"When I arrived at Aden, the Governor told me that everything which had
been received had been sent on board my ship, including the papers found
on my friend, and that a certificate of death had been duly drawn up,
which my lieutenant was instructed to convey to the family. I asked no
more questions, and wrote at once a little note of condolence to
Lefébure's wife. I sent the agreed ransom to my Changallas, and at the
same time a letter of complaint to the King of Nubia. Altogether, it was
four months since my ship had left Aden. The following day I took the
mail boat to Suez--arrived last night at Marseilles--and here I am!"
"Yes, indeed," I said to my uncle, when he had concluded; "that explains
it all. They drew up the certificate of decease according to the papers
found on your friend Lefébure, and as they were yours----"
"Why, they mistook him for me; and that ass Rabassu went off with the
ship to bring the notary the news of my death."
"That's clear," I added.
"But what puzzles me most," replied he, "is to know what has become of
my camels!"
As you may well imagine, my dear Louis, this unexpected resurrection of
my uncle plunged me into a state of excitement, which took entire
possession of me. I could not see enough of him, or hear enough of him;
and all that day I so completely forgot everything which did not concern
him, that I did not even think of moving outside the château. I followed
him from room to room, and kept looking at him, for I felt the need of
convincing myself that he was really alive. As to him, quickly
recovering from the very transitory astonishment into which the news of
his supposed death had thrown him, he had resumed that splendid
composure, which you remember in him. He superintended all his little
arrangements, and unpacked all his boxes, full of all sorts of articles
from Nubia, whistling all the while fragments of bamboulas which were
still ringing in his ears.
After dinner in the evening, he said to me, stretching out his long legs
over the divan, with the air of a man who loves his ease: "By Jove, it's very snug here! If you like, we will stay down here
several weeks."
"As many weeks as you like, uncle," I answered--"months even!"
"Well done!--But," he continued, "won't you be rather dull?--for, unless
you have some little distraction----"