Moussa?"

"The man that consigned all that parcel of figs for London?"

"That man. I considered that as he'd been doing business with the
steamer, he was the best person to make inquiries of ashore. So I came
to him, and asked where I could find the Kady to bail you out. He
shuffled a bit, and after some talk he admitted he was the Kady, and
took palm-oil from me in the usual way, and then I'll not deny that we
had a trifle of a disagreement. But he seemed to simmer down all right,
said he'd send along for you, and after a bit of time said you'd come,
and wouldn't I walk through the house and see you myself. The crafty old
fox had got his booby trap rigged in the mean time, and then I walked
straight into it like the softest specimen of blame' fool you
can imagine."

"Rad el Moussa," came the foggy comment. "By Jove! Captain, I believe
we're in an awkward place. He's the biggest man in this town far and
away, and about the biggest blackguard also from what I've heard. He's a
merchant in every line that comes handy, from slaves and palm fibre to
horses and dates; he runs most of those pearling dhows that we saw
sweltering about at the anchorage; and he's got a little army of his own
with which he raids the other coast towns and the caravans up-country
when he hears they've got any truck worth looting. I say, this is
scaring. I've been taking the thing pretty easily up to now, thinking it
would come all right in time. But if I'd known it was old Rad who had
grabbed me, I tell you I should have sat sweating."

"It takes a lot more than a mere nigger, with his head in clouts, to
scare me," said Kettle truculently, "and I don't care tuppence what he
may be by trade. He's got a down on me at present, I'll grant, but I'm
going to give Mr. Rad el Moussa fits a little later on, and you may
stand by and look on, if you aren't frightened to be near him."

"I'm not a funk in the open," grumbled Murray, "and you know it. You've
seen me handle a crew. But I'm in a kind of cellar here, and can't get
out, and if anybody chooses they can drop bricks on me, and I can't stop
them. Have they been at you about those rifles, sir?"

"What rifles? No, nobody's said 'rifles' to me ashore here."

"It seems we've got some cases of rifles on board for one of those
little ports up the coast. I didn't know it."

"Nor did I," said Kettle, "and you can take it from me that we haven't.
Smuggling rifles ashore is a big offence here in the Persi