Hassan plunged the spoon into the bag and brought it out, filled with gold-dust, which he poured into the empty pan.  The scales rose, fell, trembled, and then settled even.

“I nearly always can judge an ounce,” said Hassan; “a grain is another matter.”

He weighed out sixteen ounces.  The last ounce he left in the pan.  Then he turned and, with a sweep of his arm, caught a fly from off the wall.  He handled it with the greatest care until he held it in the tips of his fingers; then he put it into his mouth and closed his lips.  In a moment he took it out.  The fly was moist and dejected.  He placed it upon the gold-dust in the pan.  The fly began to beat its wings and work its legs.  In a moment its color changed from blue-black to yellow.  It was coated with gold-dust.  Hassan lifted it with a pair of tweezers, and popped it into an inlaid box.

“My commission,” he said.  “Good-by.  Allah be with you.”

The old man tied up his bag, which seemed to be as heavy as ever.

“I thought,” said Abdullah, glancing at the purse, “that seventeen ounces was all you had.”

“What remains,” said the old man, and there was a twinkle in his eye, “belongs to Allah’s poor, of whom I am one.”

“I regret,” said Abdullah, with some heat, “that I did not treble my usual price.  I merely doubled it for you.”

The old man’s face clouded, but only for an instant.

“My son,” he said, “I am glad that I have intrusted my daughter to you.  You will bring her to Biskra in safety.  At what hour do you start?”

“Immediately after the noon prayer,” answered Abdullah, “and I wait for no one.”

“Good,” said the old man, “we shall be there; slama.”

“Slama,” said Abdullah, and they parted.

Abdullah went back to his camels.  He found Ali asleep between the black racer and the dun leader.  He kicked him gently, as though he were a dog, and Ali sat up smiling and pleased to be kicked, when he saw his master.

“We take two women with us,” said Abdullah.

“Allah help us,” said Ali.

“He has already,” said Abdullah; “I have sixteen ounces in my girdle.”

“It seems, then,” said Ali, grinning, “that not only Allah has helped you, but you have helped yourself.”

“Peace,” said Abdullah, “you know nothing of commerce.”

“I know, however,” said Ali, “that the Englishwoman whom we carried two years ago, and who made us stop two days at the wells of Okba, because her dog was ailing, gave me a bad piece of silver that I could not spend in Biskra.  ’T was she of the prominent teeth and the big feet.  I used to see her feet when she mounted her camel, and I used to see her teeth when I saw nothing else.”

“Peace,” said Abdullah.  “Allah who made us made also the English.”

“Perhaps,” said Ali, “but one cannot help wondering why He did it.”