The Arabian Traveller.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XXIV, Issue 1890, 23 April 1892, Page 2 (Supplement)

The Arabian Traveller.

Mohammed Ben AH to Ismail Mustapha, love that dieth not and greetings of great j°y-

Behold, the wisdom 0? the land of sand and pomegranates hath stood me in great etead this day ; whereof, I now eit me down to write unto thes the true an<3 touching story. To-day I was walking in tiio street, when a benevolent-looking ttranger, with a long, whito beard, accosted me, saying :

" Hello, Sheik Abdallah, hoy are you ?"

"lam not frbe Sheik Abdaitab," said I, "andlmar?e' that thou didst overhear of him. I am simply Mohammed Ben AH, a merchant of Bagdad."

11 1 beg your pardon," he said ; " but you look just like the Sheik Abdallah, wto used to travel with Barnum."

I passed on, and had gone but a fe?r yards, when another benevolcnt-looaing st:ssger v wearing a large, black mou&lache and a great diamond, accosted me, saying : " Why, I am sure this must be Jlohammed Ben AU, of Bagdad."

"That is true,"eaid I, "but how didst thou know it !"

41 My friend, Boswell Poor, travelled in the East, and met you in Baadad. If you will come around to my office, I'il ssnd for him."

Now, Son of the Nightingale, my memory recalled no such man, but I thought it best to go. He took me through many streets, and, at last, to a small, poirly-lighted room, where we found another man sitting. " Where's Boswell?" asked this man. 11 1 don't know," said my new friend ; " let as send for him,"

So saying he went to the door and called into the hallway :

"John, go and tell Mr. Poor to come round at once."

I saw no boy in the hall as we entered, and when he had called, he closed the door and looked it. I was now suspicious and obtained poseessicn of the key by means which thou hnowesfc. My new friend sat down and whistled, Suddenly he said to tha man at the table :

'• Say, Jim, what's the matter with having % little game while we wait for Boawell ?"

" I'll go you," said the other.

Then he produced some cards, and, eelsoting three, one of which was an ace, by a dexterous movement of the hands spread »hem oaD, face downward on the table. My fclend bet a pound he could pick out the ace, aad ha promptly did so. This vfaa repeated geverfcl times, and then, seeing that it was what they desired, I effered to bet. The Der. with iho cards distributed them clumsily bo thad I coaUi uaaily see which was the ace, and I wod. This was repeated thrice. Then the roan with the cards appeared to lose his t=r;\ier, and bet me five pounds that I could no'- do it ihe next time. Now, 0 Nephew of the Frcsscraaato I did I, as we are in the habit of Baying in the mosque, scont the rodsnt ; bat knowing that I possessed all the rr>s§ii.' f>i our people, I smiled and took up tha bs?. Tnjs time the man distributed the cards very tkilfuilj. Truly he must bave studied tbe foolish art with long labor. I permitted hisa to win. Then 1 bet him I oould do it tho next time. And I did. Ha Beamed a trifle disconccited, and he laughed with difficulty. I was still four pound ahead of tha game. Onco more I bet him, and this time I permitted him to win. The next tioio I woe. Thia went on for a quarter of an hour, end I was still four pound ahead. We trifd it once mere, I pointed out the card &i the left as tho cos.

11 Wf 3-*!?," eaid the man ; " it's here."

Acd ha turned up tho card at the right. But it was a king. Then he turned up the one at the left, and it was the ace. I see thee smile as thou readest of my doing this old, old trick. But the man did not smile.

11 There'B some trick here," he said.

11 Surely," said I, with great innooßnoa, "no one could suspect trickery in this place." I Wft3 now nine pounds ahead ; but mj manner reassured my fiiond, and went il H again. This time— l sea thea emile aaam— no ace could be found at all.

" You c^ff-r," said tho aam.who took me there, •* y B'a dropped it " They seavuhed on the floor but could not find it. When they lifted their heads again, they beheld the ace standing en end on the table and danoing. Broth' t of tl a Pyramids. I bin ah to tell thee that I praotio v che aeed , tri kon these unsuspecting strangers ; bat I ! w»j anxiousjo measure the garthi oi tjieir

ip.norß'c- 3 . They tpvsnj to taoir feet sn'l turned pab.

"W.h;-.s alarms jtu, fj:cni!c?'' I dz;J ; " thcra if; a rhaught from I'r.o x,') & ) .v which blowii the cr.ic'a nbout. Lot us ckoo it."

That reacsured them, and they closed ibs window. Then we began again. Once more the ace was irustrir.g. While they nearched on the floor again, I determined now to biinp to my aid our true art. The room begar to grow cftvk. On the wall a luminous epr> appeared. I bade tbem look at it ; and, & they did so, T cauced b largo imago 'of tha cc. to appear. Tho two men turned deadly pale. Then I caused aces to appear all over the room, dancing and glowing.

" Holy herring I" exclaimed one of ths men ; " wave buncoed old Nick i"

With that they rnsdo a rush for the door. But I had the key.- The room began to aY ■with Eulphurous smoke. The two men G/W not breathe. With a wild yell they hurled themselves through tho window into the street, and, bleeding from many cuts, fled for their lives.

As for me, I put out the Bulphur fire which I had kindled behind a chair, removed the wet handkerohief from my m- ut 1, gathered up my oards and my mirrors, and departed in peace, fourteen pounds ahead of the game. Verily, Descendant of the Prophet, when thou goest abroad, always carry the apparatus of our Eastern art with thee.