Or perhaps the fact that the _Maria_ had got safe away with the slaves, as he imagined unobserved by us, was the cause of the change of his demeanour.

A third alternative may have been that he intended to murder us during the previous night and found no safe opportunity of carrying out his amiable scheme.
We saluted him courteously, but without salaaming in reply he asked me bluntly through Sammy when we intended to be gone, as such "Christian dogs defiled his house," which he wanted for himself.
I answered, as soon as the twenty bearers whom he had promised us appeared, but not before.
"You lie," he said.

"I never promised you bearers; I have none here." "Do you mean that you shipped them all away in the _Maria_ with the slaves last night ?" I asked, sweetly.
My reader, have you ever taken note of the appearance and proceedings of a tom-cat of established age and morose disposition when a little dog suddenly disturbs it on the prowl?
Have you observed how it contorts itself into arched but unnatural shapes, how it swells visibly to almost twice its normal size, how its hair stands up and its eyes flash, and the stream of unmentionable language that proceeds from its open mouth?
If so, you will have a very good idea of the effect produced upon Hassan by this remark of mine.

The fellow looked as though he were going to burst with rage.

He rolled about, his bloodshot eyes seemed to protrude, he cursed us horribly, he put his hand upon the hilt of the great knife he wore, and finally he did what the tom-cat does, he spat.
Now, Stephen was standing with me, looking as cool as a cucumber and very much amused, and being, as it chanced, a little nearer to Hassan than I was, received the full benefit of this rude proceeding.