nd khaki knickerbockers came and started
trouble. He had a three-cornered fight on his hands, and no sympathy
from any one, within two minutes. Then the man with the stomach and
swagger--he whom Fred called Haroun-al-Raschid--took a hand in masterly
style. He seized the police-man from behind, flung him out of the
crowd, and nobody was troubled any more by that official.

"That him Tippoo Tib's nephew!" said a voice, and we all jumped. We
had not noticed Juma come and stand beside us.

"I suspect nephew is a vague relationship in these parts," said Monty.
"Do you mean Tippoo's brother was that man's father, Juma?"

"No, bwana.* Tippoo Tib bringing slave long ago f'm Bagamoyo. Him
she-slave having chile. She becoming concubine Tippoo Tib his wife's
brother. That chile Tippoo Tib's nephew. Tea ready, bwana."

-----------------
* Bwana, Swahili word meaning master.
-----------------

"What does that man do for a living?"

"Do for a living?" Juma was bewildered.

"What does he work at?"

"Not working."

"Never?"

"No.

"Has he private means, then?"

"I not understand. Tea ready, bwana!"

"Has he got mali*?" Fred demanded.

"Mali? No. Him poor man."

--------------
*Mali, Swahili word meaning possession, property.
--------------

"Then how does he exist, if he has no mali and doesn't work?"

"Oh, one wife here, one there, one other place, an'
Tippoo Tib byumby him giving food."

"How many wives has he?"

"Tea ready, bwana!"

"How do they come to be spread all over the place?" (We were shooting
questions at him one after the other, and Juma began to look as if he
would have preferred a repetition of the toe-nail incident.)

"Oh, he travel much, an' byumby lose all money, then stay here. Tea,
him growing cold."

There is no persuading the native servant who has lived under the Union
Jack that an Englishman does not need hot tea at frequent intervals,
even after three cocktails in an afternoon. So we trooped to the table
to oblige him, and went through the form of being much refreshed.

"What is that man's name?" demanded Monty.

"Hassan."

"Do you know him?"

"Everybody know him!"

"Can you get a message to him?"

"Yes, bwana."

"Tell him to come and talk with us at the hotel as soon as he hears we
are out of this."

We did not know it at the time (for I don't think that Monty guessed it
either) that we had taken the surest way of setting all Zanzibar by the
ears. In