"He has many slaves. His agent in Mecca procures for him the pick of the market."
"But there is no such thing as slavery in Egypt!"
"Do the slaves know that, _effendim_?" he asked simply. "Those who have tongues are never seen outside the walls--unless they are guarded by those who have no tongue!"
It was a curious sidelight upon a more curious possibility and I was much impressed.
"Alas! I have warned him! I fear, most sincerely I fear, that one dark night the same will befall him that befell the son of my cousin, Ali."
"He climbed the wall of the Pasha's garden. There is a fig tree growing close beside it at one place. Someone assisted him to descend on the other. But he had been betrayed; the Nubian mutes took him--and they----"
"Impossible!" I cried--"impossible! _báss! báss!_"
"Not so, _effendim_--nor was that all. After that they----"
"Enough, Hassan, enough!" I cried. "_Usbûr!_"
Hassan sighed, raising fearful eyes to the minaret.
There has been nothing you are likely to disbelieve so far; but now--well, I specified at the beginning--no comments. Let me tell the story in my own way, and you have permission to _think_ what you please.
There was a dance at Shepheard's that night, and young Forrest rather interfered with my plans again as to one of the members of the English party; I think I have referred to her before? That sent me home in a bad humor--at least not home; for as I was standing over by the Ezbekîyeh Gardens, wondering whether to go along to "Jimmy's" or not, I formed a sudden determination to go and have a look at the abode of Harûn Pasha instead!
Mind you, I was not surprised to have lived in Cairo all these years without having heard of the place; I had learned things about the Mûski in the morning, from my tourist friends, which had revealed to me something of my pitiable ignorance. But I was determined to mend my ways, so to speak, and I thought I would turn my restless mood to good purpose, by improving my knowledge of my neighbors.
I induced the torpid driver of an _arabîyeh_ to drive me out to Old Cairo. He obviously considered me to be even more demented than the rest of my countrymen, but since the fare would be a substantial one, he tackled the job. Mad expedition? Quite so; but you appreciate the mood?