of the coffee shop was staring at the
three idiots who roared with unrestrained laughter in public. Such
behavior in Americans was to be deplored, perhaps, but understandable.
But a licensed dragoman ... incredible!

When they had quieted down, Rick summed it up. "Well, Hassan knows
what's in the package now, but that's the only new bit of information
any of us has. We still don't know exactly what happened in the bazaar,
or why. And we don't know what to do with the cat."

He felt the cat through the heavy paper, as though to reassure himself
it was there. Suddenly he didn't want to get rid of it quite so
urgently, and inwardly he laughed at himself. A mystery was one thing he
couldn't ignore.

"I hope I'm wrong," he concluded thoughtfully, "but I have a hunch this
little plastic feline is going to be more trouble than the liveliest
real cat you ever saw!"

CHAPTER V

Sahara Wells

Hassan arrived during breakfast on the following morning. His colorful
costume had given way to European clothes, except for a tarboosh. He
wore a topcoat.

At Rick's invitation he joined the boys on the balcony overlooking the
Nile, and accepted the offer of coffee. Rick went to the novel push-bell
system which had three buttons identified by pictures. One was a porter,
another the room maid, and the third a waiter. The little drawings were
for the benefit of strangers who knew neither Arabic nor English.

Rick rang for the waiter and ordered more coffee and a cup for the
dragoman.

Hassan shed his topcoat and grinned at the boys. "Cat catch mouse last
night?"

"No mouse," Scotty replied. "The cat just caught some sleep. And so did
we."

Hassan puzzled out the reply, then smiled his appreciation.

Rick thought that the cat hadn't even caught any interest--at least from
the scientists. At dinner he and Scotty had described the incident at El
Mouski to Winston and the Egyptian scientists. The scientists had only
one suggestion, to the effect that perhaps the boys' imaginations had
run away with them.

It was obvious that the scientists were far more interested in the
problem of the radio telescope than in listening to tales of wild
adventure in the bazaar, so the boys let the matter drop. They had
excused themselves immediately after dinner and turned in, tired from
the long plane trip and the day's excitement.

Rick had gone over the events at the bazaar a dozen times. He had
compared notes with Scotty on what Ba