They moved back a little, but the mob continued to rage and snarl, like a pack of infuriated wild animals.
“Was no one punished for the other massacre?” asked Dick.
“The powers of Europe finally interfered,” answered the professor. “The Turkish government was compelled to punish some one, so Ahmad Pasha, the governor, lost his head. That was about the extent of the punishing.”
“Well the present governor ought to remember Ahmad Pasha. If he isn’t careful he may lose his head.”
The whole hotel was in a state of great excitement, as Dick learned by stepping outside the room, and listening. Women were weeping and wailing, while white-faced men hurried hither and thither, up and down, without seeming able to decide on anything. He heard two men talking, and one was telling the other that already the mob had murdered a man in the open street.
“It’s pretty serious,” Dick decided. “Once let a mob like that get a taste of blood, and there is no telling where the affair will end. I fear this will be a bloody day for Damascus. If they begin killing, the odds are against any one of us escaping with his life.”
One of the men below was speaking again.
“They say this thing started over the unwarranted murder of an exiled Pasha.”
“That’s the report, and I was told a few minutes ago that the mob declares the murderers of the Pasha are in this very hotel. That is why it has been singled out as the first point of attack.”
“I’ve heard more than that,” declared the first speaker. “I understand that the real cause of all this trouble is an American girl, stopping here. She must be an adventuress, for they say she got gay with the Pasha who was murdered, and decoyed him to the place where he was assassinated. I’ve seen the girl, too.”