The Lion of Petra

ot Col

e-shot, whose resilient pride was likely to breed anger. You can't lead camels any more than horses as fast as you can ride them; unless stampeded they tow loggily; but

, headed eastward toward Petra, I perched on top of a baggage be

train stopped? Did they not with their own eyes see us scoot for Petra? And who else than the redoubtable Ali Higg would be

ity was strong enough

hanged in Am

gg was in Petra like a dragon in a cave, and from all accounts of him he was not the sort of gentleman

the middle of a circle of doubt is a point that invites argument; and as soon as I could get my ow

with the air of a scientist who has at last found

a hundred thi

t do

me such deference until they found out who I really am, and after that would have to be handled without gloves. It bothered me

y found out I was some one less like the devil made them act like school-

s the robber now, and here we are riding straight

That's to say, it's always a fool who starts the fight. The wise

, then, and w

. If we wait word's bound to reach him that some one's posing as himself

by Ali Higg! He's a rip-roaring typhoon. But the worst

y!' We've got to be worms in the belly of Ali Higg, and where the man is there w

o stay with. Narayan Singh, growling in my ear incessantly, scented intrigue, and his Sikh blood tingled at the t

lie that engulfs the liar. I know that man Jimgrim. She will dig a pit, but he wi

little Bishareen alongside each in turn. She seemed no longer able to suffer the close confinement of the shibriya

hink that the Lion of Petra is a camel

s chance; because of

he plunder, then, an

ith me and let me tel

eople-all their vi

much, yet never wh

ans

profit in Grim's predicament. He loved Grim, as all Arabs do love the foreigner who understands them, deploring nothing except that unintelligible loyalty to a Western code of morals that according to Ali

perience of it, they were not quite so confident of Grim's generalship; but they made up for that by perfectly dog-lik

as Ali Higg. Again and again on the march that day, in spite of the grilling heat, and thirst

o be humored in his whims, made up a song about it all. It called for something more than boisterous spirits; it needed the fire of enthusiasm and ingrained p

he desert

! Akb

gardens of g

r! A

palm and clu

* olive an

thirst in

bar! Akba

ons and lor

r! A

nces, princ

r! A

od is the re

zz the bloo

ak! The crun

bar! Akba

feed on A

r! A

rength and n

r! A

ong in a cl

conquering

slayers of

bar! Akba

orse and fat

r! A

-eyed herd

r! A

ver and gems

linen and

profits of

bar! Akba

e fortunes o

r! A

ave-women e

r! A

dust of the

in as his co

ams of the pl

ar! Akbar

Akbar mean

olation the highest compliment you can pay a man is

es to enter into details. It sounded much better in Arabic, anyhow. And more and more frequently as the son

ar! Jimgrim

strict, straight, ethical American was a ravisher of virgins and a slitter of offenseless t

ere because the camels were exhausted after a night and half a day of strenuous marching, they were stil

ht of one of the younger men trying to burgle the medicine-chest. I yelled at him, and naturally g

ith Mahommed standing in the center, and were dancing like a lot of pouter-pigeons, singing a new song about Mujrim's leg, and a razor, and blood on the sand, and pal

still quite intact was a stone tomb of about the height of a man, with a plastered cupola roof; and Ali Baba, who always knew everything, swore that was a great saint's grave, and that there was much virtue and good

Ayisha, when asked about it, said that Ali Higg had raided t

s," she explained, and seemed to

f us slept, but Grim settled it by casting lots with date-stones in a way that was new, but

rest of us said our p

pio

cause Grim knew how to play

e to sleep so loads you down as in the noon heat after a long march. You very often can't sleep then because of the very heat that makes you dro

ges? As long as she hopes to snare him I am not afraid of her. But what if it should be she who grows afraid as we get nearer to Ali Higg's

l trouble starts; but the Sikh, being only a heathen, could not be persuaded; so I had to promise him that, turn about, four hours on and four o

e best to shoot or stab her without

oman yet. I have a loose-kneed

h, and you detect treachery, summon me,

Jimgrim about it," I objecte

it of the palm-trees, stroking his great beard with his righ

of the nature of his error, all men suffering delusion in some form, since none is perfect. If we submit the proble

is simple: Of that woman and that man, if the one must live and the other die, which s

e a lot of investigation. But I was at sea before the mast once, where I learned painfully that the captain commands the ship;

he doesn't understan

a?" s

er understood a woman of

, and no man from anywhere has understood any woman s

at last. "One way is to pick a quarrel with the person

art to Jimgrim, but she'll not be ashamed to appear to respond, and if she has evil intentions she will surely see

way, sahib! A broad-horned sambhur to be killed, worthy o

ought I could get away with it I'd try. But she'd la

think

t beard again, and

sure

er head on her shoulders yet by confiding in me; for if I can forewarn Jimgrim of her plans

ellow concedes your plan to be better than his? It is rather like the

ering how much justice there was in the insinuation. Narayan Singh and I are friends right down t

, so I got as much sleep as the flies and the snores of the rest of the gang would permit, and awoke toward evening to the sound of un

ere talking to Grim in the midst of our camp, with most of our gang seated in a semicircle listening. Grim had out his traveling water-pipe for the sake

rings in his ears, and in spite of the filthy condition of his clothes he wore an opulent look-the sort that suggests intimate acquaintance with the fabled

ppose Grim had been to some pains to make hi

hat is the lady Ayisha! Your Honor is pleased to pretend otherwise, but am I blind?

and reach this place a day ahead of me; but what is Your H

Grim, "I am not Ali H

of Pe

dark, but have I not seen her at the least ten times? Was it not she who had

rew the embroidered head-cloth over

did you visit Petr

ive payment from Your Hon

and," said Grim. "Repeat to

ur Hono

th me to Petra. I hav

at wags. But I see that another has been telling tales of me behind my back, making me out a liar for his own purposes. Inshallah

said Grim.

ste, laying aside my own affairs and journeying wherever the trail of information led me. I asked questions, but was not content with asking. I went

re; and that whereas there is at Ludd an army of more than twenty thousand men, with guns, great store of supplies, cavalry, and aeroplanes, that army is held in readiness to go to Egypt and cannot for

u say!" Gr

of Petra was well informed. It was nothing less than fact that on no account could an expedition be undertaken against him for a long time. And it w

ng impatience or losing respect. Rather the contrary; the Arab values your de

anxious when Ayisha leaned her head close to Grim's and whispered. Grim did not nod or shake his head or make any recognition of her presence-for a

" he said

ll

making ready now t

witness, there i

l return

small affairs at Jaffa, God knows, have been neg

u shall rever

ll

numbers and equipment of

r Honor a true tale; shall I return to Petra in order to tell you a lie? O Lord of th

s land melons from Egypt, isn't it? Three godo

ld be wise to go with all those others listening; for every word he let fa

rn to Petra and obey, or

onor is pleased to joke. You will

d yet spy against the British are not so well t

ght! When they have caugh

Ali Higg, the

e Prophet are you, with the

business. You come b

they go on. You al

elt sure that he was being kidnaped for some frightful fate, although Grim's mildness of demean

o any further argument. And since the man's camels were too exhausted to march at once he o

rried westward the minute the camels were fit to move on. It was pretty obvious that they were only too glad to obey;

to ask Ayisha's permission. Sleep was his first intention, but he was for killing two birds with one stone; I

side, saying nothing, listening to the monotonous jangle of his camel bell and the obligato of the bells behind. It was music that

lls from one village to the next and back again, spying against both sides at the same time. Then I remembered. He used to spy for us against the Turks and sell them informatio

going to do with him?" I aske

chu

will say when he's c

e'll do, you m

keep looki

ing tabs o

r string it's a cinch we can use her whichever way the

seems to me this who

ith us is a gang of

ats at so much per. Her four men, who'd change sides once an hour if they were made afraid t

t, I'll tell the w

for

ot col

aven't a chance in a million of getting th

try, c

d die, c

eight-horse funeral. But say, if you don't like it you go back a

wn opinion of myself to turn