He rang the bell beside the door, and almost immediately it was opened by a Negress, grossly and repellently ugly.

Harley pattered something in what sounded like Arabic, whereat the Negress displayed the utmost servility, ushering us into an ill-lighted passage with every evidence of respect.  Following this passage to its termination, an inner door was opened, and a burst of discordant music greeted us, together with a wave of tobacco smoke.  We entered.

Despite my friend’s particular injunctions to the contrary I gave a start of amazement.

We stood in the doorway of a fairly large apartment having a divan round three of its sides.  This divan was occupied by ten or a dozen men of mixed nationalities—­Arabs, Greeks, lascars, and others.  They smoked cigarettes for the most part and sipped Mokha from little cups.  A girl was performing a wriggling dance upon the square carpet occupying the centre of the floor, accompanied by a Nubian boy who twanged upon a guitar, and by most of the assembled company, who clapped their hands to the music or droned a low, tuneless dirge.

Shortly after our entrance the performance terminated, and the girl retired through a curtained doorway at the farther end of the room.  Our presence being now observed, suspicious glances were cast in our direction, and a very aged man, who sat smoking a narghli near the door by which the girl had made her exit, gravely waved towards us the amber mouthpiece which he held in his hand.

Harley walked straight across to him, I close at his heels.  The light of a lamp which hung close by fell fully upon my friend’s face; and, rising from his seat, the old man greeted him with the dignified and graceful salutation of the East.  At his request we seated ourselves beside him, and, while we all three smoked excellent Turkish cigarettes, Harley and he conversed in a low tone.  Suddenly, at some remark of my friend’s, our strange host rose to his feet, an angry frown contracting his heavy eyebrows.

Silence fell upon the company.

In a loud and peremptory voice he called out something in Arabic.

Instantly I detected a fellow near the entrance door, and whom I had not hitherto observed, slipping furtively into the shadow, with a view, as I thought, to secret departure.  He seemed to be deformed in some way and had the most evil, pock-marked face I had ever beheld in my life.  Angrily, the majestic old man recalled him.  Whereupon, with a sort of animal snarl quite indescribable, the fellow plucked out a knife!  Two men who had been on the point of seizing him fell back, and: 

“Hold him!” shouted Harley, springing forward—­“hold him!  It’s Ali of Cairo!”

But Harley was too late.  Turning, the strange and formidable-looking Oriental ran like the wind!  Ere hand could be raised to stay him he was through the doorway!

“That settles it,” said Harley grimly, as once more I found myself in a cab beside him.  “I was right; but he’ll forestall us!”