Book excerpt: The Dragoman’s Tales (1931-1933) – In these seven stories, Hamed the Dragoman will take tourists who come to his city, to the coffee shop of Silat where he tells tales of his life, his loves, his intrigues and his battles. The Man Who Limped The strange and disagreeable adventure of Hamed the Attar, and how he overcame his perverse hatred of women. The Dragoman’s Revenge Hamed the Attar was accused of a foul murder he did not commit—a strange tale of Arab justice. The Dragoman’s Secret Khallaf the Strong inflicted dire tortures on Hamed the Attar, and would have done him to death. A novelette of five chapters. The Dragoman’s Slave Girl A fascinating story of Hamed the Attar, which has all the glamor of “The Arabian Nights.” A novelette of seven chapters The Dragoman’s Jest The exciting story of a jest that turned into deadly earnest—a tale of a beautiful woman, desert warfare, and the slave-train of the bandit ibn Sakr The Dragoman’s Confession A smashing action-adventure story about an Arabian dragoman’s love for a beautiful Chinese girl. A novella of twelve chapters The Dragoman’s Pilgrimage A story of the utterly strange and amazing adventure that befell Hamed the Dragoman in the holy city of Mecca. A novelette of five chapters