kes,
wolves, thunderstorms, or any other dangerous being or foes whatever.

The next day, however, commenced for Mr. Mole an adventure which at the
outset promised to form an exciting page in his life.

He was walking through the streets and bazaars of the town, Jack on one
side of him, Harry on the other, though the reader, at first glance,
would probably not have recognised any of them.

Harkaway and Girdwood presented the appearance of Ottoman civilians
belonging to the "Young Turkey" party, whilst the venerable tutor
stalked along in full fig as a magnificent robed and turbaned Turk of
the old school.

It had become quite a mania with Isaac to turn himself as far as he
possibly could into a Moslem.

He had taken quite naturally to the Turkish tobacco, and the national
mode of smoking it through a chibouque, or water-pipe.

But in outward appearance Mr. Mole had certainly succeeded in turning
Turk, more especially as he had fixed on a large false grey beard,
which matched beautifully with his green and gold turban.

He had again mounted his cork legs, and encased his cork feet with
splendid-fitting patent leather boots, and Mole felt happy.

"They take me for a pasha of three tails, don't you think so?" he
delightedly asked his companions.

"Half a dozen tails at least, I should say," returned Jack, "and of
course they take us for a couple of your confidential attendants."

"In that case, I must walk before you, and adopt a proud demeanour, to
show my superiority," said Mole.

So whilst Jack and Harry dropped humbly in the rear, he strode forward
with a haughty stiffness of dignity, which his two cork legs rather
enhanced than otherwise.

"Holloa!" exclaimed Harry, suddenly; "who's this black chap coming up
to us, bowing and scraping like a mandarin?"

He alluded to a tall dark man, apparently of the Arab race, but dressed
in the full costume of a Turkish officer, who, dismounting his horse,
approached Mole with the most elaborate Oriental obeisances, and held
out to him a folded parchment.

Mole took the document with a stiff bow, opened it and found it to be a
missive in Turkish, which, notwithstanding his studies in that
direction, he could not for the world make out.

[Illustration: "MOLE TOOK THE DOCUMENT, AND OPENED IT."--TINKER.
VOL. II.]

But unembarrassed by this, he turned to Harry Girdwood, and making a
gesture, indicating his own inability to read it without his
spectacles, mo