"He who serves the government nowadays receives pay." "The way to receive pay," said I, "is to take this letter to the governor of Hebron, who will then know that a certain man is pretending to be Ali Higg.

Thus you will do the government a great service, and may receive the difference in price between the Bishareen camel and that mean brute you ride now." "We waste time.

There is no well out here.

Give me the letter!" He was gone in a minute, headed straight for Hebron, and Narayan Singh and I fired several shots in the air to let Ayisha know what a desperate pursuit we had engaged in.

When we rode into camp again, trying to look shamefaced, they had about finished packing up, so Grim had time to call us terrible names for Ayisha's benefit--names that it would not have been safe to apply to any of Ali Baba's men if he had chosen them for the job.
Those thieves would stand for any kind of devilry, and were willing to undertake all risks at Grim's bidding.