Even the dignity of the heavy-weight, superior, self-satisfied, alleged
Swiss _maitre d'hotel_ was for the moment disturbed. Native s'fragis,
neglecting their work, were voluble, gesticulatory, but quite
unintelligible.

Finally, Mac was led to understand that His Serene Highness the Sultan,
learning of his presence at the hotel, had made known the Imperial wish
that he desired to honour the trooper by entertaining him to lunch.
However, there had been grave difficulties in putting the whole affair
in order. Mac had left early for the desert inspection, and several
envoys, calling in regular succession, had been unable to learn his
Christian name. Moreover, it had been deemed necessary to obtain the
assurance of the General Officer Commanding in Egypt that it would be
quite in order to invite a trooper to the palace of His Serene
Highness. But those small difficulties were duly overcome, and now,
twenty minutes before the appointed hour, an extremely gorgeous and
majestic person presented Mac with the Serene invitation.

Now, he had considered it an extravagance to arise sufficiently early
to permit of his being shaved before the parade. Also his garments,
which had wallowed in the mud of Takapau Camp many months ago, were
constructed for a person of smaller dimensions, and his generous
Government had not taken into consideration such occasions as Sultans'
luncheon parties, when designing the uniform. These were small matters
in his mind, and if the Sultan's Imperial wish was to be granted he
should have the trooper, beard, uniform and all. So, with the
immediate dust of the desert removed and with a borrowed but ancient
shako upon his head, he was salaamed down the steps again with unusual
pomp and flourish.

The Royal equipage conveyed him with much dignity down the long Sharia
Abdin and across the great open square to the palace entrance. As he
entered he acknowledged the salute of the gaudy guard in just that
off-hand manner befitting a bush-country shepherd. He was much bowed
into a great room where there was an epidemic of liveried darkies, a
grand chamberlain or so and a few Cabinet Ministers. In common with
the rest, he was subjected to a thorough spring-cleaning with feather
dusters. Before imperturbable and mighty chamberlains, up to his
ankles in crimson carpet and generally struck with the magnificence of
his surroundings, Mac for a moment lost his nerve, but speedily
recovering himself, info