Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 227: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

profit, Azila. A MOOR THERE WAS. terest in this particular business—I had no idea that it contained such possibilities for salesmanship. Speaking as an emergency salesman, then, I regard the governor of Tangier as a weak and unreliable prospect. I shall sell this machine at the source of Later, I may apply for the Tangier agency. You, now, might work the Sahara Desert—” I was saved from further insults to my intelligence by the arrival of Mr. Gibilo, who, having been a guide to European tourists for several years and thus being a bit sophisticated, faced the motor-cycle manfully, without a quiver. He examined it with great interest. “This,” he said, ‘‘ is engines bicycle of which I have heard, yes? It have go like Gibraltar governor’s autumbobble!” | And Mr. Gibilo was getting on deck and evidently going to give himself a ride with- out further delay, to the great awe and admiration of his fellow townsmen. Steve persuaded him to desist, and brought the Moorish mind back to the sick- ness of Hamzah and the taxes of Azila. All was arranged, Mr. Gibilo said, and we were to start that evening. He must: have been a born sport and joy-rider by nature, for nothing could exceed his delight when he heard that the motor-cycle was to ac- ‘ company us. He sat on his rug all after- noon, playing his gimbri and reciting speed- limit verses. In the evening we went to the Grand Soko, or big market, and mounted our in- telligent mules. Two donkey boys were en- gaged to respectively push and pull the motor-cycle. Six Moorish soldiers, on mili- tary donkeys, rode with us. “* Steve,” I asked, as we picked ow way through the hills back of Tangier, ‘‘ would you mind telling me now, precisely and concisely, what you intend to do with this machine in Azila? Just tell me that, and I shall repress what I think of this whole ex- pedition.” ‘“‘ My dear Bill,” Steve answered, ‘‘ where- ignorance is native, as in you, for instance, it is bad taste to be peevish. My sales cam- paign is not yet fully rounded out—I may insert a coupon in all the leading papers of Azila. I don’t know.” agin = eee ee cee, er aa | 509 I made no reply. When Steve begins to enjoy himself in that way, there is nothing to do but shut up. Azila proved to be quite a nifty little town and thoroughly up to date in the Moorish sense. That is, it was completely lacking in any faint suggestion of civiliza- tion. It was native Tangier over again on a small scale, with its gutters, two-foot-wide ‘alleyways, padlocked stone houses, and packing-box bazaars. The town also boasted a tiny Kasbah, or government house, on the steps of which, as we rode up, the Sheikh was now stand- " ing, completely surrounded by a magnificent retinue of two exceedingly dirty slaves. The Sheikh was a middle-aged, black-beard- ed, villainous-looking cuss, with knives-and- poison calculation in his gentle Moorish eyes. As he looked at me, he smiled so pleas- antly that I felt a cold tickle down my spine, for I could feel his mind working a mile a minute figuring out how best he could entertain himself with us—whether by plain murder or slow torture in boiling oil. ; He carefully sized up our six soldiers, read the Tangier governor’s letter—which contained, disguised as usual in sweet lan- guage, the most direful and bloody threats —and then seemed to decide that on the © whole he was just longing to pay up his taxes. He welcomed Mr. Gibilo, alias Ham- zah, like a king, and when we were intro- duced as two distinguished American trav- elers, he fell off the steps and embraced us —but I could still feel that gentle specula- tion and delicate calculation in his eye. Then the eye lit on the motor-cycle, and * the Sheikh asked more unanswerable ques- tions in a minute than an American child could think up in a whole year. | Prompted by Steve, Mr. Gibilo explained that the remarkable object was a very valu- able steel steed owned by the two Ameri- cans who, after the important business of collecting the taxes was settled, would take a sublime pleasure in demonstrating its na- ture to their new and dearly cherished friend, the Sheikh of Azila. The tax collecting began at once. Now, we naturally had an idea that the Sheikh nal froma DOO S CO