Argosy All-Story Weekly, Vol. 123, No. 3 — page 228: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

510 would simply go to the strong-room and draw out the cash, or give Mr. Gibilo an official order on Azila’s Tangier bankers. Nothing so crudely businesslike and inar- tistic occurred. We found, to our amaze- ment, that the taxes were to be literally collected, physically extracted from the wailing and protesting population! The Sheikh, with a large leather bag over his shoulder, put himself at the head of our soldiers and went chasing all over his panic-stricken town, collaring every man, woman and child and shaking them down for whatever they were unfortunate enough to have on them in the way of cash. Children about to buy candy were mulcted of their pennies; old ladies on the way to market were forced to give up, and the cash box of every bazaar was confis- cated. Those who really had nothing on them were immediately sent to the Kasbah jail and chained fo the wall therein until - such time as they could stir up a good, fat bail. Never was a population so harried and nerve-wracked. They couldn’t tell just where the Sheikh was going to turn up next. He was here, he was there, flying up this alley and down that, lurking around corners when he was thought to be far away, and pouncing out on unsuspecting passers-by. This went on all day, until, at five in the evening, the leather bag had attained a sat- isfying and fascinating bulge, and the Sheikh announced that the taxes were duly collected and that we would now return to the Kasbah. Steve had been making a human cash register of himself all day, and his eyes were bloodshot with the effort. ‘‘ Bill,” he said, “this revenue hunting is an ideal sport— it beats big game stalking and dominoes, any way you look at it! That bag contains, in Moorish coins, Spanish and ‘French notes, to say nothing of three plugged francs and a brass button, the splendid sum of ‘seven hundred and sixteen dollars and fifty cents. This territory is simply made for a motor- cycle salesman!” Having deposited the leather bag i in some mysterious place in the Kasbah, the Sheikh eageny turned his mind to the motor-cycle. Steve set it going on its stand—and the Digitized by Go ogle ARGOSY-ALLSTORY WEEKLY. Sheikh fled screaming into the Kasbah, yelling for the soldiers to shoot everything and everybody. The holocaust was prevented by Mr. Gibilo instantly and loudly explaining what the engines bicycle was. The Sheikh came _slowly out and then stood entranced as he saw Steve shoot down the alley and disap- pear around the corner. His eyes fairly popped as he heard that machine pounding all around Azila, and when Steve camnie shooting back, the Sheikh did a Moorish joy trot. Steve got off, and the Sheikh hurled him- self blindly into the seat and nearly put the thing out of business in his wild zeal for in- stant action. At last, after much screaming, we got him to understand that he must sit behind Steve and hold on tight. He did so, and the trembling citizens of Azila be- held their Sheikh flying through town at sixty miles an hour, his burnous.and tur- ban standing out behind in a straight line. He demanded practical lessons on riding himself, and for an hour we struggled up .and down the main alley with him, until darkness came to our relief. “The Sheikh,” Mr. Gibilo announced over our coffee in the Kasbah, “he say he cannot live any more without engines bi- cycle. He say that if you will give it to him, he will give you in exchange his very best nice daughter in marriage.” “Tell the gracious Shiekh,” said Steve, looking at me with inscrutable eyes, “‘ that his offer overwhelms me with joy and grati- tude, but rule thirty-nine of my country’s marriage laws positively forbids us to take wives in exchange for engines bicycles. Tell him also that I regret to say that this ma- chine @ promised to the Governor of Tan- gier. Explain to the Sheikh, Gibilo, using your best manner, that the Governor of Tangier insists on paying mé a bundred dollars for this particular engine.” The effect of this on the Sheikh was to sink him into a deep and thoughtful si- lence. You see, if there was one thing in the world that the Sheikh of Azila wanted to do with his whole soul, it was to put a good, hard one over on the Governor of Tangier. After five minutes of thought, he got up and went into an immer room. We Or! chiak fre aK ol LOO “Ss uy E>) a) ae) CO EO 10 STATE UN