3^2 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER
with my own hand." Upon this he took up his fword, that was lying at the head of his fofa, and, drawing it with a bravado, threw the fcabbard into the middle of the room ; and, tucking the flecve of his fhirt above his elbow like a butcher, faid, " I wait your anfwer."
I NOW flept one pace backwards, and dropt the burnoofe behind me, holding the little blunderbufs in my hand, with- out taking it off the belt. I faid, in a firm tone of voice, " This is my anfwcr : I am not a man, as I have told you before, to die like a beail by the hand of a drunkard ; on your life, I charge you, ftir not from your fofa." I had no need to give this injundtion ; he heard the noife which the clofing the joint in the ftock of the blunderbufs made, and thought I had cocked it, and was inftantly to fire. He let his fword drop, and threw himfelfonhis back on the fofa, crying, " For God's fake, Hakim, I was but jelling." At the fame time, with all his might, he cried, *' Brahim f Maho- met ! Elcoom! El coom*i" — " If one of your fervants ap- proach me, faid I, that inllant I blow you to pieces ; not one of them lliall enter this room till they bring in my fer- vants with them ; I have a number of them armed at your gate, who will break in the inllant they hear me fire.
The women had come to the door. My fervants were admitted, «ach having a blunderbufs in his hand and piilols at his girdle. We were now greatly an overmatch for the Shekh, who fat far back on the fofa, and pretended that all he had done was in joke, in which his fervants
joined,
f £1 cooni, that 'u, all bis fervatits.
