Mr. Monday was the efficient man of the two commissioners, so soon as they
were fairly embarked in their enterprise. He was strong of nerves, and
without imagination to fancy dangers where they were not very obvious, and
had a great faith in the pacific virtues of the liquor-case. An Arab
advanced to meet them, when near the tents; and although conversation was
quite out of the question, by pure force of gesticulations, aided by the
single word "sheik," they succeeded in obtaining an introduction to that
personage.

The inhabitants of the desert have been so often described that we shall
assume they are known to our readers, and proceed with our narrative the
same as if we had to do with Christians. Much of what has been written of
the hospitality of the Arabs, if true of any portion of them, is hardly
true of those tribes which frequent the Atlantic coast, where the practice
of wrecking would seem to have produced the same effect, on their habits
and morals that it is known to produce elsewhere. But a ship protected by
a few weather-worn and stranded mariners, and a ship defended by a strong
and an armed party, like that headed by Captain Truck, presented very
different objects to the cupidity of these barbarians. They knew the great
advantage they possessed by being on their own ground, and were content to
await events, in preference to risking a doubtful contest. Several of the
party had been at Mogadore, and other parts, and had acquired tolerably
accurate ideas of the power of vessels; and as they were confident the
men now at work at the wreck had not the means of carrying away the cargo,
their own principal object, curiosity and caution, connected with certain
plans that were already laid among their leaders, kept them quiet, for the
moment at least.

These people were not so ignorant as to require to be told that some other
vessel was at no great distance, and their scouts had been out in all