Did he bring off the
message, sir?"
"He did. And I came ashore at once. You remember Rad el Moussa?"
"The man that consigned all that parcel of figs for London?"
"That man. I considered that as he'd been doing business with the
steamer, he was the best person to make inquiries of ashore. So I came
to him, and asked where I could find the Kady to bail you out. He
shuffled a bit, and after some talk he admitted he was the Kady, and
took palm-oil from me in the usual way, and then I'll not deny that we
had a trifle of a disagreement. But he seemed to simmer down all right,
said he'd send along for you, and after a bit of time said you'd come,
and wouldn't I walk through the house and see you myself. The crafty old
fox had got his booby trap rigged in the mean time, and then I walked
straight into it like the softest specimen of blame' fool you
can imagine."
"Rad el Moussa," came the foggy comment. "By Jove! Captain, I believe
we're in an awkward place. He's the biggest man in this town far and
away, and about the biggest blackguard also from what I've heard. He's a
merchant in every line that comes handy, from slaves and palm fibre to
horses and dates; he runs most of those pearling dhows that we saw
sweltering about at the anchorage; and he's got a little army of his own
with which he raids the other coast towns and the caravans up-country
when he hears they've got any truck worth looting.
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