CHAPTER XXIV.
In the course of the afternoon Orion paid his visit to the Arabgovernor. He crossed the bridge of boats on his finest horse.
Only two years since, the land where the new town of Fostat was nowgrowing up under the old citadel of Babylon had been fields and gardens;but at Amru's word it had started into being as by a miracle; houseafter house already lined the streets, the docks were full of ships andbarges, the market was alive with dealers, and on a spot where, duringthe siege of the fortress, a sutler's booth had stood, a long colonnademarked out the site of a new mosque.
There was little to be seen here now of native Egyptian life; it lookedas though some magician had transported a part of Medina itself to theshores of the Nile. Men and beasts, dwellings and shops, though theyhad adopted much of what they had found in this ancient land of culture,still bore the stamp of their origin; and wherever Orion's eye fellon one of his fellow-countrymen, he was a laborer or a scribe in theservice of the conquerors who had so quickly made themselves at home.
Before his departure for Constantinople one of his father's palm-groveshad occupied the spot where Amru's residence now stood opposite thehalf-finished mosque. Where, now, thousands of Moslems, some on foot,some on richly caparisoned steeds, were passing to and fro, turbaned androbed after the manner of their tribe, with such adornment as they hadstolen or adopted from intercourse with splendor-loving nations, andwhere long trains of camels dragged quarried stones to the building, informer times only an occasional ox-cart with creaking wheels was to beseen, an Egyptian riding an ass or a bare-backed nag, and now and then afew insolent Greek soldiers. On all sides he heard the sharper and moreemphatic accent of the sons of the desert instead of the language of hisforefathers and their Greek conquerors. Without the aid of the servantwho rode at his side he could not have made himself understood on thesoil of his native land.
He soon reached Amru's house and was there informed by an Egyptiansecretary that his master was gone out hunting and would receive him,not in the town, but at the citadel. There, on a pleasant site onthe limestone hills which rose behind the fortress of Babylon and thenewly-founded city, stood some fine buildings, originally planned as aresidence for the Prefect; and thither Amru had transported his wives,children, and favorite horses, preferring it, with very good reason, tothe palace in the town, where he transacted business, and where the newmosque intercepted the view of the Nile, while this eminence commanded awide prospect.
The sun was near setting when Orion reached the spot, but the generalhad not yet come in from the chase, and the gate-keeper requested thathe would wait.
Orion was accustomed to be treated in his own country as the heir of thegreatest man in it; the color mounted to his brow and his Egyptian heartrevolted at having to bend his pride and swallow his wrath before anArab. He was one of the subject race, and the thought that one wordfrom his lips would suffice to secure his reception in the ranks of therulers forced itself suddenly on his mind; but he repressed it with allhis might, and silently allowed himself to be conducted to a terracescreened by a vine-covered trellis from the heat of the sun.
He sat down on one of the marble seats by the parapet of this hanginggarden and looked westward. He knew the scene well, it was theplayground of his childhood and youth; hundreds of times the picture hadspread before him, and yet it affected him to-day as it had neverdone before. Was there on earth--he asked himself--a more fertile andluxuriant land? Had not even the Greek poets sung of the Nile asthe most venerable of rivers? Had not great Caesar himself been sofascinated by the idea of discovering its source that to that end--so hehad declared--he would have thought the dominion of the world well lost?On the produce of those wide fields the weal and woe of the mightiestcities of the earth had been dependent for centuries; nay, imperial Romeand sovereign Constantinople had quaked with fears of famine, when a badharvest here had disappointed the hopes of the husbandman.
And was there anywhere a more industrious nation of laborers, had thereever been, before them, a thriftier or a more skilful race? When helooked back on the fate and deeds of nations, on the remotest horizonwhere the thread of history was scarcely perceptible, that same giganticSphinx was there--the first and earliest monument of human joy increative art--those Pyramids which still proudly stood in undiminishedand inaccessible majesty beyond the Nile, beyond the ruined capital ofhis forefathers, at the foot of the Libyan range. He was the son of themen who had raised these imperishable works, and in his veins perchancethere still might flow a drop of the blood of those Pharaohs who hadsought eternal rest in these vast tombs, and whose greater progeny, hadoverrun half the world with their armies, and had exacted tribute andsubmission. He, who had often felt flattered at being praised for thepurity of his Greek--pure not merely for his time: an age of bastardtongues--and for the engaging Hellenism of his person, here and now hadan impulse of pride of his Egyptian origin. He drew a deep breath, as hegazed at the sinking sun; it seemed to lend intentional significance tothe rich beauty of his home as its magical glory transmuted the fields,the stream, and the palm-groves, the roofs of the city, and even thebarren desert-range and the Pyramids to burning gold. It was fast goingto rest behind the Libyan chain. The bare, colorless limestone sparkledlike translucent crystal; the glowing sphere looked as though itwere melting into the very heart of the mountains behind which itwas vanishing, while its rays, shooting upwards like millions of goldthreads, bound his native valley to heaven--the dwelling of the DivinePower who had blessed it above all other lands.
To free this beautiful spot of earth and its children from theiroppressors--to restore to them the might and greatness which had oncebeen theirs--to snatch down the crescent from the tents and buildingswhich lay below him and plant the cross which from his infancy hehad held sacred--to lead enthusiastic troops of Egyptians against theMoslems--to quell their arrogance and drive them back to the East likeSesostris, the hero of history and legend--this was a task worthy of thegrandson of Menas, of the son of George the great and just Mukaukas.
Paula would not oppose such an enterprise; his excited imaginationpictured her indeed as a second Zenobia by his side, ready for any greatachievement, fit to aid him and to rule.
Fully possessed by this dream of the future, he had long ceased to gazeat the glories of the sunset and was sitting with eyes fixed on theground. Suddenly his soaring visions were interrupted by men's voicescoming up from the street just below the terrace. He looked over andperceived at its foot about a score of Egyptian laborers; free men,with no degrading tokens of slavery, making their way along, evidentlyagainst their will and yet in sullen obedience, with no thought ofresistance or evasion, though only a single Arab held them undercontrol.
The sight fell on his excited mood like rain on a smouldering fire, likehail on sprouting seed. His eye, which a moment ago had sparkledwith enthusiasm, looked down with contempt and disappointment on themiserable creatures of whose race he came. A line of bitter scorn curledhis lip, for this troop of voluntary slaves were beneath his anger--allthe more so as he more vividly pictured to himself what his peoplehad once been and what they were now. He did not think of all thisprecisely, but as dusk fell, one scene after another from his ownexperience rose before his mind's eye--occasions on which the Egyptianshad behaved ignominiously, and had proved that they were unworthy offreedom and inured to bow in servitude. Just as one Arab was now able toreduce a host of his fellow-countrymen to subjection, so formerly threeGreeks had held them in bondage. He had known numberless instances ofalmost glad submission on the part of freeborn Egyptians--peasants,village magnates, and officials, even on his father's estates and farms.In Alexandria and Memphis the sons of the soil had willingly bornethe foreign yoke, allowing themselves to be thrust into the shade andhumbled by Greeks, as though they were of a baser species and origin,so long only as their religious tenets and the subtleties of their creedremained untouched. Then he had seen them rise and shed their blood, yeteven then only with loud outcries and a promising
display of enthusiasm.But their first defeat had been fatal and it had required only a smallnumber of trained soldiers to rout them.
To make any attempt against a bold and powerful invader as the leader ofsuch a race would be madness; there was no choice but to rule his peoplein the service of the enemy and so exert his best energies to make theirlot more endurable. His father's wiser and more experienced judgmenthad decided that the better course was to serve his people as mediatorbetween them and the Arabs rather than to attempt futile resistance atthe head of Byzantine troops.
"Wretched and degenerate brood!" he muttered wrathfully, and he began toconsider whether he should not quit the spot and show the arrogant Arabthat one Egyptian, at any rate, still had spirit enough to resent hiscontempt, or whether he should yet wait for the sake of the good cause,and swallow down his indignation. No! he, the son of the Mukaukas, couldnot--ought not to brook such treatment. Rather would he lose his life asa rebel, or wander an exile through the world and seek far from home awider field for deeds of prowess, than put his free neck under the feetof the foe.
But his reflections were disturbed by the sound of footsteps, andlooking round he saw the gleam of lanterns moving to and fro on theterrace, turned directly on him. These must be Amru's servants come toconduct him to their master, who, as he supposed, would now do him thehonor to receive him--tired out with hunting, no doubt, and stretchedon his divan while he imperiously informed his guest, as if he were somefreed slave, what his wishes were.
But the steps were not those of a messenger. The great general himselfhad come to welcome him; the lantern-bearers were not to show the wayto Amru's couch, but to guide Amru to the "son of his dear departedfriend." The haughty Vicar of the Khaliffs was the most cordial host,prompted by hospitality to make his guest's brief stay beneath his roofas pleasant as possible, and giving him the right hand of welcome.
He apologized for his prolonged absence in very intelligible Greek,having learnt it in his youth as a caravan-leader to Alexandria; heexpressed his regret at having left Orion to wait so long, blamed hisservants for not inviting him indoors and for neglecting to offer himrefreshment. As they crossed the garden-terrace he laid his hand on theyouth's shoulder, explained to him that the lion he had been pursuing,though wounded by one of his arrows, had got away, and added that hehoped to make good his loss by the conquest of a nobler quarry than thebeast of prey.
There was nothing for it but that the young man should return courtesyfor courtesy; nor did he find it difficult. The Arab's fine pleasantvoice, full of sincere cordiality, and the simple distinction anddignity of his manner appealed to Orion, flattered him, gave himconfidence, and attracted him to the older man who was, besides, avaliant hero.
In his brightly-lighted room hung with costly Persian tapestry, Amruinvited his guest to share his simple hunter's supper after the Arabfashion; so Orion placed himself on one side of the divan while theGovernor and his Vekeel--[Deputy]--Obada--a Goliath with a perfectlyblack moorish face squatted rather than sat on the other, after themanner of his people.
Amru informed his guest that the black giant knew no Greek, and he onlynow and then threw in a few words which the general interpreted to Orionwhen he thought fit; but the negro's remarks were not more pleasing tothe young Egyptian than his manner and appearance.
Obada had in his childhood been a slave and had worked his way up to hispresent high position by his own exertions; his whole attention seemedcentred in the food before him, which he swallowed noisily and greedily,and yet that he was able to follow the conversation very well, in spiteof his ignorance of Greek, his remarks sufficiently proved. Whenever helooked up from the dishes, which were placed in the midst on lowtables, to put in a word, he rolled his big eyes so that only the whitesremained visible; but when he turned them on Orion, their small,black pupils transfixed him with a keen and, as the young man thought,exceedingly sinister glare.
The presence of this man oppressed him; he had heard of his base origin,which to Orion's lofty ideas rendered him contemptible, of his fiercevalor, and remarkable shrewdness; and though he did not understand whatObada said, more than once there was something in the man's tone thatbrought the blood into his face and made him set his teeth. The morekindly and delightful the effect of the Arab's speech and manner,the more irritating and repulsive was his subordinate; and Orion wasconscious that he would have expressed himself more freely, and havereplied more candidly to many questions, if he had been alone with Amru.
At first his host made enquiries as to his residence in Constantinopleand asked much about his father; and he seemed to take great interest inall he heard till Obada interrupted Orion, in the midst of a sentence,with an enquiry addressed to his superior. Amru hastily answered him inArabic and soon after gave a fresh turn to the conversation.
The Vekeel had asked why Amru allowed that Egyptian boy to chatter somuch before settling the matter about which he had sent for him, andhis master had replied that a man is best entertained when he has mostopportunity given him for hearing himself talk; that moreover the youngman was well-informed, and that all he had to say was interesting andimportant.
The Moslems drank nothing; Orion was served with capital wine, but hetook very little, and at length Amru began to speak of his father'sfuneral, alluding to the Patriarch's hostility, and adding that hehad talked with him that morning and had been surprised at the markedantagonism he had confessed towards his deceased fellow-believer,who seemed formerly to have been his friend. Then Orion spoke out; heexplained fully what the reasons were that had moved the Patriarch todisplay such conspicuous and far-reaching animosity towards hisfather. All that Benjamin cared for was to stand clear in the eyes ofChristendom of the reproach of having abandoned a Christian land toconquerors who were what Christians termed "infidels" and his aim atpresent was to put his father forward as the man wholly and solelyresponsible for the supremacy of the Moslems in the land.
"True, true; I understand," Amru put in, and when the young man went onto tell him that the final breach between the Patriarch and the MukaukasGeorge had been about the convent of St. Cecilia, whose rights theprelate had tried to abrogate by an illegal interpretation of certainancient and perfectly clear documents; the Arab exchanged rapid glanceswith the Vekeel and then broke in:
"And you? Are you disposed to submit patiently to the blow struck at youand at your parent's worthy memory by this restless old man, who hatesyou as he did your father before you?"
"Certainly not," replied the youth proudly.
"That is right!" cried the general. "That is what I expected of you; buttell me now, with what weapons you, a Christian, propose to defy thisshrewd and powerful man, in whose hands--as I know full well--you haveplaced the weal and woe, not of your souls alone...."
"I do not know yet," replied Orion, and as he met a glance of scorn fromthe Vekeel, he looked down.
At this Amru rose, went closer to him, and said "And you will seek themin vain, my young friend; nor, if you found them, could you use them.It is easier to hit a woman, an eel, a soaring bird, than these supple,weak, unarmed, robed creatures, who have love and peace on their tonguesand use their physical helplessness as a defence, aiming invisible butpoisoned darts at those they hate--at you first and foremost, Son of theMukaukas; I know it and I advise you: Be on your guard! If indeed manlyrevenge for this slight on your father's memory is dear to your heartyou can easily procure it--but only on one condition."
"Show it me!" cried Orion with flaming eyes. "Become one of us."
"That is what I came here for. My brain and my arm from this day forthare at the service of the rulers of my country: yourself and our commonmaster the Khaliff."
"Ya Salaam--that is well!" cried Amru, laying his hand on Orion'sshoulder. "There is but one God, and yours is ours, too, for there isnone other but He! you will not have to sacrifice much in becoming aMoslem, for we, too, count your lord Jesus as one of the prophets; andeven you must confess that the last and greatest of them is Mohammed,the true p
rophet of God. Every man must acknowledge our lord Mohammed,who does not wilfully shut his eyes to the events which have come aboutunder his government and in his name. Your own father admitted..."
"My father?"
"He was forced to admit that we are more zealous, more earnest, moredeeply possessed by our faith than you, his own fellow-believers."
"I know it."
"And when I told him that I had given orders that the desk for thereader of the Koran in our new mosque should be discarded, because whenhe stepped up to it he was uplifted above the other worshippers, theweary Mukaukas was quite agitated with satisfaction and uttered aloud cry of approbation. We Moslems--for that was what my commandsimplied--must all be equal in the presence of God, the Eternal, theAlmighty, the All-merciful; their leader in prayer must not be raisedabove them, even by a head; the teaching of the Prophet points the roadto Paradise, to all alike, we need no earthly guide to show us the way.It is our faith, our righteousness, our good deeds that open or closethe gates of heaven; not a key in the hand of a priest. When you are oneof us, no Benjamin can embitter your happiness on earth, no Patriarchcan abrogate your claims and your father's to eternal bliss. You havechosen well, boy! Your hand, my convert to the true faith!"
And he held out his hand to Orion with glad excitement. But the youngman did not take it; he drew back a little and said rather uneasily:
"Do not misunderstand me, great Captain. Here is my hand, and I can knowno greater honor than that of grasping yours, of wielding my sword underyour command, of wearing it out in your service and in that of my lordthe Khaliff; but I cannot be untrue to my faith."
"Then be crushed by Benjamin--you and all your people!" cried Armu,disappointed and angry. He waved his hand with a gesture of disgust anddismissal, and then turned to the Vekeel with a shrug, to answer theman's scornful exclamation.
Orion looked at them in dumb indecision; but he quickly collectedhimself, and said in a tone of modest but urgent entreaty:
"Nay; hear me and do not reject my petition. It could only be to myadvantage to go over to you; and yet I can resist so great a temptation;but for that very reason I shall keep faith with you as I do to myreligion."
"Until the priests compel you to break it," interrupted the Arabroughly.
"No, no!" cried Orion. "I know that Benjamin is my foe; but I have losta beloved parent, and I believe in a meeting beyond the grave."
"So do I," replied the Moslem. "And there is but one Paradise and oneHell, as there is but one God."
"What gives you this conviction?"
"My faith."
"Then forgive me if I cling to mine, and hope to see my father once morein that Heaven...."
"The heaven to which, as you fools believe, no souls but your own areadmitted! But supposing that it is open only to the immortal spiritof Moslems and closed against Christians?--What do you know of thatParadise? I know your sacred Scriptures--Is it described in them? Butthe All-merciful allowed our Prophet to look in, and what he saw hehas described as though the Most High himself had guided his reed. TheMoslem knows what Heaven has to offer him,--but you? Your Hell, you doknow; your priests are more readier to curse than to bless. If one ofyou deviates by one hair's breadth from their teaching they thrusthim out forthwith to the abode of the damned.--Me and mine, the GreekChristians, and--take my word for it boy--first and foremost you andyour father!"
"If only I were sure of finding him there!" cried Orion striking hisbreast. "I really should not fear to follow him. I must meet him, mustsee him again, were it in Hell itself!"
At these words the Vekeel burst into loud laughter, and when Amrureproved him sharply the negro retorted and a vehement dialogue ensued.
Obada's contumely had roused Orion's wrath; he was longing, burningto reduce this insolent antagonist to silence. However, he containedhimself by a supreme effort of will, till Amru turned to him once moreand said in a reserved tone, but not unkindly:
"This clear-sighted man has mentioned a suspicion which I myself hadalready felt. A worldly-minded young Christian of your rank is not soready to give up earthly joys and happiness for the doubtful bliss ofyour Paradise and when you do so and are prepared to forego all thata man holds most dear: Honor, temporal possessions, a wide field ofaction, and revenge on your enemies, to meet the spirit of the departedonce more after death, there must be some special reason in thebackground. Try to compose yourself, and believe my assurances that Ilike you and that you will find in me a zealous protector and a discreetfriend if you will but tell me candidly and fully what are the motivesof your conduct. I myself really desire that our interview should befruitful of advantages on both sides. So put your trust in a man so muchyour senior and your father's friend, and speak."
"On no consideration in the presence of that man!" said Orion in atremulous voice. "Though he is supposed not to understand Greek, hefollows every word I say with malicious watchfulness; he dared to laughat me, he..."
"He is as discreet as he is brave, and my Vekeel," interrupted Amrureprovingly. "If you join us you will have to obey him; and rememberthis, young man. I sent for you to impose conditions on you, not tohave them dictated to me. I grant you an audience as the ruler of thiscountry, as the Vicar of Omar, your Khaliff and mine."
"Then I entreat you to dismiss me, for in the presence of that man myheart and lips are sealed; I feel that he is my enemy."
"Beware of his becoming so!" cried the governor, while Obada shruggedhis shoulders scornfully.
Orion understood this gesture, and although he again succeeded inkeeping cool he felt that he could no longer be sure of himself; hebowed low, without paying any heed to the Vekeel, and begged Amru toexcuse him for the present.
Amru, who had not failed to observe Obada's demeanor and who keenlysympathized with what was going on in the young man's mind, did notdetain him; but his manner changed once more; he again became thepressing host and invited his guest, as it was growing late, to passthe night under his roof. Orion politely declined, and when at lengthhe quitted the room--without deigning even to look at the Negro--Amruaccompanied him into the anteroom. There he grasped the young man'shand, and said in a low voice full of sincere and fatherly interest:
"Beware of the Negro; you let him perceive that you saw through him--itwas brave but rash. For my part I honestly wish you well."
"I believe it, I know it," replied Orion, on whose perturbed soul thenoble Arab's warm, deep accents fell like balm. "And now we are alone Iwill gladly confide in you. I, my Lord, I--my father--you knew him. Incruel wrath, before he closed his eyes, he withdrew his blessing fromhis only son."
The memory of the most fearful hour of his life choked his voice for amoment, but he soon went on: "One single act of criminal folly rousedhis anger; but afterwards, in grief and penitence, I thought over mywhole life, and I saw how useless it had been; and now, when I camehither with a heart full of glad expectancy to place all I have to offerof mind and gifts at your disposal, I did so, my Lord, because I longto achieve great and noble, and difficult or, if it might be, impossibledeeds--to be active, to be doing..."
Here he was interrupted by Amru, who said, laying his sinewy arm acrossthe youth's shoulders:
"And because you long to let the spirit of your dead father, thatrighteous man, see that a heedless act of youthful recklessness has notmade you unworthy of his blessing; because you hope by valiant deeds tocompel his wrath to turn to approval, his scorn to esteem..."
"Yes, yes, that is the thing, the very thing!" Orion broke in with fieryenthusiasm; but the Arab eagerly signed to him to lower his voice, asthough to cheat some listener, and whispered hastily, but with warmkindliness:
"And I, I will help you in this praiseworthy endeavor. Oh, how muchyou remind me of the son of my heart who, like you, erred, and who waspermitted to atone for all, for more than all by dying like a hero forhis faith on the field of battle!--Count on me, and let your purposebecome deed. In me you have found a friend.--Now, go. You shall hearfrom me before long. B
ut, once more: Do not provoke the Negro; beware ofhim; and the next time you meet him subdue your pride and make as thoughyou had never seen him before."
He looked sadly at Orion, as though the sight of him revived some lovedimage in his mind, kissed his brow, and as soon as the youth had leftthe anteroom he hastily drew open the curtain that hung across the doorinto the dining-room.--A few steps behind it stood the Vekeel, who wasarranging the straps of his sword-belt.
"Listener!" exclaimed the Arab with intense scorn, "you, a man of gifts,a man of deeds! A hero in battle and in council; lion, serpent, and toadin one! When will you cast out of your soul all that is contemptibleand base? Be what you have made yourself, not what you were; do notconstantly remind the man who helped you to rise that you were born of aslave!"
"My Lord!" began the Moor, and the whites of his rolling eyes wereominously conspicuous in his black face. But Amru took the words out ofhis mouth and went on in stern and determined reproof:
"You behaved to that noble youth like an idiot, like a buffoon at afair, like a madman."
"To Hell with him!" cried Obada, "I hate the gilded upstart."
"Envious wretch! Do not provoke him! Times change, and the day may comewhen you will have reason to fear him."
"Him?" shrieked the other. "I could crush the puppet like a fly! And heshall live to know it."
"Your turn first and then his!" said Amru. "To us he is the moreimportant of the two--yes, he, the up start, the puppet. Do you hear? Doyou understand? If you touch a hair of his head, it will cost you yournose and ears! Never for an hour forget that you live--and ought not tolive--only so long as two pairs of lips are sealed. You know whose. Thatclever head remains on your shoulders only as long as they choose. Clingto it, man; you have only one to lose! It was necessary, my lord Vekeel,to remind you of that once more!"
The Negro groaned like a wounded beast and sullenly panted out: "Thisis the reward of past services; these are the thanks of Moslem toMoslem!--And all for the sake of a Christian dog."
"You have had thanks, and more than are your due," replied Amru morecalmly. "You know what you pledged yourself to before I raised you to bemy Vekeel for the sake of your brains and your sword, and what I had tooverlook before I did so--not on your behalf, but for the great causeof Islam. And, if you wish to remain where you are, you will do well tosacrifice your wild ambition. If you cannot, I will send you back tothe army, and to-day rather than to-morrow; and if you carry it withtoo high a hand you will find yourself at Medina in fetters, with yourdeath-warrant stuck in your girdle."
The Negro again groaned sullenly; but his master was not to be checked.
"Why should you hate this youth? Why, a child could see through it! Inthe son and heir of George you see the future Mukaukas, while you arecherishing the insane wish to become the Mukaukas yourself."
"And why should such a wish be insane?" cried the other in a harshvoice. "Putting you out of the question, who is there here that isshrewder or stronger than I?"
"No Moslem, perhaps. But neither you nor any other true believer willsucceed to the dead man's office, but an Egyptian and a Christian.Prudence requires it, and the Khaliff commands it."
"And does he also command that this curled ape shall be left inpossession of his millions?"
"So that is what you covet, you greedy curmudgeon--that is it? Do notall the crimes you have committed out of avarice weigh upon you heavilyenough? Gold, and yet more gold--that is the end, the foul end, of allyour desires. A fat morsel, no doubt: the Mukaukas' estates, his talentsof gold, his gems, slaves, and horses; I admit that. But thank God theAll-merciful, we are not thieves and robbers!"
"And who was it that dug out the hidden millions from beneath thereservoir of Peter the Egyptian, and who made him bite the dust?"
"I--I. But--as you know--only to send the money to Medina. Peter hadhidden it before we killed him. The Mukaukas and his son have declaredall their possessions to the uttermost dinar and hide of land; they havefaithfully paid the taxes, and consequently their property belongs tothem as our swords, our horses, our wives belong to you or me. Whatwill not your grasping spirit lead you to!--Take your hand from yourdagger!--Not a copper coin from them shall fall into your hungry maw, sohelp me God! Do not again cast an evil eye on the Mukaukas' son! Donot try my patience too far, man, or else--Hold your head tight on yourshoulders or you will have to seek it at your feet; and what I sayI mean!--Now, good-night! To-morrow morning in the divan you are toexplain your scheme for the new distribution of the land; it will notsuit me in any way, and I shall have other projects to propose fordiscussion."
With this the Arab turned his back on the Vekeel; but no sooner had thedoor closed on him than Obada clenched his fist in fury at his lordand master, who had hitherto said nothing of his having had purloined aportion of the consignment of gold which Amru had charged him to escortto Medina. Then he rushed up and down the room, snorting and foamingtill slaves came in to clear the tables.