re a number of English tourists in the mosque who had refused to take
their boots off, and were evidently bent on making trouble. As he spoke
the ominous hum of angry voices drifted in to us, increasing in volume
as we listened. Our guide pricked up his ears and looked anxiously at
the door.

"There will be trouble directly," he said solemnly, "if those young men
do not behave themselves. If messieurs will be guided by me, they will
be going. I can show them a backway out."

For a moment I felt inclined to follow his advice, but Beckenham's next
speech decided me to stay.

"You will not go away and leave those stupid fellows to be killed?" he
said, moving towards the door into the mosque proper. "However foolish
they may have been, they are still our countrymen, and whatever happens
we ought to stand by them."

"If you think so, of course we will, but remember it may cost us our
lives. You still want to stay? Very good, then, come along, but stick
close to me."

We left the small ante-room, in which we had been examining the flags,
and passed back into the main hall. Here an extraordinary scene
presented itself.

In the furthest corner, completely hemmed in by a crowd of furious
Arabs, were three young Englishmen, whose faces plainly showed how well
they understood the dangerous position into which their own impudence
and folly had enticed them.

Elbowing our way through the crowd, we reached their side, and
immediately called upon them to push their way towards the big doors;
but before this man[oe]uvre could be executed, some one had given an
order in Arabic, and we were all borne back against the wall.

"There is no help for it!" I cried to the biggest of the strangers. "We
must fight our way out. Choose your men and come along."

So saying, I gave the man nearest me one under the jaw to remember me
by, which laid him on his back, and then, having room to use my arms,
sent down another to keep him company. All this time my companions were
not idle, and to my surprise I saw the young Marquis laying about him
with a science that I had to own afterwards did credit to his education.
Our assailants evidently did not expect to meet with this resistance,
for they gave way and began to back towards the door. One or two of them
drew knives, but the space was too cramped for them to do much harm with
them.

"One more rush," I cried, "and we'll turn them out."

We made the rush, and next moment the doors were clos