pretending on the one hand to
restrain my quarrelsomeness, yet on the other depending for
safety on my readiness to take offense--as a man who is
accustomed to a servant of mettle."

The rest of his lecture was about niceties of behavior, religious
observances, and so on. It was a mystery how that man had never
been promoted. He seemed to have eyes for everything and a memory
for everything that he had ever observed. The Sikh despises the
religion of Islam quite as fervently as the follower of the
Prophet scorns Sikhism; yet he seemed familiar with every detail
of Moslem custom, and knew to what extent geography affected it.
The point he seemed to understand best was how to turn the flank
of ignorant fanaticism.

"Whenever you make a mistake, sahib, remember this: you are
Darwaish, which is a man who is privileged, having set behind him
all unimportant matters. So when you are accused of not observing
this or that, or of acting with impropriety, confound the Bedouin
always by sneering at their ignorance, saying that where you come
from men know what is proper. And Jimgrim, having truly made
the pilgrimage to Mecca, will confound them likewise, having
knowledge, whereas most of these rascals only know by hearsay."

I suppose he lectured me for two hours, until Grim came in
looking pleased with himself, followed by the two infants looking
much more pleased. You can't mistake the adventurous air of an
eight-year-old with money hidden on his person, whatever his
nationality may be. De Crespigny followed them in to learn
the news.

"Know anything about old Rafiki, the wool-merchant?" Grim asked.

"Steady-going old party," said de Crespigny. "Says his prayers,
cheats his customers, keeps the curfew law, and runs a three-wife
establishment, I believe, in three parts of town, all according
to the Book. Why, have you run foul of him?"

"He has offered me ten thousand piastres to poison Ali Higg"

"Show me the money!" laughed de Crespigny.

"He was hardly as previous as that. His head wife bribed these
kids to bring me to the house, and the old boy met me in the
wool-store. Said he'd been told I was going to Petra.

"First suggestion he made was that I should take my time on the
road and waylay a caravan that's sure to follow. He'd no idea,
of course, that the lady Ayisha is to travel with me. His
little scheme is to provide her with camels and men on his own
account--mean camels and his own men, who would run away