move,' said he; 'and we shall force Feisul to move after us by moving
in his name.' Whereat this man here, whose nose was broken on the fist
of Jeremy sahib, said that a letter bearing Feisul's seal would make the
matter easier. 'For the men,' said he, 'who are to slit Jews' throats
will ask first for proof of our authority to bid them begin the
business.'

"And at that speech Yussuf Dakmar laughed with great delight. 'Better
late than never!' said he. 'Better to think of a wise precaution now
than not at all! But oh, ye are an empty-headed crew!' he told them.
'I pity the conspiracy that had no better planning than ye would make
for it without my fore thought! I thought of this long ago! I sent a
message to Damascus, begging that a date be set and just such a letter
sent to us. Feisul, I knew, would sign no such letter; but the paper
he uses lies on an open desk, and there are men about him who have
access to his seal. And because my appeal was well-timed it met with
approval. A letter such as I asked for was written on Feisul's paper,
sealed with his seal, and sent!'

"'But does it bear his signature?' a man asked.

"'How could it, since he never saw the letter?' Yussuf Dakmar answered.

"'Then few will pay heed to it,' said the other.

"'Perhaps if we were all such fools as you that might be so,' Yussuf
Dakmar retorted. 'However, fortunately the rest of us have readier
wits! This letter is signed with a number, and the number is that of
Feisul's generation in descent from the Prophet Mohammed. Let men be
told that this is his secret signature, and when they see his seal