He'd no idea, of course, that the lady Ayisha is to travel with me.

His little scheme is to provide her with camels and men on his own account--mean camels and his own men, who would run away at the first sign of trouble.
"He assumes that I'm a gay Lochinvar who'd like nothing better than to carry off the lady.

He wants her carried off and ravished as a spite for Ali Higg.
"Well, I didn't exactly fall for that; said I couldn't very well approach Ali Higg afterward, and he admitted that relations in that case might be kind o' strained.

So he proposed next that I should meet up with Ali Higg and poison him.

He offered to supply the poison--stuff that he said would make him die slowly in agony." "What's his quarrel with Ali Higg ?" "Seems the old boy had a daughter who was the apple of his eye--or so he said.