“There is no profit in ignorance. But there is wisdom in obeying those who understand.”
“And you understand? Shall I obey you?”
“You must obey me. I could kill you here—now—with these fingers.”
That was probably perfectly true. Jim did not choose to dispute it; he would have had as much chance against a gorilla.
“I could let you go and cause you to drop dead within fifty paces,” continued the iblis. “I, who know your name, and your birthplace, can curse them all and—”
“No, no!” Jim protested. It was just as easy to pretend terror as to laugh. “Don’t do that! In the name of Allah, Lord of Creatures, don’t do that!”
“Then obey me.”
“I must. What else can I do? You have made me afraid,” said Jim, wondering just how many superstitious potential thieves had been initiated in that room.
“If you disobey in one thing you shall turn to worms—in one day—in two days—in three days—according to the measure of disobedience.”
That was clever. Every victim was sure to disobey in some particular, but delay in fulfillment of the overhanging threat could only be held to qualify the disobedience, and the fear would remain.
“For disobedience you shall turn to worms. Your roof shall fall in. Your relatives shall die of want.”
“But what if I obey?” Jim asked him.
“Ah!”
The iblis chuckled again, as if reviewing in his mind the wondrous list of prizes.
“Those who are obedient have protection. Provided with protection they may help themselves. Allah makes all things easy!”
“Why do you pretend to be a leper?” Jim asked suddenly and at that the iblis flew into such a rage that every muscle in his huge frame trembled.
His eyes blazed. His lips, thrust outward like an ape’s, uncovered yellow teeth that could have crushed a forearm. Fingers strong enough to pluck out a victim’s sinews one by one twitched with desire, and his long toes kept time with them. Suddenly he spat, writhing up his face into hideous contortions, and hissing as he had done in the cave.
“Cursed dog of an unbelieving fool!” he snarled. “Son of sixty dogs and a cesspool! Impudent, insolent, abominable lump of earth about to perish! Bloodless, loveless, senseless, hopeless pig! Eater of worms and dung! Idiot!”
Foam bubbled through his teeth and ran down on his chin in slime. It was not difficult to be afraid of him.
“Come and touch me! Come and see how soon I can make you a leper!”
Not to obey, of course, was disobedience. On the other hand, to obey would be to call the bluff, which might oblige the iblis to take some unimaginably desperate course. There was no guessing what tricks he had in store, so Jim played safe.
“No, no!” he begged. “In the name of Allah the compassionate, not that!”
“I can make abras (leprous) whom I will!”
That was Jim’s cue to do a little sensational acting. Plainly the purpose was to make him thoroughly afraid, so to get at the motive behind the purpose he would have to seem afraid; and he set to work to do that. Most of Jim’s successes had been won by keeping his head in emergencies; he had not much experience of the outward effects of terror on himself. He had to risk overacting the part, putting in practice all he could remember of the symptoms of Arab panic.
His teeth stubbornly refused to chatter, and he could not make the cold sweat come; but he could slobber and mutter Koran text and beg for mercy, throwing himself forward to beat on the floor with the palms of his hands and call the iblis such names as “prince of wizards—lord of potent curses—father of terrors and captain of calamities,” names which pleased the iblis very much indeed.
After that he flew into a panic, making believe he thought the iblis would rush at him. He scrambled to his feet and hugged the wall like an animal trying to escape, then beat on the door with his fists, and finally came to a stand with open mouth and glaring eyes as if hope were gone and he could only await the inevitable.
The iblis appeared to consider himself a judge of such symptoms, and was not quite satisfied yet. He, too, seemed to await the inevitable, as if fear always ran an appointed course and he preferred to see the thing complete.
Jim, aping abject terror, stood and wondered what the—the man expected more. What should an Arab in fear of witchcraft do in proof of utter lack of self-control? He had it! He sprang at the candle and stamped out the light with his foot, screaming instantly in added terror of darkness and scrambling around the wall to the door again to bear on it and shout for help.
At last the iblis appeared satisfied. It was time to turn the last trick.
“Allah makes all things easy. I can find you in the dark!” he boomed.
In answer Jim groaned and muttered enough to satisfy the very hellions who stoke the fires of Eblis.
“I can make you abras without touching you!”
“Oh no, no, no! Shi mamkut! Mnain hashshakawi! (That is abominable! How could you be so wicked!)”
“Or I can spare you if I will.”
“Spare me then, father of afflictions!”
“Or I can spare you for a little while, and reach you with my curses at a distance if you disobey me.”
“Damn him, I wish he’d hurry up,” thought Jim. “I’m getting tired of this.”
But he managed to keep up a pretty good semblance of terror; and either the iblis was getting tired, too, or else time began to press.
“Be still. I will spare for the present.”
“Ilham’dillah!’ (God be praised!)
Jim collapsed into a squatting posture on the floor, moving his head this and that way to try and see the other in the dark; but the iblis’ black skin made that impossible. Apparently, however, the iblis could see Jim and guessed his purpose.
“I can be invisible whenever I choose.”
“O father of darkness, what do you want with me?”
“Ah! What do I want with you? What but to make of you a wizard like myself. I recognize the spirit of obedience, but there must be a test.”
“Father of terrors, I have been too much tested!”
“Malaish. (No matter.) There is another. Fail in this and you shall see the leprosy seize you in an hour.”
Having exhausted all the outward forms of fear he could think of, Jim sat still.
“My servants will come presently,” said the iblis. “They are not such as you, fit to become wizards, but servants—mean men—dogs. They will take things away from here to another place. Go with them, but say nothing to them. Answer no questions. Watch where they put the things. Then return and bring word of it to me.”
“I obey, father of happenings,” Jim answered meekly.
It was almost the hardest thing he ever did to keep a note of triumph from his voice that minute.
“Speak one word to them—answer one question—and the curse shall rot the carcasses of you and yours!”
“I am silent—silent!”
“Then be silent!”
For another half hour Jim and the iblis faced each other in darkness, Jim on the floor with his back against the wall and the iblis on the bottom step. What with headache, hunger, pain in his