Page:The red book of animal stories.djvu/79

 three companions from the outer chamber. All four men sat down silently on the floor, and after placing their tambourines between their legs, filled their mouths with herbs and began to puff out sweet-scented clouds of smoke, crying: 'Allah! Allah! Allah!' all the time, while Abd-el-Kerim made a hissing, whistling sort of sound, which was intended to attract the serpents.



This went on for three or four minutes without any apparent result; but at the end of that time Delaporte saw about a score of scorpions crawl down the walk or from under the furniture and wriggle up to Abd-el-Kerim.

The Consul's unbelief was rather staggered by the sight of this strange procession. Some of the scorpions came down the mosquito curtains, some down the window blinds, others down the walls; till the thought of sleeping in such a haunted room was enough to make