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Show the auberge he suddenly said to Achmed. "Now, you just tell madame and me why you said to madame that Benchaalal was not staying at ElAkbara!" "Monsieur, I did not say so! How could I when Benchaalal is there?" 1 Sir Claude turned to the landlady, who was looking surprised and very curious. "Didn't you assure me, rna- ?" he began. But the landlady interrupted him. "Monsieur may talk all night, and the nights of the year, but he will have reason of an Arab." She spread out her hands and her shoulders. tme sale race!" she whisinto Sir Claude's ear. He stood for a moment staring at the sand, his hands in his pockets. The moonlight grew. Its light de-cided him. He lifted up his head with a jerk of his chin. "Go and get the mules!" he said to Achmed. "Go!" The guide stared at him for a minute, then evidently realized that there was no appeal from that command, and disappeared through the doorway of the auberge to the inner court, where the beasts were stabled. The landlady looked amazed. "Monsieur is not going? But it is not possible! Monsieur-" " Look here, madame," said Sir Claude, sitting down by the little table, on which, by the lamp, was al-ready set the bottle of wine which . he had promised to drink when he fJ"!· returned from the village. "Look/ 71 here-you've been telling me about f the Arabs! I don't know them}) I'm a stranger here. I come from England, where you can take a man word, and womenkind |