, so I gave
him a finishin' Irish howl, by way o' making him kape the pace goin',
an' thin stopped and putt on the hake. By and by I comes to where the
burnous was, and putts it on too, an faix, ye couldn't have towld me
from an Arab, for the bare legs an' feet and arms was all right, only
just a taste over light in colour, d'ee see? Thinks I to mesilf, Ted,
me boy, ye cudn't do better than remain as ye are. Wid a little brown
dirt on yer face an' limbs, yer own mother wouldn't know ye. An' troth,
Rais, I did it; an' whin I lucked at mesilf in a smooth pool on the
baich, it was for all the world as if somebody else was luckin' at me.
To be short wid ye, I've bin wanderin' about the country for the last
three or four days quite free an' aisy."

"Nobody see yoo?" asked Rais in great surprise.

"Och! lots o' people, but few of 'em tuk a fancy to spake to me, an'
whin they did I shuck me head, an' touched me lips, so they thought I
was dumb."

"But why you comes to town?" asked Rais Ali, in a remonstrative tone.

"Just bekaise I'm hungry," replied the seaman, with a smile. "Ye see,
Ally Babby, the gale of day before yesterday sint a breaker into the
cave that washed away all the purvisions ye brought me last, so it was
aither come here and look for 'ee or starve--for the British fleet has
apparently changed its mind, and ain't goin' to come here after all. I
meant to go d'rec' to yer house, but knowin' yer fondness for baths, and
rememberin' that this was yer day, I thought it betther to cruise about
here till you hove in sight."

While Ted Flaggan was relating all this, his friend's countenance
expressed alternately doubt, disapproval, anxiety, amusement, and
perplexity.

When he had finished, Rais informed him that instead of the fleet having
changed its mind, there was great probability of its sudden appearance
at any moment. He also mentioned the arrest of the British consul and
the boat's crew of the "Prometheus," and explained that the most
energetic measures were being taken to place the city in a state of
defence.

"Oho!" exclaimed Flaggan, in a low tone, "that clears up wan or two
things that's been puzzlin' me. I've bin thinkin' that the ship I saw
lave the port was British, but the weather bein' thick I cudn't quite
make out her colours. Then, I've been sore perplexed to account for the
flocks of armed Arabs that have bin steerin' into the town of late, an'
whin I passed the gates this mornin' I