'But what of the Sheykh Yûsuf?' I exclaimed, reminding him.
'Ah, to be sure!' rejoined the Governor with a slight frown. 'Of what religion is he?'
'I suppose a Druze.'
'And the people who attacked him so unmercifully?'
'Are Druzes too.'
'Ah, then, it is all in the family, as the saying goes. And, unless some deputation from the Druze community appeals to me, I should be ill-advised to interfere in its affairs. Our way of government is not identical with that which is pursued with such conspicuous success in highly civilised and settled countries like your own. We leave the various communities and tribes alone to settle their internal differences. It is only where tribe wars on tribe, religion on religion, or their quarrels stop the traffic on the Sultan's highway that we intervene. What would you have, mon ami? We are here in Asia!'
With these words, and a smile of quite ineffable indulgence for my young illusions, his Excellency bowed me out.
In the ante-room Suleymân drew close to my left ear and whispered sharply:
'Give me four mejîdis.'
'Whatever for?' I asked in deep amazement.