The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-02-21

II GU may ma 1t poor sport peioFS
you finish,' he cried. What Is this IN
sane bet of yours, then?
II have bet,' l answered, that / will
recite a chapter of the Koran to the first
gentleman whom I should meet in the
street
Il Go not know what made me think of
it, save that my translation was always
running in my head. He clutched at the
door handle and again / had to hurl him
back into his seat.
How long will it take?' he gasped
1t depends on the chapter, l answer
ed
"A short one, then, and let ME go
But is it fair?' l argued. When I say
a chapter I do not mean the shortest
chapter, but rather one which should be
of average length
Help help! help! he squealed. and
{ was compelled again to adjust his era
vat
"A little patience said I, and it will
soon be over. l should like to recite the
chapter which would be of most interest
to yourself You will confess that I am
trying to make things as pleasant as l
can for you?'
HE slipped his mouth free again.
"'Ouick, then, quick! he groaned.
The Chapter of the Camel?' I sug-
gested
Eyes. yes
:" Or that of the Fleet Stallion?'
Yes, yes Only proceed
I'VE had passed the window and there
was no candle. l settled down to recite
lahe Chapter of the Fleet Stallion to him.
Perhaps you do not know your Koran
II
heart then. as l know it by heart The
style is little exasperating for any one
who is in hurry. But, then, what
would yoa have? The people in the East
are never in a hurry, and it was written
for them. l repeated it all with the dig
nifty and solemnity which a sacred book
demands; and the. young Englishman he
wriggled and groaned.
When the horses, standing on three
feet and placing the tip of their fourth
upon the ground, were mustered in front
of him in the evening" he said, I have
ioved the love of earthly good above the
remembrance of things on high, and have
spent the time in viewing these horses.
Bring the horses back to me- And when
they were brought back he began to cut
off their legs an
1T was at this moment that the young
Englishman sprang at me. My God. how
little can l remember OF the next few
m,lutes He was boxer. this shred o.
man. He had been trained to strike
tried to catch him by the hands. Pac,
pac, he came upon my nose and upon
my eye. I put down my head and thrust
at him with it. Pac, he came from be-
low. But, ah! was too much for him.
I hurled myself upon him, and he had
no place where he could escape my
weight He fell flat upon the cushions,
and l seated myself upon him with such
conviction that the wind flew from him
as from burst of bellows.
Then I searched to see what there
was with which could tie him. I drew
the strings from my shoes and with one
secured his wrists and with another his
ankles. Then / tied the crayant round
his mouth again, SO that he could only
lie and glare at me. When / had done
all this and had stopped the bleeding OF
my own nose l looked out of the coach,
and ali, monsieur, the very first thing
which caught my eyes was that candle,
that dear little candle, glimmering in the
window o. the Minister. Alone, with
these hands, / had retrieved the capitula-
ton OF an army and the loss OF pro-
vince. Yes, monsieur, what Abercombie
and five thousand men had done upon
the beach at Aboukir was undone by me,
single handed, in hackney coach in Har-
lev street.
"Well, had no time to lose, for at any
moment Monsieur Otto might be down.
l shouted to my driver, gave him his
second guinea and allowed him to pro-
W. 7
into our Embassy carriage, and mo-
ment later the door of the Minister open
ed He had himself escorted Monsieur
Otto downstairs, and now so deep was he
in talk that he walked out bareheaded as
liar as the carriage AS he stood there
bv the open door there came the rattle
of wheels and a man rushed down the
pavement.
"a dispatch of great Importance for
Milford Hawkesbury!' he cried.
Il could see that it was not my mes
senger, but second one. Milford
Hawkesbury caught the paper from his
hand and read it by the light of the car
rage lamp. His face, monsieur, was as
white as this plate before he had finish
ed.
Monsieur OTTO he cried, we have
signed this treaty upon false under
standing. Egypt is in our hands
"'What! cried Monsieur Otto. Impos-
siblel
''It is certain 1t fell to Abercrombie
last month
In that case, said Monsieur Otto, it
is very fortunate that the treaty is
signed
Every fortunate for you, sir cried Mi.
lord Hawkesbury, and he turned back
to the house.
Next day, monsieur, what they call
the Bow street runners were after me,
but they could not run across salt water,
and Alphonse Lacour was receiving the
congratulations of Monsieur Talleyrand
and the First Consul before ever his pur-
suers had got as far as Dover"