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He has only just risen!" said the chaouse, with a perplexed look. "He is not the first who has risen to fall," replied Hadji Baba gravely. "I would not stand in his slippers for all the treasure in the casba. Be wise, and take advice from a fool. Sidi Hassan did not quit the palace to-day to go and smoke his pipe. He is a man of power and a malcontent.
"Very good, comrade," returned Baba lightly; "thou wilt play the fool to-day and change places with me. But bear in remembrance that a chaouse may have to be beaten as well as a jester, and that it would not be difficult to find others to take thy place. I might even be tempted to do so myself in case of necessity. It would be a rare jest to have a chaouse beaten by a jester, would it not?"
"I suppose we must," returned the chaouse gloomily; "but it is hard enough to be compelled to spend our days in strangling, thrashing, burning, beheading, flaying, and tormenting other men, without the addition of having our own necks put in jeopardy."
A chaouse, at a signal from the Dey, seized the Danish consul by the waist-band, thrust him out of the palace, and along the streets to the Bagnio, there loaded him with chains, and led him forth to work with the slaves! The consternation of the other consuls was of course extreme.
It was evident from the look of anxiety and uncertainty depicted in the visage of the elder chaouse that he did not by any means know how to act. With the stern resolution of a bull-dog nature, however, he suddenly made up his mind to do his duty. Advancing quickly toward Hassan, he was about to lay hold of him, when Hadji Baba stepped abruptly before him, and said with an affable air and smile
Go, and, hark 'ee, be very careful to have the guards well placed and looked after to-night at the hour of nine." "Madman!" exclaimed the elder chaouse, after Omar and Hassan had left, "you have put the bow-string round our necks as well as your own." "True," answered Baba, with a bland smile, "and if we would not have it drawn tight, we must e'en obey the commands of Omar the Dey."
Mrs Langley observed that, immediately after, a chaouse, or executioner of the palace, passed her. This incident induced her to conclude her shopping rather quickly, and furnished her with food for thought which entirely engrossed her mind until Agnes exclaimed "Oh mamma, look! look! they're going to shave a little boy!"
As he said this an exclamation from the elder chaouse drew his attention to the fact that Sidi Hassan himself had just turned the corner of the street in which they had been conversing, and was at that moment so earnestly engaged in conversation with Sidi Omar, that the two approached without at first observing the officers of justice.
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