Laughing to himself, Higli Pasha sat with the stem of a narghileh in hismouth. His big shoulders kept time to the quivering of his fat stomach.He was sitting in a small court-yard of Nahoum Pasha's palace, waitingfor its owner to appear. Meanwhile he exercised a hilarious patience.The years had changed him little since he had been sent on thatexpedition against the southern tribes which followed hard on David'sappointment to office. As David had expected, few of the traitorousofficers returned. Diaz had ignominiously died of the bite of atarantula before a blow had been struck, but Higli had gratefullyreceived a slight wound in the first encounter, which enabled him to beata safe retreat to Cairo. He alone of the chief of the old conspiratorswas left. Achmet was still at the Place of Lepers, and the old nest oftraitors was scattered for ever.