Ali Mohammed shook his head feebly, removed his eyes by a palpable effort from the watcher in the gateway, but almost instantly reverted again to that fixed and terrified scrutiny. "Not at all, Kernaby Pasha," he chattered; "not in the least." He passed a hand rapidly over a brow wet with perspiration, and moistened his lips, which were correspondingly dry. I determined upon a diplomatic _tour de force_; I looked him squarely in the face. "For some reason," I said distinctly, "you are in deadly fear of the wall-eyed mendicant who is sitting by the gate of the Sûk es-Saîgh, O Ali Mohammed, my friend." I turned with assumed carelessness. The beggar of murderous appearance had vanished, and Ali Mohammed was slowly recovering his composure. I knew that I must act quickly, or he would deny with the urbane mendacity of the Egyptian all knowledge of the one-eyed one; therefore-- "Acquaint me with the reason of your apprehensions," I said, at the same time offering him one of his own cigarettes; "it may be that I can assist you." A moment he hesitated, glancing doubtfully in the direction of the gate and back to my face; then-- "It is one of the people of Tîr," he whispered, bending close to my ear; "of the evil _ginn_ who are the creatures of Abû Tabâh." I was puzzled and expressed my doubt in words. "Alas," replied Ali Mohammed, "the Imám Abû Tabâh is neither a man nor an official; he is a magician." "Indeed! then you speak of one bearing the curious name of Abû Tabâh, who is at once the holder of a holy office and also one who has dealings with the _ginn_ and the _Efreets_. This is strange, Ali Mohammed, my friend." "It is strange and terrible," he whispered, "and I fear that my path is beset with pitfalls and slopeth down to desolation." He pronounced the _Takbîr_, "_Alláhu akbar!_" and uttered the words "_Hadeed! yá mashûm!_" (Iron! thou unlucky!), a potent invocation, as the _ginn's_ dread of that metal is well known. "There are things of which one may not speak," he declared; "and this is one of them." Sorely puzzled as I was by this most mysterious happening, yet, because of the pious words of my friend, I knew that the incident was closed so far as confidences were concerned; and I presently took my departure, my mind filled with all sorts of odd conjectures by which I sought to explain the matter. I was used to the superstitions of that quarter where almost every gate and every second street has its guardian _ginnee_, but who and what was Abû Tabâh? An Imám, apparently, though to what mosque attached Ali Mohammed had not mentioned. And why did Ali Mohammed fear Abû Tabâh?