t to the
guest, whose national drink it was; but Iskender was not deceived by
their hilarity. Sitting at the opposite end of the room to his patron,
he saw the wry faces which were turned away at every sip. Elias, quite
beside himself with adulation, and intoxicated already by the success
of his facetious sallies, drank and drank again with convivial gestures.

"Ha, ha!" he cried, "I'm feelin' deflish habby. So fery nice to be
with English beeble. The English are our friends; they're Christians
like what we are. Blease God, they take this country like they taken
Egybt, and gif the Turks an' Muslims good old Hell! Ha, ha! we're
English, we are, just the same. The Turks all done for--no dam' good.
The Christians kick 'em all the time. They got to lick our boots,
that's sure. The English they soon string up the rotten ole Sultan,
first they christen 'im jus' for luck----"

His words were drowned in cries of horrified protest; his neighbours at
the table flung themselves upon the rash talker, stopping his mouth
forcibly with their hands; while old Abdullah rose up in authority and
loudly denounced such sentiments as high treason, with glances at the
open door as at an audience. Iskender could see the Frank was quite
bewildered; he sat smiling on all that occurred without intelligence.
Elias, when let go, was laughing heartily.

"Well, I neffer!" he observed. "Who's afraid?"

Just then Khalil, the concertina-player, a dull-eyed, fattish man, who
had kept silence, suddenly drew all eyes upon himself by picking up his
instrument from the floor and playing a few chords softly.

"All right, Khalil! Come along then! Neffer say die, ole chabbie!"
Elias encouraged him.

"I blay you 'Bob goose the Whistle,'" said the musician seriously, and
at once struck up a jerky Frankish tune, with eyes intently fixed on
the Emir, garnering his every smile and sign of pleasure. When his
Honour showed a disposition to sing the words of the refrain, he played
more loudly than before in triumph. All present flung back their heads
and bawled in discord, producing a din so horrible that the Jew
Karlsberger, with his wife and child, appeared from an inner room with
scared white faces.

"Merciful Allah, make less noise!" the Israelite besought the
revellers. "If a Muslim were to hear you, I am ruined."

At that Elias rose with dignity and swaggering towards the Jew with a
Frankish elegance which the depth of his potations made