"Glad to see you, old chap, any time," said Sam warmly; "and if you do come I'll show you what our country's like." "Thank you, Mr Samuel," said the Sheikh, smiling pleasantly; "and if I do come I shall dress as you English do; but I will not be ashamed of it." "Here, you're going on the wrong road, old gentleman," said Sam. "I'm not ashamed of the nightgown and nightcap. They're cool and comfortable. It's seeing the guv'nor dressed up, and him and me and Mr Frank and Mr Landon in this procession. Do you know how I feel just now?" "Thirsty?" said the Sheikh, smiling. "Well, pretty tidy. I shall be worse soon. But if you come to that, I've been thirsty ever since I came to Egypt. I mean I feel as if I'd come down to a cheap circus, and we were going into a country town where the big tent had been set up, and that by and by we should be all riding round the ring doing Mazeppa and the Wild Horse, or Timour the Tartar; stalls a shilling covered with red cloth; gallery thruppence." The Sheikh stared wonderingly, and then shook his head. "I do not understand, Mr Samuel," he said. "Of course you don't, sir. How can you, seeing that you've picked up what you know by accident like, and not had a regular English education? There, it's all right. It was only a growl, and I'm better now." "But you said you were ashamed of the Hakim." "I said so, but I ain't, Mr Abrahams. He's splendid ain't he?" "He is grand," said the Sheikh earnestly. "His power, his knowledge--it is wonderful!" "That's right, old man, so it is." "And I hope when all the work is done, and we have taken Mr Frank's--" "Steady there: Ben Eddin's." "Yes, Ben Eddin's brother safely back to Cairo, that I may have an accident." "An accident?" said Sam, staring. "Or a bad illness, so that the great Hakim may cure me. Hah! what a physician! It is noble--it is grand!" "I say, do you mean all that?" said Sam. "Mean it?" said the Sheikh wonderingly. "I have been seventy years in the world, and for forty of those years I have been taking travellers to see the wonders of my land; but I have never met another man like the Hakim, whom I could look up to as I do to him." "You do mean it?" said Sam, whose eyes glistened and looked moist. "Thank you, Mr Abrahams. You and me's the best of friends for saying that. He is what you say--grand. You like him, and don't half know him." "I know him to have a great heart, Mr Samuel," said the old man warmly. "Great heart, yes, and a big, broad chest; but it ain't half big enough to hold it. Why, when my poor old mother was bad--dying of old age she was--I made bold to ask the doctor to go down to see her, meaning to pay him out of my savings, and feeling as I'd like the dear old girl to have the best advice. Down in the country she was, forty miles away." "How sad!" said the old Sheikh. "Two very long days' journey."