The Cafe Des Bulgars

In the rue Royal, however, Sengoun desisted with sudden access of
dignity, remarking that such gambols were not worthy of the best
traditions of his Embassy; and he attempted to bribe the drivers of a
couple of hansom cabs to permit him and his comrade to take the reins
and race to the Arc de Triomphe.

Failing in this, he became profusely autobiographical, informing
Neeland of his birth, education, aims, aspirations.

"When I was twelve," he said, "I had known already the happiness of
the battle-shock against Kurd, Mongol, and Tartar. At eighteen my
ambition was to slap the faces of three human monsters. I told
everybody that I was making arrangements to do this, and I started for
Brusa after my first monster--Fehim Effendi--but the Vali telegraphed
to the Grand Vizier, and the Grand Vizier ran to Abdul the Damned, and
Abdul yelled for Sir Nicholas O'Connor; and they caught me in the Pera
Palace and handed me over to my Embassy."

Neeland shouted with laughter: "Who were the other monsters?" he asked.

"The other two whose countenances I desired to slap? Oh, one was Abdul
Houda, the Sultan's star-reader, who chattered about my Dark Star
horoscope in the Yildiz. And the other was the Sultan."

"Who?"

"Abdul Hamid."

"What? You wished to slap his face?"

"Certainly. But Kutchuk Saïd and Kiamil Pasha requested me not
to--accompanied by gendarmes."

"You'd have lost your life," remarked Neeland.

"Yes. But then war would surely have come, and today my Emperor would
have held the Dardanelles where the Turkish flag is now flying over
German guns and German gunners."