tobacco and cigarette papers, which were generally kept
hidden under ground, tied them in a little bundle, ran off with them to
a soldier who was her relative, and who belonged to Yakub's bodyguard,
and reported her mistress's evil doings.

Meanwhile the lady, finding that her slave had run away, sent her
brother-in-law in search of her. The family were now thoroughly
disturbed, and anticipated all sorts of bad consequences. The lady's
husband hastened to Yakub's house, thinking that perhaps the slave might
have gone there, and there, sure enough, he found her, surrounded by a
crowd of Ansar. The latter, espying Ahmed (as we may call him),
surrounded him and were carrying him before Yakub, when Ahmed, who did
not lose his head, explained to the Ansar that he had always been under
the impression that the Khalifa had appointed a judge to inquire into
all such matters, and that he was ready to bow to the judge's decision;
so he, the female slave, and the Ansar all went to the court. The slave
produced from her pocket the bundle, laid it before the Kadi, and then
stated her complaint against her mistress.

Meanwhile Ahmed had met a friend, and told him how that for a long time
the slave had been on bad terms with her mistress, and had seized this
opportunity for revenging herself on her, adding that she had probably
obtained the tobacco and cigarette papers from elsewhere, and had
trumped up this case to harm her mistress, who had never smoked in her
life nor worn jewels; indeed, if they liked they might go and inspect
the house.

The mediator gave a sign to the judge, who at once decided the case in
Ahmed's favour, and ordered him to go to the sheikh es suk, who had been
instructed to send some one to inspect his house.

It was not a difficult matter to circumvent the sheikh es suk, and when
they all arrived at the house, the slave was called upon to show the
place in which she had been ordered to hide her mistress's tobacco.
Without a moment's hesitation the slave came forward and began scraping
away the earth in a corner. It was evident that she had often done this
before, and that the hiding-place had been carefully prepared--indeed,
the slave found some tobacco still there which she had not noticed
before, and this she exultingly produced; but at that instant one of the
Ansar gave her a slap on the face, saying, "Look at this bint el kelb
(daughter of a dog), she brought some tobacco here which she purposely
dropp