"Arraôu, arraôu."
I roused myself vaguely from the half sleep to which I had finally
succumbed. I half opened my eyes. Immediately I flattened back.
"Arraôu."
Two feet from my face was the muzzle of King Hiram, yellow with a
tracery of black. The leopard was helping me to wake up; otherwise he
took little interest, for he yawned; his dark red jaws, beautiful
gleaming white fangs, opened and closed lazily.
At the same moment I heard a burst of laughter.
It was little Tanit-Zerga. She was crouching on a cushion near the
divan where I was stretched out, curiously watching my close interview
with the leopard.
"King Hiram was bored," she felt obliged to explain to me. "I brought
him."
"How nice," I growled. "Only tell me, could he not have gone somewhere
else to be amused?"
"He is all alone now," said the girl. "They have sent him away. He
made too much noise when he played."
These words recalled me to the events of the previous evening.
"If you like, I will make him go away," said Tanit-Zerga.
"No, let him alone."
I looked at the leopard with sympathy. Our common misfortune brought
us together.
I even caressed his rounded forehead. King Hiram showed his
contentment by stretching out at full length and uncurling his great
amber claws. The mat on the floor had much to suffer.
"Galé is here, too," said the little girl.
"Galé! Who may he be?"
At the same time, I saw on Tanit-Zerga's knees a strange animal,
about the size of a big cat, with flat ears, and a long muzzle. Its
pale gray fur was rough.
It was watching me with queer little pink eyes.
"It is my mongoose," explained Tanit-Zerga.
"Come now," I said sharply, "is that all?"
I must have looked so crabbed and ridiculous that Tanit-Zerga began to
laugh. I laughed, too.
"Galé is my friend," she said when she was serious again. "I saved her
life. It was when she was quite little. I will tell you about it some
day. See how good-natured she is."
So saying, she dropped the mongoose on my knees.
"It is very nice of you, Tanit-Zerga," I said, "to come and pay me a
visit." I passed my hand slowly over the animal's back. "What time is
it now?"
"A little after nine. See, the sun is already high. Let me draw the
shade."
The room was in darkness. Galé's eyes grew redder. King Hiram's became
green.
"It is very nice of you," I repeated, pursuing my idea. "I see that
you are free to-day. You never came so early before."