Part 17 (2/2)

After making several sleepy efforts to kill the supposed insect that troubled him, and giving vent to three or four violent sneezes, the interpreter awoke, and, growling something in Arabic, opened his eyes, which act enabled him to observe that his neighbour was awake and smiling at him.

”Ha! yous not be for sleep, hey? Mos' troubelzum brutes dem muskitoes.”

”Och! it's little I mind 'em,” said Flaggan.

”W'y you no for sleep, den?” demanded Rais.

”'Cos I likes to meditate, young man, specially w'en I've got sitch a splendid subjic' of contemplation before me as a slumberin' Moor! Won't ye go in for a little moor slumberin', eh?”

Rais turned his back on his friend with an indignant growl. He was evidently indisposed for jesting.

In a few seconds, being indifferent to real mosquitoes, the Moor was again sound asleep. It was soon clear, however, that he was not indifferent to Ted's artificial insect. Being unable now to reach his nose, the restless son of Erin thrust the feathery point of the reed into his friend's ear. The result was that Rais Ali gave himself a sounding slap on the side of the head, to Ted's inexpressible delight.

When Rais indicated that he was ”off” again, he received another touch, which resulted in a second slap and a savage growl, as the unfortunate man sat up and yawned.

”They seems wuss than ornar,” said Flaggan gravely.

”Wuss? I nebber know'd noting wusser,” replied Rais, with a look of sleepy exasperation. ”Beats ebberyting. Been five-an'-twenty 'eer in de kontry, an' _nebber_ seed de like.”

”_Seed_ the like!” echoed the seaman. ”Did ye saw 'em when ye was aslape?”

”Feel um, then,” replied the other sulkily; ”yoos too purtikler.”

”Suppose we goes an' has a whiff?” suggested Flaggan, leaping to the ground. ”It's a fine night entirely, tho' a dark 'un. Come, I'll trate ye to a taste o' me cavendish, which is better than growlin' in yer hammock at the muskaities, poor things, as don't know no better.”

Feeling that the advice was good, or perhaps tempted by the offer of a ”taste” of his friend's peculiarly good tobacco, the interpreter arose, calmly made a paper cigarette, while Flaggan loaded his ”cutty,” and then accompanied him in a saunter down the road leading to the gate.

”Ally,” began the seaman, making a stopper of the end of his little finger--”by the way, you ain't related, are you, to the famous Ally Babby as was capting of the forty thieves?”

”No, nuffin ob de sort,” replied Ali, shaking his head.

”Well, no matter, you deserve to be; but that's neither here nor there.

What I was agoing to say is, that it's my opinion that fellow Seedy Ha.s.san ain't all fair an' above board.”

Ted glanced keenly at his companion, for he had made the remark as a sort of feeler.

”W'at de matter wid um?” asked Rais carelessly.

”Oh, nothin'--I only thought you might know somethin' about him. _I_ doesn't, only I'm a dab at what's called in Ireland fizzyognomy, an? I don't like the looks of him. Why, bless ye, I knows a feller by the cut of his jib directly. I could have taken my davy, now, that you were a sly, clever sort o' chap, even before I was introduced to 'ee, d'ee see?”

Whether he saw or not remains to this day an uncertainty, for it was at that moment that, as before stated, Mariano rushed in at the gate, and, unintentionally, into the arms of Rais Ali, who uttered a loud cry and flung him off with a kick that unfortunately took effect on the youth's s.h.i.+n.

Supposing that he was intercepted, afraid lest his mission should miscarry, and angered by the pain, Mariano lost the power of self-restraint which he had hitherto exercised so well that night. He rushed at the interpreter and hit him a blow on the forehead that caused him to tumble backwards violently.

The act was scarcely done when the youth found himself in the embrace of Ted Flaggan, and, strong though he was, he found it impossible to throw off, or to free himself from, that st.u.r.dy tar. Still he struggled fiercely, and there is no saying what might have been the result, had not Rais, recovering from the blow, hastened to his friend's aid.

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