the first time it really dawned on me that this
venture was going to be dangerous. Even so, the calmness with
which Grim considered leaving law and all the means of its
enforcement behind and crossing deserts with a gang of known
thieves for accomplices took most of the edge off it.

You simply couldn't feel scared when that fellow smiled and
exposed the risks in detail, even with dark coming on and the
sound of camels being made to kneel outside the window. For Ali
Baba had become convinced at last that Grim really intended to
start that night, and, making a virtue of necessity, was better
than punctual. The camels were groaning and swearing, as they
always do at the prospect of a night's work.

"As I see it, any tribe out there has as much right to elect Ali
Higg leader as you and I have to elect a president," said Grim.
"I don't suppose they did elect him, but they'll claim they did.
The point is, he's got himself elected somehow. We've no veto. I
don't hold with murder; it sets a bad example and turns loose a
horde of individual trouble-makers who were under something like
control before. It might be easy to have him murdered; you see
how easy old Woolly-wits thought it might be. Murder has always
been the solution of politics in the Old World right down to
date; and look where they're at in consequence!"

"You must have some idea to go on," I suggested.

"What's your plan?"

"They say I look a bit like Ali Higg."

"But what then? Haven't you a plan--nothing you mean to try
first?"

"Oh yes. _Chercher la femme."_

"So there's a woman in it?"

"You bet! Ali Higg's no born statesman. His brains live in a
black tent, and he keeps 'em encouraged with French and English
books bought in Jerusalem--silk stockings--gramophones--all kinds
of things."

"What is she--a Turk? I've heard some of them are educated nowadays."

"No. And she never was a Turk. She was born in Bulgaria of
Greco-Russo-Bulgar parents, educated at Roberts College and
Columbia University, New York, married to a drummer in the
shredded-codfish business, divorced--on what grounds I don't
know--divorced him, though, I believe came out here as war
worker-teacher in refugee camps in Egypt--made the acquaintance
of Ali Higg when he was prisoner of war down there--he was
fighting for the Turks at one time--and helped him to escape.

"I've never set eyes on her, but they say she's a rare
good-looker and has more brains in her little finger than