His
long flowing beard gave him rather a majestic look, but his
briskness of manner, and his visible anxiety to accost me, seemed
strange in an Oriental. The man in fact was French, or of French
origin, and his object was to warn me of the plague, and prevent me
from entering the city.
"Arretez-vous, monsieur, je vous en prie--arretez-vous; il ne faut
pas entrer dans la ville; la peste y regne partout."
"Oui, je sais,{31} mais--"
"Mais monsieur, je dis la peste--la peste; c'est de LA PESTE, qu'il
est question."
"Oui, je sais, mais--"
"Mais monsieur, je dis encore LA PESTE--LA PESTE. Je vous conjure
de ne pas entrer dans la ville--vous seriez dans une ville
empestee."
"Oui, je sais, mais--"
"Mais monsieur, je dois donc vous avertir tout bonnement que si
vous entrez dans la ville, vous serez--enfin vous serez COMPROMIS!"
{32}
"Oui, je sais, mais--"
The Frenchman was at last convinced that it was vain to reason
with a mere Englishman, who could not understand what it was to be
"compromised." I thanked him most sincerely for his kindly meant
warning; in hot countries it is very unusual indeed for a man to go
out in the glare of the sun and give free advice to a stranger.
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