im smiled with perfect good humor, but a blind man could not
have mistaken his refusal.

"Oh, you're all hypocrites, you men--Americans, English,
French--you're all alike; glad to see a man die, if he's a
nuisance, but afraid to admit you'd a hand in it. But you needn't
fear. You can send your _hakim_ uninstructed. He's an Indian,
isn't he? Well, Ali Higg is sure to insult him to the very marrow
of his bones, and you can safely leave Indian revengefulness to
do the rest."

Grim shook his head.

"He'd be too afraid he might meet me some day. He knows I'd not
stand for it. No, Jael; I invited you to talk sense. You've got
to make shift with Ali Higg `as is'. If you don't like it say so
now and I'll tell off three or four of my thieves to escort you
over the border into British territory while I play this game
without you.

"What you've got to understand first and last is that I'm dead
set on clipping Ali Higg's claws. I don't care a row of imitation
pewter shucks about any man's ambition, or any woman's past. My
job in the world is to do what I'm able to do, and I'm going to
prevent war in this land if I get killed doing it and have to
ruin you in the bargain! Now, are we set?"

"I think you're a fool," she said, "and you think me a villain.
We're strange partners! Very well, let's try."

Promptly he handed her an envelop, sheet of paper, and his
fountain-pen.

"Write first, then, to Ibrahim ben Ah. He knows your hand, I
suppose? Tell him there is news of a British force coming over
the border, and that he must stay at that oasis in readiness to
attack after Ali Higg has taken steps to draw the British in the
right direction.

"Say he may have to stay there a week or ten days, and that
he is to enforce the death penalty on any of his men who dares
try to leave the oasis. Tell him that secrecy as to his present
whereabouts is the all-important point. For that reason strangers
may be made prisoner and held until further orders. The messenger
who bears this is to be sent back with an answer immediately."

"How much of that is true about a British force?" she demanded.
"Are you trying to trap those men?"

"None of it's true. No, they're safe. You write, and I'll sign it
with your seal."

She hesitated, but I don't know whether from caution or from a
genuine dislike to deceive her husband's loyal henchman. But
there was no way of getting out of it except by blunt refusal,
involving the threatened escort into