eter arose,
calmly made a paper cigarette, while Flaggan loaded his "cutty," and
then accompanied him in a saunter down the road leading to the gate.

"Ally," began the seaman, making a stopper of the end of his little
finger--"by the way, you ain't related, are you, to the famous Ally
Babby as was capting of the forty thieves?"

"No, nuffin ob de sort," replied Ali, shaking his head.

"Well, no matter, you deserve to be; but that's neither here nor there.
What I was agoing to say is, that it's my opinion that fellow Seedy
Hassan ain't all fair an' above board."

Ted glanced keenly at his companion, for he had made the remark as a
sort of feeler.

"W'at de matter wid um?" asked Rais carelessly.

"Oh, nothin'--I only thought you might know somethin' about him. _I_
doesn't, only I'm a dab at what's called in Ireland fizzyognomy, an? I
don't like the looks of him. Why, bless ye, I knows a feller by the cut
of his jib directly. I could have taken my davy, now, that you were a
sly, clever sort o' chap, even before I was introduced to 'ee, d'ee
see?"

Whether he saw or not remains to this day an uncertainty, for it was at
that moment that, as before stated, Mariano rushed in at the gate, and,
unintentionally, into the arms of Rais Ali, who uttered a loud cry and
flung him off with a kick that unfortunately took effect on the youth's
shin.

Supposing that he was intercepted, afraid lest his mission should
miscarry, and angered by the pain, Mariano lost the power of
self-restraint which he had hitherto exercised so well that night. He
rushed at the interpreter and hit him a blow on the forehead that caused
him to tumble backwards violently.

The act was scarcely done when the youth found himself in the embrace of
Ted Flaggan, and, strong though he was, he found it impossible to throw
off, or to free himself from, that sturdy tar. Still he struggled
fiercely, and there is no saying what might have been the result, had
not Rais, recovering from the blow, hastened to his friend's aid.

Between them they succeeded in securing Mariano, and, with a
handkerchief tied his hands behind him.

"Now then, young feller," said Flaggan, taking the youth by the arm,
"you'll have to go before the British couns'l an' give an account of
yerself. So come along."

Of course when Mariano was taken into the presence of Colonel Langley,
and had whispered a few words in his ear, the seaman and his friend Rais
Ali were dismissed w