and.

My untrimmed beard, the frightful layer of dirt which lay about my
eyes and furrowed my cheeks, my clothing, spotted by all the clay of
the Sahara and torn by all the thorns of Ahaggar--all this made me
appear a pitiable enough suitor.

I lost no time in undressing and plunging into the porphry bath in the
center of the room. A delicious drowsiness came over me in that
perfumed water. A thousand little jars, spread on a costly carved wood
dressing-table, danced before my eyes. They were of all sizes and
colors, carved in a very transparent kind of jade. The warm humidity
of the atmosphere hastened my relaxation.

I still had strength to think, "The devil take Atlantis and the vault
and Le Mesge."

Then I fell asleep in the bath.

When I opened my eyes again, the little hand of the clock had almost
reached the sign of Taurus. Before me, his black hands braced on the
edge of the bath, stood a huge Negro, bare-faced and bare-armed, his
forehead bound with an immense orange turban.

He looked at me and showed his white teeth in a silent laugh.

"Who is this fellow?"

The Negro laughed harder. Without saying a word, he lifted me like a
feather out of the perfumed water, now of a color on which I shall not
dwell.

In no time at all, I was stretched out on an inclined marble table.

The Negro began to massage me vigorously.

"More gently there, fellow!"

My masseur did not reply, but laughed and rubbed still harder.

"Where do you come from? Kanem? Torkou? You laugh too much for a
Targa."

Unbroken silence. The Negro was as speechless as he was hilarious.

"After all, I am making a fool of myself," I said, giving up the case.
"Such as he is, he is more agreeable than Le Mesge with his
nightmarish erudition. But, on my word, what a recruit he would be for
Hamman on the rue des Mathurins!"

"Cigarette, sidi?"

Without awaiting my reply, he placed a cigarette between my lips and
lighted it, and resumed his task of polishing every inch of me.

"He doesn't talk much, but he is obliging," I thought.

And I sent a puff of smoke into his face.

This pleasantry seemed to delight him immensely. He showed his
pleasure by giving me great slaps.

When he had dressed me down sufficiently, he took a little jar from
the dressing-table and began to rub me with a rose-colored ointment.
Weariness seemed to fly away from my rejuvenated muscles.

A stroke on a copper gong. My masseur disappeared. A stunted old
N