Toward three o'clock next day, Ali, summoned by a stroke of the gong, entered by the Count's study.

"Ali, you have often spoken to me of your skill in throwing the lasso," said the Count.

Ali drew himself up proudly and nodded assent.

"Good! You could stop a bull with your lasso?"

Ali nodded assent.

"A tiger?"

Another nod.

"A lion?"

Ali pretended to throw the lasso an imitated the choked roar of a lion.

"I understand," said Monte Cristo. "You have hunted lions."

Ali nodded his head proudly.

"But could you stop two runaway horses?"

Ali smiled.

"Well, then, listen," said Monte Cristo. "In a few minutes a carriage will come along drawn by two runaway horses, the same dappled greys that I had yesterday. Even at the risk of being run over, you must stop these horses before my door."

Ali went out into the street and traced a line on the pavement before the door. Then the Nubian seated himself on the stone that formed the angle of the house and the road and began smoking his chibouque, while Monte Cristo returned to his study.

Toward five o'clock, however, when the Count expected the arrival of the carriage, he began to manifest distinct signs of impatience; he paced a room overlooking the road, stopped at intervals to listen, and from time to time approached the window through which he could see Ali blowing out puffs of smoke with a regularity which indicated that he was quite absorbed in his important occupation.

Suddenly a distant rumbling was heard which drew nearer with lightning rapidity; then a carriage appeared, the coachman vainly striving to restrain the wild, infuriated horses who were bounding along at a mad speed.

In the carriage a young lady and a child of seven or eight years were lying in each other's embrace; their terror had deprived them of all power to utter a sound. a stone under the wheel or any other impediment would have sufficed to upset the creaking carriage. It kept the middle of the road, and the cries of the terrified spectators could be heard as it flew along.

Suddenly Ali laid down his chibouque, took the lasso from his pocket and threw it, catching the forelegs of the near horse in a triple coil; he suffered himself to be dragged along three or four yards, by which time the tightening of the lasso so hampered the horse that it fell on to the pole which it snapped, thus paralysing the efforts the other horse made to pursue its mad course. The coachman took advantage of this short respite to jump down from his box, but Ali had already seized the nostrils of the other horse in his iron grip, and the animal, snorting with pain, sank down beside its companion.

All this took no more time than it takes a bullet to his its mark. It was nevertheless sufficient for a man, followed by several servants, to rush out from the house opposite which the accident had happened. As soon as the coachman opened the door of the carriage, he lifted out the lady who was clinging to the cushion with one hand, while with the other she pressed to her bosom her fainting son. Monte Cristo carried them both into the salon and, placing them on a sofa, said:

"You have nothing more to fear, madame, you are safe!"