the moment, de Lisle
himself, who was present, started up and said in English, across the
divan--

"If I am permitted to go on board my vessel, I can still bring
satisfactory evidence of my nationality."

The Turks were extremely unwilling to concede this, but when the consul
turned and said to the Dey, "I trust your highness will not refuse so
reasonable a request," he was permitted to go. In a short time he
returned with the certificate of his marriage, which proved that he had
been married in Guernsey, and was a British subject, to the
inexpressible rage of the divan, who were compelled, however, to give
in.

"Nevertheless, Monsieur le Console," said the Dey sternly, "if it shall
be proved, even twenty years hence, that you were wrong in this matter,
you shall have to answer for it."

From that time the British consul and the Dey became open enemies, which
was a matter of gratulation to the consuls of some of the other powers,
who had been rather jealous of Colonel Langley's influence with the late
Dey, Achmet.

Not long afterwards they would have been glad if his influence could
have been restored; for Omar, being soured by what had occurred at the
divan, as well as by many other things that crossed his imperious will,
commenced to act in such an outrageous manner that the various consuls
felt not only their independence but their lives in jeopardy.

Sending for the Danish consul one morning, Omar told that unfortunate
man that his government had already been warned more than once to pay
the tribute which was past due, and that he was going to stand their
neglect no longer. He therefore ordered him to be put in chains, and
sent forthwith to work in the stone-quarries.

The order was at once obeyed. A chaouse, at a signal from the Dey,
seized the Danish consul by the waist-band, thrust him out of the
palace, and along the streets to the Bagnio, there loaded him with
chains, and led him forth to work with the slaves!

The consternation of the other consuls was of course extreme. The
instant Colonel Langley heard of it, he ordered his horse and galloped
into town, accompanied by Rais Ali and Ted Flaggan, the latter having
constituted himself a sort of extra aide-de-camp or special attendant of
the consul, in order to gratify the more easily an insatiable thirst for
knowledge as to all that took place around him.

They went direct to the residence of the Danish consul, where they found
his poor wife and