THE MILL OF MALAHA. 
301 
boiling the coffee outside of the mill, and getting supper ready,#’ 
we entertained ourselves scratching a trio, and jumping now 
and then nearly out of our skins in the most desperate efforts 
to shake off the vermin. 
Presently supper appeared ; and, I say it in justice to our 
dragoman, a most excellent supper it was. He was a capital 
cook and caterer, and fed us like princes, as he always repre¬ 
sented us to he. The Arabs crept around us out of holes in 
the walls and dark corners, and while we ate they looked on 
with greedy and longing eyes, and said a great deal on the 
subject which we could not comprehend. They seemed very 
lean and hungry, and talked rapidly as each mouthful disap¬ 
peared. It was evident that they built some hopes upon 
coming in at the end of the feast. We told Yusef to give 
them something to eat, which he did; when, feeling very 
happy and comfortable, we had our chiboucks lit, and smoked 
our Latakia tobacco in great state, as became persons of royal 
dignity. 
I gradually dropped off into a doze, a mere doze, for I scorn 
the charge of having slept a wink that night. The grating 
of the grindstones, the everlasting clatter of tongues, the dust, 
chaff, smoke, and fleas, to say nothing of the roar of the wa¬ 
ter down below, were enough to banish all hope of sleep; I 
merely closed my eyes to try how ridiculous it would feel. 
How long they remained closed I scarcely know; it was not 
long, however, for I soon heard a heavy breathing close by 
my head, and felt the warm breath of some monster on my 
face. I knew it to be no Arab ; it blew and snuffed alto¬ 
gether unlike any thing of the human kind. Thinking it 
might be all fancy, I cautiously put out my hand in the dark 
(Yusef having carried the lamp away), and began to feel 
around me. For some moments I could discover nothing, 
but in waving my hand around I at length touched something 
—something that sent the blood flying back to my heart a 
good deal quicker than it ever flew before. To tell the hon¬ 
est truth, I never was so startled in all the previous advent¬ 
ures of my life. The substance that I put my hand oil was 
bare and warm; it was wet also and slimy, and ifad large 
