he darkening ridges where the
sun set in that sanguinary glory observable only in these latitudes, and
the dusk crept swiftly up from the seaward-reaching ravines.

"So," Colonel Glinka said. "That is where he has gone, thinking to elude
me forever. But you--" he waggled the cane at Abdul, who was already
shaking his head in the negative--"will lead me to him. You know his
habits, and, what is more, you are almost certainly familiar with every
hiding place on this island, since it is your whim to be chased all over
it by the females."

"Too dark, Effendi," Abdul said. "If we go out now, they will not only
chase us; they will catch us, for they are able to see very well in the
dark."

"_Who_ will catch us?"

"These people. They are worse than Tuaregs. For all I know, they may be
descended from the Tuaregs, and everyone knows that a Tuareg would as
soon cut a man's throat as kiss the hem of his burnoose."

"So now they are Tuaregs." Colonel Glinka nodded, with a slow, ferocious
smile. "Yet you have hinted that they are the spawn of Comrade
Stefanik's genius, the children of genetical science, stamped with 'Made
in the Seychelles' upon their bottoms. Perhaps they were grown in the
conservatory, from Tuareg seed."

Abdul grimaced. "I do not remember saying that, though sometimes I say
things that I don't remember later. Perhaps they are not Tuaregs, then.
To tell the truth, they were already living here when I came to work for
the Sidi Doctor Stephens, and so naturally I thought that he had made
them, for there were no people upon this island in the old days. Only
the seabirds and a few wild goats, perhaps."

Colonel Glinka clasped his hand to his forehead. "Stop, stop, or I shall
go mad!"

Abdul Hakkim obediently sat down and crossed his legs, starting to light
the second of the very bad cigarettes that he had cadged.

"What are you doing?" Colonel Glinka said softly.

"Nothing, Effendi."

"Get up! Get up and get moving, my boy, or make your peace with Allah!
Did you suppose for one moment that I had forgotten what we were talking
about?"

* * * * *

It was quite dark by the time they had reached the summit of the ridge,
but Colonel Glinka still marched along behind Abdul, high good humor
restored, prodding him from time to time with the Malacca cane and
lecturing him upon social equalities and other Party doctrine.

"Are we nearly there?" he would interrupt himself to ask f