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, and spurring his mule, he rode back
to the head of the procession.
The evening halt never seemed to
begin. It was almost sunset before
the sheikh shouted the order and the
lone line of camels came to a stand
still. Then the the sheikh came to
Miss Bingham.
"Great madam, have you a small
bottle of sweet-scented essence, such
as the Frankish" Women use to make
themselves smell sweet?" he asked.
"I've got a sachet, if that's what
you mean," replied Miss Bingham.
"What do you want it for?"
"By its means I shall restore to you
the $7,000," said the sheikh, taking
it and riding away.
Toward nightfall he assembled his
men in line before the tent that Miss
Bingham ocaupied.
"O dogs and sons-of Elbis," he an
nounced, "one of you has stolen
treasures of value from the saddle
bag of the Frankish princess of ma
ture age. Wherefore Mohammed, the
i' white- mule, shall put you to shame.
Know, then, that in him rests such.a
gift of discernment that whosoever
having stolen,. takes hold of his tail,
causes him to bray. Thus, 0 rene
gades and faithless ones, let each of
you in turn enter the tent in. which
Mohammed eats, and place his hand
upon his tail; and when he brays, be
hold, the- guilty man is there."
Used as she was to Arab ways, Miss
Bingham could hardly restrain her
disgust at this tomfoolery. However,
she said nothing until the ceremony
was oyer. One by one the men of the
caravan had entered the tent and laid
a hand, each on Mohammed's tail; but
the mule had not brayed. '
"What do you mean, by all this
nonsense?" Miss Bingham demanded
of the shaikh .angrily. "I want that
money, and I want you to open the
men's bags, or I shall think you are
not anxious for me to get it back."
' "O Frankish woman of age,', re-,
plied the sheikh .gravely, "ne does
not catch leviathan with a smelt
hook." " ,
The Arabs loitered in the vicinity,
gfinnjng atthe-styeikhs discomfiture.
But Abdullah seemed equal- to the
occasion.
"Since Mohammed has refused to
assist me," he said, "may stripes be
his portion, and the lowest place in
the world to come. I have another
method, for in the palm of each man
I can read- his acts of the day. Stand
together and each man held up his
hand, palm upward."
When he had assembled his men
the old sheikh went along the line,
peering closely into each uplifted
palm. Suddenly he stopped and jerk
ed a man" out of the row.
"Son of a jackal," he roared, "even
now thou-hast the Frankish woman's
bag and the money." - ' -
The man fell grovelling upon his
face, and a fearful awe was on the
countenance of each of his comrades.
"Bring it here at once," the sheikh
continued, "and if there be missing
the least quota of a farthing thou
shalt rot in Damascus jail,"
Five minutes later Miss Bingham
was in possession of her $7,000 again,
and not a single bill was missing.
"But how did you do it, sheikh?"
she inquired, a little later in the even
ing. "It seems, as. wonderful to me
as it was to them'
"O Frankish:' .woman," said the
sheikh, a' twinkle .in hi3 eye, "the
thief did not, lay hold of-ifhemule's
tail, fearing that he would bray."
"Well," inquired Miss Bingham,
still mystified.
"Thus,. O teacher of womanhood,
the sweet-smelling powder with
which J had rubbed the tail of Mo
tiammed'was not- transferred to his
palm, as was the case with the other
men."
"Then jthe thief was the man
whose hand did not smell of the sa
chet powder?" inquired Miss Bing
ham. "Well, that beats everything!"
"Verily; there are more ways of
cooking a hare than boiling him, O
Frankish woman," replied the sheikh,
smiling.
