Late in the evening of November 21st, Palgrave was summoned to Abdallah’s palace. The messenger refused to allow Barakat or Aboo-’Eysa to accompany him. The occasion seemed portentous, but disobedience was out of the question. Palgrave followed the messenger. On entering the reception-room, he found Abdallah, Abd-el-Lateef, the successor of the Wahabee, Mahboob, and a few others. All were silent, and none returned his first salutation. “I saluted Abdallah,” says Palgrave, “who replied in an undertone, and gave me a signal to sit down at a little distance from him, but on the same side of the divan. My readers may suppose that I was not at the moment ambitious of too intimate a vicinity.
“After an interval of silence, Abdallah turned half round toward me, and with his blackest look and a deep voice said, ‘I now know perfectly well what you are; you are no doctors, you are Christians, spies, and revolutionists, come hither to ruin our religion and state in behalf of those who sent you. The penalty for such as you is death, that you know, and I am determined to inflict it without delay.’
“‘Threatened folks live long,’ thought I, and had no difficulty in showing the calm which I really felt. So looking him coolly in the face, I replied, ‘Istagh-fir Allah,’ literally, ‘Ask pardon of God.’ This is the phrase commonly addressed to one who has said something extremely out of place.
“The answer was unexpected: he started, and said, ‘Why so?’
“‘Because,’ I rejoined, ‘you have just now uttered a sheer absurdity. “Christians,” be it so; but “spies,” “revolutionists”—as if we were not known by everybody in your town for quiet doctors, neither more nor less! And then to talk about putting me to death! You cannot, and you dare not.’
“‘But I can and dare,’ answered Abdallah, ‘and who shall prevent me? You shall soon learn that to your cost.’
“‘Neither can nor dare,’ repeated I. ‘We are here your father’s guests, and yours for a month and more, known as such, received as such. What have we done to justify a breach of the laws of hospitality in Nedjed? It is impossible for you to do what you say,’ continued I, thinking the while that it was a great deal too possible, after all; ‘the obloquy of the deed would be too much for you.’
“He remained a moment thoughtful, then said, ‘As if anyone need know who did it. I have the means, and can dispose of you without talk or rumor. Those who are at my bidding can take a suitable time and place for that, without my name being ever mentioned in the affair.’
“The advantage was now evidently on my side; I followed it up, and said with a quiet laugh, ‘Neither is that within your power. Am I not known to your father, to all in his palace? to your own brother Sa’ood among the rest? Is not the fact of this my actual visit to you known without your gates? Or is there no one here?’ added I, with a glance at Mahboob, ‘who can report elsewhere what you have just now said? Better for you to leave off this nonsense; do you take me for a child of four days old?’
“He muttered a repetition of his threat. ‘Bear witness, all here present,’ said I, raising my voice so as to be heard from one end of the room to the other, ‘that if any mishap befalls my companion or myself from Ri’ad to the shores of the Persian Gulf, it is all Abdallah’s doing. And the consequences shall be on his head, worse consequences than he expects or dreams.’