Page:Harris Dickson--Old Reliable in Africa.djvu/231

 spread white paste over the chunky man's face. The victim sat quietly, with a small mirror in his hand, while the other shaved him. Zack broke into a laugh. "Ain't dat de beatenes' barber shop! Huh!"

So he stood and watched the operation, and kept rubbing his own beard. "I got no bizness goin' 'mongst white folks wid no sech stubby beard as dis. Here, Side, tell dat feller I needs a shave."

But the shave would bring no profit to Said, and Said pretended not to hear. The whistle kept shrieking; Mohammed's bundle of cloth had not been paid for. They had agreed upon no price; there might be argument, for the cloth came to more than a donkey, nay, even more than a camel.

"Here, Side!" Zack ordered. "Git dat barber right quick. I wants a shave, I tole you."

The obedient Said hastened to do as he was bid. Ben Idris kept guard upon his guest, fending away the devil-minded Achmet and Hamuda.

Old Reliable had already been lathered when a meddlesome Nubian boy from the hotel wormed his way through the crowd, and out of it again. He it was who guided the big Irish sergeant and pointed to Zack.

Sergeant O'Flynn had a reputation for being thorough. He shook Zack by the shoulders and