“What nonsense!” cried Mr Burne impatiently. “If you dug down here you would find bones, not gold. It is an old cemetery, a place of tombs—eh, Preston?”
“Quite right,” said the professor. “Tell them that we are only looking for old pieces of sculpture and inscriptions.”
“I will tell them, effendi,” said Yussuf smiling; and he turned to the people who were gathered round, and repeated the professor’s words in their own tongue.
The result was a derisive laugh, and one of the men, a great swarthy fellow, spoke at some length.
“What does he say, Yussuf?” said Mr Burne.
“He asks the excellency if we think they are fools and children—”
“Yes, decidedly so,” replied Mr Burne; “but hold hard, Yussuf; don’t tell them so.”
“If it is likely they will believe that the Franks—”
“No, no, not Franks, Yussuf,” said the professor laughing; “he said ‘giaours.’”
“True, effendi; he did—If they will believe that the giaours would come from a far country, and travel here merely to read a few old writings upon some stones, and examine the idols that the old people carved.”