“By promising to apprehend and bring to justice the murderers of Hafsa Pasha. Mind, they say murderers. That means every one who was present when the man was killed. I was right here last night when Brad and Budthorne went away with those Arabs. I’m not the only one who knows about that. You were present, Richard, when Hafsa Pasha’s enemy slew him. Brad was there, Budthorne was there. You’re all concerned. You’re every one wanted as participants in the crime.”
“It was vengeance,” said Dick. “Ras al Had, the old sheik, slew Hafsa Pasha, and Hafsa Pasha years ago sold Ras al Had’s brother into slavery. The sheik found his brother dying in the desert, and he swore to have vengeance on the treacherous Pasha when the time came. Last night he carried out his oath and then fled from the city.”
“That won’t clear you, boys,” asserted Professor Gunn. “You were concerned in breaking into the house where the Pasha was killed.”
“Sure we were,” nodded Brad Buckhart.
“I didn’t have to break in,” said Dick, with a twinkle in his dark eyes.
“Oh, Richard,” said the professor, “that was a scandalous thing! Hafsa Pasha was fooled into paying a large sum for you.”
Buckhart grinned.
“He was going to add you to his harem, pard. Oh, say! that was the richest thing ever! The boys will die of laughter back at school when I tell them about it.”
“Hem! haw! Haw! hem!” coughed the professor. “It looks just now as if you’ll never get back to Fardale to tell anything. Drat it, boys, you don’t seem to comprehend the terrible peril we’re in!”
“We comprehend it, all right,” asserted Dick; “but we can’t see any sense in getting ratty over it. Hafsa Pasha got exactly what was coming to him.”