The Lion of Petra | Page 7

that because a man has told the truth twice he won't lie on
the third and fourth occasion; for the East is like the West in that
respect, and usually seeks to turn its virtue into capital. But in a land
where, as old King Solomon, who knew his crowd, remarked, "All men
are liars," you must have some sort of weathervane by which to guide
your national optimism, so I settled on that one long ago.
Ali Baba had said there was a bad stink in the camel stables. A natural
expert in hyperbole, he had not exaggerated in the least. And he had
said that they were good camels; it was true. You did not need to be a
camel expert to know those great long-legged Syrian beasts for winners.
They looked like the first pick of a whole country-side, as he
maintained they were--twenty-five of them in one string, representing
an investment at after-war prices of the equivalent of five or six
thousand U.S. dollars.
"Who has been looted to pay for these?" asked Grim.
"Allah! You have put an end to our proper business, Jimgrim. What
could we do? We took our money and bought these camels, thinking to
take a hand in the caravan trade."
Grim looked into the old rogue's eyes and laughed.
"In the land I come from," he said, "a capitalist with your predatory
instincts would pay a lawyer by the year to tell him just how far he
could safely go!"
"A wakil?" sneered Ali Baba. "The wakils are all scoundrels. May
Allah grind their bones! No honest man can have the advantage of such
people."

Grim looked the loads over, but there was nothing that any one could
teach that gang about desert work. The goat-skin water-bags were
newly patched and moist; the gear was all in good shape, none new, but
all well-tested; and there was food enough in double sacks for twenty
men for a month. Mujrim, Ali Baba's giant oldest son, picked up the
loads and turned them over for Grim to examine with about as much
apparent effort as if he were tossing pillows.
Presently Grim laughed again, and looked at the line of fifteen other
sons and grandsons, all squatting in the shadow of the wall watching
us.
"Which is the chief Lothario?" he asked; only he used a much more
expressive word than that, because the East is frank where the West
deals in innuendo, and vice versa.
"They are all grown men," said Ali Baba. "There's a woman named
Ayisha--a Badawi (Bedouin)--who has lately come from El-Maan with
a caravan of wheat merchants."
"How did you know that, Jimgrim?"
"I'm told she has been buying things in the suk* that no Badawi could
have use for, and has sent to Jerusalem for goods that could not be
obtained here. I want to speak with her. Has any of your"--he smiled at
the line of placidly contented sons again--"fathers of immorality made
her acquaintance by some chance?" [* Bazaar]
Every one of the sixteen sons instantly assumed an expression of
far-away meditation. Ali Baba looked shocked.
"I see!" said Grim. "Um-m-m! Well--none of my business. But one of
you go fetch her to the governorate. You may tell her she's not in
trouble, but an officer wants first-hand information about El-Maan."
"Shall my sons be seen dragging a woman through the streets?" asked
Ali Baba.

"Let's hope not. But I don't care to send the police. I don't want to put
her to indignity, you understand. Suppose you arrange it for me, eh?"
"Listen, Jimgrim; that woman is a strange one! Men have spoken evil
of her, but none can prove it. I have heard it said she has a devil. `Trust
in God, but tie your camel!' says the Book.* The wisest among wise
men would be he who let that woman alone!"
------------ * The Moslems attribute all their favorite proverbs to the
Koran, whether they are in the book or, as in this case, not. ------------
"I suppose I'll have to get Captain de Crespigny to arrange it for me."
"Tfu!* There is no need for a man like you to appeal to the governor.
Taib. It shall be done. Have no doubt of it."
---------- * An exclamation of contempt ----------
"All right. Send her up to the governorate--and no delays, mind! We
start tonight at sundown."
On our way back we met Narayan Singh returning from the suk with
parcels under his arm. That in itself was a sure sign of the lapse of
contact with law and order; in Jerusalem he would have had an Arab
carry them, because dignity is part of a Sikh's uniform. You realized
without a word said that the uniform would be discarded presently. He