on't defend it at all; I--I was egged on to it by that young Jack
Harkaway."

"What's Harkaway?" now inquired the pasha.

"The youth who came with me, and passed as my son, Yakoob, and his
friend Harry Girdwood, or Haroun Pasha."

"Ah! two more impostors; bring them forward," said the pasha.

Search was made for Jack and Harry, but they were nowhere to be found.

In the confusion they had contrived to make good their escape.

"Well, we must make an example of the chief offender," said the pasha.
"Prisoner, I find you have some difficulty in expressing yourself in
our language, which alone should have stamped you as an impostor. I
suppose you speak French?" he added, continuing his interrogation in
that language. "I command you instantly to point out any other
accomplices in this villainous fraud."

"The interpreter, Abdullah, your highness," said Mole, glad to be
avenged upon that worthy.

Here Abdullah came forward, making a gesture of disgust, and turning up
his eyes in pious horror.

"Inshallah! what lies do these dogs speak!" he exclaimed. "I swear to
your highness, by the prophet, that I knew not, suspected not, till
this moment that he was other than he seemed."

"You rascally old villain! you deserve bowstringing for this," cried
Mole.

"Peace!" sternly cried the pasha. "Show me the forgery you dare to call
the firman of his sublime majesty, the sultan."

Mole instantly produced the unlucky document.

The real Moley Pasha instantly compared it with his own.

"An impudent forgery!" he exclaimed, turning to the cadi of the town,
who had now arrived, and was much amazed and dismayed at what had
occurred.

"Pardon me, I entreat, your excellency," said the old cadi. "I trust
you will let this accusation go no further. In any case, my associates
in office were quite as much to blame."

"'Twas this Frankish magician who has befooled us with his spells,"
said several of the town officials.

And they pointed at Mole with fierce and vengeful gestures, which made
him feel certain that his life would be sacrificed to their vengeance.

"I doubt whether it was witchcraft or mere folly," said the pasha, who
was much more enlightened than most of his audience. "It seems to me
that this giaour is very probably the dupe of others. But, in any case,
he must not go unpunished. Prisoner, your crime is proved, and I
sentence you to----"

He paused.

Mole fell on his knees.

"To a week's imprisonment in the