Mabel
offered him stewed tannic acid in the name of tea, and Ticknor suggested
a chair, but he waved both offers aside and continued as if the picture
before his mind and the words he was remembering might escape him if he
took things easy.
"Sahib, they were very much excited when he spoke of action. First one
man and then another stood up and boasted of having made all things
ready; how this one had supervised the hiding of sharp swords; how
another had kept men at work collecting cartridges on battlefields; how
this and that one had continued spreading talk against the Jews, so that
they swore that at least ten thousand Moslems in Jerusalem are fretting
to begin a massacre. 'Let Feisul only strike the first blow from
Damascus,' said they, 'and Palestine will run blood instantly!'"
"And we sit here drinking tea," exclaimed Mabel, "while up at
headquarters they're dancing and playing bridge! I call this awful! We
all ought to be..."
Grim smiled and shook his head for silence.
"We've known all this for some time," he said. "Don't worry. There'll be
no massacre; the troops are sleeping by their arms, and every possible
contingency has been provided for.
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