door,” says Craig, glad
of a chance to consider the matter in its several bearings.
Presently he becomes aware of the fact that Wycherley is shaking
hands with a gentleman and indulging in a chat. Their voices are
deadened by the many sounds of the Midway, which never quiets
down until midnight, but when he glances toward them a few minutes
later, Aleck can see from the dramatic gestures of his friend that the
vagabond Thespian has received information on some score that
excites him, but the rapid thoughts crowding upon his brain prohibit
his taking any interest in what they may be gossiping over. He takes
a second look at the man, however, and upon seeing his style,
somehow inclines toward the belief that whoever he may be he
comes out of the rowdy West. His laugh is like the roar of a bull, and
his voice reminds one of a storm muttering in the Rockies, it is so
deep and bass.
Craig begins to gather the several threads of his opinions together,
just as the driver of a four-in-hand might secure the various reins, in
order to make a clean run. He is making fair headway when an
interruption occurs, and frowning, Aleck looks up to see the jocund
actor at his side, having the unknown in tow.
“My friend, Bob Rocket—Aleck Craig. Two good fellows who should
know each other,” says Wycherley, and the Canadian feeling his
hand caught as in a vise, realizes that his comrade has betrayed
him, and is in duty bound to return the grip.
“Glad to meet you, Mr. Craig. Had a chum by your name once, poor
fellow.”
“Ah! something happened to him, then?” Aleck is interested enough
to remark.
“Hoss thieves—Mexicans—shot the poor boy. I made ’em sweat, you
understand. There was no rest for me till that score was wiped out,”
returns the ruddy faced man, gritting his strong teeth, and with a
strange light flashing in his eyes.
“I judge you are from the West, Mr. Rocket.”
“Yes. Colorado is my roost at present. I was born on the border and
brought up among the wildest scenes a man ever looked on. In
Mexico I’ve been with the revolutionists. I’ve mined in Idaho and
Montana, and been peace officer in a dozen Territories and States.
At present I’m a sheriff in Colorado.”
“Indeed! You know my friend here. Where did you ever run across
this rolling stone?”
The sheriff’s face suddenly grows soft, as he turns his head upon
Wycherley, and there is unassumed tenderness in his voice as he
says:
“I’ll tell you, sir. It was several years back, that terrible winter we had
in Colorado. I had hard luck and came near passing in my checks on
account of a gunshot wound received while arresting a desperado—
but I got him, and he stretched hemp, I’m telling you.
“Things went wrong at home, and my mother and little sister were
nigh starved. As soon as I could travel I went to Denver and found
that only for the kindness of a man who had a room in the same
tenement, and who was constitutionally dead broke, they would have
given up the ghost. He had spent every cent he could lay hold of on
them, strangers as they were. That man was Claude Wycherley, the
actor. Do you wonder I love him like a brother?”
“Come, come, you make me blush. What I did pleased me. God
knows I couldn’t have followed any other course. Say no more about
it,” cries the vagabond.
“You are doing the Fair, I presume?” remarks Craig, glad to hear
such a good report of one who hides his light under a bushel.
The sheriff and Claude exchange glances.
“Yes; I may say I have taken it in, but only as a secondary
consideration.”
“Come, I like that. Better not let a Chicagoan hear such a remark.
They are very sensitive. I have no doubt Colorado could have done
better, but——”
“Oh, you mistake me, Mr. Craig. I meant that as I was here to look
for a man, I had to give much of my time to the search, and,
therefore, what I have seen of the Fair has been, as you might say,
on the sly,” returns the sheriff, whose manner lacks the ease of a
polished gentleman.
“And have you met with any success?”
“I have located him at last. He is in yonder building. A clever and a
daring fellow. He made way with fifty thousand dollars belonging to
the Hecla Mining Company, of which this same John Phœnix was
treasurer. The president and manager of the company, probably as
wealthy a man as Colorado boasts, though a stranger to me, was
away, but in his absence the directors wired me to start after
Phœnix, and said a photograph of him would be sent to me in
Chicago. When it arrived I set to work, and gradually ran the fellow
down. Would you believe me, he actually had the brass to take the
president’s name. Yes, at a small hotel I found him registered as
John Atherton, and putting on all the airs of a substantial mine king. I
didn’t take him in at once—some little legal affair to comply with, you
understand. Besides, I wanted to learn something about him, so I
wired my employers and ever since I’ve just kept an eye on Phœnix
while waiting for an answer.”
Craig is interested in the narrative, because, being a man who has
seen something of life, he appreciates such a dramatic situation.
“You are fortunate then, Mr. Rocket,” he says.
“I mention these facts to you because you see, Claude, here, says
you’re interested in the young fellow,” continues the Colorado sheriff.
“I? Impossible!” exclaims Aleck, glancing from his friend to the man
from the West.
“Oh, yes you are! Show him the photo, Bob.”
Whereupon the sheriff takes out a cardboard and hands it over to the
Canadian. It is somewhat battered from lying in the pocket of the
officer, but the picture is plainly seen, and Craig holds his breath with
sudden awe as the electric lights fall upon the features of the young
miner whom he saw in the company of Dorothy.
 CHAPTER X.
THE VENGEANCE THAT SLUMBERED TWENTY YEARS.
Craig makes no remark, but hands the picture back. Somehow,
instead of feeling exultant over the fall of a possible rival, his
thoughts are wholly of Dorothy. It looks as if she must soon receive a
terrible blow, and he feels sad.
“Sorry if he’s a friend of yours, Mr. Craig, but business is business.”
“Never saw the young man before half an hour ago. I only take an
interest in him because he is with Samson Cereal’s daughter.”
“Ah! that charming young woman is a child of the shrewd old
speculator, eh?”
“I trust you may not feel it your duty to arrest him while in her
company. It would be a terrible shock,” continued Aleck.
The sheriff manages to exchange a sly wink with Wycherley, as if to
declare that he can see through a mill stone with a hole in it.
“Probably not, Mr. Craig. At least, I hope such will not be the case.
When my telegram arrives, I am bound to let as little time as possible
slip through my hands before making sure of my man. In all my
experience—and it’s been considerable, let me tell you, young fellow
—I’ve found that these quiet chaps are the most to be feared, the
most tricky.”
“I don’t question it,” remarks Aleck, who seems disinclined to further
conversation, and leaves the others to chat upon various topics,
while he wrestles with the momentous question that has such a
bearing on his life.
Thus time passes.
Those in the cyclorama building begin to pour forth, having feasted
their eyes upon the glories of the Alps. Among them comes the
couple whose actions have interested our friends.
Sauntering behind they are not noticed in the throng heading for the
exit.
“Look,” says Wycherley, “they are three; it is the middle-aged duenna
again. She sold herself to the pasha. Dorothy leans on a broken rod
when she puts any faith in her.”
That is one of the problems Craig is trying to solve. He feels that
Dorothy should know the truth, and yet hardly cares to be the one to
tell her. If he lets it go until the succeeding night that may be too late.
What would he not give for a favorable opportunity.
“They separate; he has business back in the Fair grounds. Stand
here and watch,” says the Colorado officer, suddenly turning them
into a place of shadow, which he is easily able to do, as he walks
between Craig and the actor with arms locked.
It is as he says. John Phœnix is bidding the young girl good-night.
Aleck gnaws his mustache a little nervously as he watches them, just
as though a sudden fear has burst into his bachelor heart lest the
good-looking scamp may take Dorothy in his arms with a bold lover’s
right.
Nothing of the sort occurs, however. He takes her hand and says
something that causes Dorothy to hang her head, but as to the
nature of her emotion the Canadian is utterly in the dark. While he is
musing Phœnix is gone.
Upon turning his head Aleck discovers that Bob Rocket has also
disappeared. The man from Colorado does not mean to allow any
chance to slip through his fingers. All he awaits is the receipt of a
telegram.
The two women have not yet gone on, but stand where Phœnix has
left them. Can it be possible they wait for his return? Craig chances
to look beyond and catches a glimpse of a figure there, a figure he
knows. It is the fortune teller of Cairo Street, who hovers near by, as
though eager to approach Dorothy, yet restrained by a fear lest the
girl should repulse her. Thus, in the agony of doubt she reaps the
sad harvest of the past.
It is an open question whether the women have seen or paid the
least attention to this figure in black that hovers near by, just as a
poor moth flutters around a candle that will singe its bright wings.
They talk together and as Aleck observes closer, he becomes
assured that something else claims their attention, something that
lies between them and the exit.
Before he can discover what this can be, his companion says in a
surprised tone:
“Why, there’s the Turk—the pasha.”
“That explains it. She has discovered him in her way, too late to call
Phœnix back, and is now trying to convince her companion that they
had better seek another exit,” Aleck says hastily.
“And as the woman is in the employ of the Turk, as this very affair
has all been arranged while the others were in the Japanese bazaar,
or viewing the scenery of the Alps, her words fall upon deaf ears,”
continues Wycherley.
“But Scutari dare not attempt violence.”
“You forget he is a Turk, and naturally brings some of his Bosphorus
habits here with him. Samson Cereal ran away with his bride in a
manner just as bold. More than one person has come to the World’s
Fair and never been heard of again. It’s a great maelstrom of
humanity, and a single person could be sucked out of sight without
being noticed.”
Craig is fully aroused.
It comes to him with full force that Heaven has again been kind.
Should Dorothy need help, to what better use can his muscular
ability be put than in defending her against this relentless enemy, this
Oriental whose one mission in life, after this lapse of years, seems to
be revenge upon the daring speculator who robbed him of the bride
his gold had bought on Georgian soil?
He, too, has, by this time, discovered the pasha, who does not
appear to be alone, since several men hover around him, men
wearing the fez, but whether Turks or not remains to be seen.
It is as though one were suddenly transported to a street in
Stamboul. In imagination the sounds incident to that queer city on
the Golden Horn assail the ear: the tinkling of silvery bells, the
strident voice of the muezzin on the minaret calling to prayer, the
dismal chant of dervishes, the howling of mongrel curs that after
nightfall roam the streets. Wycherley, who has been there, rubs his
eyes to make sure he is not dreaming. In the quaint Midway,
surrounded with its remarkable features, jostling elbows with the odd
people of the other hemisphere, it must always be hard to realize
one is within the city limits of bustling Chicago, empress of the West.
The discussion between Dorothy and her faithless duenna lasts but
a couple of minutes, but this is time enough for Aleck to notice many
things.
It seems almost incredible that Aroun Scutari should dare attempt
such a bold game; but who can fathom the depths of daring to which
an unscrupulous man will descend when he desires to see his
enemy and go one better! The clever coup d’état executed by
Samson years ago has remained a thorn in the pasha’s flesh. Time
has served to make the wound more irritable, and this Mohammedan
comes to the great Fair with but one idea uppermost in his mind—to
find the man who defied him on Turkish soil, to turn the tables by
stealing his child from under his roof.
Craig grinds his teeth at the bare thought, it is so repugnant to him.
Then he realizes what strange surroundings fate has placed him
amongst. Surely such opportunities for serving Dorothy can have but
one natural outcome—he may win her, despite the young miner. The
remembrance of this worthy causes Aleck a qualm, but he banishes
the sensation.
Now the two cloaked figures move again. Dorothy has yielded to her
companion’s guidance, and they are advancing. The Canadian
cannot but admire the proud pose of the young girl. He remembers
that she faced danger once before in the car of the Ferris wheel
when the crazy professor was raging about like an escaped mad-
house patient.
Fear is not an element in her heart, and yet some hidden faculty
whispers of danger. She has never forgotten the awful look of hatred
which this Turk shot into the face of her father when by chance they
met on the Plaisance, and it has ere now been patent to her mind
that some link in the far away past connects their destinies.
Seeing the pasha hovering there, Dorothy has conceived the idea
that he means harm to her, and while the seductive voice of her
companion assuages her alarm, it is with something of the feeling
with which a soldier marches up to the muzzle of a cannon that
Dorothy advances in the direction of the Turk.
Then comes the devilish deceit of the woman who has sold herself
for gold. She knows the time is at hand for delivering the goods. No
doubt the stake is a rich one, since by this stroke she must sever all
connection with her patroness, upon whose bounty she has long
lived.
This bundle of deceit now turns upon her unsuspicious companion.
The plot has been carefully arranged, and art is called upon to
render assistance.
Craig and his companion see the woman lay a hand upon the
shoulder of Dorothy; the latter appears to shake her head negatively.
Then the other draws closer. Why should she embrace the girl thus?
Aleck stares in wonder, his whole frame thrilled with the strange
character of the scene. As yet he has not grasped its full meaning.
“Good Heaven! I believe she is fainting!” he says, with evident
excitement.
“It’s worse than that, my dear boy,” comes in the voice of his
companion, but it sounds afar off.
“How worse? Good God, man, you don’t mean that bright, angelic
creature has been stricken with death?” for Dorothy’s struggles
appear to grow weaker, until she lies almost motionless in the arms
of her faithless companion, a dead weight.
“No, no. What I mean is that she has succumbed to chloroform, or
some devilish Turkish drug of a similar character, administered upon
the white kerchief that woman fiend holds over her face—that limbs
and mind are paralyzed, that she may fall into the spider’s web.
Here, look at the monster advancing; note his grim smile, his hands
outstretched to take his prey, his—— Jove! Craig, old boy, you’re
gone, are you? Well, here’s after you.”
 CHAPTER XI.
YOUNG CANADA ON DECK.
When the full meaning of what has happened flashes into Craig’s
mind—when he sees Aroun Scutari, lord of the harem and pasha in
the Sultan’s service, about to take Dorothy Cereal in his arms, it
seems as though an electric battery must have suddenly become
attached to the Canadian, so abrupt are his movements.
Leaving the side of the actor, while the other is speaking, he rushes
straight for the scene of the kidnaping. Perhaps love urges his steps.
At least the indignation of an honorable man sends him forward.
There is no palliation, no excuse for such an outrage, and hence the
feeling he entertains for Scutari is that of righteous anger. Such a
scene as this, of course, creates excitement. People gather quickly,
no matter if it be a dog fight on the streets of Constantinople, an
encounter between dragoman and donkey boy at Cairo on the Nile,
an attempted assassination of a Czar at St. Petersburg, or a duel
between two bootblacks in front of the City Hall in New York.
Already a score of people surround the two women. Questions fly
back and forth. The authoritative manner in which Scutari assumes
charge convinces those present that the lady who has fainted
belongs to him. The veil hides her face, and while curious glances
are cast in that quarter, none are so lucky as to see what lies under
its screen.
Near by is the exit. Beyond, no doubt, the Turk has a carriage ready.
His years of waiting seem about to be crowned with triumph—though
he lost the mother he wins the daughter. Kismet: it is fate.
Unexpected obstacles arise in his path—obstacles which in his
native land he could brush aside, or at least subdue with the sword,
but which are of a more serious nature under the civilizing influence
of the Stars and Stripes.
First of all, as the man from Stamboul is about to take Dorothy in his
arms, he is surprised to find someone tugging at his sleeve,
someone who seems bent upon distracting his attention, and who
will not cease even when he gives a bearlike shrug.
When he hears a woman’s voice pouring upon his devoted head all
the miserable names known in the Turkish language, the pasha,
struck by a sudden recollection, thinks it worth while to turn his
attention thither.
Of course it is the fortune teller; she realizes the peril of her child.
Since the day when Samson Cereal stole her away, she has learned
to look at the old-time habits of the Turks with aversion, and the
mother love in her heart, which nothing on earth can destroy, urges
her to save Dorothy.
As well might she appeal to a Nero. This dark-skinned man comes
from a country where women are bought and sold. As he sees who
thus annoys him, he frowns like a Tartar, and bellows out a string of
oaths strange to the gathering crowd.
There are those who hear, those who know his voice but to obey.
Two men seize upon the fortune teller of Cairo Street, and despite
her struggles bear her away.
“She is crazy,” is the only reply they make to the questions showered
upon them, as they half drag the woman further into the Plaisance.
Again the triumphant pasha bends forward to relieve the woman of
her lovely burden, but, shades of Mohammed! what is this that now
descends upon him with the fury of a young hurricane? What but the
Canadian protectorate, bent upon stepping between Turkey and the
daughter of Chicago!
One fling Craig gives the stout pasha, only a single flip of his well-
trained arms, and the Oriental goes spinning around like a teetotum
or a whirling dervish, bringing up in the arms of a gay young fellow
who has just come from the beer tables of Old Vienna and is
consequently in a hilarious condition.
“Set ’em up in t’other alley,” he shouts; “don’t send ’em in so hard.
Whoop! now you’re in the game, old man; back you go,” with which
the breezy reveler gives Aroun Scutari another whirl, which sends
him halfway back again, a collision with an elderly woman bringing
his mad dance to a sudden stop, as both of them fall over, and her
startled screams add to the clamor.
No sooner has Aleck entered the affair than he has his hands full.
His action in seizing upon the sacred person of the Turk was
equivalent to throwing down the gauntlet, and the Canadian is
immediately set upon by a number of worthies whose itching palms
have been crossed with the gold that makes them slaves to Scutari.
He is in his element, this man of Montreal: not that such a brawl is to
his liking, but the object for which he strives is a sacred one to a
gentleman—the defense of innocence.
They are four to one, and ugly customers at that. Aleck is no
Admirable Crichton, and if left to himself, no matter how gallant his
attack, he must presently go down before the numbers opposed to
him.
The crowd seems paralyzed; in an affair of this kind, men usually
believe it none of their business, but stand by and let those
interested fight it out.
Through the fringe of spectators, however, someone pushes a way.
It is Wycherley in search of his friend, and upon seeing Aleck so
beset he throws himself into the breach, which evens up the game a
little. More help comes from an unexpected quarter. The half-
intoxicated young fellow, whose muscular ability sent Scutari flying
on the back trip, has evidently been spoiling for a fight. He picks out
his man and faces him with the air of a scientific boxer, dazzles the
eyes of the Oriental by the rapid use of his hands, and rains such a
shower of blows upon him that the fellow, believing him a wizard with
the six arms of a Chinese god, bellows for mercy.
The action has been swift, and the field won. Aroun Scutari reads his
defeat in the signs so apparent, and wisely steals away. His minions
sneak after him. Aleck turns to the woman who still holds the limp
figure of Dorothy. It galls him to see one arm thrown about the neck