CHAPTER XXV
THE SULTAN'S GIFT
THREE white men heard Zack's yell as he went overboard at the dreaded Timshi Khor. Three white men rushed to that side of the gunboat and saw the Sultan of Bong capering in bare feet, pointing to his Most Important Donkey, and shouting for every one of his people to jump in. Never a man jumped. The Sultan raged and threatened; his terrified servants dodged back to hide in the barges.
"What's the matter?" Colonel Spottiswoode asked.
"All peoples 'fraid crocodiles. Black Effendi he jump in for donkey," Mahomet Mansour rushed up and explained.
"Yonder's Zack's helmet." The first thing that Colonel Spottiswoode recognized was Zack's cupola with blue polka dots which had fallen into a swift eddy. Like a fishing bob, with draggled streamers, it went circling around. "There's Zack! there's Zack!" the Colonel shouted. "Throw him a rope, throw him a rope."
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