ane > eee 
382 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 
with my own hand.” Upon this he fook up his fword, that 
was lying at the head of his fofa, and, drawing it with a 
bravado, threw the fcabbard into the middle of the room ; 
and, tucking the fleeve of his fhirt above his elbow like a 
butcher, faid, “I wait your anfwer.” 
I now ftept one pace backwards, and dropt the burnoofe 
‘behind me, holding the little blunderbufs in my hand, with- 
out taking it off the belt. I faid, in a firm tone of voice, 
“ This is my anfwer: Iamnota man, as I have told you 
before, to die like a beaft by the hand of a drunkard; on 4 
your life, I charge you, ftir not from your fofa.” JI had no he. 
need to give this injunction; he heard the noife which the . 
clofing the joint in the ftock of the blunderbuis made, and 
thought I had cocked it, and was inftantly to fire. He let 
his {word drop, and threw himfelfon his back on the fofa, . 
crying, “ For God’s fake, Hakim, I was but jefting.” At the a 
fame time, with all his might, he cried, “‘ Brahim! Maho- . 
met! El. coom! El coom*!”——“‘ If one of your fervants ap- 
proach me, faid I, that inftant I blew you to pieces; not 
one of them fhall enter this room till they bring in my fer- 
vants with them; I have a number of them armed at your 
gate, who will break in the inftant they hear me fire. 
Tue women had come to the door. My. fervants were 
admitted, each having a blunderbufs in his hand and piftols 
at his girdle. We were now greatly an overmatch for 
the Shekh, who fat far back on the fofa, and pretended 
chat all he had done was in joke, in which his fervants 
joined, 
# T:] coom, that is, all his fervants. 
