he crowd
toward the side-street down which Anazeh had led his party. We
found them looking very spruce and savage, four abreast, drawn up
in the throat of an alley, old Anazeh sitting his horse at their
head like a symbol of the ancient order waiting to assault the
new. My horse was close beside him, held by Ahmed, acting
servitor on foot.

The old man let loose the vials of his wrath on me the minute I
drew near, and Mahommed ben Hamza took delicious pleasure in
translating word for word.

"Is that the way an effendi in my care should be seen at such a
time--on foot? Am I a maskin* that you do not ride? Is the
horse not good enough?" [*Poor devil]

I made ben Hamza explain that I was to attend the mejlis as
Sheikh Abdul Ali's guest. But that only increased his wrath.

"So said ben Nazir! Shall a lousy Damascene trick me out of
keeping my oath? You are in my safekeeping until you tread on
British soil again, and my honour is concerned in it! No doubt
that effeminate schemer of schemes would like to display you at
the mejlis as his booty, but you are mine! Did you think you are
not under obligation to me?"

I answered pretty tactfully. I said that Allah had undoubtedly
created him to be a protector of helpless wayfarers and the very
guardian of honour. Mahommed ben Hamza added to the compliments
while rendering mine into Arabic. But though Anazeh's wrath was
somewhat mollified, he was not satisfied by any means.

"Am I a dog," he demanded, "that I should be slighted for the
sake of that Damascene?"

It looked to me like the proper moment to try out Grim's
magic formula.

"You are the father of lions. And a lion knows a lion in the
dark!" said I.

The effect was instantaneous. He puffed his cheeks out in
astonishment, and sucked them in again. The overbearing anger
vanished as he leaned forward in the saddle to scrutinize my
face. It was clear that he thought my use of that phrase might
just possibly have been an accident.

"Jimgrim says--"

"Ah! What says Jimgrim? Who are you that know where he is?"

"A lion knows a lion in the dark!" I said again, that there might
be no mistake about my having used the words deliberately.

He nodded.

"Praised be Allah! Blessings upon His Prophet! What
says Jimgrim?"

"Jimgrim says I am to keep by Anazeh and watch him, lest he drink
strong drink and lose his honour by becoming like a beast without
decency or understanding!"

"Mount your hors