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Rh, and that forty mules were brought in this morning loaded with human heads."

"Oh yes, I heers dat," replied Ali carelessly, as he filled his pipe from Flaggan's tobacco-pouch. "I sees all de hids as I comes up de road dis marnin'. Twinty more mule hims 'xpec' for come in de morrer mornin'."

"You don't mane it!" said Ted. "They seem to be free of their heads away at Tunis.—But there's more noos than that," continued the seaman, calmly scanning the seaward horizon, as he filled his pipe. "Have 'ee heard that the Dey Omar has cut off the head of Sidi Hassan for nothin' worse than a touch of imperliteness?"

"No, I not heers dat," answered Ali, with a look of interest. "I's werry glad."

"Glad! why so?"

"'Cos Sidi Hassan hims gib me reason to 'xpec' hims cut off my hid soonerer or laterer."

"It's my opinion," said Flaggan, with a peculiar smile, "that if ye go cutting away at one another like that, soonerer or laterer you'll all be like the converse o' the Kilkenny cats, and have nothin' left of 'ee but your heads stickin' on spikes above your gates and walls."

"Pr'aps so," was Ali's complacent reply.

At this point the conversation was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Angela and her sister