"That We Make a Profit from this Venture!" Late that afternoon, before they loaded up the camels, there was another conference between Grim, Jael Higg, Narayan Singh, our prisoner Yussuf, and myself.

The ancient hills of Edom were not far away, and we were near enough to Petra to feel nervous.

Jael made a pretty good pretense of meeting Grim half-way, and I think she had made up her mind to let him dig his own pit and tumble into it.
Yussuf was aware by that time, if not of Grim's identity, at any rate of the fact that he was an officer in the British pay, and was rather obviously considering which would likely pay him best--to side secretly with Ali Higg or openly with Grim, or both.
Having fought over all that country under Lawrence, and knowing consequently every yard of it, I suppose Grim felt neither thrilled nor mystified; but in case any scientist reads this and wants to know how I felt, "fed up and far from home" about describes it.

But there was worse to come! Grim turned to me at last and smiled in that darned genial way he has when he means to call on your uttermost patience or endurance.
"You see, the difficulty is," he said, "to get to Ali Higg without his getting us first.

He has probably got between forty and fifty men in Petra with him, so we daren't invade the place.
Yet we've got to hurry, because old Ibrahim ben Ah with that army may get suspicious and send back a messenger on his own account.
Now, do you feel willing to beard the Lion in his den ?" "Alone ?" I asked.
I never felt less willing to do anything, and dare say my face betrayed it.
"No.