VIII
TO SEEK THE BENI SADS
All in vain the camel driver sought to obtain one glimpse beneath themantle, to see the face of the caliph's messenger or to learn anythingof their destination.
He prepared their very frugal breakfast without a fire, and, when it waseaten, in the humble, reproachful tone of one who felt himself unjustlysuspected, he said:
"My master, why didst thou deceive me, saying we should go to Tayf?Didst thou think that I would not willingly and freely lead the whitecamel anywhere, to serve the great caliph?"
"There were other ears than yours to hear," replied Kanana.
"There were only beggars at the gate, my master. Dost thou believe Iwould be treacherous to a servant of Omar and the Prophet?"
"I believe that every child of Ishmael will serve himself," repliedKanana; "but that had nothing to do with what I said. Before we startto-night, I will lay out your path before you, to the very end. As forthe beggars, where were your senses? For three days, in disguise, Ijourneyed with the caravan of Raschid Airikat, as it came to Mecca. Isaw in him a treacherous man, and when he yielded to a command he mustobey and gave me the white camel and his driver, I knew that he wouldtake them back again by stealth and treachery, if he were able to. HaveI no eyes, that I should spend three days with the caravan and then notrecognize the servants of Airikat, though they were dressed as beggarsand slunk away, with covered faces, into the shadows of the caliph'sgate? They did not cover their feet, and by their feet I knew them, evenwhen they deceived you, one of their own. To them I said, 'Go, tellyour master that his white camel is on the way to Tayf.'"
"My master," said the driver, respectfully, "the sheik Airikat is asdevout as he is treacherous and brave. He gave the sacred camel and thyservant willingly, at the command of Omar, for the service of Allah andArabia. I do not think he would deal treacherously."
Kanana did not reply, for far away over the desert, to the east, therewas a little speck of dark, like a faint shadow, upon the sand. He satin silence watching it through the folds of his mantle, as it grewlarger and larger, and a long caravan approached.
The camels were worn out from a long journey. Their heads hung down, andtheir feet dragged languidly over the sand. Their slow progress hadbelated them, and the sun would be several hours above the desert whenthey reached the oasis by the well, which the two had passed beforedaylight.
As they drew nearer it could easily be seen that the camels bore noburdens but necessary food, in sacks that were nearly empty, and thattheir riders were savage men from the eastern borders of Arabia.
"Master, do they see us?" muttered the driver.
"They have eyes," replied Kanana. And they had. A fresh dromedary and awhite camel alone upon the desert, were a tempting prize.
They evidently determined to appropriate them; for, leaving the mainbody of the caravan standing in the path, twenty or more turnedsuddenly, and came directly toward them.
"Master, we must fly from them," whispered the driver.
"If they were behind us I would fly," replied Kanana, "for every stepwould be well taken; but my path lies yonder." He pointed directlytoward the caravan. "And I would not turn from it though devils insteadof men were in the way."
"It is the will of Allah. We are lost," muttered the camel-driver, andhis arms dropped sullenly upon his knees, in the dogged resignation tofate so characteristic of the Bedouin.
Kanana made no reply, but, repeating from the Koran, "'Whatever of goodbetideth thee cometh from Him,'" he rose and walked slowly to where thewhite camel was lying.
Upon the high saddle, which had not yet been removed, hung theinevitable lance and sword, placed there by the officer of the caliph.
Leaning back against the saddle to await the approach of the caravan,the Bedouin boy threw his right hand carelessly across the hilt of theDamascus blade, exposing, almost to the shoulder, the rounded muscles ofthe powerful arm of--a shepherd lad.
The caravan drew nearer and finally halted when the leader was less thanten paces from the white camel.
His envious eyes had been gloating over the tempting prize as heapproached; but gradually they became fastened upon that hand and arm,while the fingers that were playing gently upon the polished hilt seemedto beckon him on to test the gleaming blade beneath.
He could not see the beardless face, protected by the mantle. How couldhe know that that hand had never drawn a sword?
The whole appearance indicated a man without one thought of fear, andthe savage chief realized that, before the white camel became his prize,some one beside its present owner would doubtless pay a dear price forit.
He was still determined to possess it, but the silent figure demandedand received respect from him.
THE SILENT FIGURE DEMANDED AND RECEIVED RESPECT.]
Instead of the defiant words which were upon his tongue, he pronouncedthe desert greeting.
Kanana returned the salutation, and immediately asked, "Did the dustfrom Kahled's host blow over you when your foot was on the sand ofBashra?"
The sheik drew back a little. It was a slight but very suggestivemotion, speaking volumes to the keen eye of the Bedouin boy. He had beenleaning forward before, more than is natural even to one tired out withsitting upon a camel's back. It was as if in his eagerness he wasreaching forward to grasp the prize. Now he seemed suddenly to have lostthat eagerness.
Quickly, Kanana took advantage of the hint. He drew from his bosom theletter of the caliph, sealed with the great seal of Mohammed, whichevery Mussulman could recognize, and calmly holding it plainly in view,he continued:
"The beak of the vulture has whitened, instead of the bones he wouldhave plucked. The tooth of the jackal is broken, and not the flesh hewould have torn. Raschid Airikat is neither at Damascus nor Mecca.To-morrow morning he will be at Tayf. He would have you meet him there.Say to him, 'The fool hath eaten his own folly. The veiled messenger ofthe Prophet, sitting upon the sacred camel, glides with the night windinto the rising sun; for the fire is lighted in Hejaz that at Bashrashall cause the camels' necks to shine.'"
A decided change came over the savage face of the Arab sheik. He sat insilence for a moment, then, without a word, drove the prod into hiscamel.
There was a grunt and a gurgling wail, and the tired animal was movingon, followed by all the rest.
Kanana and his camel-driver were left alone. When they were well out ofhearing the driver prostrated himself before Kanana, touching hisforehead to the ground, and asked:
"Master, who was that sheik, with all his warriors, and who art thouthat they should cower before thy word?"
"I am no one to receive your homage. Stand upon your feet!" almostshouted Kanana. "I never saw nor heard of them until to-day."
He breathed a deep, quivering sigh, and leaned heavily upon the saddle;for every muscle in his body shook and trembled as the result of whathad seemed so calm and defiant. He tried to replace the letter in hisbosom, but his hand trembled so that he was obliged to wait.
"Thou knewest that he was of the tribe of Raschid Airikat, and that hecame from Bashra," said the driver.
"I knew nothing," replied Kanana, petulantly, in the intense reaction."How long have you been a man, well taught in killing other men, not tosee what any cowardly shepherd boy could read? Were not their lancesmade of the same peculiar wood; and their camel saddles, were they notthe same, stained with the deep dye of Bashra? Who should come out ofthe rising sun, with his camel licking the desert sand, if he came notfrom Bashra? Who should be going toward Mecca at this season, without aburdened camel in his caravan, if he went not to meet his chief forwar? Why did Airikat crowd his caravan, day and night, if he expected noone?"
"But, master, Airikat is at Mecca, not at Tayf," said the camel-driver.
"Bedouin, where are your eyes and ears?" exclaimed Kanana, scornfully."Your paltry beggars at the caliph's gate carried my message swiftly. Wehad not left the gate of Mecca out of sight when on the road behind uscame Airikat and four
followers. While you were struggling to reach thewhite camel, they did their best to overtake us both, but we outstrippedthem. We kept upon the way till we had passed the nightly caravan. Theywould have to rest their horses at the well, and the caravan would haltthere, too. They would inquire for us, and the caravan would answer, 'Wepassed the white camel running like the wind toward Tayf.' Enough.Airikat with his horsemen cannot reach there before the next sunrise,and when he learns the truth he will be five days behind us. From himand yonder caravan by the help of Allah we are safe. If you would learna lesson, by the way, let it be this: that man can conquer man without asword or lance. Sleep on it."
Setting the example, Kanana removed the camel's saddle, fastened hishind foot to his haunch with the twisted rope so that he could not rise,and sank upon the sand beside him, laying his head upon the creature'sneck.
The last words which he heard from his driver were: "Master, thou artmightier than Airikat and all his warriors."
The sun beat fiercely down all day upon his resting-place; but Kanana'ssleep was sweeter than if the cool starlight had been over him, or ablack tent of the Beni Sads; because, for that one day at least, hishead was pillowed upon the white camel's neck.
It was late in the afternoon before he woke, and the sun was settingwhen the little caravan was again prepared to start.
They were ready to mount when the driver came to the white camel. Helaid his hand upon the dingy haunch, and said, in a voice that wasstrangely pleading for a fierce Bedouin:
"Master, do not crowd him over-hard to-night. He obeys too willingly. Heis tired from a long journey. It is four weeks since he has rested. Iwould rather you would kill me than the white camel."
Kanana thought for a moment, then taking his shepherd's staff from thesaddle, he replied:
"You can tell better than I how he should be driven. Mount him, and Iwill ride the dromedary."
To the driver this was only Arab sarcasm, and he hesitated till Kananasilently pointed his staff toward the saddle, and the driver was moreafraid to refuse than to obey.
Kanana turned and mounted the dromedary.
As the camel rose to his feet, a strange temptation sent the bloodtingling to the driver's finger-tips.
The dromedary was unarmed. The messenger of Omar held only a shepherd'sstaff. Almost unconsciously his hand clutched the hilt of the Damascusblade, betraying the fact that it was better used to holding such athing than the rope that led the white camel through Mecca.
Quickly the driver looked back, to see Kanana quietly watching him.Instantly his hand dropped the hilt, but it was too late. ScornfullyKanana said:
"Lo! every child of Ishmael, from the devout Raschid to the faithfulcamel-driver, will serve himself. Nay, keep the hand upon the sword.Perchance there will be better cause to use it than in defying me. Fromhere our paths must separate. I promised that to-night I would lay outyour course for you. It is northward, without swerving, for ten nights,at least."
"And whither goest thou, my master?"
"That only Allah can direct, from day to day. _La Illaha il Allah!_"
"And what is my mission to be?" asked the driver, anxiously.
"It is to seek the Beni Sads; to find the aged chief, the Terror of theDesert; to say to him, 'Kanana hath fulfilled his vow.' He hath notlifted the lance against Airikat; but thy white camel is returned tothee, bearing thy first-born upon his back. Go, and God go with thee!"
"Who art thou?" cried the man upon the white camel, starting from hisseat as the dromedary gave the usual grunt, in answer to the prod, andmoved away.
The Bedouin boy turned in the saddle, tore off the _abbe_ and the mantlethat covered him, and clad in the sheepskin coat and desert turbananswered:
"I am thy brother Kanana, the coward of the Beni Sads!"