"Five thousand bastinados each from Ali Higg, while the queen bee laughs at us for fools! Nay, lady Jael, you are Jimgrim's prisoner." "Jimgrim!" she said.

"Somewhere I have heard that name." And she turned it over in her mind again like a taster trying wine, not speaking again for nearly an hour, until we drew abreast of a chaos of irregular great boulders that partly concealed the mouth of a gorge as dark and ugly as the throat of Tophet.
"There is your chance!" she said.

"Will you take it?
You shall have employment with the Lion of Petra! Come!" But neither of us answered, and I kept a bright lookout for a pistol she still might have concealed on her; for she had not been searched--there was none who could do that with decency except Ayisha, who was not to be trusted.
I knew Grim would not halt again before morning because the camels would not feed properly until after daylight, even if you put corn in front of them.

We were likely in for a forced march on Petra, and he would not choose to halt twice if it could be helped.

And I supposed that when we did halt he would look to Narayan Singh and me for information.
Yet Mrs.Ali Higg number one was hardly a person you could expect to answer questions truthfully; and even until the stars began to grow pale in the east ahead of us I possessed my soul in patience.
Then: "Is it money your Sheikh Jimgrim wants ?" she asked at last.
"Does he hold me to ransom?
If so, I will give him a draft on the Bank of Egypt.