Part 35 (2/2)
whin they did I shuck me head, an' touched me lips, so they thought I was dumb.”
”But why you comes to town?” asked Rais Ali, in a remonstrative tone.
”Just bekaise I'm hungry,” replied the seaman, with a smile. ”Ye see, Ally Babby, the gale of day before yesterday sint a breaker into the cave that washed away all the purvisions ye brought me last, so it was aither come here and look for 'ee or starve--for the British fleet has apparently changed its mind, and ain't goin' to come here after all. I meant to go d'rec' to yer house, but knowin' yer fondness for baths, and rememberin' that this was yer day, I thought it betther to cruise about here till you hove in sight.”
While Ted Flaggan was relating all this, his friend's countenance expressed alternately doubt, disapproval, anxiety, amus.e.m.e.nt, and perplexity.
When he had finished, Rais informed him that instead of the fleet having changed its mind, there was great probability of its sudden appearance at any moment. He also mentioned the arrest of the British consul and the boat's crew of the ”Prometheus,” and explained that the most energetic measures were being taken to place the city in a state of defence.
”Oho!” exclaimed Flaggan, in a low tone, ”that clears up wan or two things that's been puzzlin' me. I've bin thinkin' that the s.h.i.+p I saw lave the port was British, but the weather bein' thick I cudn't quite make out her colours. Then, I've been sore perplexed to account for the flocks of armed Arabs that have bin steerin' into the town of late, an'
whin I pa.s.sed the gates this mornin' I was troubled too, to make out what was all the bustle about. It's all clare as ditch-wather now.--But what's to be done with _me_, Rais? for if the cownsl an' the British gin'rally are in limbo, it's a bad look-out for Ted Flaggan, seein' that I'm on the black list already.”
Rais Ali appeared to ponder the case for a few seconds.
”Come an' have one bath,” he said, with sudden animation; ”after that we go brikfast togidder.”
”Av we cud `brikfust' _fust_, Ally Babby, it would be plisinter,”
returned the hungry seaman; ”but, I say, I dursn't go into the bath, 'cause what would they think of a man wid dark-brown arms, legs, an'
face, an' a pink body? Sure, they'd take me for a spy or a madman, an'
hand me over to the p'leece!”
”Wash here, fust,” said Rais, leading his friend to a small fountain in a retired angle of the court. ”Ebbery body here too bizzy 'joyin'
theirselfs to look to yoo. An' des corner dark. Me stan' 'tween you an' dem.”
”But who ever heard of a white Moor?” objected Ted.
”Oh, lots of 'em--'alf-castes, almost white as you,” said Rais.
”But I ain't got a shaved skull with a top knot,” returned the seaman, still objecting.
”Nebber mind; sailors of France, Denmark, an' odder places what hav consuls here, when waitin' for s.h.i.+p carry dem home comes here for fun--”
”Ay, but they don't come disguised as Moors,” said Flaggan, ”and I niver was inside a Turkish bath before. Don't know more nor a child what to do.”
”Yoo don' go in bath dressed--go naked,” returned Rais, growing impatient. ”Do noting in bath, only let 'em do what dey pleases to yoo.”
”Very good, plaze yersilf, Ally Babby,” said Ted, resignedly plunging his arms into the cistern; ”only remimber, I give ye fair warnin', av the spalpeens attempts to take me prisoner, I'll let fly into their breadbaskets right an' left, an' clear out into the street, naked or clothed, no matter which,--for I've said it wance, an' I means to stick to it, they'll niver take Ted Flaggan alive.”
”All right,” returned Rais Ali, ”yoo wash yours faces an' holds your tongue.”
After removing as much as possible of the brown earth from his visage and limbs, the seaman drew the hood of his burnous well over his face, and--having a.s.siduously studied the gait of Moors--strode with Oriental dignity into the outer court, or apartment, of the bath, followed his friend into an unoccupied corner and proceeded to undress.
”Musha! it's like a house-full of Turkish corpses,” whispered Ted as he surveyed the rec.u.mbent figures in white around him.
There were some differences between this genuine Turkish bath and our British imitation of it which merit notice.
The court or hall in which the friends unrobed served the purpose of a drying-chamber as well as a dressing-room. Hence those bathers who entered to commence the operation of undressing had to pa.s.s between rows of the men who had gone through the bath, and were being gradually cooled down. They were all swathed from head to foot in white sheets, with large towels or pieces of linen tied turban-fas.h.i.+on round their heads, and as they lay perfectly straight and still, their resemblance to Turkish corpses was disagreeably strong. This idea was still further carried out in consequence of the abominable smell which pervaded the place, for Algerines were at that time utterly indifferent to cleanliness in their baths. Indeed, we may add, from personal experience, that they are no better at the present time than they were then! A few of the corpses, however, possessed sufficient life to enable them to smoke and sip tea or coffee.
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