with the palm of
his right hand. The flowing sleeve of his robe, falling back from his
arm, which was round as that of a woman, revealed mysterious signs
formerly tattooed there in India by a Thug's needle. The son of
Radja-sing held in his left hand the amber mouthpiece of his pipe. His
robe of magnificent cashmere, with a border of a thousand hues, reaching
to his knee, was fastened about his slim and well-formed figure by the
large folds of an orange-colored shawl. This robe was half withdrawn
from one of the elegant legs of this Asiatic Antinous, clad in a kind
of very close fitting gaiter of crimson velvet, embroidered with silver,
and terminating in a small white morocco slipper, with a scarlet heel.
At once mild and manly, the countenance of Djalma was expressive of that
melancholy and contemplative calmness habitual to the Indian and the
Arab, who possess the happy privilege of uniting, by a rare combination,
the meditative indolence of the dreamer with the fiery energy of the
man of action--now delicate, nervous, impressionable as women--now
determined, ferocious, and sanguinary as bandits.

And this semi-feminine comparison, applicable to the moral nature of the
Arab and the Indian, so long as they are not carried away by the ardor
of battle and the excitement of carnage, is almost equally applicable to
their physical constitution; for if, like women of good blood, they have
small extremities, slender limbs, fine and supple forms, this delicate
and often charming exterior always covers muscles of steel, full of an
elasticity, and vigor truly masculine. Djalma's oblong eyes, like black
diamonds set in bluish mother-of-pearl, wandered mechanically from the
exotic flowers to the ceiling; from time to time he raised the amber
mouthpiece of the hookah to his lips; then, after a slow aspiration,
half opening his rosy lips, strongly contrasted with the shining enamel
of his teeth, he sent forth a little spiral line of smoke, freshly
scented by the rose-water through which it had passed.

"Shall I put more tobacco in the hookah?" said the kneeling figure,
turning towards Djalma, and revealing the marked and sinister features
of Faringhea the Strangler.

The young prince remained dumb, either that, from an oriental contempt
for certain races, he disdained to answer the half-caste, or that,
absorbed in his reverie, he did not even hear him. The Strangler became
again silent; crouching cross-legged upon the carpet, wi