en a touch of her little
hand, so that once again he raised his right hand as though to sweep
away some pestilential insect from his path, just one little careless
gesture which proved a woman's undoing.

Back bent La Belle, and still farther back until her evil face was on a
level with that of the man she was trying to subjugate, and when for an
instant his eyes rested on hers, which peered at him from the strange
angle of her upside down position, she whispered one little word.

And then a great fury suddenly blazed in Hahmed's eyes, a sudden storm
of hate swept across the stern face, as his hand steel strong closed
fiercely about the long thin neck.

"Thou daughter of gutter dogs," he whispered, so low that the words
were hardly caught by Ali 'Assan, who with fingers twining
uncontrollably in his white garment, sat petrified by the suddenly
arisen storm. "Thou essence of evil, go back to the devil who spawned
thee."

There was a choked gurgling cry as the hand closed tighter, a little
click like the closing of a safe door, and the body of the dead woman,
was hurled into the middle of the room, whilst Hahmed lit a cigarette
and clapped his hands for the presence of Achmed, who, his legs
refusing to support his shaking body, crawled in on his hands and knees.

"Carry that carrion out, O! thou trafficker in evil, and throw it to
the jackals."

"Master, O! master! May the light of Allah shine upon thee in thy
wisdom, may the houris of paradise make thy couch one of delight when
thou art gathered to thy forefathers! In all ignorance I sent yon
ignoble female to dance before my honoured guest--a great price I paid
for her in the market."

"Thou liest," gently replied his master.

Whereupon Achmed gathered good handfuls of dust from the floor and
massaged it into his oily hair, whilst Hahmed, rising to his great
height, prayed forgiveness from his guest, who was even then thinking
what a waste of good material the dead woman represented.

"Let this serve thee as a lesson, thou perverter of Allah's truth,"
spake Hahmed, in a voice as caressing as that of a woman, "and teach
thee to acquire property which does honour to thy house. Camels, a
male and female, shall be sent in payment for that for which thou hast
not paid one piastre.

"Breed with them so that the milk refreshes the traveller, and the hair
spins soft covering for their bed, and fail me not again, for behold
when I strike it is as the lightning w