Talbot Mundy

“ Be sure and make me out a great Sheikh, and say I heard he is sick, so sent my hakim in advance to give him relief; then do your best for him, if he’ll let you—after Ayisha has done her worst,” he added in a whisper. “Don’t forget you’re a darwaish. The more you jaw religion the better the old rascal will like you. See you soon. So long!”
So Narayan Singh and I followed by Ayisha and two of Ali Baba’s sons, left that ancient temple bearing the medicine-chest as well as presents, and I hope the others did not feel as scared as I did. ”

“ It was a case of making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, and though I did go forward on that mad escapade it was fear that drove me—fear of the Sikh’s and Grim’s contempt, and of my own self-loathing afterward.
Grim and Narayan Singh are made of the real hero stuff. I wonder how many others there are like me, who face the music simply because one or two others have guts enough to lead us up to it. ”

“ It always pays to stage a close-up in a game like this. We’ve caught our friend Ali Higg between soup and fish!”
“Get in quick, then, and kidnap him,” I urged.
“Man alive,” he answered, “we’ve no kind of right to do that. Bring her down,” he told Narayan Singh, “and then have Mujrim tie those four men of Ayisha’s so they’ve no chance to escape.”
Jael Higg came down in a livid passion—altogether too near home to enjoy taking second-hand orders from an Indian in the dark. She was still less amused when she discovered that Grim knew her little scheme. ”

“ It sounded like ten weary camels being cursed by ten angry men, and I supposed at once that Ibrahim ben Ah had sent a detachment to investigate and that this was their advance-guard. Who else would dare lift his voice in that way in the gorge? You could hear the words presently:
“Ill-bred Somali —— beast! Born among vermin in a black man’s kraal! Allah give thee to the crows! Weary? What of it? What of my back, thou awkward earthquake! Thou plow-beast! A devil sit on thee! A devil drive thee! A devil eat thee!” ”

“ The sons all surrounded the old man and made a fuss over him, laying him down on a sheepskin coat and chafing his stiff muscles, calling him brave names, rubbing his feet, patting his hands, praising him ”

“ CHAPTER XI. “That we make a profit from this venture!” LATE that afternoon before they loaded up the camels there was another conference between Grim, Jael Higg, Narayan Singh, our prisoner Yussuf, and myself. The ancient hills of Edom were not far away, and we were near enough to Petra to feel nervous. Jael made a pretty good pretense at meeting Grim half-way, and I think she had made up her mind to let him dig his own pit and tumble into it. ”

“ They are glad enough to stay there. They are dogs that fear their master’s whip. They are so afraid of him that I think if Ali Higg should bid them roast themselves alive the dogs would do it. May they roast a second time in —— for giving me that camel.
“Bah! What kind of sons have I? Are these the sons of my loins that let me parch? Is there no water-bag?”
Grim struck a match in the dark corner where the camels were ”