Before noon next day a messenger of mine gave the Cadi of the
district sertn information. In cawnsequence of that information
the Cadi stimulated himself to some ten knots an hour, and lodged
you and your men in Mogador jail at my disposal. The Cadi then
went back to his mountain fahstnesses; so we shall not have the
pleasure of his company here to-day. Do you follow me so far?
BRASSBOUND. Yes. I know what you did and what the Cadi did. The
point is, why did you do it?
KEARNEY. With doo patience we shall come to that presently. Mr.
Rahnkin: will you kindly take up the parable?
RANKIN. On the very day that Sir Howrrd and Lady Cicely started on
their excursion I was applied to for medicine by a follower of the
Sheikh Sidi el Assif. He told me I should never see Sir Howrrd
again, because his master knew he was a Christian and would take
him out of the hands of Captain Brassbound. I hurried on board the
yacht and told the owner to scour the coast for a gunboat or
cruiser to come into the harbor and put persuasion on the
authorities. (Sir Howard turns and looks at Rankin with a sudden
doubt of his integrity as a witness.)
KEARNEY. But I understood from our chahplain that you reported
Captain Brassbound as in league with the Sheikh to deliver Sir
Howard up to him.
RANKIN. That was my first hasty conclusion, Captain Kearney. But
it appears that the compact between them was that Captain
Brassbound should escort travellers under the Sheikh's protection
at a certain payment per head, provided none of them were
Christians.
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