“Kind and obliging Sir,” it began, “I am in great and serious trouble and in danger of my life, and I appeal to you to come to my assistance by the first boat.  I will explain everything when we meet, but kindly do not delay, as everything depends upon your presence here.

“Again beseeching you not to delay,
“Your miserable and much-afflicted friend,
“SHIN SHIRA SCARAMANGA MANOUSA
YAMA HAWA.

“P.S.—­Inquire for me at the State Prison, Baghdad.”

“Well!” I exclaimed, after perusing this remarkable epistle, “of all the extraordinary requests I have ever received this is the strangest.  This man, whom I have only met at the most half-a-dozen times in my life, expects me to neglect my work and rush off to Baghdad, of all places in the world, to his assistance, because he has got into some trouble which has landed him in the State Prison there.  I always thought somehow that those uncanny powers which he possesses would get him into serious difficulties at some time or another.  I’ll send him a letter stating that I cannot go to him.”  And here I endeavoured to dismiss Shin Shira and his affairs from my mind.

I was so worried about the matter, however, that I couldn’t settle to work, so I lit my pipe and settled myself in my easy-chair to think the matter out.

Poor little fellow!  If he really was in such desperate straits it seemed very heartless to leave him to his fate if in any way I could be of real assistance to him; and, after all, I could work almost as well while I was away as I could at home, and the voyage would probably give me plenty of new ideas for my book.  I thought of all the kind things the little chap had done for me, and how he had always somehow come to the rescue when I had been in difficulties in my adventures with him; and finally I came to the conclusion that it would be most ungrateful and selfish of me if I let anything stand in the way of my going to my friend’s assistance.

I had no sooner made up my mind on this point than I called a cab and set out at once for Messrs. Cook’s office and booked a passage by the next steamer.

I will not tell you anything about the somewhat uninteresting journey either by sea or land, with the exception that when I at last stepped ashore in an Oriental port, I found in the curious costumes and strange surroundings many things to amuse me and to wonder at.

The entire journey on the whole, however, was decidedly tedious, and I was very glad to find myself at last in the ancient city of Baghdad.

I went at once to the British Consul there and told him my object in coming to the city.

“Shin Shira!” he exclaimed.  “Why, there is scarcely anything talked about in these days but Shin Shira.  He has stolen one of the most valuable crown jewels, and was caught with it in his possession.  Despite the indisputable evidence against him, however, he persists in declaring his innocence, and pleads that, with the assistance of a friend from London, he can prove it conclusively.  I suppose, sir, that you are the friend from London.”