“Vat are you doing, captain? vat are you doing?” “Lifting my anchor, to be sure.” “Ah now, captain, can’t you shay two francs?” The captain continued to give orders for sailing. “Vell, captain, ve must shay thirty sous.” The mainsail expanded its folds, and the capstan began to creak. “Captain, captain! ve vill take your franc!” “Stop,” cried the captain. One by one the Jews ascended the starboard side and descended to larboard, leaving their cotton nightcaps, and receiving a franc apiece. For a miserable three francs they had twice saved their heads: it was not dear. As to the captain, he had got back his goods, and made a clear profit of thirty-six thousand francs. As he was a man who knew how to behave, he put eighteen thousand francs in his boat, went ashore, and presented himself before the Bey, at whose feet he again prostrated himself, and whose papooshes he once more kissed. “I come to present my humble thanks to your highness.” “Are you satisfied?” “Overjoyed.” “Do you consider the indemnity sufficient?” “Too much. And I come to offer your highness half my net profit of thirty-six thousand francs.” “Nonsense!” said the Bey. “Have you forgotten that I promised you Turkish justice?” “I perfectly remember.” “Well, Turkish justice is done gratis.” “_Tron de l’air!_” cried the captain: “in France a judge would not have been contented with half; he would have taken at least three quarters.” “You mistake,” said the Bey; “he would have taken the whole.” “Aha!” exclaimed the captain, “I see you know France as well as I do.” And once more he went down into the dust to kiss the Bey’s papooshes, but the Bey gave him his hand. The captain returned to his ship, and a quarter of an hour later he left the African coast under press of sail. He feared lest the Bey might change his mind. Their brief experience of the nightcap convinced the Tunisian Jews of its superiority to the yellow caps and black turbans with which they were wont to cover their infidel heads; and upon the death of the Bey they obtained permission from his successor to adopt the cotton covering, whose wear previously entailed decapitation. Such, at least, is the explanation given by the ingenious M. Dumas of the naturalisation of Paris nightcaps on the Barbary coast.