He wouldn't find this chicken shying his gold and his gems back at his head, I can tell you.

I'd accept all the Arab slaves and all the palaces he wanted to thrust on me; and then I'd make 'em all over to you, Mary dear, so you'd never have to do another day's worrying or pinching in all your life.

But never you nor anybody else depend upon an Arab's gratitude or an Arab's generosity.

He'll promise you the moon, and then wriggle out of giving you so much as a star--just as Abdul ben Meerza did with me.' And upon Miss Morrison asking what he meant by that, he replied, laughingly: 'Ask Van, he knew the old codger better than I--knew his whole blessed family, blow him!--and was able to talk to the old skinflint in his own outlandish tongue.' "Upon Miss Morrison's acting on this suggestion, Van Nant told of an adventure Carboys had had in Persia some years previously.

It appears that he saved the life of a miserly old Arab called Abdul ben Meerza at the risk of his own; that the old man was profuse in his expressions of gratitude, and, on their parting, had said: 'By the Prophet, thou shalt yet find the tree of this day's planting bear rich fruit for thee and thy feet walk upon golden stones.' But, in spite of this promise, he had walked away, and Carboys had never heard another word from nor of him from that hour until three nights ago." "Oho!" said Cleek, with a strong, rising inflection.