ABDALLAH 
 
 THE FOUR-LEAVED SHAMROCK 
 
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 CALIFORNIA 
 
 SAN DIEGO
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 OR THE FOUR-LEAVED SHAMROCK
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 THE FOUR-LEAVED SHAMROCK 
 
 EDOUARD RENE LEFEBVRE-LABOULAYE 
 
 TRANSLATED BY 
 
 MARY L. BOOTH 
 
 INDIANAPOLIS USA 
 
 THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY 
 
 PUBLISHERS 

 
 COPYRIGHT NINETEEN HUNDRED FIVE 
 THE HOHHS-MERUII.L COMPANY : NOVEMUEH
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PACK 
 
 I THE JOY OF THE HOUSE 1 
 
 II THE HOROSCOPE 8 
 
 III EDUCATION 16 
 
 IV THE RECOGNITION 29 
 
 V THE NEW SOLOMON 37 
 
 VI VIRTUE REWARDED 52 
 
 VII BARSIM 62 
 
 VIII THEJEW 70 
 
 IX THE WELL OF ZOBEYDE 78 
 
 X THE COPPER LEAF 82 
 
 XI THE GARDENS OF IREM 87 
 
 XII THE Two BROTHERS 90 
 
 XIII THE CARAVAN 95 
 
 XIV CAFOUR 98 
 
 XV THE SULTAN or CANDAHAR 104 
 
 XVI THE ATTACK 108 
 
 XVII ABDALLAH 117 
 
 XVIII THE SILVER LEAF 123 
 
 XIX THE SECRET ,127 
 
 XX THE PATIENCE OF REYNARD 132
 
 CHAPTKR PAGE 
 
 XXI THE AUCTION 144 
 
 XXII THEARRIVAI ... 154 
 
 XXIII KARASHITAN .......... 158 
 
 XXIV HOSPITALITY 163 
 
 XXV THE GOLDEN LEAF 169 
 
 XXVI THE RETURN 178 
 
 XXVII LEILA 183 
 
 XXVIII VENGEANCE 188 
 
 XXIX THE DIAMOND LEAF 198 
 
 XXX THE HAPPINESS OF OMAR ...... 193 
 
 XXXI Two FRIENDS . . 206
 
 PRINTED UNDER THE DIRECTION 
 OF THE BOOK CRAFT CH'B BY THE 
 HOLLtNBECK PRESS INDIANAPOLIS
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 THE JOY OF THE HOUSE 
 
 Djiddah the rich, on 
 the shores of the Red 
 Sea, there once lived an 
 Egyptian merchant, by 
 the name of Hadji Man- 
 sour. It was said that 
 he had formerly been a 
 slave of the great Ali 
 Bey, and had served by 
 turns, and sometimes 
 even at the same time, 
 the French and the Turks, the Mamelukes and 
 Mehemet Ah', in the wars of Egypt. During the 
 struggle each party relied on him for provisions, 
 arms, and camels; yet after the battle he always 
 complained of having ruined himself for the victor. 
 It is true that at that time no one showed more zeal,
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 and no one obtained more cheaply the spoils of the 
 vanquished. In this honest vocation the obliging 
 Mansour had gained great wealth, though not with- 
 out some anxieties. He had been denounced by the 
 envious as a spy, he had been bastinadoed by fanatics 
 as a traitor, twice even he would have been hanged 
 had it not been for the charity of a pacha, who had 
 consented, for the trifling sum of a million piastres, to 
 acknowledge such shining innocence. Mansour had 
 too lofty a soul to be dismayed by these political 
 risks; and if he retired, when peace was made, to 
 Djiddah, it was only because lawful commerce was 
 thenceforth the only road that led to fortune. 
 
 In this new kind of life Mansour was neither less 
 prudent nor less successful. It was a common report 
 that his house was paved with gold and precious 
 stones. Little love was bestowed on the Egyptian, 
 who was a stranger in Arabia, and who passed for 
 one of the harshest of creditors; but at Djiddah men 
 dared not openly show contempt for a man who meas- 
 ured gold by the bushel, and as soon as Mansour 
 appeared in the bazaar, all ran to vie for the honoi- 
 of holding his stirrup and kissing his hand. The mer- 
 chant received all this homage with the modesty of 
 a man who knows the prerogatives of wealth : thirty 
 years of avarice and cunning had brought all honest 
 men to his feet. 
 
 One thing alone was lacking to this favorite of for- 
 tune and disturbed his happiness: he had no children. 
 When he passed before the shop of a poor tradesman,
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 and saw the father surrounded by young sons, the 
 hope and pride of the house, he sighed with regret 
 and envy, and on his return he shut himself up in 
 his warehouse, forgot his pipe, and instead of telling 
 his beads or reciting the verses of the Koran, slowly 
 stroked his white beard, reflecting with terror in his 
 heart that old age was approaching and that he should 
 leave none of his flesh and blood behind him to carry 
 on the business after he was gone. His only heir was 
 the pacha, who might grow tired of waiting, in which 
 case what would hinder him from despatching a solitary 
 foreigner and laying violent hands on these dearly 
 bought treasures? 
 
 These thoughts and fears poisoned the life of the 
 Egyptian. What was his joy, therefore, when one of 
 his wives, an Abyssinian woman, announced to him 
 that he would soon be a father! At this news the 
 good man well-nigh lost his reason. Twice as avari- 
 cious and covetous since he had begun to amass treas- 
 ures for his child, he shut himself up to weigh and 
 count his gold, unfolded his rich stuffs, and dug up 
 his diamonds, pearls, and rubies; then talked to these 
 lifeless things as if they could understand him, and 
 told them of the new master who would watch over 
 and love them in turn. When he went into the city 
 he insisted on talking to all he met of his son, for it 
 was a son that God owed his faithful servant, and was 
 greatly astonished to see every one attending to his 
 business as usual, when all the inhabitants of Djiddah 
 should have had but one thought, namely, that
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 God, in his justice, was about to bless the house of 
 the shrewd and fortunate Mansour. 
 
 The Egyptian was not disappointed in his expec- 
 tations; and, that nothing might be wanting to his 
 happiness, a son was born to him at the most favor- 
 able hour of the most auspicious month of the year. 
 When, on the eighth day, he was permitted to see 
 his long-wished-for child,, he tremblingly approached 
 the palm-tree cradle, lined with cotton, where the 
 heir of the Mansours was sleeping on a silken hand- 
 kerchief embroidered with gold, and gently raising 
 the veil that covered it, perceived a robust infant, 
 almost as black as his mother, already gathering the 
 cotton about him with his tiny hands. At this sight 
 Mansour stood dumb with admiration; large tears 
 trickled down his cheeks; then, controlling his feel- 
 ings with an effort, he took the babe in his arms, and, 
 approaching his lips to its ear, "God is great" he 
 murmured; "there is no god but God, and Moham- 
 med is his pi-ophet." More tranquil after this prayer, 
 he gazed lovingly at his son. "Oh, gift of God" 
 cried he, "thou art but a week old, but, to see thy 
 strength and gi'ace, one would take thee for a year 
 at least. Thy face shines like the full moon! Say" 
 said he, turning to the mother, "what have you named 
 him ? " 
 
 "If God had afflicted me with a daughter," answered 
 the Ethiopian, "I should have chosen a name for 
 her; but since I have had the glory of bringing a 
 man-child into the world, to you belongs that honor.
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 Beware, however, of too ambitious a name, which 
 might arouse the jealousy of the evil eye." 
 
 Mansour was reflecting, when suddenly he heard 
 a noise in the street. A Persian dervish was driving 
 before him an ass laden with provisions, while a 
 crowd of children was following the heretic, and 
 showering him with abuse and blows. The dervish 
 pressed forward like a man who neither feared nor 
 sought martyrdom, stopping now and then to rail at 
 his enemies. "Accursed be thou, O Omar!" 1 cried 
 he, striking the ass, "and accursed be all who resem- 
 ble thee ! " "Behold a new proof of my happiness ! " 
 cried Mansour. "My child shall be called Omar; 
 such a name will ward off the evil eye, and preserve 
 him from all witchcraft." 
 
 As he was replacing the babe in the cradle, a 
 Bedouin woman entered the room with an infant in 
 her arms. She was tall and well formed; her face 
 was unveiled, as is the custom in the desert; and 
 her mien was so graceful and dignified that, poorly 
 clad as she was, she might have been taken for a 
 sultana. 
 
 "Welcome, Halima" said Mansour. "I have not 
 forgotten that Yusuf, your husband, fell in my service 
 while defending my last caravan. The moment has 
 come to prove that I am not ungrateful. You know 
 what I expect of you. If I can not make my son a 
 sherif or give him the green turban, I can at least 
 cause him to be brought up like the son of a sherif, 
 
 1 Homar, or Omar, in Arabic, signifies an ass.
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 under a tent, among the noble Beni Amurs. Admitted 
 into your family, and nurtured with your son, my 
 beloved Omar will learn a purer speech than mine, 
 and will find friends among your kindred who will 
 protect him in after years. On my side, I shall fit- 
 tingly recognize and reward your devotion. Let the 
 friendship of our children begin from this day; from 
 this day let them sleep in the same cradle. To- 
 morrow you shall carry them away, that they may 
 grow up together in your tribe. Omar shall be your 
 son as Abdallah shall be mine; may Fortune smile 
 on both ! " 
 
 "May God be their refuge against Satan, the ac- 
 cursed!" answered Halima, bowing her head. "We 
 are in God's hands; to him we must return." 
 
 Mansour looked at her, smiling. He was a free- 
 thinker and had little faith in God, although his 
 name was constantly on his lips. He had lived too 
 long, and mixed too much with men, to believe that 
 God meddles much with the affairs of this world ; on 
 the other hand, he had a strong belief in the Devil, 
 of whom he stood in great fear. The only action in 
 his whole life for which he reproached himself was 
 that of having thrown seven stones at the great Devil 
 of Jamrat at the time of his pilgrimage to Mecca, and 
 he still feared the rancor of Satan, whom he had 
 stoned. Doubtless he was proud of having cheaply 
 earned the noble title of hadji, 1 which rendered him 
 worthy of respect in the eyes of his customers; it 
 
 1 Hadji, or saint, is the name given to those who have made the 
 pilgrimage to Mecca,
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 was with the purest devotion that he spoke of the 
 Caaba, 1 that gem of Paradise placed in the holy city 
 of Mecca by Father Abraham, but at heart he was 
 not easy respecting the consequences of his impru- 
 dence, and would even have surrendered the name 
 of hadji to have been sure of the Devil's forgiveness 
 for his rashness. 
 
 'The holy house, or principal temple of Mecca.
 
 II 
 
 THE HOROSCOPE 
 
 |HE same evening, just as the moon 
 was rising, the wise Mansour entered 
 the room where the two children were 
 sleeping peacefully in each other's 
 arms, followed by a ragged dervish, 
 with a dirty, uncombed beard, bear- 
 ing a strong resemblance to the reviled heretic of the 
 morning. He was one of those shameless beggars 
 who seek the fortunes of others in the stars without 
 ever finding their own therein, and who, always pur- 
 sued and hooted at, and always employed, will last 
 as long as the malice of Satan, or the avarice and 
 credulity of men. Halima was unwilling to leave the 
 children with this suspicious personage, but Mansour 
 commanded it, and she was forced to obey. Scarcely 
 had she quitted the room when the Egyptian led the 
 dervish to the cradle, and ordered him to draw his 
 son's horoscope. 
 
 After attentively gazing at the child, the astrologer 
 mounted the housetop and observed the stars; then, 
 taking a coal, he traced a large circle, divided into
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 several compartments, in which he placed the planets, 
 and at length declared that the heavens were not 
 inauspicious. If Mars and Venus were indifferent, 
 Mercury, on the contrary, appeared under a better 
 aspect. This was all he could tell for the two sequins 
 that Mansour had given him. 
 
 The merchant led the diviner back to the chamber, 
 and showing him two large doubloons, "Is there no 
 means" said he, "of knowing more? Have the stars 
 already revealed all their secrets?" 
 
 "Art is infinite" answered the dervish, pouncing 
 on the gold; "I can also tell you under the influence 
 of what sign the child is destined to live." 
 
 Drawing from his girdle a cabalistic tablet and a 
 bronze pen, the astrologer wrote the names of the 
 child and the mother, placing the letters in a line; 
 he then calculated the numerical value of the letters, 
 and looking at Mansour with sparkling eyes, " Happy 
 father!" he said, "your son is born under the sign of 
 the Balance; if he lives, he may expect everything 
 from fortune." 
 
 "What, if he lives!" cried Mansour. "What is it 
 that you read on that accursed tablet? Does any 
 danger threaten my son ? " 
 
 "Yes" replied the dervish, "a danger which I can 
 not define. His best friend will be his worst enemy." 
 
 " Ha ! what was I about to do ? " said the Egyptian - 
 "Perchance this Bedouin child, whom I have placed 
 in my son's cradle, will one day be his murderer! If 
 I thought so, I would strangle him on the spot."
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Beware of it" returned the diviner. "If your 
 son's life is bound up with that of this child, you will 
 only kill them both at one blow. There is no proof 
 that this Bedouin, destined to dwell among the tents, 
 will one day be the best friend of the richest merchant 
 of Djiddah. Besides, what refuge is there against 
 destiny? Can you change what is traced by the pen 
 of the angels? What is written is written." 
 
 "Doubtless" said the merchant; "but God His 
 name be exalted ! has said, in the Book of Books, 
 'Cast not yourselves down with your own hands into 
 perdition.'" 
 
 "The day of death" returned the dervish, gravely, 
 "is one of the five mysteries, the key of which God 
 holds in His own hands. Do you remember the story 
 of the man who was with Solomon one day when 
 Azrael passed by the king in a visible shape? Fright- 
 ened by the look cast on him by the terrible stranger, 
 he asked who he was ; and upon Solomons acquainting 
 him that it was the angel of death, 'He seems to 
 want me^ said he ; 'wherefore order the wind to carry 
 me hence to India.' Which being accordingly done, 
 the angel said to Solomon, ' I looked so earnestly at 
 this man out of wonder, because I was commanded 
 to take his soul in India, and found him with thee in 
 Palestine.' 
 
 " ' No man can flee from death. Do as he will, 
 Falls soon or late the arm e'er raised to strike; 
 The sage is he who looks it in the face, 
 Nor fears nor braves the doom decreed by fate! " 
 
 10
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 With these words the astrologer bowed to take 
 leave of Mansour, who clutched his robe. 
 
 "Have you anything more to ask me?" said the 
 dervish, looking attentively at the Egyptian. 
 
 "Yes," replied the merchant; "but I dare not 
 give utterance to my thoughts. Yet you seem to me 
 a friend, and you will pardon a father's weakness, 
 where his son's interest is concerned. A wise man 
 like you, who reads the stars, must have carried your 
 curiosity to great lengths. It is said that there are 
 men who, by dint of science, have discovered the 
 great name of God that name which has been 
 revealed only to the apostles and the Prophet (his 
 name be blessed!); that name which suffices to raise 
 the dead and kill the living; that name which causes 
 the world to tremble, and compels the infernal pow- 
 ers and Eblis 1 himself to obey it like a slave. Do 
 you perchance know one of these learned men, and 
 do you think that he would refuse to oblige a man 
 who had not the reputation of being ungrateful?" 
 
 "You are prudence itself," returned the astrologer, 
 in a low voice, approaching Mansour; "you may be 
 trusted; yet words are naught but wind, and the 
 fairest promises like dreams that take flight with the 
 morning." 
 
 For his sole reply Mansour thrust his right arm 
 into the dervish's long sleeve, and placed one finger 
 in his hand. 
 
 "A purse ! " 2 exclaimed the astrologer, in a disdain- 
 
 1 One of the names of Satan among the Arabs. 
 
 2 A purse is about $-25.00. 
 
 11
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 ful tone; "it is the price of a camel. What madman 
 would evoke Satan at the risk of his own life for such 
 a trifle?" 
 
 The Egyptian stretched out a second finger, look- 
 ing at the dervish, whose face wore an air of indiffer- 
 ence; then, after a moment's silence, he heaved a 
 deep sigh and placed a third finger in the dervish's 
 hand. 
 
 "Three purses" said the astrologer; "it is the cost 
 of an infidel slave. The soul of a Mussulman can not 
 be bought at such a price. Let us part, Mansour, and 
 forget the imprudent words you have spoken." 
 
 "Do not abandon me! " cried the merchant, grasp- 
 ing the dervish's arm with his whole hand. "Five 
 purses are a large sum, and all that I can give. If 
 necessary, I add to it the offer of my soul ; our com- 
 mon peril will answer to you for my discretion." 
 
 "Give me the five purses, then," returned the 
 magician, "and my friendship shall do the rest. I 
 own my weakness; I have been unable to see you 
 without being drawn to you: may this yielding not 
 cost me too dear ! " 
 
 Mansour brought the money. The dervish weighed 
 it several times, and placed it in his girdle with the 
 tranquillity of a resolute heart; then, taking the lamp, 
 he walked three times round the cradle, murmuring 
 strange words, waving the light before the child's face, 
 and prostrating himself again and again at the four 
 corners of the room, followed by Mansour, who trem- 
 bled with fear and anxiety. 
 
 12
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 After all these ceremonies, which appeared endless 
 to the merchant, the magician placed the lamp on a 
 bench along the wall, and taking a little box from 
 his inexhaustible girdle, poured a black powder upon 
 the burning wick. A thick smoke instantly filled the 
 whole room, amid which Mansour fancied that he saw 
 the infernal figure and flaming eyes of an Afrite. 1 
 The dervish seized him by the arm, and both threw 
 themselves on the carpet, their faces buried in their 
 hands. 
 
 "Speak" said the dervish, in a breathless voice, 
 "speak, but do not lift your head as you value your 
 life. Make three wishes. Eblis is here, and will grant 
 your prayer." 
 
 "I wish that my son may be rich all his life "mur- 
 mured Mansour. 
 
 "So be it! " returned a strange voice, which seemed 
 to come from the other end of the room, though Man- 
 sour had seen the apparition before him. 
 
 " I wish that my son may always have good health " 
 continued the Egyptian, "for, without health, of what 
 use is fortune?" 
 
 "So be it! " returned the voice. 
 
 There was a moment's silence. Mansour hesitated 
 as to his third wish. "Shall I wish for wit?" thought 
 he. "No, he is my son, and he will inherit his father's 
 cunning." The dervish's prediction suddenly recurred 
 to his memory. "Threatened by his best friend" 
 thought he, "there is but one means of safety for 
 
 1 One of the infernal genii. 
 
 13
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 him ; namely, to love no one, and to think of himself 
 alone. Besides, anxiety for others spoils our own life, 
 and those we oblige are always ungrateful. I wish 
 that my son may love no one but himself" said he, 
 at length. 
 
 "So be it" returned the voice, with a terrible cry, 
 which frightened the Egyptian so much that he re- 
 mained motionless till the dervish pulled the skirt of 
 his robe and commanded him to rise. At the same 
 moment a jet of flame shot from the lamp, and the 
 whole room seemed in a blaze. Mansour, terrified at 
 his own rashness, rushed to the door to assure himself 
 that he was still alive and that nothing had changed 
 in the house. 
 
 While the dervish was putting on his cloak and 
 sandals like a man whom habit hardens against fear, 
 a woman rushed to the cradle of the infants. It was 
 Halima, who had remained near the room during the 
 enchantment, and whose terror had been heightened 
 by Mansour's sudden departure. Her first care was 
 to wet her finger with her lips and pass it over the 
 forehead of the children, repeating a formula to ward 
 off the evil eye. The serenity of the dervish reassured 
 her; she blamed herself for having suspected this 
 pious personage of magic, who wore on his face the 
 blissful tranquillity of sanctity, and, respectfully ap- 
 proaching him, she kissed the hem of his robe. "Holy 
 man" said she, "my son is an orphan, and I am a poor 
 woman ; I can offer you nothing but gratitude, but ' 
 
 "Well, well," exclaimed the astrologer, "I know in 
 
 14
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 advance what you would ask of me, that your son 
 should be rich, is it not? For this, what need have 
 you of my aid? Make him a merchant, and let him 
 steal like old Mansour; make him a pacha, and let 
 him pillage his brethren; make him a dervish, and 
 let him flatter and lie. All the vices lead to fortune 
 when they are joined with the vilest of all, avarice. 
 This is the secret of life. Adieu." 
 
 "This is not what I wish" said the astonished 
 Halima; "you do wrong to deride me in this way. 
 My son will be an honest man like his father; and 
 what I wish is that he may be happy here on earth." 
 
 "Virtuous and happy!" cried the dervish, with a 
 sardonic laugh; "and you address yourself to me! 
 My good woman, what you want is the four-leaved 
 shamrock, which none has seen since Adam. Let 
 your son seek it ; if he finds it, be sure that he will 
 lack for nothing." 
 
 "What is the four-leaved shamrock?" cried the 
 anxious mother; but the magician had disappeared, 
 never more to return. Man or demon, none has since 
 beheld him. Halima, full of emotion, bent over the 
 cradle and gazed at her son, who seemed to smile on 
 her in his sleep. "Rest in peace," said she, "and rely 
 on my love. I know not what this talisman is of 
 which the dervish speaks, but child of my soul! we 
 will seek it together, and something tells me that 
 you will find it. Satan is cunning and man is weak, 
 but God rules the heart of his faithful, and does 
 what he will." 
 
 15
 
 Ill 
 
 EDUCATION 
 
 |N choosing the Bedouin woman to 
 whom to intrust Omar, Mansour had 
 given a new proof of his usual pru- 
 dence. From the first day Halima 
 showed her nursling all a mother's 
 affection, and tended him more care- 
 fully than her own offspring. When she was forced 
 to leave her tent, the cherished child that she car- 
 ried on her shoulder was always Et Tagir, or the little 
 merchant, as Omar was called among the Beni Amurs. 
 Yet what a difference was there between the two 
 brothers! Tall, slender, supple, and agile, with his 
 clear eyes and brilliant complexion, Abdallah would 
 have filled any father's heart with pride; while the 
 son of Mansour, Avith his swarthy skin, thick neck, 
 and round paunch, was only an Egyptian astray in 
 the desert. What mattered it to the Bedouin woman ? 
 Had she not nourished them both with the same 
 milk? Who knows even whether, like a true mother, 
 she had not a secret weakness for the child which had 
 the most need of her love? 
 
 L6
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 As he grew, Abdallah soon showed all the noble- 
 ness of his race. On seeing him with the Egyptian, 
 one would have said that he already felt himself the 
 master of the tent, and was proud of exercising the 
 rites of hospitality. Although but six months older 
 than Omar, he made himself his brother's guardian 
 and protector, and his greatest pleasure was to amuse, 
 serve, and defend him. In all the games and feasts, 
 he insisted on giving the little merchant the best 
 place; and whenever a quarrel arose, it was always 
 he, and he alone, that fought, adroit, strong, and 
 hardy, like a son of the desert. 
 
 Omar willingly remained in the background, as if 
 he already understood the advantage to be derived 
 from an uncalculating friendship. As indolent as a 
 dweller in cities, he seldom quitted the tent. The 
 Bedouin ran between the legs of the mares, wrestled 
 with the colts, and climbed the camels without mak- 
 ing them kneel; the Egyptian, his legs crossed on a 
 mat, passed the greater part of the day in sleeping, 
 and felt naught but disdain for the noisy exploits which 
 made the joy of Abdallah. When he mixed with other 
 children, it was only to play merchant with them. 
 The son of Mansour had singular skill in bartering a 
 date for a citron, a citron for an orange, and an orange 
 for a piece of coral or some other toy. At ten years 
 of age Omar had already found that the best use of 
 a rosary was to aid in counting. He was not, how- 
 ever, ungrateful ; he loved his brother after his fash- 
 ion. He showered innumerable caresses on Abdallah, 
 
 17
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 who seldom returned home without bringing bananas, 
 pomegranates, apricots, or some other fruit that had 
 been given him by the women of the neighborhood, 
 who were charmed with his grace and sprightliness. 
 By dint of tenderness, Omar always secured what he 
 wished; but he was not better pleased with the suc- 
 cess of his cunning than was his brother in letting 
 himself be despoiled by the one he loved. Each of 
 us is born with his destiny clinging about his neck 
 like a heavy collar, and hurrying him onward; a fox 
 nurtured by a lioness will always be a fox, and a 
 merchant's son will never make a Bedouin. 
 
 At the age of ten, thanks to Halima, Abdallah's 
 education was finished ; he knew all that a Beni Amur 
 needed to know. The son of Yusuf could recite the 
 genealogy of his family and tribe ; he knew the pedi- 
 gree, name, surname, coat, and brand of all the 
 horses; he could read in the stars the hour of the 
 night, and the shadows told him the time of the day. 
 No one knew better how to make the camels kneel ; 
 no one chanted to them in a more melodious voice 
 those sweet songs which shorten their way and make 
 them quicken their pace, despite fatigue and heat. 
 Already even, he handled the gun and brandished 
 the lance and sabre as if he had been in half a score 
 of caravans. Halima contemplated his youthful cour- 
 age with tears of joy, happy to see that the child 
 whom she had brought into the world would some 
 day be the honor of his people and the delight of 
 his tribe. 
 
 18
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 Halima was a true Mussulman ; she knew that 
 wisdom, strength, and consolation are in God alone. 
 The children were scarcely seven years old when she 
 had already taught them to recite the five prayers 
 and make the ablutions. In the morning, as soon as 
 a faint light illumed the east; at noon, when the sun 
 turned; in the afternoon, when the shadows began 
 to lengthen; at even, when the sun set in the hori- 
 zon; and, lastly, at night, when darkness covered the 
 earth, Omar and Abdallah stretched the carpet of 
 prayer upon the ground, and turning toward Mecca, 
 repeated the holy words which comprise all religion, 
 "There is no god but God, and Mohammed is His 
 prophet." The prayer ended, Halima loved to repeat 
 to the children the precepts of Ayesha, precepts 
 which she made the rule of her life. "Sons of my 
 soul!" she would say to them, "listen to what Ayesha, 
 the beloved spouse of the Prophet, the peerless vir- 
 gin, and the mother of the faithful, replied to a 
 Mussulman who asked her counsel. Remember these 
 holy maxims; they are the legacy of the Prophet him- 
 self, and the pearl of truth : 
 
 "Acknowledge that there is but one God alone; 
 remain steadfast in the faith ; instruct yourself; bridle 
 your tongue ; repress your wrath ; forbear to do evil ; 
 associate with the good; screen the faults of your 
 neighbor ; relieve the poor by your alms ; and expect 
 your reward in eternity." 
 
 The two children were thus brought up, surrounded 
 with the same love, and a love so tender and equal 
 
 19
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 that the two brothers never suspected that they were 
 not of the same blood. One day, however, an old 
 man entered the tent, armed with a tablet of wood, 
 painted white, on which elegant characters were 
 traced in black. The sheik enjoyed great renown in 
 the tribe; it was said that he had formerly studied 
 at Cairo in El A/ar, that splendid mosque, the foun- 
 tain of light, which is the joy of the faithful and the 
 despair of infidels. He was so learned that he could 
 read the Koran, and copy with a reed the ninety-nine 
 names of God, and the Fat -hah. 1 To the great aston- 
 ishment of the Bedouin, the old man, after talking 
 in a low tone to Halima, who put a purse in his hand, 
 turned his sole attention to the son of Mansour, 
 caressed him with paternal tenderness, seated him 
 by his side, put the tablet in his hands, and after 
 teaching him how to sway the head and body to aid 
 the memory, made him chant the whole alphabet 
 after him. Omar took so lively an interest in his les- 
 son that on the very first day he learned the numerical 
 value of all the letters. The sheik embraced him 
 anew, promising him that, if he went on in this way, 
 he would soon be more learned than his master, and 
 quitted the tent without even looking at Abdallah. 
 The poor boy's heart swelled at the sight of this 
 lesson of his brother's, by which he would have gladly 
 profited. He was spared a second trial. The next 
 morning he was sent to the fields to tend his mother's 
 sheep. He was not alone; he had been placed in the 
 
 i The first chapter of the Koran, and the usual prayer of the 
 Mussulmans. 
 
 20
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 care of a maternal uncle, a one-eyed and crippled old 
 shepherd, but a man of good counsel. Hafiz, for this 
 was the name of Halima's brother, was a brave soldier 
 and a pious Mussulman, who had seen much and suf- 
 fered much. The companion of Yusuf, Abdallah's 
 father, and wounded by his side, he was the last 
 prop of an almost extinct family, and, alone and child- 
 less as he was, he loved his nephew as his own son. 
 
 It was he that had opposed the plan of making 
 Abdallah a scholar. "Would you know more than 
 the Prophet, whom may God protect and bless?" 
 said he to the young Bedouin. "What would you 
 read, the Koran? But is it on vile rags or your 
 own heart that its sacred words should be engraved? 
 Strange books what is the use? Is not everything 
 contained in the Koran? Is it not for rash spirits who 
 seek the truth elsewhere that it is written, 'The like- 
 ness of those who take other patrons besides God is 
 as the likeness of the spider, which maketh herself a 
 house; but the weakest of all houses, surely, is the 
 house of the spider, if they knew this' ? Those whose 
 minds are swallowed up in books are like asses laden 
 with foreign wealth, which serves only to weigh them 
 down. Man was not born to amass the thoughts of 
 others, but to act for himself. Go forward, my son, 
 with an upright heart, and in the fear of the Lord. 
 At the age of strength God will give thee wisdom and 
 knowledge as to the son of Jacob. It is thus that he 
 rewards the just, for himself has said it." 
 
 These words kindled Abdallah's heart. Every day, 
 
 21
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 when the noontide heat confined them within the 
 tent, Hafiz recited to the son of Yusuf a few verses 
 of the holy book, and made him repeat them after 
 him in turn. In this way, by degrees, he taught him 
 the whole Koran, beginning, after the Fat -hah, with 
 the short chapters On Men, The Daybreak, and The 
 Unity of God, and ending with the long and beauti- 
 ful teachings contained in the chapters On Women, 
 The Family of Imran, and The Cow. The child was 
 like the sands of the desert, which drink up the rain- 
 drops without losing a single one ; he never wearied 
 of chanting this rhythmic prose, as superior to poetry 
 as the Word of God is to that of men. Day and night 
 he repeated these precepts, in which eloquence and 
 wisdom are strung together like pearls in a necklace. 
 Whenever a good Mussulman wished to give a feast 
 to his comrades or to pay honors to the tomb of a 
 friend, the lame shepherd and his disciple were called 
 upon to recite the whole Koran or one of its thirty 
 sections. Seated on the ground around the master and 
 pupil, the Beni Amurs greedily drank in the divine 
 words. "God is great!" they exclaimed. "Gabriel 
 himself was not more beautiful than this young man 
 when he deposited the eternal revelation in the heart 
 of the Prophet." 
 
 Hafiz not only taught his nephew the text of the 
 Koran, but also repeated to him the words of the 
 Prophet which have been handed down to us by his 
 friends. He taught him the four great duties enjoined 
 by God on all who would be saved, the five daily 
 
 22
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 prayers, the giving of one fortieth in alms, the fast 
 of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Mecca; and held 
 up to his detestation the seven great sins, those 
 sins which beget seven hundred others, and which 
 destroy the soul, idolatry, that crime which God, 
 according to his explicit declaration, never pardons; 
 murder ; the charge of adultery falsely brought against 
 an honest woman; wrong done to orphans; usury; 
 flight in an expedition against the infidels; and dis- 
 obedience to parents. "Oh, my son," he exclaimed, 
 at the close of each lesson, "thou who, by the decree 
 of God, hast been placed among the number of those 
 who have received the Scriptures, daily repeat that 
 divine promise which is our whole strength and com- 
 fort here below: 'Whoever obeyeth God and the 
 apostle, they shall be with those unto whom God has 
 been gracious, of the prophets, and the sincere, and 
 the martyrs, and the righteous, and these are most 
 excellent company. This is bounty from God, and 
 from God nothing is hidden."' 
 
 In order not to weary Abdallah, Hafiz often inter- 
 spersed his teachings with the stories of some of those 
 innumerable prophets to whose keeping God confided 
 the truth while awaiting the coming of Mohammed. 
 Sometimes it was Adam, our first father, to whom 
 God in his goodness taught the name of every living 
 thing on earth. By the command of the Lord, these 
 creatures, born of fire, adored man, born of the dust 
 of the earth. A single one refused, the ungrateful 
 Eblis, urged by his pride to destruction. Unhappily, 
 
 23
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 Adam and Eve suffered themselves to be tempted by 
 the enemy, and ate of the forbidden fruit. To punish 
 their disobedience, God drove them from Paradise. 
 Adam was flung upon the island of Serendib, where 
 his footprint may still be seen, and Eve fell at Djid- 
 dah, where she was doomed to live two centuries in 
 solitude. God, however, at last took pity on the 
 unhappy couple, and Gabriel again reunited them 
 on Mount Arafat, near that miraculous spot where 
 Abraham and Ishmael were to found the holy Caaba. 
 
 At another time the cripple would tell how God 
 showed Abraham the kingdom of the heavens and 
 the earth, that he might know true science. Reared 
 in the faith of his fathers, the son of Azer worshipped 
 the stars. When the night overshadowed him, he 
 saw a star and cried, "This is my Lord!" but when 
 it set he said, " I like not gods which set." And when 
 he saw the moon rising he cried, " This is my Lord ! " 
 but when he saw it set he said, "Verily, if my Lord 
 direct me not, I shall become as one of the people 
 who go astray." And when he saw the sun rising he 
 said, " This is my Lord ; this is the greatest ! " but 
 when he saw it set he said, "Oh, my people, I am 
 clear of your idolatrous worship." The son of Azer un- 
 derstood that the stars scattered through the heavens 
 revealed a higher hand, as the footprints on the sand 
 tell of the traveller that has gone before. 
 
 Like a true Mussulman, Abraham had no sooner 
 found the true faith than he broke all the idols of his 
 people except Baal, on whose neck he hung the axe 
 
 24
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 with which he had demolished them. When the 
 furious Chaldeans asked who had treated their gods 
 in such a manner, "It is Baal" said Abraham; "ask 
 him, and see what he will answer you." "An idol 
 can not speak" cried the Chaldeans; and they said, 
 "Thou art an unbeliever!" But who can enlighten 
 those who have eyes, yet see not ! They are blinded 
 by the very light of truth. Furious at having been 
 discomfited by a child, Nimrod, the King of the 
 Chaldeans, ordered Abraham to be thrown into a 
 fiery furnace. Vain cruelty! The Lord Eternal holds 
 the power of life and death. By the command of 
 God, the fire consumed none but the unbelievers. 
 For Abraham, the funeral pile turned to a verdant 
 meadow, and the flames that surrounded him to a 
 cool and refreshing breeze. It is thus that the Lord 
 lifts up the just and humbles the proud. 
 
 Who could exhaust the sacred stories which have 
 been handed down to us by the Koran and tradition? 
 They are more numerous and more beautiful than the 
 stars in a summer sky. Hafiz told them as he had re- 
 ceived them from his fathers, and Abdallah repeated 
 them with the like ardor and faith. Sometimes it was 
 of David, the blacksmith king, to whom God taught 
 the art of fabricating coats of mail to protect the 
 faithful ; sometimes it was of Solomon, under whose 
 dominion the Lord placed the winds, the birds, and 
 the genii. Or it was of Balkis, the Queen of Sheba, 
 when, seated on her throne of gold and silver set 
 with precious stones, she received Solomon's letter, 
 
 25
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 brought her by a bird, kissed the seal, at which Satan 
 trembled, and became a Mussulman at the voice of 
 the wisest of kings. Or it was of the sleeping com- 
 panions in the cavern, who awaited the reign of truth 
 three hundred and nine years, with their faithful dog, 
 El Rakim, crouched at their feet. Or it was of the 
 sacred camel brought forth from the rock at the 
 prayer of Saleh, to confound the unbelief of the Tal- 
 mudites. When did God tire of working miracles to 
 succor the faithful? 
 
 Of all these marvellous stories, to which the Bed- 
 ouins never tired of listening, the one which Halima 
 oftenest asked of her son was that of Job, that faith- 
 ful servant who turned to God in the midst of his 
 anguish. In vain his wife, weary of seeing him suffer, 
 consented to worship Eblis to regain their lost happi- 
 ness. Job refused assistance from this accursed hand. 
 If he raised his body, eaten by worms, on the dung- 
 hill, it was to lift to the Lord that touching prayer 
 which won pardon from God for the wretched sufferer, 
 "Verily evil hath afflicted me, but thou art the most 
 merciful of those who show mercy" beautiful words 
 which one of the faithful alone could utter. 
 
 Hafiz was one of the faithful, but he was also a 
 Bedouin, proud of his race; a soldier who loved the 
 fray of battle. "Think, my son" he would often say 
 to Abdallah, " think of the privileges which the 
 Prophet has won for us, and which we must defend 
 to the death. To render our life easy God has given 
 us gardens, living springs of water, innumerable cat-
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 tie, the dourah, 1 and the palm-tree; to render it 
 glorious, he has given us a noble pedigree, a country 
 that has never been conquered, and a liberty that no 
 master has ever polluted. We are the kings of the 
 desert. Our turbans are our diadems, our tents are 
 our palaces, our sabres are our ramparts, and God's 
 own word is our law. Your father fell like a martyr 
 on the field of battle. Among your ancestors, for one 
 who by chance has breathed his last under a tent, 
 three have fallen in the desert, their lance in their 
 hand. They point you the way; they understood the 
 divine saying, 'Let them therefore fight for the re- 
 ligion of God who part with the present life for that 
 which is to come; for whosoever fighteth for the 
 religion of God, whether he be slain or be victorious, 
 we will surely give him a great reward. The pro- 
 vision of this life is but small ; but the future shall 
 be better for him who feareth God.'" 
 
 Have you seen the war-horse pawing the earth 
 and snuffing the wind at the sound of the trumpet ? 
 Such was Abdallah when Hafiz talked to him of bat- 
 tle ; his heart throbbed, his eyes grew dim, and his 
 face flushed. "O God! " he cried, "grant that it may 
 soon be my time ; permit me to crush the infidel, and 
 make me worthy of the people from which I have 
 sprung ! " 
 
 The child of the desert was beautiful indeed in his 
 long blue robe, confined at the waist by a leather 
 
 lf The sorgho, the principal cereal of the East Indians and the 
 Arabs, which they use like maize and rice. 
 
 27
 
 ABD ALLAH 
 
 thong passed half a score of times round his body. 
 His thick brown hair shaded his face and fell in curls 
 upon his neck from under his hood. His eyes spar- 
 kled with a softer light than the planets that twinkle 
 in the heavens, as, holding in his hand a shining lance 
 wound round with silver thread, he walked slowly 
 with the grace of a child and the dignity of a man, 
 speaking only when necessary and never laughing. 
 When he returned from the pasture, carrying the 
 young lambs in the skirt of his robe while the sheep 
 followed him bleating and rubbing their heads against 
 his hand, the shepherds, his companions, stopped to 
 see him pass, and he seemed like Joseph adored by 
 the eleven stars. And at evening, when he raised the 
 stone from the common well, with a strength above 
 his age, and watered the flocks, the women forgot to 
 fill their pitchers, and cried, " He is as handsome as 
 his father!" to which the men responded, "And he 
 will also be as brave." 
 
 28
 
 IV 
 
 THE RECOGNITION 
 
 |IME had rolled onward since the day 
 that Halima had carried the son of 
 the wealthy Mansour to her tent. 
 Omar was fifteen years old, and was 
 still unacquainted with the secret of 
 his birth. The rude jests of his com- 
 panions Had more than once made him feel that he 
 was not a Beni Amur, and that the blood in his veins 
 was not so pure as that of Abdallah ; but although he 
 was called Omar, the little merchant, no one in the 
 tribe knew who was the Egyptian's father, and he 
 himself believed that he was an orphan, adopted by 
 Halima's goodness, and destined to live in the desert. 
 One evening, as the brothers were returning from 
 the fields, they were surprised to see several richly 
 caparisoned camels at the door of the tent, together 
 with a mule covered with a rich carpet and held by a 
 negro dressed in white. 
 
 "Whose mule is this" said Omar, "and what has 
 it brought?" 
 
 "It is your fathers," answered the slave, who easily
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 recognized Mansour's son by his features; "we have 
 come for you from Djiddah." 
 
 " Who is my father? " asked the Egyptian, greatly 
 moved. 
 
 "Your father" returned the negro, "is the rich 
 Mansour, the syndic of the Djiddah merchants, and 
 the sultan of the sons of Egypt. There is not a bale 
 of goods, great or small, that comes into the harbor 
 or goes out of the three city gates that is not first 
 offered to him for his disposal. At Yambo, Suez, 
 Khartum, and Cairo, your father's warehouses are 
 kept by his numerous slaves; and so great is his for- 
 tune that his servants never consult him about any 
 business involving less than a hundred thousand 
 piastres." 
 
 "Oh, my father, where are you?" cried the young 
 man, rushing into the tent. " Praised be God, who 
 has given me a father so worthy of my love ! " And 
 he threw himself into Mansour's arms with an ardor 
 that delighted the old merchant and called forth a 
 sigh from Halima. 
 
 Early the next morning they set out for Djiddah, 
 to the great sorrow of the Bedouin woman, who could 
 not bear to separate from the child whom she alone 
 had cherished for so many years. "Adieu, my son, 
 and dearer than my son" said she, covering him with 
 tears and caresses. Omar was more courageous; he 
 quitted his mother with the joy of a captive who at 
 once regains freedom and fortune. Abdallah accom- 
 panied his brother to the city by the wish of Man- 
 
 30
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 sour. To show the Bedouin how far the considera- 
 tion attached to wealth in a city like Djiddah raised 
 a merchant above the shepherds of the desert, and 
 to make him feel that his mother and he should 
 esteem themselves too happy in having loved and 
 served Omar for fifteen years, was Mansour's fashion 
 of paying his debt of gratitude. The rich leave their 
 folly and vanity only beyond the tomb. 
 
 No sooner had they reached Djiddah than Omar 
 broke forth into transports of joy. He was an exile 
 returning to his native land. Everything charmed 
 him, the narrow streets, with their great stone 
 houses; the port, where the ships were unloading 
 casks of sugar, sacks of coffee, and bales of cotton ; 
 and the motley crowd that was thronging toward the 
 bazaar. Turks, Syrians, Greeks, Arabs, Persians, 
 East Indians, blacks of every shade; Jews, pilgrims, 
 dervishes, beggars; Nile merchants mounted on beau- 
 tifully caparisoned mules; donkey-drivers leading 
 women enveloped in black mantles, and looking like 
 phantoms of which naught was visible but the eyes; 
 camel-drivers shouting to the crowd to open a pas- 
 sage ; Arnauts with an audacious and threatening air, 
 proud of their Damascus weapons and flowing fusta- 
 nella; peaceful smokers seated with crossed legs at 
 the doors of the coffee-houses; slaves led to market, 
 all this was to Omar a paradise more enchanting 
 than any of which he had ever dreamed. In such an 
 abode, what could not be bought and what could not 
 be sold? Had he not learned the price of all manner 
 
 31
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 of things from his father on the road? Did he not 
 already know how to rate the integrity of a cadi, the 
 scruples of a sheik , and even the conscience of a 
 pacha? 
 
 At the end of a narrow and gloomy alley stood the 
 house of Mansour. There was nothing about the 
 building calculated to attract attention; the ground 
 floor was bare and uninviting, and furnished only with 
 a few rush mats along the whitewashed walls; but 
 on ascending to the next story, which was carefully 
 closed, and furnished with blinds that defied both 
 the sun and curiosity, magnificent rooms met the eye, 
 covered with Turkey carpets, and surrounded with 
 velvet divans embroidered with silver. The travel- 
 lers were scarcely seated when a chased silver salver 
 was brought them, loaded with jellied fruits. While 
 one slave poured rose-water on Abdallah's bronzed 
 hands, and presented him a napkin fringed with gold, 
 another burned incense before old Mansour, who 
 stroked his beard and clothes to impregnate them 
 with the fragrant smoke; coffee was then served in 
 tiny porcelain cups, set in stands of gold filigree- 
 work, after which exquisite sherbets, prepared from 
 the extract of violets and the juice of pomegranates 
 expressed through the rind, were offered them. 
 Lastly, three little negroes, dressed in scarlet and 
 covered with bracelets and necklaces, lighted long 
 jasmine pipes and presented one to each guest, then 
 all three seated themselves on the ground, attentive 
 and silent. 
 
 32
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 They smoked long without speaking. Man sour was 
 enjoying the delight which he saw in his son and the 
 admiration which he supposed in the Arab. But the 
 Bedouin's face did not change; amid all this luxury 
 he was as grave and tranquil as if in the midst of his 
 flocks. What are the luxuries of this world to him 
 who expects the lasting rewards which God has in 
 store for the faithful? 
 
 "Well, my son" said old Mansour at last, turning 
 toward Abdallah, "are you content with your jour- 
 
 ney 
 
 "Father," replied the young man, "I thank you for 
 your hospitality. Your heart is even richer than your 
 treasure." 
 
 "Well, well" returned the merchant; "but what I 
 want to know is what you think of Djiddah? Would 
 you like to stay with us?" 
 
 "No. The city is tainted; the air is pestilential, 
 the water impure. Then those idle dervishes, dis- 
 playing to all eyes their impudence and their covet- 
 ousness, and those slaves who stand there to deprive 
 us of the use of our hands, and who spy out our 
 passions to serve them ! Huzza for the desert! Our 
 terrible winds are sweeter to me than the hot, heavy 
 air of this prison. Among the tents there are none 
 but men. Each one rights himself, lance in hand. 
 The dog that begs through cowardice is thrust out ; 
 the haughty, who know not how to respect those 
 better than themselves, are humbled." 
 
 "Your words are golden, my son," said Mansour, 
 
 33
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 running his fingers through his long beard ; "a Wahha- 
 bite could not be more austere. I thought like you 
 when I was a child and recited my nurse's lessons. 
 Stay with us for a time; become a merchant; when 
 you see how fortune invests the vilest of men with 
 authority, youth, and virtue, how the powerful of the 
 day, the women, and even the saints fall down and 
 worship the metal which you despise, you will change 
 your mind, and prefer even the unsavory odor of 
 cities. It is beautiful to live like the lark, free in 
 space; but sooner or later all are snared like it. The 
 douro is the king of the world, and the day comes 
 when the bravest, like the wisest, is the servant of 
 the richest." 
 
 "I know" returned Abdallah, proudly, "that noth- 
 ing satisfies the sons of Adam. The dust of the grave 
 alone has power to fill their bellies ; but in the desei't, 
 at least, an ounce of honor is worth more than a hun- 
 dredweight of gold. With God's aid, I will live like 
 my ancestors. He who desires naught will always be 
 free. Farewell, therefore, Mansour; farewell, my 
 brother. To-day our roads part; may that which you 
 take lead you to the end which all the faithful should 
 desire ! " 
 
 "Farewell, my good Abdallah" answered Omar. 
 "Each of us follows his destiny. What is written is 
 written. You were born to dwell among the tents, 
 and I to be a merchant. Farewell; I shall never for- 
 get the friendship of my childhood; if ever I am in 
 need of a stout arm, be sure that I shall have re- 
 course to you." 
 
 34
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Thanks, my brother" cried the Bedouin; and 
 taking Omar in his arms, he pressed him tenderly to 
 his heart, without restraining or hiding his tears. 
 
 Omar tranquilly received these proofs of friend- 
 ship, and when Abdallah, with drooping head and 
 dejected mien, had quitted the house after more than 
 once looking back, "Say" said he to his father, "what 
 can you have been thinking of, to leave me so long 
 with that Bedouin? Suppose you had died, and I had 
 appeared to claim your inheritance, the old men of 
 the city would have said, 'We have known Mansour 
 all our lives, and have never heard of his having 
 either son or daughter,' and then who would have 
 been your heir if not the pacha? Carry me quickly 
 to the bazaar, introduce me to all your friends, the 
 merchants, and, above all, make me your partner, 
 and give me a warehouse of my own. I feel an un- 
 controllable desire to handle gold. I have already 
 learned to calculate among the tents, and know how 
 to treat men in order to gain much and risk little. 
 You shall not blush for your son." 
 
 "My child" cried Mansour, raising his trembling 
 hands to heaven, "wisdom speaks through your 
 mouth; but the day is too far advanced to go out, 
 and, besides, your dress is not suitable. To-morrow 
 we will go to the bazaar; to-morrow all Djiddah shall 
 know my glory and happiness." 
 
 All night Omar dreamed of gold and silver; all 
 night Mansour tossed on his bed, unable to close his 
 eyes ; he saw himself born anew in a son shrewder, 
 
 35
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 more cunning, more covetous, and more avaricious 
 than himself. "Ah!" he exclaimed, in his joy, "I 
 am the happiest of fathers. The dervish did not 
 deceive me ; if my son escape the perils that threaten 
 him, who knows where the wealth of my house will 
 stop ! " 
 
 Madman, thou forgettest that if gold is a blessing 
 to him that gives it, it is a poison to him that hoards 
 it. He who harbors avarice in his heart, harbors 
 there the enemy of mankind ; and woe to him who 
 chooses Satan for a companion!
 
 THE NEW SOLOMON 
 
 (HE next morning at daybreak, Man- 
 sour led his son to the bath, and 
 dressed him in a style befitting his 
 new condition. A silken robe, striped 
 with bright colors, and confined round 
 the waist by a Cashmere girdle, a 
 flowing caftan of the finest and softest cloth, and a 
 white embroidered cap, round which was twisted a 
 muslin turban, such was the elegant costume brought 
 by the most fashionable tailor of Djiddah. In tin's 
 dress the features of the Egyptian seemed harsher 
 and his complexion more swarthy than ever. The 
 tailor, however, thought otherwise; he did nothing 
 but praise the beauty and grace of Omar, and pity 
 the ladies of the city who should look with indiffer- 
 ence on his countenance, more beautiful than the 
 moon at its full. When nothing more remained of the 
 Bedouin of the day before, breakfast was served and 
 sherbet brought in; then, after sundry counsels from 
 old Mansour, Omar, mounted on a mule, and modestly 
 falling hehind his father, took the way with him to 
 the bazaar. 
 
 37
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 The Egyptian led his son to a shop which was 
 narrow, like all in the market, but crowded with 
 precious articles. Shawls from India, satins and bro- 
 cades from China, carpets from Bassora, yataghans in 
 their chased silver scabbards, pipes mounted with 
 amber and adorned with rubies, rosaries of black 
 coral, necklaces of sequins and pearls, all that could 
 seduce women, all that could ruin men, was found in 
 this warehouse of perdition. A stone bench ran before 
 the shop. Mansour seated himself on the cushions 
 and lighted his pipe ; Omar took his beads and began 
 to recite his prayers, without looking at the crowd. 
 
 As soon as the merchants perceived the syndic, 
 they rose in a body, and went to repeat the Fat -hah, 
 and to wish him good-morning. Every one looked 
 with surprise at the new-comer, and asked his neigh- 
 bor in a whisper who the stranger could be, whether 
 a relative of the Egyptian, or a young slave richly 
 dressed in order to draw customers. Mansour called 
 to the sheik, and pointing to Omar, "This is my son" 
 said he, "my partner and successor." 
 
 "Your son!" exclaimed the sheik. "Who ever 
 heard that the rich Mansour had an heir?" 
 
 "I wished to deceive the evil eye," replied the old 
 man; "this is why I have had my son brought up at 
 a distance and in secret. I did not intend to present 
 him to you till his beard was grown; but I was get- 
 ting old, I became impatient; and to-day, with your 
 permission, I shall place him in the bazaar to learn 
 of you the art of buying and selling." 
 
 38
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Mansour is always wise" replied the merchants, 
 as they vied with each other in congratulating the 
 happy father of such a son. "May the Lord" they 
 exclaimed, "preserve both root and branch! " 
 
 In the midst of these wishes, which tickled the 
 Egyptian's pride, the sheik took up the conversation. 
 
 "Among us," said he to Mansour, "when a son or 
 daughter is born, even the poor man invites his friends 
 to rejoice with him; have you forgotten us?" 
 
 "Honor me with a visit this evening" replied the 
 old man; "you shall be welcome." 
 
 An hour after, a messenger, carrying a huge bou- 
 quet, went through the market offering a flower to 
 each merchant, with the words, " Recite the Fat-hah 
 for the Prophet." The prayer ended, "Mansour en- 
 treats you," added the messenger, "to take coffee with 
 him this evening at his house." 
 
 "Mansour is the prince of the generous" returned 
 the invited guests; "with the blessing of God, we 
 will pay our respects this evening to the syndic." 
 
 At the appointed time, the Egyptian and his son 
 received the merchants in the little garden, where 
 a splendid feast awaited the guests. Lambs stuffed 
 with almonds and pistachio nuts, rice with saffron, 
 cream sauces flavored with pepper, rose jellies, pastry 
 of all kinds, nothing was spared to honor guests of 
 such consequence. For the first time Mansour de- 
 sired that the poor should partake of his joy, and 
 ordered the remains of the feast, with some small 
 silver coin, to be distributed among them before the 
 
 39
 
 ABD ALLAH 
 
 door, which was enough to fill the street with huzzahs 
 and blessings, and to cause the name of the generous 
 Omar and the rich Mansour to resound from one end 
 of Djiddah to the other. 
 
 Coffee served and pipes lighted, the sheik took 
 Omar by the hand. "Behold our friends son" said he 
 to the merchants, "who desires to enter our honora- 
 ble company. I beseech each one to recite the Fat -hah 
 for the Prophet." 
 
 While the prayer was being three times repeated, 
 the sheik wound a shawl around Omar's waist, tying 
 a knot after each Fat-hah. The ceremony finished, 
 the young man kissed the hand of the sheik and the 
 other spectators, beginning with the eldest. His eyes 
 sparkled with joy. He was a Djiddah merchant; he 
 was rich ; the world was opening before him. 
 
 The rest of the evening was passed in conversa- 
 tion, all bearing upon trade. Omar did not open his 
 lips; he stood near the elders of the party, who did 
 not weary of talking to a young man who listened 
 with such attention and respect. They told him how 
 a good salesman should always ask four times the 
 value of the article haggled for, and should never 
 lose his coolness, which is the secret of the trade. 
 Trading is like trout-fishing; it is necessary to draw 
 on the customer and give him line till, wearied and 
 dazzled, he at length knows no longer how to defend 
 himself. To toy with a rosary, offer coffee or a pipe, 
 talk of indifferent things, preserve an unmoved coun- 
 tenance, and yet kindle desire in the soul of the 
 
 40
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 purchaser, this is a difficult act, and it is not to be 
 learned in a day. 
 
 "But," they added, caressing Omar, "you are in a 
 good school, my son ; neither Jew nor even Armenian 
 can overreach the wise Mansour." 
 
 "Is commerce nothing more than this?" said the 
 young man in his heart; "in that case I have no need 
 of these people. To think only of oneself, and to 
 make use of the passions or weaknesses of others to 
 strip fools of the wealth they dote on, I have known 
 this from my birth ; I did nothing else in the desert ; 
 my masters will be shrewd indeed if, before six months 
 are past, I do not give them a lesson." 
 
 A few days after, Mansour repaired to the cadi on 
 account of a suit, the issue of which troubled him but 
 little. A private conversation with the judge had 
 given him hopes of the justice of his cause. The old 
 man asked his son to accompany him, in order to ac- 
 custom him early to deal with the law. The cadi 
 was seated in the courtyard of the mosque. He was 
 a fat, good-looking man, who never thought, and 
 talked little, which, added to his large turban and 
 his air of perpetual astonishment, gave him a great 
 reputation for justice and gravity. The spectators 
 were numerous ; the principal merchants w r ere seated 
 on the ground on carpets, forming a semi-circle around 
 the magistrate. Mansour took his seat a little way 
 from the sheik, and Omar placed himself between 
 the two, his curiosity strongly excited to see how the 
 law was obeyed, and how it was trifled with in case 
 
 of need. 
 
 41
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 The first case called was that of a young Banian, 
 as yellow as an orange, with loose-flowing robes and 
 an effeminate air, who had lately landed from India, 
 and who complained of having been cheated by one 
 of Mansour's rivals. 
 
 "Having found a casket full of diamonds among 
 the effects bequeathed to me by my father at Delhi" 
 said the young man, "I set out for Egypt in order to 
 live there in opulence on the proceeds of their sale. 
 I was obliged by bad weather to put in at Djiddah, 
 where I was retained by the pleasures of the city, 
 and soon found myself in want of money. I was as- 
 sured that, if I wished to dispose of my diamonds, I 
 should find a good market here. I went to the ba- 
 zaar, and inquired for a dealer in precious stones. 
 The richest, I was told, was Mansour; the most hon- 
 est was All the jeweller. I applied to the latter. As 
 soon as he learned the object of my visit, he wel- 
 comed me like a son, and, refusing to talk of business 
 at the bazaar, carried me home with him. For sev- 
 eral days he treated me in the most generous man- 
 ner, gained my confidence by every kind of attention, 
 and advanced me all the money I needed. One day, 
 after dinner, when I was not quite sober, he asked 
 me for the casket, examined the diamonds one by 
 one, and said, with feigned pity, 'My child, these 
 stones are of little value in Arabia and Egypt. The 
 rocks of our desert furnish them by thousands; my 
 coffers are full of them.' To prove the truth of what 
 he said, he opened the box, and taking therefrom a 
 
 42
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 diamond thrice as large as any of mine, gave it to the 
 slave that was with me. 
 
 "'What will become of me?' I cried. 'I have no 
 other fortune; I thought myself rich, and here I 
 am poor, a stranger, and far from my family and 
 country.' 
 
 "'My child,' replied the treacherous jeweller, 'I 
 conceived a friendship for you at first sight. A Mus- 
 sulman never forsakes his friends in trouble. Leave 
 this casket with me, and, to oblige you, I will give 
 you a price for it such as no one else would offer. 
 Choose whatever you wish in Djiddah, gold, silver, 
 or coral, and in two hours I promise to give you an 
 equal weight of what you have chosen in exchange 
 for your Indian stones.' 
 
 "On returning home, night brought reflection. I 
 made inquiries, and soon learned that Ali had been 
 fooling me. What he had given to the slave was 
 nothing but a bit of crystal. Diamonds are scarcer 
 at Djiddah than in India, and are worth ten times 
 their weight in gold. I demanded my casket. Ah' 
 refused to restore it. Venerable magistrate, my sole 
 hope is in your justice. I entreat you to espouse the 
 cause of a stranger; and may the wretch who has 
 ruined me drink boiling water for all eternity ! " 
 
 It was Ali's turn to speak. "Illustrious servant of 
 God," said he to the cadi, "this young man's story is 
 true in but one particular, namely, that we have 
 made a bargain, and that I am ready to keep it. All 
 the rest is of his own invention. What matters it 
 
 43
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 what I gave the slave? Could a sensible man have 
 seen in it anything else than a jest? Did I force the 
 stranger to leave his casket in my hands? Was it 
 my fault if want of money made him accept my 
 conditions? Why does he accuse me of treachery? 
 Have I broken my word, and has he kept his?" 
 
 "Young man" said the cadi to the Banian, "have 
 you witnesses to prove that Ali deceived you as to 
 the value of your merchandise? If not, I shall put 
 the accused on his oath, as the law decrees." 
 
 A Koran was brought. Ali placed his right hand 
 on the sacred book, and repeated three times, "In 
 the name of God the Omnipotent, and by the word 
 of God that is contained in this book, I swear that 
 I have not deceived this stranger. I swear it here 
 to-day" he added, turning toward the assembly, "as 
 I shall swear it on the judgment-day before God as 
 cadi, with the angels for witnesses." 
 
 "Wretch," said the Banian, "thou art among those 
 whose feet go down to destruction. Thou hast thrown 
 away thy soul." 
 
 "That may be," whispered the sheik to Omar, 
 "but he has gained a huge fortune. This Ali is a 
 shrewd knave." 
 
 "He is no ordinary man," added Mansour. "This 
 may be called a game well played." 
 
 Omar smiled, and while Ali was enjoying the suc- 
 cess of his ruse, he approached the stranger, who 
 burst into tears. 
 
 "Do you wish me to help you to gain the suit?" 
 
 asked he. 
 
 44
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Yes" cried the East Indian; "confound this 
 wretch, and you may ask of me what you will. But 
 you are only a child; you can do nothing." 
 
 "I only ask you to have confidence in me for a 
 few moments," returned the Egyptian. "Accept 
 Ali's bargain; let me choose in your stead, and fear 
 nothing." 
 
 "What can I fear after having lost all?" murmured 
 the stranger, letting his head fall again on his bosom 
 like a man bereft of all hope. Nevertheless, he turned 
 to the cadi, and, bowing respectfully, "Oh, my lord 
 and master," said he, "thy slave implores a last fa- 
 vor of thy mercy; let the bargain be consummated, 
 since the law decrees it, but permit this young 
 man to choose in my stead what I shall receive in 
 payment." 
 
 A profound silence ensued. Omar rose, and bow- 
 ing to the cadi, "Ali" said he to the jeweller, "you 
 have doubtless brought the casket, and can tell us 
 the weight thereof? " 
 
 "Here it is" said the merchant; "it weighs twenty 
 pounds. Choose what you will, I repeat, if the thing 
 asked for is to be found in Djiddah, you shall have 
 it within two hours, otherwise the bargain is null 
 and void. All know that my word is sacred, and 
 that I never break it." 
 
 "What we desire" said Omar, raising his voice, 
 "is ants' wings, half male and half female. You have 
 two hours in which to furnish the twenty pounds you 
 have promised us." 
 
 45
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "This is absurd" cried the jeweller; "it is impos- 
 sible. I should need half a score of persons and six 
 months' labor to satisfy this foolish demand. It is 
 trifling with justice to introduce these childish ca- 
 prices into this place." 
 
 "Are there any winged ants in Djiddah?" asked 
 the cadi. 
 
 "Of course" answered the merchants, laughing; 
 "they are one of the plagues of Egypt. Our houses 
 are full of them, and it would be doing us a great 
 service to rid us of them." 
 
 "Then Ali must keep his promise or give back the 
 casket" said the cadi. "This young man was mad to 
 sell his diamonds weight for weight; he is mad to 
 exact such a payment. So much the better for Ali 
 the first time; so much the worse for him the sec- 
 ond. Justice has not two weights and measures. 
 Every bargain holds good before the law. Either 
 furnish twenty pounds of ants' wings, or restore the 
 casket to the Banian." 
 
 "A righteous judgment! " shouted the spectators, 
 wonder-struck at such equity. 
 
 The stranger, beside himself with joy, embraced 
 Omar, calling him his savior and master; nor did he 
 stop there; taking from the casket three diamonds 
 of the finest water, as large as nightingales' eggs, 
 he forced them on Omar, who put them in his girdle, 
 respectfully kissed the Banian's right hand, and seated 
 himself by his father, his gravity unmoved by the 
 gaze of the assembly. 
 
 46
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Well done, my friend," said Mansour, "but All is a 
 novice ; had he not neglected the cadi he would have 
 gained his suit. It is my turn now ; mark me well, and 
 profit by the lesson I shall give you. Stop, young 
 man ! " he cried to the East Indian, who was carrying 
 off the diamonds, "we have an account to settle. I 
 entreat the illustrious cadi to keep this casket for a 
 moment; there may be those here who have a better 
 right to it than either this stranger or the prudent AH." 
 
 There was universal surprise among the specta- 
 tors, and all listened to the new claimant. 
 
 "The day before yesterday" said Mansour, "a 
 veiled lady entered my shop in the bazaar and asked 
 to look at some necklaces. Nothing that I showed 
 her pleased her taste, and she was about to leave 
 the shop, when she spied a sealed box in a corner, 
 and entreated me to open it. This box contained a 
 set of topazes which were no longer at my disposal, 
 having been already sold to the Pacha of Egypt. I 
 told the lady this, but she insisted on at least seeing 
 the gift destined for a sultana. A woman's wish is 
 a thing not easily thwarted. There are three kinds 
 of obstinacy that are irresistible, that of princes, 
 of children, and of women. I was so weak as to 
 yield. The stranger looked at the necklace, tried it 
 on, and declared that she would have it at any price. 
 On my refusal, she quitted the bazaar, loading me 
 with threats and maledictions. An hour after, this 
 young man entered my shop, and bursting into tears, 
 kissed my hand and entreated me to sell him the 
 
 47
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 necklace, saying that his own life and that of the 
 lady depended on it. 'Ask of me what you will, 
 my father^ said he, 'but I must have these gems or 
 die! I have a weakness for young men, and, though 
 I knew the danger of disappointing my master the 
 pacha, I was unable to resist his supplications. 'Take 
 the topazes,' said I to the stranger, 'but promise to 
 give whatever I may ask in exchange.' 'My head 
 itself, if you will, for you have saved my life^ he re- 
 plied, as he carried off the necklace. We were with- 
 out witnesses^' added Mansour, turning to the Banian, 
 "but is not my story true?" 
 
 "Yes" said the young man, "and I beg your par- 
 don for not having satisfied you sooner: you know 
 the cause. Now that I have recovered my fortune, 
 thanks to your son, ask of me what you desire." 
 
 "What I desire" said Mansour, nodding to the 
 pacha, who was gazing fixedly at a palm tree, "what 
 I desire is this casket with all its contents. It is not 
 too much for a man who risks his life by disobeying 
 the pacha. Illustrious magistrate, your excellency 
 has declared that all bargains hold good before the 
 law. This young man has promised to give me what 
 I please ; now I declare that nothing pleases me but 
 these diamonds." 
 
 The cadi raised his head and looked about the as- 
 sembly as if to interrogate the faces, then stroked 
 his beard and relapsed into his meditations. 
 
 "Ali is defeated" said the sheik to Omar, with a 
 smile. "The fox is not yet born more cunning than 
 the worthy Mansour."
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "I am lost! " cried the Banian. "Oh, Omar, have 
 you saved me only to cast me down from the highest 
 pinnacle of joy to the depths of despair? Persuade 
 your father to spare me, that I may owe my life to 
 you a second time." 
 
 "Well, my son" said Mansour, "doubtless you are 
 shrewd, but this will teach you that your father 
 knows rather more than you do. The cadi is about 
 to decide; try whether you can dictate his decree." 
 
 "It is mere child's play" answered Omar, shrug- 
 ging his shoulders; " but since you desire it, my 
 father, you shall lose your suit." He rose, and taking 
 a piastre from his girdle, put it into the hand of the 
 Banian, who laid it before the judge. 
 
 "Illustrious cadi," said he, "this young man is ready 
 to fulfill his engagement. This is what he offers 
 Mansour, a piastre. In itself, this coin is of little 
 value; l but examine it closely, and you will see that 
 it is stamped with the likeness of the sultan, our 
 gloiious master. May God destroy and confound all 
 who disobey his highness ! It is this precious likeness 
 that we offer you," added Omar, turning to Mansour; 
 "if it pleases you, you are paid; to dare to say that 
 it displeases you is an insult to the pacha, a crime 
 punishable by death ; and I am sure that our worthy 
 cadi will not become your accomplice, he who has 
 always been and always will be the faithful servant 
 of all the sultans." 
 
 When Omar had finished speaking, all eyes turned 
 
 1 About flve cents. 
 
 49
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 toward the cadi, who, more impenetrable than ever, 
 stroked his face and waited for the old man to come 
 to his aid. Mansour was agitated and embarrassed. 
 The silence of the cadi and the assembly terrified 
 him, and he cast a supplicating glance toward his son. 
 
 "My father," said Omar, "permit this young man 
 to thank you for the lesson of prudence which you 
 have given him by frightening him a little. He 
 knows well that it was you who sent me to his aid, 
 and that all this is a farce. No one is deceived by 
 hearing the son oppose the father; and who has ever 
 doubted Mansour's experience and generosity?" 
 
 "No one," interrupted the cadi, starting up like a 
 man suddenly awakened from a dream, "and I least 
 of all; and this is why I have permitted you to speak, 
 my young Solomon. I wished to honor in you the 
 wisdom of your father; but another time avoid med- 
 dling with his highness's name; it is not safe to 
 sport with the lion's paws. The matter is settled. 
 The necklace is worth a hundred thousand piastres, 
 is it not, Mansour? This madcap shall give you, 
 therefore, a hundred thousand piastres, and all par- 
 ties will be satisfied." 
 
 Despite his modesty, Omar could not escape the 
 gratitude of the East Indian or the praises of the 
 merchants. The former tried to force the casket into 
 his hands; and it was impossible to prevent him 
 from seizing the bridle of the mule that carried 
 Omar, and accompanying to his door him whom he 
 styled the most generous and wisest of men. The 
 
 50
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 merchants, on their side, heaped congratulations on 
 Mansour; and the celebrated case which called forth 
 the wisdom of him whom the sagacious cadi styled 
 the new Solomon is still talked of at Djiddah. 
 
 Once at home, Mansour broke into reproaches. "I 
 can not understand you, my son" said he. "I had a 
 fortune in my hands, and you have snatched it from 
 me. Is this your idea of business? Is this the respect 
 that you show your father?" 
 
 "Have patience, my father," replied Omar, coldly. 
 "To-day I have made myself a reputation for pru- 
 dence and probity. It is a noise that will be lasting, a 
 first impression that will never be effaced. Reputa- 
 tion is a jewel which nothing can replace; it is ten 
 thousand times more valuable capital than your dia- 
 monds. All distrust Mansour's cunning, but all will 
 confide, like this foreigner, in Omar's honesty and 
 integrity. The bait is thrown, the trout will not be 
 long in coming." 
 
 Mansour stood confounded. He had desired a son 
 that should be worthy of himself; he began to fear 
 that Eblis had granted his prayer too literally. He 
 admired Omar indeed; such calculation at so tender 
 an age could not but delight a man whose whole life 
 had been one of calculation. But it must be con- 
 fessed to the old man's shame this precocious ex- 
 perience chilled his heart, and, to tell the truth, he 
 stood appalled before this sage of fifteen .
 
 VI 
 
 VIRTUE REWARDED 
 
 1OTHING was wanting to Mansour's 
 happiness; during the five remaining 
 years of his life the merchant could 
 fully enjoy the education and success 
 of his son. He saw all his trade pass 
 into Omar's hands; the wealth of his 
 house became enormous, and, as is always the case, 
 public esteem increased in proportion to wealth. 
 How could Omar help succeeding? He had every- 
 thing in his favor an abundance of money, few 
 passions and no scruples. None had ever combined 
 to such a degree what constitutes genius in busi- 
 ness, love of gold and contempt of men. Mansour 
 could therefore breathe his last in peace. His life 
 had been long, disease had spared his old age, his 
 dreams were realized, and he was sure of leaving an 
 heir behind him who would keep and increase the 
 fortune accumulated with such difficulty; yet it is 
 affirmed that the Egyptian died with his heart filled 
 with rage, crying out that no one loved him, exe- 
 crating his folly, and trembling at the sight of his 
 
 52
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 treasures, as if the gold, heated in the infernal fire, 
 already lay a burning weight on his breast and brow. 
 
 Omar heard of his father's death with complete 
 resignation. Business had called him away from his 
 dying bed; business was his consolation. His cour- 
 age was worthy of admiration ; at the mere sight of 
 a piastre, he dried up his tears and stifled his sorrow. 
 
 Left alone with so noble an inheritance, the son 
 of Mansour set no bounds to his desires. Nothing 
 escaped his schemes ; it seemed as if from within his 
 little house in Djiddah, like the spider in his web, 
 he drew all the wealth of the world into his invisible 
 net. Rice and sugar from India; gum and coffee 
 from Yemen ; ivory, gold dust, and slaves from Abys- 
 sinia; corn from Egypt; tissues from Syria; ships and 
 caravans, all came to Omar. Yet never did man 
 welcome good fortune more modestly. To see him 
 in the street in his rusty clothes and scanty turban, 
 his eyes cast down, telling his wooden beads with 
 his fingers, he would not have been thought worth 
 twenty thousand piastres. Nothing betrayed the rich 
 man in his conversation; he was familiar with his in- 
 feriors, free and easy with his equals, cringing toward 
 those from whom he hoped for anything, and re- 
 spectful toward those who had it in their power to 
 do him an injury. According to him, it was a great 
 mistake to attribute to him a large fortune ; all this 
 merchandise was not his property, but consignments 
 from foreign correspondents who had confidence in 
 him, a confidence which must have cost him dear, 
 
 53
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 for he constantly complained of losing money. If he 
 bought the handsomest slaves, the richest perfumes, 
 the choicest tobacco, and the rarest stuffs, it was al- 
 ways for some pacha or foreign trader. It was whis- 
 pered that these treasures never left the Egyptian's 
 house who can silence men's tongues? but nothing 
 certain was known. Omar had no friends, transacted 
 his business at the bazaar, and received no visits. 
 Whether he 1 was poor or rich, a sage, or an egotist, 
 humble or hypocritical, was the secret of Satan. 
 
 His prudence was on a par with his modesty. 
 Beginning with the pacha and ending with the col- 
 lector of customs, there was not an officer at Djiddah, 
 great or small, with whose pipe-bearer, groom, or 
 favorite slave Omar was not acquainted. He was 
 not fond of giving, and often repeated the maxim of 
 the Koran that prodigals are the brethren of Satan ; 
 but he knew how to open his hand at the right time, 
 and no one ever repented a service rendered this 
 honest man. Pachas pass away quickly at'Djiddah; 
 the hand of the Turk is heavy, and the richest mer- 
 chants were often forced to pay a ransom. The son 
 of Mansour alone escaped these loans, which are 
 never repaid. Within a week, by one means or an- 
 other, he was the friend, it was even said, the banker, 
 of the new governor, and the storm which had 
 threatened him always burst on other heads than 
 his, so that he was an object of astonishment and 
 envy to all his brethren. 
 
 The day came, however, when his star paled. A 
 
 54
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 pacha, who had made a fortune in three months in 
 rather too obvious a manner, was recalled to Con- 
 stantinople, and his successor received orders to be 
 an honest man; the government being anxious to 
 please the Franks, of whom, unhappily, it stood in 
 need, and who were raising a great outcry. Turk as 
 he was, the new pacha understood how to give satis- 
 faction in high places. The day after his arrival, he 
 went in disguise to buy provisions of the chief butcher 
 and baker in Djiddah. The mohtesib, or inspector 
 of the market, was forewarned, and was ready in the 
 street, with his clerks and great scales, to weigh what 
 the pacha had just bought. The twelve pounds of 
 bread fell short two ounces, and the huge quarter of 
 mutton one ounce. The crime was a flagrant one, 
 and the offenders were speedily brought to justice. 
 The pacha overwhelmed the wretches who fattened 
 on the sweat of the people with abuse and reproaches, 
 and, in his just anger, refused to listen to their de- 
 fence, but ordered them to be instantly stripped, 
 bound, and bastinadoed, after which by express com- 
 mand the baker was nailed by the ear to his shop 
 door, and the butcher was fastened to one of the 
 windows of the great mosque, after having his nose 
 pierced with an iron wire from which the ounce of 
 meat which he had stolen was suspended. The popu- 
 lace heaped every species of outrage upon the two 
 unfortunates ; God was glorified throughout the whole 
 city; the pacha was styled the friend of the people, 
 the lover of justice, and the new Haroun Al-Raschid; 
 
 55
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 and the story of this virtuous deed, after rejoicing 
 the sultan, spread to the West, to the confusion and 
 despair of the infidels. 
 
 On the same evening several of the merchants 
 freighted a ship for Egypt, having suddenly learned 
 that their presence was needed at Cairo. Omar, in- 
 stead of giving way to terror, calmly stroked his 
 beard. "Virtue is a kind of merchandise not in the 
 market" thought he ; " when it is needed, therefore, 
 it must be bought dear." Whereupon he repaired to 
 the bazaar, chanced to meet the pacha's secretary, 
 made him sit down beside him, and offered him a pipe 
 by mistake that had been designed for the sultan. 
 
 "It is always bad policy to do justice to the peo- 
 ple" said Omar to the secretary; "once led into bad 
 habits, they grow exacting. It is a death-blow to 
 large speculations." The secretary gazed at his mag- 
 nificent pipe, and thought Omar a man of sense. 
 
 Alas! the Egyptian had judged but too rightly. 
 The first market-day grain was found to have risen 
 two piastres an ardeb. 1 The populace became ex- 
 cited ; two men especially talked with extreme vehe- 
 mence, the butcher whose nose had been slit, and 
 the one-eared baker. The cheats of yesterday had 
 become the heroes of to-day; they were pitied as 
 victims, and the more they clamored the more they 
 were admired. 
 
 From word to deed there is but a step among the 
 populace. The mob was already attempting to burst 
 
 'About five bushels. 
 
 56
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 open Omar's house when the chief of the police, sur- 
 rounded by soldiers, came to summon the merchant 
 before the pacha. Omar received the officer with an 
 emotion that may be easily understood, and fervently 
 glued his lips to his hand ; but the chief of the police 
 hastily withdrew it, and thrust it clinched into his 
 girdle, as if polluted by the kiss of a criminal. Never- 
 theless, he neither abused nor maltreated the son of 
 Mansour, to the great displeasure of the populace, 
 which loves justice and is not sorry to see a man 
 accused of crime treated as though convicted of it, 
 especially when he is rich ; on the contrary, the chief 
 of the police more than once urged the prisoner to 
 rely on the equity of the governor. 
 
 "What is written is written " replied the Egyptian, 
 telling his beads one by one. 
 
 The doors of the palace were open, and the people 
 thronged into the courtyard, where the pacha sat, 
 grave and impassive, calming the turbulent passions 
 around him by his presence. The two accusers were 
 brought forward; the governor commanded them to 
 speak without fear. "Justice for all is my duty" said 
 he aloud; "rich or poor, no plunderer shall find grace 
 in my sight." 
 
 "God is great and the pacha is just" cried the 
 crowd ; whereupon four merchants, quaking with fear, 
 were thrust before the tribunal, all of whom kissed 
 the Koran and swore that Omar had bought from 
 them all the corn imported from Egypt. 
 
 "Death! death!" cried the people. The pacha 
 
 57
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 made a sign that the accused should be heard, and 
 silence ensued. 
 
 "Oh, my lord and master" cried Omar, prostrating 
 his forehead on the earth, "your slave places his head 
 in your hands. God loves those who show mercy; 
 the meaner the culprit, the more noble is it not to 
 crush him. Solomon himself spared the ant. It is 
 true that I have bought a few cargoes of corn in the 
 harbor of Djiddah, as any honest merchant may do; 
 but all here, except my enemies, know that the pur- 
 chase was made for my master the sultan. This corn 
 is designed for the troops posted by your highness 
 on the road to Mecca for the protection of the pil- 
 grims; so, at least, I was told by your highness's secre- 
 tary, when he gave me the money in your name, which 
 a poor man like me was not able to advance. May my 
 master pardon me for delaying so long to send him 
 the thousand ardebs of corn that he ordered! the 
 chief of the police will tell your highness that force 
 alone has prevented me from obeying him." 
 
 "What do you mean by a thousand ardebs of corn? " 
 asked the governor, fiercely. 
 
 "Forgive me, my lord" returned Omar, in an agi- 
 tated voice ; " I am so much troubled that it is difficult 
 for me to reckon correctly. I believe that it was 
 fifteen hundred" he added, gazing at the contracted 
 features of the pacha, "if not, indeed, two thousand." 
 
 "It was three thousand" said the secretary, hand- 
 ing a paper to the governor. "Here is the order 
 given to this man, in my own handwriting, under the 
 
 seal of your highness." 
 
 58
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "And has the merchant received the money in pay- 
 ment?" asked the pacha, in a softened tone. 
 
 "Yes, your excellency" replied Omar, bowing anew. 
 "The chief of the police, here present, will tell you 
 that he transmitted this order to me, and your high- 
 ness's secretary advanced me yesterday the two hun- 
 dred thousand piastres which I needed for the pur- 
 chase. I am therefore responsible to the pacha for 
 two hundred thousand piastres or three thousand 
 ardebs of corn." 
 
 "Then what is all this noise about?" exclaimed 
 the pacha, looking savagely at the two frightened 
 accusers. "Is this the respect you pay my master the 
 sultan? Are the soldiers who protect the holy pil- 
 grims to die of famine in the desert? Seize these 
 two knaves, and give each of them thirty strokes of 
 the bastinado. Justice for all, and no grace for false 
 witnesses. To accuse an innocent man is to rob him 
 of more than life." 
 
 " Well said "cried the multitude ; "the pacha is right." 
 
 The sentence pronounced, the butcher was seized 
 by four soldiers, who did not scruple to do justice in 
 their own cause. A running noose was passed round 
 the prisoner's ankles and fastened to a stake, after 
 which one of the Arnauts, armed with a stick, beat 
 the soles of his feet with all his might. The butcher 
 was a hero in his way ; he counted the strokes one by 
 one, and, the punishment being ended, was carried 
 off by his friends, casting furious glances at Omar. 
 The one-eared man was less resolute ; at every blow 
 
 59
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 he uttered Allah! with a groan that might have 
 melted a heart of stone. At the twelfth stroke Omar 
 kissed the ground before the pacha and entreated 
 pardon for the culprit, which was graciously granted. 
 This was not all ; he slipped a douro into the wounded 
 man's hand before all the people, and declared that 
 he had thirty ardebs of corn left, which should be 
 divided among the poor; then returned home amid 
 the blessings of those very persons who, an hour 
 before, were ready to tear him to pieces. Praises or 
 threats, he received both with the same humility or 
 the same indifference. "Allah be praised!" said he, 
 on entering his house. "The pacha drove rather a 
 hard bargain, but now I have him in my hands." 
 
 Tranquil in this respect, the son of Mansour resumed 
 his ingenious schemes. Thanks to him, the wealth of 
 Djiddah increased daily. One morning, on waking, 
 the slave-dealers learned with joy that the price of 
 their merchandise had doubled. Unfortunately, they 
 had sold all they had the day before to Omar, to fill 
 an order from Egypt. The next month it was rice, 
 then tobacco, wax, coffee, sugar, and gold dust. 
 Everything rose in value; but Omar's correspondents 
 were always the ones that profited by this sudden 
 rise. In this manner Djiddah became an opulent mar- 
 ket, so wealthy, indeed, that the poor could no longer 
 live there ; though the rich acquired fortunes by buy- 
 ing the good graces of the Egyptian. 
 
 As to him, seated every day at his counter, more 
 honeyed than ever to those of whom he had need, he 
 
 60
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 passed the hours in counting on his beads the millions 
 of piastres that he accumulated in all directions. He 
 said to himself in his heart that, despised as he was, 
 he was the master of men, and that should he need 
 the assistance of the sultan, he was rich enough to 
 buy him as well as his seraglio in the bargain. 
 
 Men do not grow rich with impunity. It is as impos- 
 sible to hide fortune as smoke. Despite all his humil- 
 ity, Omar received an invitation from the grand sherif 
 of Mecca to repair to Taif for an important service, 
 which he alone, it was said, could render the descend- 
 ant of the Prophet. The merchant was less elated by 
 the honor than dismayed at the service which might 
 be asked of him. "The rich have two kinds of foes," 
 said he, "the small and the great. The first are like 
 the ants, that empty the house grain by grain; the 
 second like the lion, the king of robbers, that flays us 
 with one stroke of his paw. But with patience and 
 cunning, it is easier to shake off the lion than the ant. 
 Let us see what the sherif desires; if he wishes to 
 deceive me, I will not be duped by him ; if he wishes 
 to be paid, he shall give me the worth of the money." 
 
 It was with this respect for the Commander of the 
 Faithful that Omar took the way to Taif. The sight 
 of the desert soon changed the current of his thoughts. 
 The tents and the clumps of palm trees scattered amid 
 the sands recalled his childhood, and for the first time 
 his brother Abdallah recurred to his memory. "Who 
 knows" he thought, "whether by chance I may not 
 need him?" 
 
 61
 
 VII 
 
 HILE the son of Mansour abandoned 
 himself to the love of gain, as if he 
 were to live forever, Abdallah grew in 
 piety, wisdom, and virtue. He had 
 adopted his father's calling, and guided 
 the caravans between Yambo, Medina, 
 and Mecca. As ardent as the young horse that flings 
 his mane to the wind, and as prudent as a graybeard, 
 he had gained the confidence of the principal mer- 
 chants, and, despite his youth, it was he that was 
 recommended by preference to the pilgrims when 
 they thronged from all parts of the world, in the sacred 
 month, to march seven times round the holy Caaba, 
 encamp on Mount Arafat, and offer sacrifices in the 
 valley of the Mina. These journeys were not without 
 peril. The Bedouin had more than once risked his life 
 to protect those under his keeping, but he had fought 
 so well that all on his route were beginning to respect 
 and fear him. The aged Hafiz never quitted his 
 pupil; crippled as he was, he always found means to 
 be useful. Wherever there are men, there are always 
 
 62
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 stout arms and resolute hearts, but not always a faith- 
 ful friend and wise counsellor. 
 
 This life, interspersed with repose and alarm, peace 
 and danger, was delightful to the son of Yusuf. To 
 live a brave man, and die like a soldier, in case of need, 
 as his father had done, was Abdallah's sole ambition. 
 His wishes went no farther. Nevertheless, a cloud 
 overshadowed the serenity of his soul. Halima had 
 told him of the dervish, and the child of the desert 
 thought continually of the mysterious plant which 
 had the gift of bestowing happiness and virtue. 
 
 Hafiz, to whom Abdallah first opened his heart, 
 saw in this thought nothing but a snare of Satan. 
 "What is the use of troubling yourself?" he said. 
 "God tells us how to please him in the Koran; he 
 has but one law, do what he bids, and have no far- 
 ther anxiety; our business is only with the present 
 moment." 
 
 These words failed to appease the curiosity of 
 Abdallah. Hafiz had told him so many marvels which 
 he did not doubt, why should he not believe the story 
 of this talisman to be true, and why might not one 
 of the faithful discover it? "We dwellers among the 
 tents are unlearned" thought the Bedouin; "what 
 hinders me from questioning the pilgrims? God has 
 dispersed the truth abroad throughout the earth ; who 
 knows whether some hadji of the East or West may 
 not know the secret which I am seeking? The der- 
 vish did not answer my mother at random ; and with 
 God's help I will find the right path." 
 
 63
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 A short time after, Abdallah guided to Mecca a 
 caravan of pilgrims from Egypt. At the head of the 
 troop was a physician, who talked constantly, laughed 
 without ceasing, and doubted everything, a Frank, 
 it was said, who had abjured his errors to enter the 
 service of the pacha. Abdallah resolved to question 
 him. As they passed a meadow, he gathered a sprig 
 of shamrock in blossom, and presenting it to the 
 stranger, "Is this plant known in your country?" 
 said he. 
 
 "Certainly " answered the physician. "It is what 
 you call barsim, and we trijblium. It is the Alexan- 
 drian trefoil, family leguminosae, calyx tubular, corolla 
 persistent, petals divided into three segments or foli- 
 olae, and sometimes into four or even five, though this 
 is an exception, or, as we say, a monstrosity." 
 
 "Is there no species of shamrock, then, in your 
 country that always has four leaves ? " 
 
 " No, my young scholar, neither in my country nor 
 anywhere else. Why do you ask ?" 
 
 Abdallah gave him his confidence, whereupon he 
 burst out laughing. "My child" said he, "the dervish 
 was but fooling your mother. She asked what was 
 impossible of him, and he promised her what was 
 impossible." 
 
 "Why should not God create a four-leaved sham- 
 rock if he wished?" asked the Bedouin, wounded by 
 the stranger's disdainful smile. 
 
 "Why, young man? Because the earth produced 
 all the plants on one day by virtue of a germinating 
 
 64
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 power which was then exhausted. Since the time of 
 King Solomon there has been nothing new under 
 the sun." 
 
 "And if God wished to work a miracle, is his power 
 exhausted? " said Hafiz, who had approached the trav- 
 ellers. "He who drew the seven heavens and the 
 seven earths from the smoke in the space of two 
 days, and set them five hundred days' march from 
 each other ; he who ordered the night to envelop the 
 day; he who planted life everywhere, could he not 
 add a new blade of grass to the millions of plants 
 which he has created for the food and pleasure 
 of man ? " 
 
 "Certainly," replied the physician, in a mocking 
 tone ; " I am too good a Mussulman to pretend the 
 contrary. God might also send his thunderbolt to 
 light my pipe that has just gone out, but he does not 
 wish to do it; on the contrary, he wishes me to ask 
 you for a little fire." With these words he began to 
 puff his pipe and to whistle a foreign air. 
 
 "Accursed be unbelievers!" cried the cripple. 
 " Come, my son, leave this miscreant, whose breath 
 is death. If it is in punishment for our sins that God 
 has given the Franks the knowledge that makes their 
 power, it is also to chastise these dogs, and hurry 
 them faster toward the bottomless pit. Madmen, 
 who, to deny God, make use of his very power, and 
 the perpetual miracle of his goodness! Begone, infi- 
 del! " he added, raising his hand to heaven, as if to 
 call down its thunders on the head of the renegade ; 
 
 65
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "begone, ingrate, who turnest thy back upon the 
 Lord! God beholds the innermost recesses of thy 
 soul; thou wilt die in despair, and wilt feed forever 
 on the tree of hell, with its bitter fruit and thorns." 
 
 At the other end of the caravan walked a Persian, 
 with a white beard and a tall sheepskin hat, the poor- 
 est and most aged of the band, as well as the most 
 despised, for he was of a heretical nation. The old 
 man seemed unconscious of his poverty, age and soli- 
 tude. He spoke to no one, ate little, and smoked all 
 day long. Perched on a lean camel, he passed his 
 whole time in turning in his ringers the ninety-nine 
 beads of his rosary, lifting his trembling head mean- 
 while toward heaven, and murmuring mysterious 
 words. The poor man's gentleness and piety had 
 touched Abdallah's heart. Too young as yet to know 
 hatred, it was with the heretic that the son of Yusuf 
 sought a refuge from the unbeliever. 
 
 The animated face and sparkling eyes of the young 
 guide touched the heart of the dervish, who welcomed 
 the confidence that he divined with a kindly smile. 
 "My son," said he, "God give thee the wit of Plato, 
 the knowledge of Aristotle, the star of Alexander, 
 and the happiness of Cosroes ! " 
 
 "My father, thou speakest well" cried Abdallah; 
 "it is knowledge that I need, not the knowledge of 
 a heathen, but that of a true Mussulman, to whom 
 faith opens the treasure of truth." 
 
 "Speak, my son" returned the old man; "per- 
 chance I can serve thee. Truth is like the pearl; he 
 
 66
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 alone possesses it who has plunged into the depths 
 of life and torn his hands on the rocks of time. What 
 thou seekest I perhaps have found. Who knows 
 whether I may not be able to give thee the light 
 which thou enviest, and which is now valueless to my 
 dim eyes?" 
 
 Won by such kindliness, Abdallah poured out his 
 soul before the dervish, who listened in silence. The 
 confidence ended, the old man for his sole answer 
 drew a lock of white wool from the mat on which he 
 was sitting, and cast it to the wind; then, swaying 
 his body like a drunken man, and fixing a strange 
 gaze on Abdallah, he improvised the following lines, 
 
 "Tulip with dark corolla, charming cypress, 
 Young man, with eyes more black and soft than night, 
 Seest thou yon white speck fluttering in the breeze? 
 Thus pass our days, a dream that soon is told! 
 The desert rain less speedily dries up, 
 The falling rose less quickly fades away ; 
 All cheats or fails us, and the noblest life 
 Is but the long sigh of a last adieu. 
 God alone is true ; God alone is great ; alone is God ! 
 Wouldst thou, my child, that in the sacred book 
 Thy guardian angel should inscribe thy name? 
 Flee the intoxicating joys of sense. 
 God loves a heart unsullied by the world. 
 The body naught is but a sepulchre ; 
 Happy the man who breaks its deadening bonds, 
 To plunge into the depths of boundless love ! 
 To live in God is death; to die in God is life !" 
 
 "Thy words inflame my heart" said Abdallah; "but 
 thou dost not answer me." 
 
 67
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "What, my son! " cried the mystic, "dost thou not 
 understand me? The four-leaved shamrock does not 
 exist on earth; thou must seek it elsewhere. The 
 four -leaved shamrock is a symbol, it is the impossi- 
 ble, the ineffable, the infinite ! Wouldst thou possess 
 it? I will reveal to thee the secret. Stifle thy senses ; 
 become blind, mute, and deaf; quit the city of exist- 
 ence ; be like a traveler in the kingdom of nothing- 
 ness ; plunge into ecstatic rapture ; and when nothing 
 more causes your heart to beat, when you have encir- 
 cled your brow with the glorious crown of death, then, 
 my son, thou wilt find eternal love, and be swal- 
 lowed up in it like a drop of water in the vast ocean . 
 This is life ! When nothing was yet in being, love 
 existed; when nothing more remains, love will 
 endure; it is the first and the last; it is God and 
 man; it is the Creator and the creature; it is the 
 height above, and the depth below; it is everything." 
 
 "Old man" said the Bedouin, affrighted, "age has 
 weakened thy reason; thou dost not feel that thou 
 art blaspheming. God alone existed before the world 
 had being, God alone will remain when the heavens 
 shall have crushed the earth in their fall. He is the 
 first and the last, the manifest and the hidden; he 
 knoweth all things, and is able to do all things." 
 
 The old man did not hear ; he seemed in a dream ; 
 his lips moved, his eyes were fixed and sightless ; a 
 vision carried far from the earth this victim of the 
 delusions of Satan. Abdallah returned mournfully to 
 Hafiz and related to him this new disappointment. 
 
 68
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "My child" said the cripple, "flee these madmen 
 who intoxicate themselves with visions like others 
 with opium or hashish. They are idolators who wor- 
 ship themselves. Poor fools! does the eye create the 
 light? does the mind of man create the truth? Woe 
 to him who draws from his brain a world lighter and 
 more hollow than a bubble; woe to him who sets 
 man on the throne of God ! As soon as he enters the 
 city of dreams he is lost; God is effaced, faith evap- 
 orates, the will becomes lifeless, and the soul is 
 stifled; it is the reign of darkness and death."
 
 VIII 
 
 jOUTH is the season of hope and 
 desire. Despite his discomfiture, Ab- 
 dallah did not tire of questioning the 
 pilgrims whom he guided to Mecca, 
 still relying on a happy chance; but 
 Persia, Syria, Egypt, Turkey, and 
 India were mute, no one had heard of the four- 
 leaved shamrock. Hafiz condemned a curiosity which 
 he thought guilty, while Halima consoled her son by 
 making him believe that she still hoped with him. 
 
 One day, when Abdallah had retired to his tent 
 more melancholy than usual, and was debating in his 
 own mind whether he would not do well to quit his 
 tribe and go to foreign lands in search of the talisman 
 that evaded his grasp, a Jew entered the enclosure 
 to ask hospitality. He was a little old man, dressed 
 in rags, so thin that his girdle seemed to cut him in 
 two. Leaning on a staff, he slowly dragged along his 
 feet, wrapped in bloody rags, and he raised his head 
 from time to time and looked around as if imploring 
 pity. His wrinkled brow, his inflamed eyelids, his 
 
 70
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 thin lips which scarcely covered his toothless gums, 
 his disordered beard which fell to his waist, every- 
 thing about him bespoke want and suffering. The 
 stranger perceived Abdallah, and stretched out his 
 trembling hand to him, murmuring in a weak voice, 
 "O master of the tent, behold a guest of God ! " 
 
 Wholly absorbed in his thoughts, the son of Yusuf 
 heard nothing. The old man had already thrice 
 repeated his prayer when unhappily he turned his 
 head toward a neighboring tent, where a negress was 
 nursing her child. At the sight of the Jew the woman 
 hid her babe to preserve it from the evil eye, and 
 rushing from her tent, cried, "Begone, thou wretch, 
 worthy to be stoned ! Hast thou come here to bring 
 misfortune? May as many curses light on thee as 
 there are hairs in thy beard ! " And calling the dogs, 
 she set them on the wretched man, who tried to flee ; 
 but his foot caught in his robe and he fell, uttering 
 lamentable cries, too weak to drive off the enemies 
 that were tearing him. 
 
 His shrieks roused Abdallah. To rush to the Jew, 
 punish the dogs, and threaten the slave was the work 
 of an instant. He picked up the Jew, took him in his 
 arms, and carried him into the tent; a moment after 
 he was washing his feet and hands, and binding up 
 his wounds, while Halima brought him dates and 
 milk. 
 
 "I bless thee, my son," said the old man in tears. 
 "The blessing of the meanest of mankind is never 
 contemptible in the sight of the Lord. May God 
 
 71
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 remove far from thee jealousy, sadness, and pride, 
 and grant thee wisdom, patience, and peace, the 
 gifts that he has promised to the generous of heart 
 like thee ! " 
 
 At evening, Hafiz, Abdallah, and the Jew talked 
 long together round their frugal repast, although the 
 cripple could not conceal his repugnance to the son of 
 Israel. Abdallah, on the contrary, listened to the old 
 man with interest, for the stranger was a great trav- 
 eller, and told them of his journeyings. He was 
 acquainted with Muscat, Hindostan, and Persia; he 
 had visited the country of the Franks and crossed the 
 deserts of Africa; he had now come from Egypt 
 through Soudan, and was returning to Jerusalem by 
 the way of Syria. 
 
 "But the object of my search is not wealth, my 
 dear host" said the Jew; "more than once have I 
 seen it on the roadside and passed it by. Poverty 
 befits the children of Abraham, say our sages, as do 
 scarlet trappings the snow-white steed. What I have 
 pursued for half a century over deserts and seas, 
 through fatigue and misery, is the Word of God, the 
 sacred tradition. That unwritten word, which God 
 gave to Moses on Mount Sinai, was confided by Moses 
 to the keeping of Joshua; Joshua transmitted it to 
 the seventy elders, the elders to the prophets, and 
 the prophets to the synagogue. After the destruction 
 of Jerusalem, our masters collected it in the Talmud, 
 but how far were they from possessing it entire ! To 
 punish the sins of our fathers, God broke asunder the 
 
 72
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 truth, and scattered the fragments to the four winds 
 of heaven . Happy is he who can gather together these 
 dispersed shreds, happy is he who can discover a 
 ray of the divine splendor ! The children of the age 
 may despise and hate him; their insults are to his 
 soul like the rain to the earth, in bursting it asunder, 
 they purify and refresh it." 
 
 "And are you this man, my father?" said Abdallah, 
 so deeply moved by the words of his guest that he 
 quite forgot that he was talking with an infidel. 
 " Have you discovered this treasure? Do you possess 
 the whole truth?" 
 
 "I am but a worm of the earth" replied the Jew; 
 "but from my childhood up I have questioned the 
 masters, and entreated them to repeat to me the 
 secrets of the law ; I have sought in the Cabala for 
 the wealth that is thought valueless in the marts of 
 the world, and I have endeavored to decipher that 
 language of numbers which is the key to all truth. 
 How far I have succeeded God alone can judge; to 
 him be the praise! One thing is certain, namely, 
 that the angel Razriel initiated Adam into the myster- 
 ies of the creation ; and who dare say that this reve- 
 lation is lost? If there lives a man who has lifted a 
 comer of the veil, he has nothing more to hope or 
 fear on earth ; he has had his day, and is ready for 
 death." 
 
 " My father," inquired the young Bedouin trembling, 
 "has your science told you of a sacred plant which at 
 once bestows virtue and happiness? " 
 
 73
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Certainly," replied the old man, smiling; "it is 
 treated of in the Zohar, with many other marvels." 
 
 "It is the four-leaved shamrock, is it not?" 
 
 " Perchance" returned the Jew, with a frown; "but 
 how did this name reach your ears?" 
 
 When the son of Yusuf had finished his story, the 
 old man gazed at him tenderly. "My son" said he, 
 "the poor often repay hospitality better than the 
 rich, for God himself holds the purse-strings. The 
 secret which thou art seeking I long ago discovered 
 in the recesses of Persia ; and since God has led my 
 steps to thy tent, it is doubtless because he has chosen 
 me to bring thee the truth. Listen, and let what I 
 am about to tell thee be engraven on thy heart." 
 
 Hafiz and Abdallah drew near the old man, who 
 related the following tale in a low and mysterious 
 voice, 
 
 " You know that when God drove our first father 
 Adam from Paradise, he permitted him to carry with 
 him the date-tree to serve as his nourishment, and 
 the camel, which was molded of the same clay as him- 
 self, and which could not exist without him." 
 
 "That is true," exclaimed the cripple. "When my 
 young camels come into the world, they would die of 
 hunger if I did not hold their heads to their mothers' 
 udders; the camel is made for us, as we are for the 
 camel." 
 
 "When the flaming sword drove the first criminals 
 before it, Adam cast a look of despair at the abode 
 which he was forced to forsake, and, to carry with 
 
 74
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 him a last memento, broke off a branch of myrtle. 
 The angel let him alone; he remembered that by 
 God's command he had formerly worshipped the mor- 
 tal whom now he pitied." 
 
 "True!" said Hafiz. "It was the same branch of 
 myrtle that Shoaib long after gave to his son-in-law 
 Moses; it was the staff with which the prophet tended 
 his flocks, and with which he afterward wrought his 
 miracles in Egypt." 
 
 "Eve also paused in tears before those flowers and 
 trees which she had loved so well ; but the sword was 
 pitiless, and she was forced to proceed. Just as she 
 was about to go out, she hastily snatched one of the 
 plants of Paradise. The angel shut his eyes as he had 
 done with Adam. What the plant was Eve knew not ; 
 she had clutched it in her flight, and had instantly 
 closed her hand. She would have been wise had she 
 carried it away in the same manner; but curiosity 
 once more prevailed over prudence, and before cross- 
 ing the fatal threshold, our mother opened her hand 
 to see what she had gathered. It was the four-leaved 
 shamrock, the most brilliant of all the flowers of Par- 
 adise. One leaf was red like copper, another white like 
 silver, the third yellow like gold, and the fourth glit- 
 tering like diamond. Eve paused to look at her treas- 
 ure, when the fiery sword touched her; she started, 
 her hand trembled, and the diamond leaf fell within 
 the gates of Paradise, while the other three leaves, 
 swept away by the wind, were scattered over the 
 earth; where they fell God alone knows." 
 
 75
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 " What ! " exclaimed the young man, " have they 
 never since been seen?" 
 
 " Not that I know of; and it is even possible that 
 the stoiy is only an allegory, concealing some pro- 
 found truth." 
 
 "No, no" said Abdallah, "that is not so. Try to 
 remember, my father; perchance you will recall some- 
 thing more. I must have this plant at any price; I 
 wish it, and with God's aid I will have it." 
 
 The old man buried his face in his hands, and long 
 remained absorbed in contemplation. Abdallah and 
 Hafiz scarcely dared breathe for fear of disturbing 
 his revery . " My efforts are in vain ; I can recall noth- 
 ing to memory," said he, at last; "perhaps my book 
 will give me some information." He took from his 
 girdle a yellow manuscript volume, with a black, 
 greasy cover, turned the pages slowly, carefully exam- 
 ined the squares, circles, and alphabets mixed with 
 figures, beginning some with aleph and others with 
 than, the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. " Here 
 are four lines which are repeated in Soudan, and which 
 may interest you" said he, at last, "but their mean- 
 ing escapes me, 
 
 " ' There is a mysterious herb 
 
 That grows hidden from human eyes ; 
 Seek it not upon earth, 
 
 'Twill be found above in the skies! 
 
 " Patience, patience," he added, seeing Abdallah's 
 emotion, "the words have more than one meaning; 
 the ignorant seek to fish up truth from the surface, 
 
 76
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 the wise pursue it to the remotest depths, where they 
 attain it, thanks to the most powerful of instruments, 
 the sacred decade of the Sepiroth. Do you not remem- 
 ber the saying of one of our masters, the Rabbi 
 Halaphta, the son of Dozza? 
 
 "'Seek not heaven in yonder azure depths, 
 
 Where glows the burning sun and pales the moon ; 
 For heaven, my son, lies hid in thine own soul, 
 And paradise is naught but a pure heart! 
 
 Yes," he continued, raising his voice, "I discern a 
 light that guides me. Since God has permitted us to 
 meet, he has doubtless decreed that you shall find 
 what you desire ; but beware of outstripping his will 
 by a vain and guilty curiosity. Follow his law, execute 
 his commands, create a heaven in your soul, and some 
 day, perchance, when you least expect it, you will 
 find the desired reward. This, at least, is all that my 
 science can tell you." 
 
 "Well spoken, old man," said Hafiz, laying his hand 
 on Abdallah's shoulder. "Nephew" he added, "God 
 is master of the hour; wait and obey." 
 
 77
 
 IX 
 
 THE WELL OF ZOBEYDE 
 
 |HE night was a sweet one to Abdal- 
 lah. He saw the mysterious plant 
 more than once in his dreams, and as 
 soon as he awakened, he sought to 
 retain the friend who had given him 
 hope ; but the Jew obstinately refused 
 his entreaty. "No, my son" said he, "one night in 
 thy tent is enough. The first day a man is a guest, 
 the second a burden, the third a pest. Thou hast 
 nothing more to tell me, and I have nothing more 
 to teach thee ; it is time for us to part. Let me thank 
 thee once more, and pray God in thy behalf. If we 
 have no longer the same keblah, 1 at least we are both 
 the children of Abraham, and both worship the same 
 God." 
 
 The only favor that Abdallah could obtain was for 
 the Jew to mount a camel, and permit his two friends 
 to accompany him a day's journey on his way. Hafiz 
 had taken a fancy to the stranger, and Abdallah hoped 
 
 1 The point of the horizon toward which men turn their faces in 
 prayer; the Mohammedans turn toward Mecca, the Jews toward 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 78
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 to gain some new light on the subject nearest his 
 heart; but the sight of the desert awakened new 
 ideas in the old man's mind, and he thought no more 
 of the stories of the past night. 
 
 "If I am not mistaken" said he to Hafiz, "we shall 
 find on our way the well dug in olden times by the 
 Sultan Zobeyde in his pilgrimage to Mecca." 
 
 " Yes" replied the cripple, " it is Haroun Al-Raschid's 
 monument in our country. To the calif and his pious 
 wife we owe our finest gardens." 
 
 "A glorious monument," exclaimed the Jew, "and 
 one that will endure when what men call glory that is, 
 blood uselessly shed and money foolishly spent shall 
 be forgotten." 
 
 "Spoken like one of the children of Israel," rejoined 
 Hafiz. " You are a shop-keeping people. A Bedouin 
 reasons in a different fashion. War to him is the best 
 thing of all that earth affords. He who has not looked 
 death in the face knows not whether he is a man. It 
 is noble to strike with the front to the foe ; it is glo- 
 rious to overthrow an enemy and avenge those we 
 love. Are you not of the same mind, my nephew?" 
 
 " You are right, my uncle ; but battle is not pleas- 
 ure without alloy. I remember the time, when, closely 
 pressed by a Bedouin who held a pistol to my head, 
 I plunged my sword into his breast. He fell; my joy 
 was extreme, but it was of short duration. As I looked 
 on his dim eyes, and his lips covered with the foam 
 of death, I thought in spite of myself that he had a 
 mother who, however proud she might be of having 
 
 79
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 given birth to a brave man, must thenceforth remain 
 lonely and desolate, as my mother would have been 
 had her son been killed instead. And this man was a 
 Mussulman, that is, a brother! Perhaps you are 
 right" added the young man, turning to the Jew. 
 " War doubtless is noble ; but to fight the desert, like 
 the calif, and force the wilderness to give way before 
 fertility and abundance, this is great indeed ! Happy 
 they who lived in the days of Zobeyde the Good ! " 
 
 "Why not imitate those you admire?" asked the 
 old man, in a low tone, as if wishing to be heard by 
 Abdallah alone. 
 
 "Explain yourself" said the Bedouin; "I do not 
 understand you." 
 
 "Nor I either" said the cripple. 
 
 "It is because the eyes of youth are not yet open, 
 and those of old age are blinded by habit. Why is 
 this clump of acacias in this spot, when all around is 
 barren? Why do these sheep browse on grass which 
 is almost green here when the sands of the desert 
 have dominion everywhere else? Why do these birds 
 flutter in and out among the sheep, and pick up the 
 still sprouting earth with their beaks? You see this 
 daily, and because you see it daily you do not reflect 
 on it. Men are made thus; they would admire the 
 sun did it not return every morning." 
 
 "You are right" said Abdallah, thoughtfully, 
 "there is water in this spot ; perhaps one of the wells 
 formerly dug by the calif." 
 
 "How can you be certain?" asked Hafiz. 
 
 80
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "You would not ask the question" returned the 
 Jew, "if, like me, you had grown old on the Talmud. 
 Hearken to the words of one of our masters, and 
 know that all knowledge is contained in our law . ' The 
 words of the law before the coming of Solomon were 
 like unto a well, whose cool water lies far below the 
 surface of the earth, so that none can drink thereof. 
 Seeing this, the wise man fastens one rope to another 
 and one thread to another, then draws and drinks. 
 It was thus that Solomon passed from allegory to alle- 
 gory, and from speech to speech, till he had fathomed 
 the words of the law.'" 
 
 "Whoever finds this spring will find a treasure" 
 said the shepherd. "Stay with us stranger, and we 
 will seek it together: you shall aid us with your 
 science, and we will share with you." 
 
 "No" replied the Jew. "He who weds Science 
 weds poverty. I have lived too happily for half a cen- 
 tury with Study to be divorced from her now. Wealth 
 is an imperious mistress ; she requires the whole heart 
 and life of man. Leave her to the young." 
 
 The sun was going down on the horizon. The old 
 man dismounted from his camel and thanked his two 
 companions, whom he tenderly embraced, insisting 
 that they should go no farther. "Be not concerned 
 about me" he said; "he has nothing to fear who has 
 poverty for his baggage, old age for his escort, and God 
 for his companion." And waving his hand for the last 
 time, he resolutely plunged into the desert. 
 
 81
 
 THE COPPER LEAF 
 
 was not a difficult matter to purchase 
 the spot of ground where the piercing 
 eye of the pilgrim had divined a spring; 
 a few feddans l of half-barren sand are 
 of little value in the desert, and 
 twenty douros that Halima had for- 
 merly received from Mansour, and had kept carefully 
 in an old vase, sufficed to crown Abdallah's wishes. 
 Hafiz, who was always prudent, gave out that he 
 intended to build there a shelter for his flock, and 
 immediately set to work to bring sufficient boughs 
 thither to conceal from all eyes the mysterious work 
 about to be undertaken. 
 
 Wherever there are women and children there are 
 curiosity and gossip. It was soon a common rumor 
 among the tribe that Hafiz and his nephew passed 
 the nights in digging for treasure ; and when, at night- 
 fall, as the shepherds led their flocks to water, they 
 spied the two friends covered with sand, they did not 
 spare their taunts and jeers. "What is that," they 
 lr The feddan is a little less than our acre. 
 
 82
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 asked, "jackals hiding in their den, dervishes hol- 
 lowing out their cell, or old men building their 
 tomb?" "No" was the answer, "magicians digging a 
 path to the bottomless pit." "Let them be patient" 
 cried others; "they will find their way there only too 
 soon." And the laughter and ridicule went on; no bit 
 has yet been found to curb the mouth of the envious 
 and ignorant. 
 
 Abdallah and his uncle continued to dig with ardor 
 for more than a month, with but little progress; the 
 sand caved in, and the night destroyed the labor of 
 the day. Halima was the first to lose patience. She 
 accused her brother of having yielded too easily to 
 the folly of a child. By degrees Hafiz grew dis- 
 couraged, acknowledged the justice of his sister's re- 
 proaches, and abandoned the undertaking. "God has 
 punished me for my weakness" said he. "It was a 
 great mistake to listen to the wretched impostor who 
 amused himself with our credulity. Could anything 
 else have been expected from those eternal foes of 
 the Prophet and the truth?" 
 
 Abdallah, left alone, did not suffer himself to be 
 cast down by misfortune. "God is my witness" he 
 repeated, "that I am laboring for my people, and not 
 for myself alone. If I fail, what matters my pains? if 
 I succeed, what matters the time? " He passed another 
 month propping the inside of the well with wood, and 
 having secured his work, began to dig anew. 
 
 On the fifteenth day of the third month, Hafiz, 
 urged by Halima, determined to make a last effort 
 
 83
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 with that headstrong nephew who continued to cher- 
 ish a foolish hope after his uncle had set him the 
 example of wisdom and resignation. To preach to 
 Abdallah was not an easy task ; the well was already 
 thirty cubits deep, and the workman was at the bot- 
 tom. Hafiz threw himself on the ground and, putting 
 his mouth to the edge of the hole, shouted, "You 
 headstrong child, more stubborn than a mule, have 
 you sworn to bury yourself in this accursed well?" 
 
 "Since you are there, uncle," answered Abdallah, 
 in a voice which seemed to come from the bottomless 
 pit, "will you be kind enough to draw up the pannier 
 and empty it, to save time?" 
 
 "Unhappy boy "cried Hafiz, in a tone more of anger 
 than of pity, " have you forgotten the lessons which 
 I gave you in your childhood? Have you so little 
 respect for your mother and me that you persist in 
 afflicting us? Have you forgotten the beautiful saying 
 of the Koran, 'Whoso is preserved from the covet- 
 ousness of his own soul, he shall surely prosper ' ? Do 
 you think " 
 
 "Father! father! " cried Abdallah, "I feel moisture; 
 the water is coming; I hear it. Help! draw up the 
 pannier, or I am lost." 
 
 Hafiz sprang to the rope, and well it was for him 
 that he did so, for, despite all his haste, he brought 
 up his nephew covered with mud, senseless, and half 
 drowned. The water was rushing and boiling up in 
 the well. Abdallah soon came to himself, and listened 
 with delight to the rushing of the water; his heart 
 
 84
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 beat violently, and Hafiz's eyes filled with tears. Sud- 
 denly the noise ceased. Hafiz lighted a handful of dry 
 grass and threw it into the well, and, less than ten 
 paces from the surface, he saw the water smooth and 
 glittering as steel. To lower a jug and draw it up 
 again was the work of an instant. The water was 
 sweet. Abdallah fell on his knees and bowed his 
 head to the earth. His uncle followed his example, 
 then rose, embraced his nephew, and entreated his 
 pardon. 
 
 Within an hour, despite the heat of the day, the 
 two Bedouins had fixed a windlass by the side of the 
 spring, furnished with earthen buckets and turned by 
 two oxen, and the groaning sakiah poured the water 
 upon the yellow grass, and restored to the earth the 
 freshness of spring. 
 
 At nightfall, instead of going to the watering-place, 
 the shepherds stopped with their flocks at the spring, 
 and the scoffers of the night before glorified Abdal- 
 lah. "We foresaw it," said the elders. "Happy the 
 mother of such a son!" exclaimed the matrons. 
 "Happy the wife of such a brave and handsome 
 youth ! " thought the maidens. And all added, " Blessed 
 be the servant of God and his children's children ! " 
 
 When the tribe was assembled together, the son 
 of Yusuf filled a jug with water as cool as that of the 
 well of Zemzem, 1 and, resting it on his arm, offered 
 it first to his mother, and then to each of the others 
 
 1 A sacred well within the walls of the temple at Mecca; the same, 
 according to tradition, which gushed forth in the desert at the com- 
 mand of the angel to quench the thirst of Hagar and Ishmael. 
 
 85
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 in turn. He himself was the last to drink. As he 
 lifted the vessel to drain it to the bottom he felt 
 something cold strike his lips. It was a bit of metal 
 that had been swept along by the spring. 
 
 " What is this, my uncle ? " asked he of Hafiz . " Does 
 copper thus lie hidden in the bowels of the earth?" 
 
 "Oh, my son, preserve it; it is the choicest of treas- 
 ures" cried the old man. "God has sent you the 
 reward of your courage and labor. Do you not see 
 that it is a shamrock leaf? The earth itself has opened 
 to bring you from its depths this flower of Paradise. 
 All that the honest son of Israel told us is true. Hope, 
 my child, hope ! Praise God the Only, the Incompar- 
 able, and the All-powerful! He alone is great! " 
 
 86'
 
 XI 
 
 THE GARDENS OF IREM 
 
 ERDANT gardens watered by living 
 springs, boughs laden with fruit, 
 palm-trees, pomegranates, eternal 
 shade, such is the paradise which 
 the Book of Truth promises the faith- 
 ful. Abdallah received a foretaste of 
 this paradise on earth. His garden in a few years was 
 the most beautiful spot imaginable, a shady and 
 peaceful retreat, the delight of the eye and heart. 
 White clematis twined round the acacias and olive- 
 trees, hedges of myrtle surrounded the dourah, bar- 
 ley, and melon-beds with perpetual verdure, and the 
 cool water, flowing through numerous trenches, bathed 
 the foot of the young orange-trees. Grapes, bananas, 
 apricots, and pomegranates abounded in their season, 
 and flowers blossomed all the year round. In this 
 happy abode, where sadness never came, the rose, the 
 jasmine, the mint, the gray-eyed narcissus, the worm- 
 wood with its azure blossoms seemed to smile on the 
 passer-by, and delighted him with their gentle fra- 
 grance when his eye was weary of admiring their 
 
 87
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 beauty. What thicket escapes the piercing eye of the 
 bird? These friends of the fruits and flowers hastened 
 thither from every quarter of the horizon. One would 
 have said that they knew the hand that fed them. 
 In the morning, when Abdallah quitted his tent to 
 spread the carpet of prayer on the dew-bespangled 
 grass, the sparrows welcomed him with joyful cries, 
 the turtle-doves cooed more tenderly than ever from 
 under the broad fig-leaves, the bees alighted on his 
 head, and the butterflies fluttered around him ; flowers, 
 birds, humming insects, and murmuring waters, all 
 things living, seemed to render him thanks ; all lifted 
 up Abdallah's soul toward Him who had given him 
 peace and plenty. 
 
 It was not for himself that the son of Yusuf had 
 desired the wealth which he shared with his friends. 
 He dug a deep basin at the bottom of the garden, 
 into which the water flowed and remained cool during 
 the summer droughts. The birds, fluttering about it, 
 attracted the caravans from afar. "What water is 
 that?" said the camel-drivers. "During all the years 
 that we have travelled over the desert we have never 
 seen this cistern. Have we mistaken our road? We 
 filled our skins for seven days, and here we find water 
 on the third day's march. Are these the gardens of 
 Irem 1 which we are permitted to behold? Has God 
 
 1 Sheddad, the King of Ad, having heard of Paradise and its de- 
 lights, undertook to build a palace and garden which should rival it 
 in magnificence. A terrible voice from heaven destroyed this monu- 
 ment of pride, or rather, rendered it invisible, for a certain Ibn Kela- 
 bah pretended to have seen it during the reign of the Calif Moya- 
 wiah. The gardens of Irem are celebrated among the Arabs.
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 forgiven the presumptuous monarch who undertook 
 to create a paradise in the midst of the desert ? " 
 
 "No" answered Halima, "these are not the gar- 
 dens of Irem. What you behold is the work of labor 
 and prayer. God has blessed my son Abdallah." And 
 the well was called the Well of the Benediction.
 
 XII 
 
 THE TWO BROTHERS 
 
 [HREE things are the delight of the 
 eye, says the proverb, running wa- 
 ter, verdure, and beauty. Halima felt 
 what was lacking in this well-watered 
 and verdant garden . Again and again 
 she repeated to her son that a man 
 should not suffer his father's name to perish, but 
 Abdallah turned a deaf ear to her. He had no thought 
 of marriage ; his mind was elsewhere. He looked con- 
 tinually at the tiny copper leaf, and continually asked 
 himself by what deed of valor or goodness he could 
 please God and obtain the only boon that he desired. 
 Man's heart has not room for two passions at the same 
 time. 
 
 One evening, when old Hafiz had visited his sister, 
 and was using all his eloquence to persuade this wild 
 colt to submit to the bridle, a gun fired at a distance 
 announced the arrival of a caravan. Abdallah rose 
 instantly to meet the strangers, leaving Halima in 
 despair and poor Hafiz confounded. He soon returned, 
 bringing with him a man still in his youth, but already 
 
 90
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 fat and corpulent. The stranger bowed to Hafiz and 
 Halima, gazed at them earnestly, then, fixing his 
 small eyes on the Bedouin, " Is not this the tribe of the 
 Beni Amurs" he asked, "and am I not in the tent of 
 Abdallah, the son of Yusuf?" 
 
 "It is Abdallah that has the honor of welcoming 
 you" answered the young man; "all that is here 
 belongs to your lordship." 
 
 "What!" cried the new-comer, "have ten years' 
 absence so changed me that I am a stranger in this 
 dwelling? Has Abdallah forgotten his brother? Has 
 my mother but one son?" 
 
 The meeting was a joyful one after so long a sepa- 
 ration. Abdallah embraced Omar again and again, and 
 Halima kissed first one and then the other, while 
 Hafiz whispered to himself that man is a wicked ani- 
 mal. To suspect the son of Mansour of ingratitude 
 was a crime, but how often had this crime been com- 
 mitted by the old shepherd. 
 
 The repast finished and the pipes brought, Omar 
 took up the conversation. " How delighted I am to 
 see you ! " said he, tenderly clasping his brother's hand ; 
 "and the more so that I come to do you a service." 
 
 " Speak, brother ! " said the son of Yusuf. " Having 
 nothing to hope or fear except from God, I know not 
 what service you can render me; but danger often 
 draws near us without our knowledge, and nothing 
 is quicker than the eye of a friend." 
 
 " It is not danger, but fortune that is in question," 
 returned the son of Mansour. " Behold what brought 
 
 91
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 me hither. I come from Taif, whither I had been 
 summoned by the grand sherif. 'Omar,' said he to 
 me, 'I know you to be the richest and most prudent 
 merchant of Djiddah; you are known throughout the 
 desert, where there is not a tribe that does not respect 
 your name, or is not ready, at the sight of your sig- 
 net, to furnish camels to transport your merchandise, 
 or brave men to defend it. For this reason, I have 
 conceived a high esteem for you, and it is to give you 
 a proof of it that I have summoned you hither.' 
 
 "I bowed respectfully and awaited the pleasure of 
 the sherif, who stroked his beard a long time before 
 proceeding. 'The Pacha of Egypt ", said he at last, in 
 a hesitating manner, ' the Pacha of Egypt, who prizes 
 my friendship as I prize his, has sent me a slave who 
 will be the gem of my harem, and whom, through 
 respect for the hand that chose her, I can receive 
 only as a wife. The pacha does me an honor which I 
 accept with gratitude, though I am old, and at my 
 age, having already a wife whom I love, it would 
 have been wiser not to risk the peace of my house- 
 hold. But this slave has not yet arrived, and it is to 
 conduct her hither that I need your prudence and 
 skill. She can not land in Djiddah, which is under 
 Turkish rule, and must therefore go to Yambo, in my 
 dominions. The way is long from Yambo to Taif, 
 and the wandering hordes and haughty tribes of the 
 desert do not always respect my name. It does not 
 suit me to make war on them at present, neither is it 
 fitting that I should expose myself to insult. I am in 
 
 92
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 need, therefore, of a wise and sagacious man to go to 
 Yambo for me as if on his own behalf. You can easily 
 make the journey, and no one will be surprised at it. 
 What is more natural than that you should go to meet 
 a valuable cargo, and who would attack you, a simple 
 merchant, in a country where you have so many 
 friends and resources?' 
 
 "Thus spoke the sherif. I sought to decline the 
 dangerous favor, but was met with a terrible look. 
 The displeasure of a prince is like the roar of a lion ; 
 to incense him is to rush into his jaws. I resigned 
 myself to what I could not help . ' Commander of the 
 Faithful,' I replied, 'it is true that God has blessed 
 my efforts, and that I have a few friends in the desert. 
 It is for thee to command; speak, and I obey.'" 
 
 "That is well," said Abdallah; "there is peril to 
 brave and glory to win." 
 
 "It is for this reason that I have come to thee" 
 resumed the son of Mansour. "With whom should I 
 share this noble enterprise if not with thee, my 
 brother, the bravest of the brave; if not with the 
 wise and prudent Hafiz ; if not with the bold com- 
 rades? The Bedouins on the road have never seen 
 me they only know my name; and, besides, instead 
 of defending my caravan, they might plunder it, as 
 they have done more than once ; but if thou art there 
 with thy followers, they will think twice before attack- 
 ing it. To thee, therefore, it belongs to conduct the 
 affair, to thee will revert all the honor thereof. Thou 
 seest that I speak with perfect frankness. As for me, 
 
 93
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 I am only a merchant; them art a man of thought 
 and action. It is said in the desert that I am rich 
 and fond of money, a reputation which is a peril 
 rather than an aid ; thou, on the contrary, art respected 
 and dreaded. The name of the son of Yusuf is a 
 power ; his presence is worth an army. Without thee 
 I can do nothing; with thee I am sure of succeeding 
 in an adventure in which my head is at stake. Am I 
 wrong in relying on thee?" 
 
 "No" said Abdallah; "we are links of one chain; 
 woe to him who breaks it ! We will set out to-morrow, 
 and, happen what may, thou shalt find me by thy 
 side. A brother is born for evil days."
 
 XIII 
 
 THE CARAVAN 
 
 | HE same evening everything was in 
 readiness for departure, the skin 
 filled, the provisions prepared, the 
 bundles of hay counted, and the har- 
 ness examined. Abdallah chose the 
 surest camels and the most experi- 
 enced drivers. Nor was this all: he engaged twelve 
 young men, brave companions of tried courage who 
 laughed at fatigue and war. Who would not have 
 been proud of following the son of Yusuf ? His glance 
 commanded respect, his words went to the heart. 
 With sabre always drawn and hand always open, he 
 was the boldest of leaders and the tenderest of friends. 
 Beside him men were as tranquil as the hawk in the 
 cloud, or death in the tomb. On his part, Hafiz 
 passed a sleepless night. To clean the guns, try the 
 powder, run the bullets, and sharpen the sabres and 
 daggers, was work to his taste, a pleasure that he 
 yielded to no one. 
 
 As soon as the stars began to pale, the caravan set 
 out on its way, with Abdallah at the head by the side
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 of Omar, and Hafiz in the rear, watching everything, 
 and throwing out timely words of fault-finding or 
 praise. The camels walked slowly in single file, accom- 
 panied by their leaders chanting the songs of the des- 
 ert. In the midst of the band proudly marched a 
 magnificent dromedary, with a slender head, of the 
 Oman breed, covered with gold, silver and shining 
 plumes, and bearing a litter hung with velvet and 
 brocade, the equipage of the new favorite. The 
 silver-pommelled saddles, Damascus blades, and black 
 burnoose embroidered with gold, of twelve riders 
 mounted on fine horses, glittered in the first beams 
 of the sun. 
 
 Next came Abdallah's mare, led by a servant . Noth- 
 ing could be imagined more beautiful than this mare, 
 the glory of the tribe, and the despair and envy of all 
 the Bedouins. She was called Hamama, the Dove, 
 because she was as snowy, gentle and fleet as this 
 queen of the forests. 
 
 Abdallah, dressed like a simple cam el -driver, and 
 armed with a long iron-headed staff, walked on foot 
 by the side of Omar, who was seated tranquilly on his 
 mule. They were among friends, and had nothing to 
 fear, so that the brothers could talk at length of the 
 past. When the sun darted its vertical rays on their 
 heads, and the scorching air enervated man and beast, 
 the son of Yusuf took his place by the side of the first 
 camel-driver, and in a grave and solemn voice chanted 
 one of those hymns of the desert which beguile the 
 lonely way, to the praise of God. 
 
 96
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 God alone is great ! 
 Who maketh the earth to tremble? 
 
 Who launcheth the thunderbolt through the burning air? 
 Who giveth the sands to the fury of the simoom? 
 Who causeth the torrent to gush forth from its arid bed? 
 His name? hearest thou it not in the whirlwind? 
 
 God alone is great ! 
 
 God alone is great ! 
 
 Who calleth the storm from the depths of the sea? 
 Who causeth the rain and clouds to give way before the sun : 
 Who forceth the hungry wave to lick the strand? 
 His name? the wind murmureth it in its flight to the dying 
 wave: 
 
 God alone is great ! 
 
 Oh, the power of the divine name ! At the sound 
 of these praises the very brutes forgot their fatigue 
 and marched with a firm tread; the camel-drivers 
 raised their heads ; all refreshed themselves with these 
 words as a running brook. It is the strength of the 
 soul that gives energy to the body, and for the soul 
 there is no strength but in God. 
 
 Thus passed the first day. The next day some pre- 
 cautions were taken ; Hafiz went in advance as a scout ; 
 they set out as soon as the moon had risen, marched 
 in silence, and stopped earlier than the day before, 
 but saw no one. The succeeding days also passed 
 quietly, and on the evening of the nine days' march 
 they saw at last the walls and towers of Yambo. 
 
 97
 
 XIV 
 
 |HE caravan made a short stay in the 
 city; the brig that brought the slave 
 had arrived the night before, and 
 Omar was in haste to return in peace 
 to Djiddah. The camels rested; they 
 took the way to the desert. They 
 received the sultana at the water's edge. A flat-boat 
 put off from the ship with two women wrapped in 
 habarahs, or large mantles of black taffeta, and their 
 faces shrouded, all but the eyes, in bourkos, or white 
 muslin veils that fell to the feet. Omar received the 
 strangers with a respectful bow, and led them to the 
 equipage that awaited them. The dromedary knelt 
 down at the voice of Abdallah. One of the women 
 slowly mounted the palanquin and seated herself, 
 gracefully drawing the folds of her robe about her; 
 the other approached with equal gravity, but sud- 
 denly snatching off her mantle and veil, she threw 
 them over Omar's head, twisting the muslin around 
 his face, and almost smothering him; then, putting 
 one foot on the camel's neck, she leaped on his back
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 like a cat, grimacing like an ape at the astonished 
 Bedouins, and shouting with laughter. 
 
 "Cafour, you shall be whipped" cried the veiled 
 lady, who had much ado to preserve her gravity ; but 
 Cafour did not believe her mistress's threats, and con- 
 tinued to laugh and grimace at Omar as soon as his 
 head emerged from the coverings. The son of Mansour 
 at last threw off the heap of silk under which he had 
 been buried, and raised his head angrily toward the 
 creature that had insulted him; but what was his 
 astonishment to see a smile on the faces of the grave 
 Bedouins and Abdallah himself. All shrugged their 
 shoulders as they pointed to his enemy. He looked, 
 and saw a little negro girl of surpassing ugliness. A 
 round flat face, with small eyes, the whites of which 
 were scarcely visible, a flat nose sunken below the 
 cheeks, wide nostrils from which hung a silver ring 
 that fell below the mouth, enormous lips, teeth as 
 white as those of a young dog, and a chin tattooed 
 blue, such was the charming face of the damsel. To 
 add to her ugliness, she was loaded with jewels like 
 an idol. On the crown of her head was a plume of 
 parrot's feathers. The thick wool that covered her 
 head was parted in little tresses ornamented with 
 sequins ; her ears were pierced like a sieve, and hung 
 with rings of every shape and size ; a broad necklace 
 of blue enamel encircled her neck, and her arm was 
 covered from the wrist to the elbow with seven or 
 eight bracelets of coral, amber, and filigree work; 
 lastly, she wore on each ankle a prodigious silver band. 
 
 99
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 Such was Cafour, the delight of her mistress, the 
 beautiful Leila. 
 
 Full license is given fools, the favorites of God, 
 whose soul is in heaven while their body drags on the 
 earth. The whole caravan, therefore, except Omar, 
 who still bore her a grudge, took a liking to the poor 
 negress. It was but too evident that she had not her 
 reason; she talked and laughed continually; her 
 tongue spared nobody, and her judgments were insane. 
 For instance, she gazed long at the son of Mansour, 
 who, half reclining on his mule, marched by the side 
 of the litter, surrounded by his slaves, slowly smoking 
 Persian tobacco in his jasmine pipe. One of the ser- 
 vants having filled the pipe too full, he dealt him a 
 box on the ear. "Mistress" cried Cafour, "do you see 
 that old man buried in a cushion, with his feet in 
 slippers? He is a Jew, mistress; beware of him; he 
 would beat us for a douro, and sell us for a sequin." 
 Leila laughed, while Omar flew into a passion and 
 threatened the negress. To style a man who counted 
 his piastres by millions an old man and a Jew was 
 indeed the act of an idiot. What person in his right 
 mind would have dared to talk thus? It was soon the 
 turn of Abdallah, who was reviewing the caravan. 
 He had put on his war-dress, and every one admired 
 the grace of the young chief. His white burnoose 
 floated in long folds ; his Damascus pistols and silver- 
 hilted cangiar glittered in his belt; and a red and 
 yellow silk turban overshadowed his eyes, and added 
 to the fierceness of his glance. How beautiful he 
 
 100
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 was ! All hearts went out toward him, and his very 
 mare seemed proud of carrying such a master. 
 Hamama tossed her serpentine head and reed-like 
 ears ; her dilated nostrils breathed forth fire ; on seeing 
 her start, vault, stop short, and bound forward, it 
 seemed as if she and her rider were but one. As the 
 son of Yusuf paused near the litter, a camel-driver 
 could not help saying to Cafour, "Look, child; do you 
 see such beauty among your coarse Egyptians or in 
 your Maghreb ? " 
 
 "Look, mistress" cried the negress, leaning over 
 the camel's neck ; " see these fine clothes, elegant air, 
 tapering fingers, and cast-down eyes! Pretty bird, 
 why don't you look at us?" said she to Abdallah. 
 "Oh, I know; it is a woman in disguise, the virgin 
 of the tribe. Driver, tell him to come up here; he 
 belongs here with us." 
 
 "Silence, infidel!" exclaimed Abdallah, losing his 
 patience. "Must you have a ring through your lips to 
 stop your serpent's tongue?" 
 
 "It is a woman" said Cafour, laughing loudly; "a 
 man does not avenge himself by insults. Come, women 
 are made to love each other. You are handsome, and 
 so am I, but my mistress is the handsomest of the 
 three. Look!" 
 
 The eye is quicker than the thought. Abdallah 
 raised his eyes to the litter. Cafour playfully laid 
 hold of her mistress's veil ; the frightened Leila drew 
 back; the string broke; and the bourko fell. Leila 
 uttered a cry and covered her face with one hand, 
 
 101
 
 ABD ALLAH 
 
 while with the other she boxed the ears of the negress, 
 who began to cry. The whole passed like a flash of 
 lightning. 
 
 " How beautiful she is ! " thought the son of Mansour . 
 " I must have her." 
 
 "Glory to Him who created her, and created her 
 so perfect ! " murmured the son of Yusuf. 
 
 Who can tell the pain and pleasure that a moment 
 can contain? Who can tell how this fleeting vision 
 entered and filled Abdallah's soul? The caravan went 
 on, but the Bedouin remained motionless. Leila had 
 hidden herself in her veil, yet a woman stood smiling 
 before the son of Yusuf. He closed his eyes, yet, 
 despite himself, he saw a brow as white as ivory, 
 cheeks as blooming as the tulip, and tresses blacker 
 than ebony falling on a gazelle-like neck, like the 
 date branch laden with golden fruit. A pair of lips 
 like a thread of scarlet parted to call him ; a pair of 
 large eyes gazed at him, eyes surrounded with a 
 bluish ring, and sparkling with a lustre softer than 
 that of the violet moist with dew. Abdallah felt his 
 heart escaping him; he buried his face in his hands 
 and burst into tears. 
 
 The caravan continued its march, and old Hafiz 
 soon found himself by the side of his nephew. Aston- 
 ished at the silence and inaction of the young chief, 
 he approached him, and touching his arm, "Something 
 new has happened, has there not ? " he asked . 
 
 Abdallah started and recovering himself like a man 
 aroused from a dream, "Yes, my father" he answered 
 
 in a dejected tone. 
 
 102
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "The enemy is at hand! " cried Hafiz, with spark- 
 ling eyes; "you have seen him! Glory to God, our 
 guns are about to speak ! " 
 
 "No one threatens us; the danger is not there." 
 "What is the matter, then, my son!" said the old 
 man, anxiously. "Are you sick? Have you a fever? 
 You know that I am skilled in the art of healing." 
 "That is not it; at our first halt I will tell you all." 
 "You frighten me" said Hafiz; "if it is neither 
 danger nor sickness that disturbs you, some evil pas- 
 sion must be troubling your soul ! Take care, my son! 
 With God's aid the foe is defeated, and with God's aid 
 sickness is cured; there is but one enemy against 
 which there is no defence, and that enemy is our own 
 heart." 
 
 103
 
 XV 
 
 THE SULTAN OF CANDAHAR 
 
 |HEN the caravan halted, Abdallah 
 took his uncle aside. Hafiz seated 
 himself on his carpet and began to 
 smoke, without uttering a word. The 
 young chief, wrapped in his cloak, 
 stretched himself on the ground, and 
 long remained motionless. Suddenly he started up, 
 and kissing the old man's hand, " My uncle," said he, 
 "I implore the protection of God. What God wills 
 must come; there is no strength nor power but in 
 him." And in an agitated voice, he related the vision 
 which had troubled him. 
 
 "Oh, my son" said the shepherd, with a sigh, "thou 
 art punished for not hearkening to our words. Happy 
 is he who chooses a virtuous and obedient wife from 
 among his tribe, with the sole desire of perpetuating 
 the name of his father! Woe to him who suffers his 
 soul to be taken in the snares of a strange woman ! 
 Can anything good come out of Egypt? All the women 
 there, since Joseph's time, have been dissolute and 
 treacherous, worthy daughters of Zuleika! " l 
 1 The name given by the Arabs to Potipharfe wife. 
 104
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Treachery had naught to do with it, my uncle; 
 it was wholly the work of chance." 
 
 "Do not believe it, my nephew; there is no such 
 tiling as chance with these cunning fishers for men's 
 hearts, who spread their nets everywhere." 
 
 "She loves me, then ! " exclaimed the youth, start- 
 ing up; "but no, my uncle, you are mistaken. In 
 two days we shall be at Taif ; in two days we shall be 
 separated forever, yet I feel that I shall always love 
 her ! " 
 
 " Yes, you will love her, but she will forget you for 
 the first jewel from the hand of her new master. Your 
 heart serves her as a plaything; when the whim of 
 the moment has passed, she will break it without 
 remorse. Have you forgotten what the Koran says 
 of that imperfect and capricious being who is brought 
 up among ornaments and jewels? 'The reason of 
 women is folly, and their religion love. Like the 
 flowers, they are the delight of the eyes and the joy 
 of the senses, but they are poisoned blossoms. Woe 
 to him who draws near them ! he will soon have a 
 winding-sheet for his raiment ! ' Believe in my experi- 
 ence ; I have seen more families destroyed by women 
 than by war. The more generous a man is, the greater 
 is his danger. Do you not know the story of the Sultan 
 of Candahar, who was a true believer, though he lived 
 in the days of ignorance before the coming of Moham- 
 med, and a sage, though he sat on a throne. He 
 undertook to gather together all the maxims of human 
 prudence, in order to leave to his children an inherit- 
 
 105
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 ance worthy of him. With this end, the philosophers 
 of the Indies had written a library, which the sultan 
 took with him everywhere, and which ten camels 
 scarce sufficed to carry. 'Reduce all this science to 
 first principles,' said he. It was done, and but a 
 camel's load remained. This was still too much. A 
 number of aged Brahmins, chosen by the king, reduced 
 this abridgment of long experience first to ten vol- 
 umes, then to five, and then to a single one, which 
 was offered to the sultan in a box of velvet and gold. 
 The prince had reigned long, and life had few secrets 
 from him. He took the book, and began to blot out 
 all that was self-evident and therefore unnecessary. 
 'What is the danger that threatens my sons? ' thought 
 he. 'Not avarice, for that is the malady of the old; 
 nor ambition, for that is the virtue of princes. I will 
 strike out all this.' But at last he came to a more vio- 
 lent passion. He was so forcibly struck by the truth 
 of an adage that he threw the book into the fire, and 
 bequeathed this maxim alone to his children, calling 
 it the key to the treasure of life : All women are 
 false, above all, the one that loves thee ! ' Such was 
 the adage. Wouldst thou, my son, be more prudent 
 than this infidel, more enlightened than Solomon, or 
 wiser than the Prophet? No ; believe me, the beauty 
 of woman is like the scabbard of the sabre, a glit- 
 tering covering that hides death. Do not go to meet 
 thy destruction. Think of God, preserve thyself for 
 thy old and true friends, and if more is needed to 
 move thee, have pity on thy mother and old Hafiz." 
 
 106
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Thou art right" said Abdallah, sadly, as he 
 stretched himself on the ground, with his burnoose 
 for a pillow. For the first time he did not believe his 
 uncle's words; for the first time, too, the four-leaved 
 shamrock was forgotten. 
 
 107
 
 XVI 
 
 THE ATTACK 
 
 |IGHT is an antidote to fatigue and a 
 poison to sorrow. The son of Yusuf 
 rose with a mind more diseased than 
 the night before. Struck with incur- 
 able madness, he no longer felt him- 
 self the master of his will or his 
 movements; it was the delirium of fever, the dejec- 
 tion of despair. Despite himself, the fatal litter 
 attracted him ; he hastened to it, then turned and fled, 
 pursued by those terrible yet charming eyes. If he 
 saw from afar a horseman approaching the palanquin ; 
 if the son of Mansour turned toward the two women, 
 he spurred on his horse as if about to attack an 
 enemy, then suddenly paused, daring neither to draw 
 back nor advance. The whole morning he tortured 
 his horse. Panting and covered with foam, Hamama 
 bounded forward under the spur which tore her sides, 
 astonished at not understanding her master and shar- 
 ing his madness. 
 
 The shepherd cast withering glances toward the 
 litter. Leila had thrown herself back in the corner, 
 
 108
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 and covered her head with her veil, and no one was 
 to be seen but Cafour, spiritless and mute as a wet 
 bird. More tranquil in this respect, Hafiz turned to 
 look for his nephew, and saw him wandering at ran- 
 dom in the desert. Everything around him betrayed 
 a diseased mind. Hafiz spurred his horse toward 
 Abdallah . " Cheer up , my nephew ! " he cried . " Cour- 
 age! We are men in order to suffer; we are Mussul- 
 mans in order to submit to fate." 
 
 "I am stifling" answered the youth; "I am con- 
 quered by the malady that is preying upon me. Any- 
 thing, anything, my uncle, rather than what I suffer! 
 Let danger come; let the enemy draw near! I wish 
 to fight and to die ! " 
 
 "Mad wishes and guilty words" replied the old 
 man, sternly. "God is the master of life and death. 
 Beware lest he grant thy prayer; it is sufficient pun- 
 ishment that God should give us what we ask him in 
 our folly. What is that? " he added, leaping from his 
 horse, and carefully examining the ground. "These 
 are the prints of horses' feet; there are no camels 
 among them. An armed band has passed this way. 
 The marks are fresh ; the enemy is not far off. Do 
 you not feel that your passion is destroying us? You, 
 our leader, have noticed nothing ; you are leading us 
 to death." 
 
 The two companions looked about them, but saw 
 nothing but the desert. They were passing through 
 a desolate country. The road wound among prodig- 
 ious blocks of reddish granite, strewed over the sands 
 
 109
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 like crumbling ruins. The earth was full of gaping 
 crevices, the beds of dried-up torrents and deep caves, 
 graves opened for the traveller. There was not a 
 bird in the air, not a gazelle in the distance, not a 
 black speck in the horizon ; with a steel-like sky above 
 their heads, and the silence of death around them, 
 attacked there, their only hope was in their sabres 
 and God. 
 
 Hafiz ran to the head of the caravan. Each one fell 
 in line and was as silent as in a night -march ; naught 
 was to be heard but the crackling of the sand under 
 the feet of the camels. After an hour's march an 
 hour which seemed interminable they reached a hill 
 which it was necessary to turn. Hafiz went in advance; 
 he ascended the hill, and leaving his horse halfway 
 from the top, crept on his belly among the rocks. 
 After gazing long, he noiselessly descended, put his 
 horse to the gallop, and reached Abdallah's side, his 
 face as calm as at his departure. "There are white 
 tents in the distance" said he. "They are not Bedouins, 
 but Arnauts from Djiddah. They are numerous, and 
 are awaiting us; we have been betrayed. No mat- 
 ter; we will sell our skin more dearly than they will 
 care to buy it. Forward, my son, and do your 
 duty ! " And calling six of the bravest of the com- 
 pany, Hafiz loaded his gun and again took the way to 
 the height. 
 
 Abdallah had just reached the head of the column 
 when a white smoke appeared from a rock, a bullet 
 whizzed through the air, and a camel fell. Great 
 
 110
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 confusion instantly prevailed in the caravan ; the camels 
 fell back, rushing against and overthrowing each other; 
 the drivers fled to the rear, and the horsemen rushed 
 to the front. It seemed like a forest shaken by the 
 wind. The moans of the camels and neighing of the 
 horses mingled with the shouts of the men. In the 
 disorder a handful of robbers, whose red vests, white 
 drawers, and broad girdles easily showed them to be 
 Arnauts, fell upon the litter and hurried it away with 
 shouts of joy. It was in vain that Abdallah and his 
 friends attempted to charge on them; the sharp- 
 shooters in ambush felled them on the way. Thrice 
 Abdallah spurred his horse against his invisible foe; 
 thrice he was forced to return, his comrades falling 
 around him. 
 
 Abdallah trembled with rage; by his side, and not 
 less excited, was Omar, rending his clothes, Omar, 
 whose passion made him forget all prudence, and who 
 thought of nothing but the treasure that was snatched 
 from him. "Forward, my brother!" he cried. Both 
 were reining up their horses for a last effort, when 
 several musket-shots followed each other rapidly. 
 The Arnauts had forgotten old Hafiz, who suddenly 
 came upon them from above, and shot them down 
 without pity. 
 
 The road clear, the brothers rushed forward, fol- 
 lowed by Hafiz. "Gently, my son ! " cried he to Abdal- 
 lah. "Spare your horse; we have time." 
 
 "Where is Leila, my uncle? They are carrying her 
 off; she is lost." 
 
 Ill
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Old fool" said Omar, "do you think that these 
 robbers will wait for us? Twenty douros to him who 
 brings down the dromedary ! " 
 
 One of the Bedouins raised his gun, and taking 
 aim, fired, at the risk of killing the two women. The 
 shot struck the shoulder of the animal, which fell 
 with his precious burden. 
 
 "Well done, young man" said Hafiz, sarcastically, 
 to the Bedouin. "The Arnauts will thank you; you 
 have rid them of the only obstacle to their flight. 
 Now the sultana is lost." 
 
 Hafiz had judged but too rightly. The robbers sur- 
 rounded the litter and tore from it a woman wrapped 
 in a mantle, in whom Abdallah recognized Leila ; then, 
 by the command of a magnificently dressed chief, a 
 man took her behind him and set off at full gallop. 
 At this sight the son of Yusuf darted upon the enemy 
 like an eagle from the clouds. "Dog! son of a dog! " 
 he cried, "show your face, if you are a man! Is it to 
 fly the better that you have so fine a horse?" And 
 he fired his pistol at him. 
 
 "Wait, son of a Jew!" said the captain, turning 
 round; "my sabre is thirsting for your blood." 
 
 "Forward, children of powder!" cried old Hafiz. 
 "Charge, my sons! death before disgrace! Charge! 
 Bullets do not kill. What is to be, will be, according 
 to God's will." 
 
 Abdallah and the Arnaut rushed upon each other 
 at full speed. The captain advanced with a pistol in 
 one hand and a sword in the other. Abdallah had 
 
 112
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 nothing but a dagger, which he held in his hand as he 
 leaned forward, almost concealed by the mare's neck. 
 The Arnaut fired and missed. The horses met with 
 a violent shock, and the riders engaged hand to hand. 
 But Abdallah had the strength and rage of a lion ; he 
 seized his rival round the waist, shook him with a 
 terrible grasp, and plunged his dagger into his breast. 
 The blood spouted forth like wine from a pierced 
 skin, and the Arnaut bounded up and reeled in his 
 saddle. Abdallah snatched him from his horse and 
 threw him on the ground as if to trample on him. 
 "There is one that will drink no more," said Hafiz, 
 leaping on the body to despoil it. 
 
 The fall of the captain, the swords of the Bedouins, 
 who fell on the enemy like bees robbed of their honey, 
 and the cries of the camel-drivers, who rushed thither 
 with their guns, soon decided the day. The Arnaut 
 troop disappeared amid dust and smoke, the bravest 
 remaining in the rear and firing their pistols to protect 
 a retreat which it was not dared to molest. The vic- 
 tory was dearly bought ; more than one was wounded. 
 
 " Well, my brother" said Omar with flashing eyes, 
 " shall we stand here while these robbers are carrying 
 off our property?" 
 
 " Forward, my friends ! " cried Abdallah . " One more 
 effort ! we must have the sultana." 
 
 " She is here, my lord ; she is here ! " answered 
 several voices. 
 
 Abdallah turned abruptly and saw Leila, who had 
 just been extricated from the litter, covered with dust 
 
 113
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 and blood, with pale face and dishevelled hair, yet 
 more beautiful than ever, despite this disorder. "Save 
 me!" she cried, stretching out her arms, "save me! 
 my only hope is in you." 
 
 "Who was it, then, that those knaves carried off?" 
 asked Hafiz. 
 
 " It was Cafour " said Leila ; " she had put on my 
 mantle and wrapped me in her burnoose." 
 
 "Well played" said a Bedouin, laughing; "those 
 sons of dogs have taken an ape for a woman." 
 
 " Let us begone quickly" cried Omar, feasting his 
 eyes on Leila. "Let us begone; the day is ours. Come, 
 madam, do not mourn for the slave]' said he to Leila. 
 " For two hundred douros I can buy just such another 
 at Djiddah, which I shall be happy to offer you." 
 
 " Let us go " echoed the camel-drivers ; " the band 
 is large, and will return to attack us during the night." 
 
 Hafiz looked at Abdallah . " What ! " said the young 
 man, moved with pity, " shall we leave the negress 
 in the hands of these wretches?" 
 
 "What is written is written]' replied Omar, who 
 had lost all desire to fight. " Is it wise, my brother, 
 to risk your life and that of these brave Mussulmans 
 for a heathen whom we can replace in two days? We 
 must go ; we are expected at Taif. Are you about to 
 quit us when we are in need of you?" 
 
 "Abdallah" said the young woman, raising her 
 beautiful eyes to him, " do not abandon me ! " 
 
 The son of Yusuf placed his hand on his heart, 
 which he felt faltering. "No, no!" he exclaimed; 
 
 114
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "it shall not be said that a Bedouin forfeits his word. 
 If a sack of coffee had been intrusted to me, I would 
 not leave it in the hands of these robbers, and shall 
 I abandon to them one of God's creatures? Are there 
 any men here? Who will come with me?" There 
 was silence, and one of the Beni Amurs stepped forth. 
 
 "There are six of us wounded, and the sultana is 
 saved" said he. "We have kept our engagement." 
 
 "Come, my child," said Hafiz, ironically, " I see that 
 we are the only two that have madness in our veins. 
 Let us go. With God's aid we will recover the child." 
 
 "Adieu, my brother" said Abdallah, embracing 
 Omar ; " take good care of the stranger. If you do not 
 see me in two days, tell the sherif that I have done 
 my duty, and my mother not to weep for me." And 
 without turning his head, the son of Yusuf took the 
 way to the desert, accompanied by Hafiz, who un- 
 clasped his burnoose, and threw over his shoulders a 
 camel-driver's cloak. "We need the skin of the fox 
 instead of the lion," said he, laughing. 
 
 Omar followed them with his eyes, and when he 
 saw them disappear, " If they do not return" thought 
 he, "it will be no great matter. I shall make a better 
 bargain with the sherif than with that youth. It is 
 not easy to dazzle or deceive these madcaps who never 
 reason. Hurrah for men that calculate! they are 
 always to be bought, and through their wisdom we 
 get them at half price." 
 
 As he went on, Abdallah heard behind him the 
 shouts of the camel-drivers and the noise of the moving 
 
 115
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 caravan. He was quitting all that he loved for a 
 strange child. More than once he was inclined to look 
 back, but he dared not brave his uncle, who, his eyes 
 fixed upon him, seemed to read the depths of his 
 heart. When the last sound died away in the distance, 
 Abdallah paused in spite of himself. His horse turned 
 round, snuffing the wind, and anxious to rejoin its 
 friends. Hafiz laid his hand on the young man's shoul- 
 der. "My son," said he, "your road lies before you." 
 
 116
 
 
 XVII 
 
 JFTER an hour's march they came in 
 sight of the Arnaut tents, until then 
 hidden by a rising ground . The camp 
 was in the midst of a small tract of 
 brushwood, where the cattle had been 
 turned out to browse. "Let us stop 
 here" said Hafiz, approaching a rock illumined by the 
 setting sun; "we have six hours before us." 
 
 The horses tethered, the old man set to work 
 to pick up the dead branches and tie them in small 
 bundles, with cartouches and cotton inside. When 
 he had finished his task, he took from a bag a piece 
 of dried meat and a handful of dates, and having 
 eaten them, lighted his pipe, and began to smoke 
 tranquilly. " Now, my nephew" said he, " I am going 
 to sleep. Lovers do not need repose, but old men 
 are not like lovers. Wake me when the Great Bear 
 and her cubs are yonder in the horizon." A few 
 moments after he was asleep, while Abdallah, his 
 face buried in his hands, mused on her whom he had 
 saved and was never more to behold. 
 
 117
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 Hafiz awakened of his own accord just before the 
 time appointed, and looked tenderly at his young 
 companion. "Well, my child" said he, "you wished 
 for danger that you might forget your folly, and God 
 has granted your prayer. Have courage; two friends 
 that cling together will come out safe from the fire." 
 
 On nearing the camp, the Bedouins glided among 
 the briers and bushes. By creeping on their hands 
 and knees between the horses' legs, they assured 
 themselves that it was defenceless. No sentinels had 
 been posted except at a distant point ; all were asleep ; 
 the fires had gone out, and only one tent was lighted. 
 They noiselessly crept toward it; being in the shade, 
 they could see without being seen. "Listen" said 
 Hafiz; "perhaps we shall learn what has become of 
 the child." 
 
 Three men, better dressed than soldiers, were seated 
 on carpets, smoking long pipes, around a table 1 on 
 which coffee was served. A lamp in the middle dimly 
 lighted their faces. All three were talking warmly. 
 
 "A bad day's work ! " said one of the officers. " Who 
 would have thought that the captain would have let 
 himself be killed by a camel-driver! " 
 
 "My dear Hassan" answered the youngest of the 
 party, " what is one man's misfortune is another's good 
 luck. Since the captain is dead, the command belongs 
 to us." 
 
 "Very well, my dear Mohammed," returned Hassan ; 
 "but which of us three shall be chief?" 
 
 1 These tables, called kursi, are a species of benches from fifteen 
 to eighteen inches high. 
 
 118
 
 ABD ALLAH 
 
 " I will sell my chance," said the one who had not 
 yet spoken, and who stood with his back to Abdallah. 
 " It is said that the woman we have taken is a relative 
 of the Pacha of Egypt. Give me the sultana, and I 
 will return to Epirus to live at my ease. A graybeard 
 like me cares little for a woman, but the sherif will 
 think differently. To him the prisoner will be well 
 worth five thousand douros." 
 
 "Done" said Hassan. "Kara Shitan, I surrender 
 to you my share of the prize." 
 
 "But I do not," said Mohammed; "I am twenty- 
 five, and do not sell women. The idea of marrying a 
 sultana pleases me. I should not be sorry to be the 
 pachas cousin. My share of the command for the 
 princess. I have time enough to become captain." 
 
 "We can arrange it" said the graybeard ; "the sword 
 to one, the woman to another, and the money to me." 
 
 "So be it" said Hassan. "I will give two thousand 
 douros ." 
 
 "But what will Mohammed give?" 
 
 " Mohammed will promise anything you like " replied 
 the young man, laughing. " He who has nothing but 
 hope in his purse does not stop to haggle." 
 
 "You have a black mare; I will take her." 
 
 "Old Jew" cried Mohammed, "dare to touch my 
 mare, and I will break your head." 
 
 "Then you shall not have the sultana," returned 
 the graybeard. 
 
 "Who will hinder me?" 
 
 "A man that fears you little," cried Kara Shitan; 
 
 119
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 and going to the end of the tent, he touched the 
 curtain that divided it in two. "The sultana is here; 
 take her if you can" he said. 
 
 Mohammed drew his dagger. Hassan threw him- 
 self between the rivals, opposing prayers and counsels 
 to threats and insults, without succeeding in imposing 
 silence on the opponents. 
 
 "We have them " whispered Hafiz in Abdallah's ear. 
 "I am going to draw them from the tent. Take the 
 child, go with the horses, and wait for me at the Red 
 Rocks till daybreak." 
 
 The old man crept to his bundles of sticks, and 
 slipped them here and there under the most distant 
 tents, lighting the end of a match which projected 
 from each. Meanwhile Hassan had pacified the two 
 chiefs by dint of persuasions and promises. Kara 
 Shitan delightedly thrust in his girdle a magnificent 
 sabre, which Mohammed eyed with regret. "Well" 
 said he, "since I have bought the sultana give her 
 to me." 
 
 "It is just" said the graybeard. He called the 
 stranger ; the curtain rose ; and a veiled woman came 
 forth, wrapped in an Egyptian mantle. 
 
 The young Arnaut approached her, and said in a 
 softened voice, "Madam, war has its rights; you no 
 longer belong to the sherif, but to me. I have bought 
 you with my gold ; if necessary, I would have bought 
 you with my blood." 
 
 " It is a dear bargain " said a mocking voice which 
 made Abdallah start. 
 
 120
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Beauty is above all price " said Mohammed. "What 
 treasure could pay for your charms?" 
 
 "Two purses would be enough" replied the veiled 
 lady. 
 
 " Madam , that was not the opinion of the sherif. 
 I am sure that the Commander of the Faithful would 
 give half his wealth to be in my place, with the beauti- 
 ful Egyptian by his side." 
 
 "If the caravan is still on its way, the beautiful 
 Egyptian will be at Taif to-morrow" returned the 
 stranger. 
 
 "Who are you, then? " asked Mohammed. For the 
 answer, the veil fell, and showed the ebony face and 
 white teeth of Cafour. The negress made so strange 
 a figure that the old Arnaut could not help bursting 
 into a laugh which raised to its height the fury of his 
 companion. 
 
 "Woe to him who has trifled with me!" cried 
 Mohammed, looking at Kara Shitan ; "he shall pay me 
 sooner or later. As for you, dog, you shall carry it no 
 farther." And blind with rage, he drew a pistol and 
 fired at the child. The negress staggered, uttering a 
 cry of pain and terror. At the same instant a shot was 
 heard, and Mohammed reeled and fell. Abdallah was 
 in the tent with a pistol in his hand. 
 
 "To arms!" cried the chiefs, putting their hands 
 to their belts. Swifter than lightning, Cafour over- 
 turned the table and lamp with her foot, and Abdal- 
 lah felt a little hand grasp his and draw him to the 
 back of the tent. To enter the woman's apartments 
 
 121
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 and lift a corner of the canvas was an easy thing for 
 Cafour, who seemed to see in the dark. Once out- 
 side, Abdallah took the child in his arms and fled to 
 the desert. 
 
 The voice of the chiefs had roused the whole band, 
 but on rushing into the tent they could find no one. 
 " To horse ! " cried Hassan ; " dead or alive, the trai- 
 tor shall not escape us." 
 
 All at once a burning torch fell in the midst of the 
 brush. The frightened horses rushed into the plain, 
 and at the same time the cry of fire was raised. The 
 conflagration spread in every direction, while at a dis- 
 tance shots were fired at the sentinels. "Come, my 
 children" said the captain; "it is an attack; the enemy 
 is at hand . Forward ! " 
 
 Hafiz had his ear to the ground. "Allah is great; 
 Abdallah is saved ! " he exclaimed, when he heard 
 the enemy coming toward him. He plunged into a 
 thicket and waited for the Arnauts to pass; then, 
 leaping upon a stray horse, he galloped into the des- 
 ert, without troubling himself about the balls that 
 whistled round him. 
 
 122
 
 XVIII 
 
 THE SILVER LEAF 
 
 1BDALLAH ran with his burden to the 
 rock where he had tethered the 
 horses. He seated Cafour before him 
 on the saddle, and gave full rein to 
 Hamama, who flew over the ground, 
 followed by the horse of Hafiz. An 
 hour passed before the son of Yusuf dared stop to 
 listen. Becoming more tranquil in proportion as he 
 advanced, he at last slackened his speed, and tried to 
 steer his course in the darkness toward the place where 
 he was to meet his uncle. 
 
 During this rapid flight Cafour had remained mute 
 and motionless, pressed close to Abdallah. When she 
 understood that the danger was passed, she called 
 him her savior. "Were you too a prisoner? " she whis- 
 pered. 
 
 "No, thank God," answered Abdallah. 
 " Then why did you come among the tents of your 
 enemies?" 
 
 " Why ? " said the son of Yusuf, smiling ; " to save 
 you, of course." 
 
 123
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 The answer surprised Cafour. She mused for some 
 time. "Why did you wish to save me?" she said. 
 
 "Because you had been confided to my keeping." 
 
 "Keep me always, Abdallah; no one will protect 
 me like you." 
 
 "I am not your master" answered the young chief; 
 "you belong to Leila." 
 
 Cafour sighed and said no more. On reaching the 
 Red Rocks, Abdallah lifted her from the saddle. She 
 uttered a cry, which she instantly smothered. "It is 
 nothing, master; I am wounded" she whispered, and 
 she stretched out her bleeding arm. The ball had 
 grazed the shoulder, tearing the flesh. Abdallah 
 examined the wound by the light of the stars, then 
 sponged and bandaged it, while Cafour looked at him 
 with astonishment. 
 
 " Since I do not belong to you, why do you bind up 
 my wound?" she asked. 
 
 "Silence, heathen! you know not the words of the 
 Book of Truth : ' Serve God, and associate no creature 
 with him; show kindness unto parents and relations 
 and orphans and the poor, and your neighbor who is of 
 kin to you, and also your neighbor who is a stranger, 
 and to your familiar companion, and the traveller, and 
 the captives whom your right hands shall possess ; for 
 God loveth neither pride, nor vanity, nor avarice.'" 
 
 "That is beautiful" said Cafour; "it was a great God 
 who said it." 
 
 " Hush, and go to sleep" interrupted the young 
 man; "the road will be long to-morrow, and you need 
 
 124
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 rest." As he spoke, Abdallah took the child on his 
 lap, and wrapping her in his burnoose, supported her 
 head with his arm. Cafour soon fell asleep. At first 
 she tossed about and talked in her sleep, while her 
 heart beat so loudly that Abdallah could hear it. By 
 degrees she grew calmer, her limbs relaxed, and she 
 slept so sweetly that she could hardly be heard to 
 breathe. The soldier gently rocked the young girl 
 whom the fate of war had given him for a day, think- 
 ing, as he gazed on her, of his mother and all that 
 she had suffered for him. He remained thus through 
 the night, enjoying a peace to which he had before 
 been a stranger. A deep silence reigned around him 
 on the earth; in the heavens all was motionless save 
 that luminous army which for centuries has obeyed the 
 command of the Eternal. This repose of all things 
 refreshed Abdallah's soul, and he forgot both the 
 dangers of the day and the anxiety of the morrow. 
 
 A faint streak of light in the horizon had scarcely 
 announced the dawn, when the cry of a jackal was 
 heard in the distance. The sound was thrice repeated. 
 Abdallah echoed it. His cry was answered, and a 
 panting horse bounded to the rock Hafiz was safe. 
 
 "Well, nephew" said he laughing, "the trick has 
 succeeded; they are smoked out like so many rats. 
 Forward ! we must not make them wait for us at Taif ." 
 
 A red light streaked the east. Abdallah spread the 
 carpet of prayer, and the two comrades, with their 
 faces turned toward Mecca, thanked the All- Powerful 
 who had rescued them from peril. 
 
 125
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Abdallah" said Cafour, falling on her knees before 
 her savior, "you are my god; I will worship no other." 
 
 "Silence, heathen ! " cried the son of Yusuf. "There 
 is but one God, who has no associate, the Eternal, 
 the Incomparable; it is He whom you must worship 
 and adore." 
 
 "Then your God shall be my God," said Cafour. 
 "I will not have a god that leaves me to be murdered." 
 
 "Your god" said Abdallah, "is deaf, dumb, and 
 blind ; it is some piece of wood rotting in the Maghreb." 
 
 "No" interrupted the child, "my god was with me, 
 and did not help me. Here" she added, taking from 
 her hair a tuft of feathers, " take it ; break it in pieces. 
 I want it no longer." 
 
 "Is that bunch of feathers your god?" said Hafiz, 
 smiling. 
 
 "Yes" replied the child, "it is the god my mother 
 gave me when she sold me. It is pretty; look at it." 
 And pulling out and breaking the feathers while she 
 loaded them with reproaches, she took from the bunch 
 a thin piece of silver, which she gave to Abdallah. 
 
 "My uncle" cried the latter, in a transport of joy, 
 "see what has come to us from the Maghreb! God 
 has sent us the shamrock -leaf. You have saved me, 
 my uncle ! Glory and gratitude to God ! " 
 
 And the two friends, intoxicated with joy, embraced 
 the child, who, not understanding their caresses, gazed 
 at them with tears in her eyes, astonished and happy 
 at feeling herself beloved. 
 
 126
 
 XIX 
 
 THE SECRET 
 
 |HEN the two friends at last perceived 
 the caravan winding like a huge ser- 
 pent in the distance, night was ap- 
 proaching; the last beams of the sun 
 shone on the white houses of Taif, 
 gleaming amid the gardens like eglan- 
 tines in a thicket. They were quitting the empire 
 of the sands; the peril was overcome, and the jour- 
 ney finished . At the sight of Taif, Abdallah was seized 
 with bitter sorrow. Restless, troubled, bereft of his 
 reason, one thought filled his soul, Leila was lost to 
 him. The Bedouins received their companions with 
 cries of joy. Omar embraced his brother with the 
 greatest tenderness. Abdallah remained cold to all 
 these caresses; his only emotion was on parting with 
 Cafour. The poor girl threw herself into her savior's 
 arms, and nothing could tear her from them, until at 
 last Abdallah was forced harshly to command her to 
 return to her mistress. She departed in tears. The 
 son of Yusuf fixed a longing gaze on her; he had 
 broken the last link that bound him to Leila. 
 
 127
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 Cafour was approaching the litter when Omar called 
 to her, showing her two articles which he held in his 
 hand. "Come hither, child of Satan" he said in a 
 half-jeering, half-threatening tone; "what is the dif- 
 ference between this whip and this necklace of five 
 strings of pearls?" 
 
 " The same difference that there is between your 
 brother and you," answered the negress. "One is as 
 beautiful as the rainbow; the other is fit for nothing 
 but to kindle the fires of the pit." 
 
 "You have your father's wit " returned Omar, calmly; 
 "it will not be hard, therefore, for you to choose. Do 
 you want the necklace?" 
 
 "Yes, indeed" said the negress, with sparkling eyes. 
 "What am I to do for it?" 
 
 "Very little. In an hour you will be in the harem ; 
 every one will wish to see you, and nothing will be 
 easier than for you to gain admittance to the sherifs 
 wife, the Sultana Fatima. Repeat to her, word for 
 word, what I shall tell you, and the necklace is yours." 
 
 " Give it to me," said Cafour, stretching out her hand ; 
 "I am listening." 
 
 "While you are amusing the sultana with your ape's 
 face and kittenish grimaces, whisper to her, ' Mistress, 
 I have a message to you from a friend. "Moon of 
 May" he says, "a new moon is approaching. If you 
 do not wish her to disturb the serenity of your nights, 
 keep the sun in the sign of Gemini. Importune, urge, 
 and command. Take for your motto, Love is like 
 madness; everything is forgiven it."'" 
 
 128
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Repeat the last sentence" said Cafour. "Good; 
 I know it now: 'Love is like madness; everything is 
 forgiven it.' The sultana shall have your message. 
 One word only : can these words do any harm to your 
 brother?" 
 
 " None " replied the son of Mansour, suppressing a 
 smile. "Abdallah has nothing whatever to do with it. 
 He is threatened by no danger ; and even if he were 
 in peril, these words would insure his safety. Farewell. 
 Speak of this to no one ; and if you obey me, rely on 
 my generosity. The date is ripe, who will gather 
 it? " he added to himself. " I am rid of the handsome 
 Abdallah ; it remains for me now to second the sul- 
 tana's jealousy and add to the enemies of the sherif. 
 The game is not without danger, but cost what it 
 may, Leila must quit the harem ; once outside of it, 
 she is mine." 
 
 On rejoining her mistress, Cafour was surprised to 
 see her pale and haggard, her eyes glittering with 
 fever. 
 
 "What is the matter?" said the child. "Are you 
 weeping when your happiness is about to begin, 
 when you will have four slaves to wait on you, robes 
 of velvet and satin, Cashmere scarfs, slippers embroid- 
 ered with gold and pearls, enamel necklaces, diamond 
 tiaras, and ruby and sapphire bracelets? What more 
 can a woman desire? You were so happy at coming 
 here on quitting Egypt, why have you changed?" 
 
 "You can not understand me; you are only a child" 
 said Leila, in a languishing voice. 
 
 129
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "I am no longer a child, mistress," returned the 
 negress. " I am almost twelve years old ; I am a woman ; 
 you can trust in me." 
 
 "Ah, my poor Cafour " cried the Egyptian, sighing, 
 "if you would preserve your heart, keep your eyes 
 shut. Why did I see that handsome young man? Had 
 it not been for him, I should have joyfully entered 
 the harem ; now I shall be there like the dead among 
 the living." 
 
 "Do you love Abdallah, then?" asked the child, 
 touched by this confidence. 
 
 "Do I love him? Is it possible to see him without 
 loving him? Is there a more beautiful face than his 
 in paradise? His look is so gracious, his voice so 
 sweet, his very name is perfume! Do I love him? 
 Awake, my soul lives for him alone; asleep, my heart 
 wakes and languishes with love ! Would to God that 
 I had been born amid the tents, with this Bedouin 
 for my brother, that I might cast myself into his arms 
 with none to despise me ! " 
 
 "Go with him; said Cafour. "I will tell him to 
 carry you off." 
 
 "What are you thinking of? I am a slave; I have 
 a master. Besides, do you think that Abdallah would 
 ever break his word? He is taking me to the sherif; 
 would you have him betray his faith?" 
 
 "Then tell the sherif to give you Abdallah for a 
 husband." 
 
 "Hush, idiot. Such a request would be the death- 
 sentence of us all." 
 
 130
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 Cafour musingly repeated to herself Omar's mes- 
 sage; then, looking at Leila, "Mistress? said she, "if 
 you should become Abdallah's wife, and go to dwell 
 with him amid the tents, would you keep me with you ? " 
 "Always, child. I love you ; you shall never quit me." 
 "Should I be your slave and Abdallah's all my life? " 
 "Of course. But of what use is such a question?" 
 "Swear this to me," returned Cafour, in a solemn 
 voice, "and let me alone. Do not question me; do 
 not shake your head with disdain. What do you risk 
 in swearing what I ask? Would you sell me or send 
 me away?" 
 
 "No, indeed. Should it please God for me to 
 become the wife of him whom I love like my own 
 soul, you shall always remain with us; I swear it to 
 you in the name of God, the clement, the merciful, 
 the Sovereign of the worlds' 
 
 " My mistress, I am an ignorant heathen ; swear it 
 to me only by the God of Abdallah." Talking thus, the 
 two friends reached the harem, where numerous com- 
 panions awaited them. Cafour, still laughing, leaped 
 from the palanquin and ran toward a large room, bril- 
 liantly lighted, and filled with tables covered with sil- 
 ver and flowers. Leila complained of the fatigue of the 
 journey, and retired to her chamber to weep without 
 restraint. Useless grief, powerless to remedy an ill 
 that could not be cured! "He who is intoxicated 
 with wine" says the sage of Shiraz, "awakens during 
 the night; he who is intoxicated with love awakens 
 only on the morning of the resurrection ! " 
 
 131
 
 XX 
 
 THE PATIENCE OF REYNARD 
 
 BD ALLAH wished to set out the same 
 evening, and Hafiz was not less im- 
 patient. It seemed to him that by 
 fleeing to the desert his nephew would 
 leave anxiety and sorrow behind him. 
 But the sherif had announced that he 
 would receive the chiefs of the caravan the next day, 
 and it was impossible to decline the honor. 
 
 At an early hour they repaired to the palace. The 
 courtyard was full of Bedouins, dressed in their blue 
 robes set off by a scarlet scarf thrown across the shoul- 
 der. All wished to shake hands with the brave Abdal- 
 lah and the prudent Hafiz. Omar talked in a low 
 voice with the old shepherd. For the first time he 
 complained of the dangers of the road ; for the first 
 time he reproached the sherif for having exposed so 
 many brave men to almost certain death. Hafiz 
 approved his words, and seconded them with a warmth 
 which delighted the son of Mansour. 
 
 The visitors were led by black slaves into a room 
 covered with rich carpets, and surrounded with divans 
 
 132
 
 ADD ALLAH 
 
 of green silk embroidered with gold. The walls were 
 bare of all ornament except a beautiful Turkish sabre, 
 set with topazes and rubies, a gift from the sultan. 
 Omar pointed it out to Hafiz, who, while murmuring 
 against what he called a weakness, nevertheless bowed 
 respectfully before the Commander of the Faithful. 
 After receiving the salutations of all the band, the 
 sherif clapped his hands, and pipes and coffee were 
 instantly served. The Bedouins seated themselves on 
 the ground, and each smoked in silence. Abdullah 
 started ; among the crowd of servants who stood await- 
 ing their master's orders, he had just seen Cafour, 
 who raised her hand to her throat. Whether it was 
 to him or to some other that the child made the sign, 
 he could not guess; no one raised his eyes, least of 
 all Omar. 
 
 The descendant of the Prophet seemed buried in 
 deep reflection. He w r as a noble-looking old man, 
 whose white beard, large nose, and calm eyes gave 
 him an air of majesty. A large turban, a blue robe 
 of the finest Cashmere, and a girdle of gold and pur- 
 ple, in which glittered a dagger covered with precious 
 stones, added to his dignity. At heart, the sherif 
 was a sage who thought of no one but himself. Intract- 
 able toward all who disturbed his peace, he was the 
 gentlest of mankind when his passions and habits were 
 let alone. Power had not spoiled him; he readily 
 listened to the truth when it did not affect himself, 
 and suffered without complaint the most shameless 
 falsehoods of his flatterers and servants. Fastidious, 
 
 133
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 a great lover of stories, and a refined poet, his only 
 weakness a weakness natural to his age was the 
 desire to be loved. Thanks to this secret, which she 
 had learned the very first day, the beautiful Fatima 
 made her master the most obedient of slaves; she 
 made him submit to all her fancies by telling him 
 that a woman's caprices are a proof of her love. At 
 sixty it is easier to believe than to quarrel, and the 
 sherif yielded to avoid a storm, too happy when he 
 was rewarded with a caress. This morning, however, 
 there was not a cloud on the horizon . The Commander 
 of the Faithful seemed in excellent humor ; he smiled 
 as he ran his fingers through his long beard, and 
 looked like a man just waking from a blissful dream 
 which he would fain retain. 
 
 The second pipe finished, the sherif took up the 
 conversation, and in the most gracious terms thanked 
 the Bedouins and Omar for their visit and their ser- 
 vices. Instead of replying to this courtesy, the son 
 of Mansour started up like a criminal struck with 
 terror, arid prostrating himself before the descendant 
 of the Prophet, kissed his feet. 
 
 "Son of All and of Hassan" said he in a broken 
 voice, " I know what the slave deserves who suffers 
 his master's trust to be violated. I know my crime, 
 and await without complaint the punishment reserved 
 for me by your justice." 
 
 "Rise" said the sherif, kindly. "What is written 
 is written. God sends disaster and success by turns 
 to men, in order that he may know the believers, 
 
 134
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 and choose his witnesses from among you. As to the 
 insult offered me by those wretches, I shall choose 
 the day and hour for reparation. Patience with 
 patience everything comes in due season." 
 
 "Alas ! " continued the son of Mansour, still on his 
 knees, "the attack was nothing; my brother Abdallah 
 and his brave Bedouins repulsed the traitors. But we 
 were surprised; the slave was for a moment in the 
 hands of the enemy; those men without faith and 
 honor tore off her veil, and profaned with their 
 unworthy looks that beauty which should have been 
 sacred from all." 
 
 "Enough!" interrupted the sherif, displeased at 
 this tale. "The care of my honor concerns me alone. 
 Patience ! " 
 
 " Patience ! " exclaimed Hafiz ; " that was what the 
 fox said when he feigned death." 
 
 "What was it that the fox said?" asked the sherif, 
 looking sternly at Hafiz, who seemed moved by any 
 other feeling than that of fear. 
 
 "There was once a fox who was growing old" said 
 the Bedouin, "and who abandoned the chase and all 
 adventures in order every night to visit a poultry- 
 yard near his hole, where he grew fat without trouble 
 or danger. One night he forgot how the time was 
 passing, and when he was ready to go out, he found 
 the sun risen and every one at work. To return 
 safely seemed impossible; so in order not to brave 
 certain danger, he stretched himself by the roadside 
 and pretended to be dead, saying, 'Patience; in 
 
 135
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 patience there is safety.' The first who passed by 
 paid no attention to him. The second turned him 
 over with his foot to be sure that he was dead. The 
 third was a child, who amused himself by pulling out 
 his whiskers. 'Patience!' said the fox. 'The child 
 knows not what he is doing ; he does not mean to insult 
 me. It is better to suffer vexation than to run the 
 risk of death.' Next came a hunter with a gun on his 
 shoulder. "A fox's nail is a sovereign remedy for a 
 felon,' said he, taking out his knife. 'Patience! ' said 
 the fox ; ' it is better to live with three paws than to 
 die with four; ' and he let himself be mutilated with- 
 out stirring. Next came a woman with a child on her 
 shoulder. ' This fox's teeth will make a necklace that 
 will preserve my babe from the evil eye,' said she." 
 
 "I know the story" interrupted the sherif; "when 
 the mother came near, the fox flew in her face." 
 
 "My story does not say so," returned Hafiz, gravely. 
 "When once we compound with our courage, we know 
 not where to stop. The fox let himself be robbed 
 of his teeth, repeating 'Patience!' and lay still till 
 a last thief tore out his heart, when he saw, but too 
 late, that patience is the surest of dangers." 
 
 "I begin to think so," said the sherif, "since a 
 Bedouin comes to my palace to tell me his foolish 
 stories. A shepherd must be rude indeed not to under- 
 stand my indulgence and to insult my goodness. If 
 the caravan was attacked in a safe country traversed 
 by all the merchants, whose fault was it except those 
 who chose for their leader a child whom I spare through 
 
 136
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 pity? A do/en armed and resolute Bedouins always 
 cross the desert without any one daring to attack 
 them. If the Arnauts surprised you, a snare must 
 have been laid for you, into which you fell either 
 through folly or treachery." 
 
 "My lord" cried the son of Mansour, raising his 
 hands in supplication, "you speak truly; this was my 
 fault. In choosing my brother and friend for the leader 
 of the caravan, I ought to have remembered that at 
 our age passion renders us blind. Chance destroyed 
 us. At the beginning of the journey the sight of the 
 slave troubled the young man, and made him forget 
 his prudence." 
 
 "What do I hear?" cried the sherif, with flashing 
 eyes. " Is this the way that I am obeyed? Is this the 
 way that I am respected? Woe to him who has trifled 
 with me ! He shall see whether I will submit to insult. 
 Merchant, you shall be punished for your imprudence, 
 and, young man, you shall suffer for your folly." And 
 calling a negro with a large sabre at his side, the 
 Commander of the Faithful pointed to Omar and 
 Abdallah, making a horizontal movement with his 
 hand. It was the sentence of death. 
 
 The Bedouins looked at each other, shuddering, 
 but no one, not even Hafiz, dared rebel against the 
 descendant of the Prophet. Omar heard the sentence 
 without changing countenance ; he looked around him 
 as if to implore aid, and raising his hand, made a sign 
 to the iiegress which she did not seem to comprehend. 
 The son of Mansour frowned angrily. "Accursed be
 
 ABU ALL AH 
 
 the dervish! " murmured he. "Can he have told the 
 truth? Is my confidence in the Bedouin about to 
 plunge me into this ruin? Can I have loved this mad- 
 man better than I thought?" 
 
 Abdallah raised his eyes and proudly smiled at the 
 executioner. " Poor child ! " said Hafiz, embracing his 
 nephew, "I have slain you." 
 
 "No, my father" replied the young man, calmly, 
 "it is God that gives life and death. Be resigned, 
 and comfort my mother. Do not pity me; to me 
 death is better than life." Then, turning to Omar, 
 who still kept his eyes fixed on the negress, he gave 
 him his hand. "My brother, pardon me" said he, "in 
 the name of her who watched over your childhood." 
 And bowing respectfully to the Commander of the 
 Faithful, he followed the executioner. 
 
 "Stop!" cried Cafour, falling at the sherif's feet. 
 "It was my fault; it was I that snatched off my mis- 
 tress's veil. Kill me, but spare Abdallah." 
 
 " Drive off this daughter of a dog, and punish her 
 till she is silent," said the sherif. 
 
 " Pardon ! " cried the child, as a negro was carrying 
 her off, "pardon! " and with a desperate effort she 
 tore herself from the slave, leaving a piece of her 
 dress in his hands. "Pity! " she murmured, clasping 
 the knees of the sherif, who rudely repulsed her. 
 " Pity, master ; Abdallah is innocent ; he was not the 
 guilty one." Then, suddenly spying Omar's contracted 
 features, she sprang up as if struck with lightning, 
 and stretching her hands toward the prince, "Do not 
 
 138
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 be cruel," said she. " Remember that love is like mad- 
 ness; everything is forgiven it." 
 
 "Stop ! " cried the sherif to the executioner. "There 
 is something strange in this" thought he; "it is the 
 same sentence that Fatima repeated to me this morn- 
 ing, and refused to explain to me. Come here, child" 
 said he to Cafour, in a milder tone. "Where do these 
 words come from do you know?" 
 
 "Yes" said Cafour; "they come from lips that open 
 only for consolation and pity." 
 
 "Do you know the meaning of them?" 
 
 "Yes" replied Cafour, trembling as she spoke. 
 "Abdallah has never heard these words, but Omar has 
 long known the secret of them. Question him; he 
 will tell you everything." 
 
 "Oh, my master" cried Omar, dragging himself to 
 the sherif's feet, and speaking in a suppressed voice, 
 " the child is right. I know these words but too well ; 
 they were the cause of my fault, and will perhaps 
 excuse it. When you summoned me to Taif, my errand 
 was suspected ; before I could quit your palace, a mad 
 promise was wrung from me, which I have only too 
 faithfully obeyed. I compromised the slave as I had 
 been commanded. Could I resist a will protected by 
 your love? Happy is he who can inspire such ardent 
 passion; will not happiness render him indulgent?" 
 
 While uttering these unblushing falsehoods, the 
 son of Mansour studied the sherifs face, which resumed 
 its serenity. Omar soon ceased to supplicate the old 
 man who held his life in his hands. Sure of his vic- 
 
 139
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 tory, he began to flatter him beyond measure, and by 
 adroit words gradually soothed the last emotions of 
 anger in his soul. 
 
 "Rise! I pardon you," said the sherif, at length. 
 "I also pardon this proud Bedouin, who braves me 
 even under the sword of the executioner. I have 
 shown that I fear no one, and that I know how to 
 punish those who insult me; it is enough. I keep the 
 blood of my faithful followers for a better occasion. 
 Young man," he added, looking at Abdallah with a 
 kindly smile, "remember that henceforth your life 
 belongs to me; I rely on you, as well as your friends, 
 to avenge our common insult." 
 
 For his sole answer, the son of Yusuf took the 
 sherif 's hand and kissed it with emotion, while Hafiz 
 burst into transports of joy and gratitude. 
 
 " Here ! " said the Commander of the Faithful, call- 
 ing Cafour; "come hither, daughter of night. Is this 
 all that the sultana told you ? " 
 
 "No" answered the negress, boldly, putting on a 
 mysterious air. "The sultana told me that if you 
 pardoned her her mad love, she must also have a proof 
 of your affection." 
 
 "Speak " said the old man ; "what can I refuse a poor 
 creature that loves me to distraction ? " 
 
 "The sultana fears that you will refuse her request; 
 to grant it, she says, needs a love as great as her 
 own." 
 
 "Speak," said the sherif; "I am dying of impa- 
 tience." 
 
 140
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Well, then, do not give her for a rival this strange 
 woman, dishonored by the gaze of the Bedouins and 
 Arnauts." 
 
 "Is that all? " replied the Commander of the Faith- 
 ful, smiling. "What! raise this woman to my throne, 
 after all that has passed? Never! She shall remain 
 a slave, and end her days in a corner of the harem." 
 
 "That is not what the sultana means; she is anxious 
 and jealous. What she desires is that Leila should 
 quit the palace, never more to return. 'Let my hus- 
 band,' said she, 'let the beloved of my soul give me a 
 last pledge of his love. Can he not leave this creature 
 to those who brought her hither? It will be easy to 
 find an honorable match for her among the Bedouins, 
 and I shall be left alone to love the master of my life!" 
 
 "Oh, the weakness of women ! " cried the descend- 
 ant of the Prophet. "The Koran is right in recom- 
 mending indulgence to us who have strength and 
 sense. This jealousy of Fatimas is madness, at which 
 I should blush to yield, were it not my pleasure to 
 show her that nothing is impossible either to my power 
 or my love. Bring Leila hither, and tell the sultana 
 that her rival shall not return to the harem. Such is 
 my will; I mean that all shall respect it." 
 
 And turning to the Bedouins, "My friends" said 
 the sherif, in a loud voice, " I make you the judges 
 of my conduct. What should I do with the Egyptian 
 Avoman whom you have escorted hither? Through 
 respect for myself, I can not take her as a wife ; through 
 respect for the pacha, I can not keep her as a slave. 
 
 141
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 This, therefore, is what I propose to do : if there is 
 any one among you who is willing to marry a foreigner, 
 I will give her to him with a fitting dowry, otherwise 
 I will marry her to some rich merchant of Medina or 
 Mecca." 
 
 "God is great!" cried the son of Yusuf, seizing 
 Hafiz's arm. "We will look no farther for the four- 
 leaved shamrock. It is here; it is mine; I have found 
 happiness." 
 
 " Courage, my son ! " said the old man ; " it is needed 
 even to be happy. I do not think" he added, looking 
 at the sherif, " that it will be necessary to go to Mecca 
 to marry the stranger. If a husband only is needed, 
 here is a young man who will yield to no one either 
 in birth, fortune or courage." 
 
 "My lord" said Omar, bowing low to the sherif, 
 "I should never have had the boldness to raise my 
 eyes to a woman confided to my charge; but since 
 things have changed, and you permit it, I venture to 
 aspire to the hand of Leila. She is a slave of the 
 pacha ; from her childhood she has been accustomed 
 to the ease and luxury of the harem. On coming 
 hither she dreamed of a fortune which has escaped 
 her grasp ; who knows whether tent -life will not seem 
 hard to her? Wealth is a necessity to a woman that 
 has always lived in a palace. I earnestly entreat your 
 lordship, therefore, to give the stranger to the one 
 that shall offer the largest dowry; it will be a last 
 mark of kindness to her who owes everything to your 
 goodness." 
 
 142
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "The request is just" said the sherif. "Bring the 
 Egyptian hither. Let the suitors come forward ; I will 
 hear their proposals." 
 
 "My uncle," murmured the son of Yusuf, "I am 
 lost!" 
 
 "At last" said Omar, "Leila is mine!" 
 
 Cafour looked at the two brothers, and ran to the 
 harem . 
 
 143
 
 XXI 
 
 THE AUCTION 
 
 HILE the slaves went in search of 
 Leila, Hafiz approached the son of 
 Mansour. "Omar" said he, "listen to 
 an old man who has dandled you on 
 his knees . It is said that you are richer 
 than your father; women bow before 
 your fortune, and there is not a merchant in Egypt 
 or Syria but would think himself honored by your 
 alliance. Abdallah, on the contrary, can never love 
 another woman ; he has given his heart to her whom 
 he has saved. Be generous; pay to-day the debt of 
 gratitude by making your brother and Halima happy." 
 "My brother is a selfish fellow," answered Omar; 
 "I have suffered too much through him already. He 
 knows that I wish this Egyptian woman; he knows 
 that I will have her at any price ; what does he expect 
 to gain, therefore, by declaring himself my rival? If 
 I should lose a hundred thousand piastres, of what 
 advantage would it be to him? Let him give up Leila, 
 and I will try to forget that this very day he has put 
 my head for the second time in danger." 
 
 144
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "It is well for you that you are a Mussulman" said 
 Hafiz, "otherwise we would teach you before the day 
 was over that an ounce of lead weighs more than all 
 your gold; but you have not succeeded, as you think, 
 and with the aid of God, we will confound your abom- 
 inable selfishness." 
 
 Omar shrugged his shoulders and went to meet 
 Leila. She had just entered, concealed from all eyes 
 by the wrappings which enveloped her, yet it seemed 
 to poor Abdallah that a fiery glance shot from the 
 thick veil which he could scarce withstand. Cafour 
 followed her mistress. What she had said to the sul- 
 tana none could tell, but she had on her neck a neck- 
 lace of pink coral, which certainly had not been cut 
 for a slave. From time to time she ran to a latticed 
 balcony which overlooked the room, and exchanged 
 mysterious words with invisible figures. The whole 
 harem was there, deeply interested in the fair Leila, 
 and perhaps offering up prayers for the son of 
 Yusuf. 
 
 Abdallah was the first to speak. " My sole fortune," 
 said he, "is the spring which I have discovered, and 
 the garden which I have planted. With my father's 
 arms and my mare, these are my only possessions. 
 All are yours, Leila, if you will accept my heart and 
 life." 
 
 "They are not worth a hundred thousand piastres" 
 said Omar, coldly. "Here at Taif I have a garden 
 of orange-trees where the sherif sometimes does me 
 the honor to take coffee. This garden is worth more 
 
 145
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 than two hundred thousand piastres ; I offer it to Leila 
 in pledge for a like sum in jewels." 
 
 "Jewels ! " said Hafiz ; "my nephew has those which 
 are as rich as yours. Here is a casket which is worth 
 all your promises." 
 
 To the general astonishment, the old shepherd, 
 aided by Cafour, opened a tortoise-shell and mother- 
 of-pearl basket, filled with ear-rings, bracelets, and 
 precious stones. Abdallah could not repress a cry. 
 Was not that ruby bracelet the one which Leila wore 
 on her arm on the day of the attack, and was not 
 that coral necklace one which Cafour had just snatched 
 from her neck? He attempted to speak; a gesture 
 of his uncle stopped him. 
 
 "Beautiful jewels which have been worn already ! " 
 said the son of Mansour, biting his lip. " I do not ask 
 where all these spoils of women come from, which 
 I esteem as they deserve; but my generosity shall 
 not be outdone. I offer three hundred thousand pias- 
 tres." 
 
 " Promising is not giving" interrupted Hafiz ; "some- 
 thing more than words is needed." 
 
 For his sole reply, Omar drew a pocket-book from 
 his girdle, and taking from it several papers, handed 
 them to the sherif. "My lord" said he, "these are 
 the orders which you sent me some months ago, and 
 which are already filled. They are worth more than 
 a million piastres; will your lordship refuse to be 
 his slave's security till to-morrow to these exacting 
 Bedouins?" 
 
 146
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "It shall be as you desire," answered the sherif. 
 " I will be your security for a hundred thousand pias- 
 tres." 
 
 " If this sum is all that is needed" said one of the 
 Bedouins, "we will not leave a companion in trouble, 
 and will give a lesson to this merchant who forgets 
 himself. Here are our sabres; we will redeem them 
 with a hundred thousand piastres." And taking off his 
 yataghan, he flung it at the sherif's feet with a con- 
 temptuous glance at Omar, while Hafiz approached to 
 do the same, and to set an example to the rest of the 
 band . 
 
 "Take back your sabre" said the Commander of 
 the Faithful to the Bedouin. "I will be security for 
 you and your friends. God forbid that I should see 
 you disarmed about me, you who are my strength and 
 rny glory! Omar" he added, "before making new 
 promises, perhaps you would do well to reflect. 
 Repentance often follows satisfied passion. A lost 
 slave can be replaced, but friends lost are never found 
 again." 
 
 "Commander of the Faithful," proudly rejoined the 
 son of Mansour, "it was on the faith of your word 
 that I entered into this business, and unless you com- 
 mand me to stop, I will carry it through. I fear no 
 one's displeasure but yours. And to put an end at 
 once to this wrangling, I offer a million piastres ; it is 
 not too large a dowry for a woman whom your lordship 
 has honored with his protection." 
 
 "Are you rich enough to commit such follies? " said 
 
 147
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 the descendant of the Prophet. "I shall remember 
 it on the first occasion." 
 
 "Command^ my lord" returned the merchant; "my 
 fortune and life are yours." 
 
 A deep silence followed. Leila, who had remained 
 standing, sunk upon a divan; Abdallah cast down his 
 head; and Hafiz and his friends threatened Omar, 
 who braved them with a disdainful air. Cafour began 
 to gesticulate in a strange manner toward the balcony, 
 and disappeared. All eyes were fixed on the sherif, 
 who evidently hesitated. 
 
 "I have given my word" said he at last, slowly 
 addressing the Bedouins; "you are witnesses that 
 everything has been done in an impartial manner. 
 This merchant, your companion in the caravan, offers 
 a million; the slave, therefore, must belong to him 
 if none of you offers more." 
 
 "Where could such treasures be found in the des- 
 ert?" cried Hafiz. "Souls sold to Satan alone possess 
 this infernal wealth. As for us, we have nothing but 
 our guns and sabres; may the day come when their 
 value will be felt ! " 
 
 "You forget Abdallah's jewels," said Omar, smiling. 
 
 "Ah, my brother," cried the son of Yusuf, "what 
 have I done that you should treat me thus? Ought 
 you to be the one to plunge a dagger into my 
 breast ? " 
 
 "What is this?" asked the sherif of two slaves who 
 laid a heavy casket of chased silver at the feet of 
 Abdallah. 
 
 148
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 " My lord, it is the treasure of the son of Yusuf " 
 answered one of the porters, as he opened the casket 
 and took up handfuls of the most beautiful precious 
 stones ever seen, which at the first glance were seen 
 to be worth more than a million. 
 
 "It is strange," thought the sherif, "how much this 
 diamond tiara and these topaz bracelets resemble those 
 I gave the sultana. Who has sent you?" he asked 
 the slave. 
 
 "My lord" replied the negro, bowing, "love is like 
 madness ; all things are forgiven it." And he went out. 
 
 Abdallah thought himself the sport of a dream. 
 Omar turned pale with rage. "There is some snare 
 here" murmured he; "no matter, I will have the last 
 word. I will give two million piastres, if necessary." 
 
 Four more slaves, heavily laden with plate, silver 
 lamps, and chased cups, paused like the first before 
 Abdallah, and laid this treasure at his feet. At the 
 first glance, the sherif recognized a magnificent 
 epergne, the ornament of his harem, which he had 
 received as a present from the sultan, and given, 
 not without regret, to Fatima, the day after a quar- 
 rel. 
 
 "Who can have given orders to bring all these treas- 
 ures hither?" he cried. 
 
 "My lord" replied the porters, bowing, "love is like 
 madness; all things are forgiven it." 
 
 "Let these knaves be bastinadoed" said the Com- 
 mander of the Faithful ; " I will teach them to answer 
 me in proverbs. Who sent them?" 
 
 149
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 " My lord, it was Cafour," replied one of the slaves, 
 in a tremulous voice. 
 
 "Bring that child of the Devil hither" said the 
 sherif. " If she is let alone, she will carry off my whole 
 palace." 
 
 The four slaves had not quitted the room when six 
 more entered, carrying a litter heaped with the most 
 costly robes and the richest stuffs. At the head of the 
 procession was Cafour, giving orders with the gravity 
 of an imaum. The sherif called her, and taking her 
 by the ear, "Come hei*e, wretch," said he; "once for 
 all, will you tell me the meaning of these follies?" 
 
 " Love is like madness ; all things are forgiven it " 
 answered Cafour, gravely. 
 
 "Do you dare to mix up the sultana with this dis- 
 order?" 
 
 "The sultana is there," rejoined Cafour, tranquilly, 
 pointing to the balcony; "she has seen and heard 
 everything; she knows all, and" she added, lowering 
 her voice, "she is furious." 
 
 "Furious? and at what? " cried the astounded sherif. 
 
 "She knows" continued Cafour, "that you regret 
 having sacrificed Leila ; she has guessed the part played 
 by this merchant, who is bidding in your name ; she 
 feels that passion alone could hurry you away so far 
 as to make you humble these brave Bedouins, who 
 are the honor of your empire. ' Since he loves me no 
 longer^ she said, ' I want no more of his favors; take 
 away from my sight the jewels which he has given me, 
 and the robes with which I delighted in adorning 
 
 150
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 myself to please him. Carry all to Abdallah; let him 
 contend for me to the last moment. If the master 
 of my soul return to me, what need have I of riches? 
 If he abandon me, I wish to keep nothing but the 
 memory of his love.'" 
 
 The sherif looked at the balcony somewhat ill- 
 humoredly. He fancied that he spied through the 
 lattice a little hand tearing a lace handkerchief in 
 pieces, and the sound of tears and stifled sobs made 
 him cast down his head. That instant he became 
 conscious that the friendship of the Beni Amurs was 
 worth more to him than the gratitude of Omar, and 
 decided on his course. 
 
 "I will not be made an accomplice of unworthy 
 weaknesses" said he, in a solemn voice. "I never 
 take back a promise which I have made. I wished to 
 secui'e a suitable dowry to this woman, who is under 
 my protection; a hundred thousand piastres is suffi- 
 cient. As to deciding between the rivals, that belongs 
 to Leila. Let her take the merchant or the Bedouin, 
 the city or the desert, it matters little to me. I shall 
 respect her choice, and force all others to do the same." 
 
 "Neither David nor Solomon could have judged 
 more righteously" cried Hafiz. 
 
 The two brothers stood by the side of Leila. 
 Abdallah gazed at her with deep tenderness, and was 
 mute with hope and fear. Omar spoke, moved with 
 anger and jealousy. 
 
 "Think of the future" said he; "do not sacrifice to 
 this man the flower of your youth and beauty. Do you 
 
 151
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 know the life of women in the tents? a beggarly 
 and slavish existence. Are your hands made to grind 
 corn, milk sheep, weave cloth, and gather grass and 
 sticks? Will this Bedouin give you the baths, jewels, 
 and perfumes to which you are accustomed? Will he 
 dye your eyebrows and eyelids? Will he wash your 
 tresses with orange-flower water, and dry them with 
 musk and amber? With me, you will have women to 
 wait on you, robes to deck you, and jewels to adorn 
 you. You will not be a servant, but a mistress; each 
 of your caprices will be a law and a pleasure to 
 me." 
 
 Leila bowed, took the trembling hand of Abdallah, 
 and placed it on her head. " I am my lord's slave " she 
 said. "A stranger, I have no other refuge than he ; an 
 orphan, I have no other family. He is my father, my 
 mother, and my brother. Oh, my beloved," she added 
 in a low voice, raising her eyes, "at last I am thine, 
 and can tell thee that thou art my joy and my life." 
 And smiling and weeping at the same time, she kissed 
 the hand of her husband. 
 
 The Commander of the Faithful gazed delightedly 
 at this spectacle, which renewed his youth. "It is 
 rather a hard lesson for Fatima" thought he; "but I 
 am not sorry for having confounded the sultana. She 
 will be cured for some time of her incurable jeal- 
 ousy." 
 
 Omar was mute; his contracted features, his threat- 
 ening eyes, everything about him betrayed the conflict 
 of grief and pride. 
 
 152
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Son of Mansour" said Hafiz, "you should marry 
 Cafour. Your soul is as black as her skin ; you would 
 have children worthy of their grandfather Satan." 
 
 "You are cruel, my uncle" exclaimed the son of 
 Yusuf. "If Omar had been in my place, he would 
 have spared us. My brother" he added, extending 
 his hand to the Egyptian, "forgive me my happiness." 
 
 "You are shrewder than I; I congratulate you on 
 your success" answered Omar. And he quitted the 
 room in despair. 
 
 "What a fine thing is youth!" said Hafiz; "how 
 honest ! how confiding ! what faith in virtue ! As for 
 me, I am old, and have been in battle. When I find 
 a wicked man under my feet, I crush him like a scor- 
 pion, that he may sting me no more." 
 
 153
 
 XXII 
 
 THE ARRIVAL 
 
 is easier to retain wealth in the hand 
 of a prodigal, or to carry water in a 
 sieve, than to lodge patience in the 
 heart of a lover. The day had not 
 dawned and the bird had not quitted 
 its nest when the son of Yusuf awak- 
 ened his companions, and arranged in a long file the 
 camels loaded with the gifts of the sherif and the 
 sultana. 
 
 He impatiently awaited his beloved, whom Fatima 
 had kept with her all night, that she might tell her 
 the story of her love. A woman always loves the rival 
 that she has ceased to fear. 
 
 When Cafour opened the door of the harem and 
 showed herself, uglier and more smiling than ever, 
 Abdallah uttered a cry of surprise and joy. Could 
 the woman behind the child, who stretched out her 
 hand to him, really be Leila? 
 
 It was she, a lover could not be mistaken; yet it 
 was no longer the Egyptian loaded with jewels, but 
 a Bedouin who had always lived in the tents. Leila 
 
 154
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 was clad in a long blue cotton robe, which was gath- 
 ered ai-ound the neck and fell to the feet. Over this 
 robe was a red woollen burnoose, which covered her 
 head . 
 
 Her black tresses, arranged in numerous small 
 braids, each ending in a coral bead, fell to her eyes, 
 and added to the softness and brilliancy of her glance. 
 In this simple costume, with her head uncovered, and 
 her feet bare, Leila was the queen of the desert. The 
 delighted Bedouins saluted her as she passed, as fresh 
 and smiling as the dawn. 
 
 They set out. A recent storm had revived nature; 
 the grass, wet with dew, and the freshly opened flow- 
 ers smiled on these happy hearts. Leila no longer 
 hid herself in the back of the palanquin ; Abdallah 
 rode beside her, talking all the way, with his hand 
 on the side of the litter. Cafour had never been more 
 talkative and saucy. 
 
 "Oh, Abdallah," said Leila, "if you bear so hard on 
 the side of the litter, you will overturn it and throw 
 us both on the ground." 
 
 "Well, let go the camel's rein, then; don't refuse 
 me the pleasure of holding your hand." 
 
 "Ingrate! " cried Cafour, "you have quite forgotten 
 me. So, black Bedouin, you are carrying off the wife 
 of the Calif Moyawiah ! " 
 
 And with a joyous voice, she struck up the Bedouin 
 girl's song : l 
 
 1 The song of the beautiful Bedouin girl Moyawiah is renowned 
 among the Arabs. See Burton's " Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage 
 to El Medina and Mecca." 
 
 155
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Oh, take these purple robes away; 
 
 Give back my cloak of camel's hair, 
 And bear me from this towering pile 
 
 To where the black tents flap in air. 
 The camel's colt, with faltering tread, 
 
 The dog that all but barks at me, 
 Delight me more than ambling mules, 
 
 Than every art of minstrelsy. 
 And any cousin, poor but free, 
 
 Might take me, fatted ass, from thee." 
 
 They went on thus the whole day, unconscious of 
 heat or fatigue. When joy follows suffering, do we 
 think of aught else than joy? Hafiz, besides, was 
 there to lead the caravan, and Abdallah did not need 
 to quit the treasure that the Bedouins were bringing 
 back in triumph. 
 
 Night was approaching when they came in sight 
 of the tents of the Beni Amurs. The sun was setting 
 beneath the arch of an immense rainbow that spanned 
 half the sky, a roseate light illumined the sands of 
 the desert, and golden rays flashed their gleams on 
 the summit of the granite pyramids. In the distance 
 were heard the shrill cry of the sakiah, the barking 
 of the dogs, and the cooing of the pigeons. Suddenly 
 a piercing shout announced the return of the travellers. 
 
 "What cry is that?" asked Leila. 
 
 "It is my mother's voice"replied Abdallah, dismount- 
 ing from his horse. "You will have two to love you." 
 
 Halima soon appeared, greatly astonished at the 
 sight of so long a caravan. "What are these?" said 
 she, pointing to the packages. " Has the son of Yusuf 
 sold his horse and arms to turn merchant?" 
 
 156
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 " Yes, my mother," answered Abdallah ; "and I bring 
 you the rarest and choicest of wares, a daughter to 
 respect and assist you." 
 
 Leila alighted from the litter and threw herself into 
 the arms of Halima, who looked at her with astonish- 
 ment, and asked the name of her father and tribe. 
 She was not less surprised at the sight of Cafour, and 
 despite all Hafiz's speeches, returned to the tent with 
 a sign. She had little liking for a stranger woman. 
 But when Abdallah came and seated himself by her 
 side after unloading the camels, and Leila hastened 
 with a basin of warm water to wash her husband's 
 feet herself, "God be praised!" cried Halima; "this 
 woman will be truly a handmaid unto her husband. 
 My house has at last found a mistress; I can die in 
 peace." And she tenderly embraced the daughter 
 whom God had given her in his goodness. 
 
 "What is the matter, master?" said Cafour, who 
 was lying at Abdallah's feet, with her head resting on 
 her preserver's lap. " Has the smoke of your pipe got 
 into your eyes? You look as if you were crying. Oh, 
 your pipe has gone out ; will you have a coal to light it ? " 
 
 "Hush! hush!" said the Bedouin, stroking the 
 negress's head as if caressing a faithful dog. The child 
 lay down again, at the same time jerking her mistress's 
 arm so suddenly that Leila's forehead came in contact 
 with Abdallah's lips. Cafour laughed at the success 
 of her stratagem. Poor creature ! to whom everything 
 was denied, and who found means to be happy by 
 placing her happiness in that of others. 
 
 157
 
 KAHA SHITAN 
 
 MAR had returned to Djiddah with 
 despair in his heart. It was in vain 
 that his slaves tried to divert him; 
 it was in vain that business and gold 
 poured in on him from all sides; his 
 passion consumed him. He passed 
 whole days in his chamber, sitting cross-legged on a 
 carpet, revolving impossible projects in his brain, and 
 seeking for a vengeance which escaped him. 
 
 "Of what avail is my father's wish to me? " he cried. 
 "Of what use is my health and the money that I have 
 accumulated? Am I any the less, on that account, 
 the most unhappy of men? That wretched Bedouin, 
 in his poverty, triumphs over me. I am lonely and 
 desolate in the midst of my abundance. Accursed be 
 life! accursed be my brother! The oracle has not 
 deceived me; I am slain by my best friend." And he 
 relapsed into his despair. 
 
 The grief of Omar was the talk of the whole city. 
 If little love was felt for the son of Mansour, on the 
 other hand his fortune was greatly esteemed. Was 
 
 158
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 there not some service to offer, or some consolation to 
 sell him? it was asked. After such an insult, he would 
 well reward whosoever should avenge him on the 
 Bedouin. Such words are not lost. It is the curse of 
 the rich that there are those around them ready to 
 enter the fires of hell in their behalf. The passions 
 of the poor are flames which consume the heart, and 
 then quickly die out; the passions of the rich are a 
 brazier, fed by all about it, and giving forth conflagra- 
 tion, crime, and death. 
 
 One morning the son of Mansour received a visit 
 from an Arnaut captain, who came, he said, on import- 
 ant business that would suffer no delay. Omar received 
 him politely, and ordered pipes and coffee to be served . 
 
 "Capital coffee!" said the captain, sipping it slowly; 
 "as bitter as death, as black as Satan, and as hot as 
 Hades. And what an exquisite mixture of nutmeg, 
 cinnamon, and clove ! What a fine thing it is to be 
 rich! the world seems to move for you alone." 
 
 "Men are sometimes mistaken about the happiness 
 of the rich," said Omar, sighing. 
 
 " Bah ! a rich man in sorrow is a miser who knows 
 not how to use his gold. If he loves a woman, let him 
 buy her; if he wishes to be rid of a rival, let him sell 
 his skin. Everything can be bought here on earth; 
 with money a man can have everything." 
 
 "To whom have I the honor of speaking?" asked 
 the son of Mansour. 
 
 "My name is Kara Shitan" replied the stranger. 
 "I am an Arnaut chief, one of those who attacked 
 
 159
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 you in the desert. By killing my friend Mohammed, 
 your brother Abdallah made me lose five thousand 
 douros ; pay me this sum and I will rid you of Abdallah." 
 
 "A murder! " said Omar. 
 
 " Bah ! " rejoined the captain, coldly ; " if God had 
 not invented death, it would not be long before we 
 should eat each other. Away with false scruples! 
 When an occasion offers, wisdom commands us not to 
 let it slip. It is just to force our enemies to drink the 
 bitter cup which they have made us taste; we are 
 right in striking them with the weapon with which 
 they were the first to wound us." 
 
 "My brother! " said Omar, in a hesitating tone. 
 
 "Your brother and your enemy. What matters his 
 death to you? you will have no hand in it. I shall kill 
 Abdallah like a dog if I find him in the desert. I shall 
 avenge my own quarrel; only, in order to avenge 
 myself, I must have five thousand douros." 
 
 "Of what use will your vengeance be to me?" said 
 the son of Mansour. 
 
 "I know nothing about it," replied Kara Shitan. 
 "I don't understand business as well as you do; but 
 if I were in your place, and Abdallah should disappear, 
 I should find no trouble in gaining possession of the 
 beautiful Leila. The Bedouin, it is said, has no family 
 but his mother and an old dotard ; a little courage and 
 resolution will remove these obstacles. An abduction 
 is an easy matter; Leila once a widow and in your 
 house, it will not take long to console her. What is 
 there to fear? The sherif ? At Djiddah, men laugh 
 
 160
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 at the anger of the Bedouins. The pacha? He is a 
 man like the rest of us; he has a conscience, and we 
 know its price." 
 
 "And the tribe have you thought of that?" 
 
 "The tribe is nothing" said the captain. "I know 
 that these Bedouins have as much rancor and malice 
 as their camels; but blood can be bought as well as 
 other things. Money is not despised in the desert 
 any more than anywhere else, and the Beni Amurs 
 will console themselves with Abdallah's inheritance." 
 
 "Yes," returned Omar, "blood can be ransomed 
 when the murder is involuntary. A hundred camels 
 is the price of a man's blood ; but there is no compo- 
 sition for murder, and I shall suffer death." 
 
 "The desert is mute" said the captain, "and dead 
 men tell no tales. He who finds a shrivelled corpse 
 among the sands must be shrewd indeed if he can 
 distinguish a murder from an accident. But we will 
 say no more about it," added he, rising. "What is the 
 charming Leila, whom I have never beheld, to me? 
 Let her love her Bedouin; let them be happy together 
 and laugh at the son of Mansour, it is all the same 
 to me. After all, Abdallah is a brave man, and I 
 respect him ; if you had inflicted on him the outrage 
 which you have received, he would not haggle about 
 the price of vengeance. Farewell." 
 
 "Stay ! " cried the son of Mansour; "you are right. 
 While Abdallah lives there is no security for me on 
 earth ; it was predicted to me at my birth, and I feel 
 it daily. Deliver me from this enemy. As to the 
 
 161
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 cripple, I have an account to settle with him which I 
 will attend to myself. Leila, you will cost me dear ! " 
 
 "If you take my advice" resumed the captain, "we 
 shall both strike at the same time. I will entice away 
 Abdallah, never more to return, and you shall carry 
 off the lady ; all will be done in two hours, and the 
 enemy overthrown even before he suspects the danger." 
 
 "So be it" said Omar; "but remember that I never 
 wish to see your face again." 
 
 "That is very natural," replied Kara Shitan. "Tell 
 me the day and hour, give me the five thousand douros, 
 and rely on my punctuality. My reputation is made; 
 I would not fail to keep my word for the finest horses 
 in Arabia." 
 
 162
 
 XXIV 
 
 HOSPITALITY 
 
 HHILE avarice and hatred were plotting 
 Abdullah's death, the son of Yusuf was 
 enjoying his happiness without dream- 
 ing of a cloud in the horizon. Could 
 he suspect that he had an enemy when 
 his soul was so pure and his heart so 
 free from bitterness? He who loves and is beloved 
 looks on all men as his brethren. For a month he had 
 been intoxicated with joy and tenderness, with no 
 other care than that of admiring Leila and thanking 
 God for having blessed his house. 
 
 In one of those hot, misty mornings which precede 
 a storm, Abdallah was reposing in his garden in the 
 shade of the citron-trees. Cafour carelessly lay at his 
 feet, her eyes fixed on him like a dog watching for 
 an order or a glance. At the back of the tent Halima 
 was baking loaves in the ashes, while Leila, seated 
 before a loom, was embroidering gold and silver loz- 
 enges on her husband's burnoose. The son of Yusuf 
 abandoned himself to the happiness of living sur- 
 rounded by all whom he loved. The barking of the 
 
 163
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 dogs roused him from his re very. A man had stopped 
 his camel at the garden gate, and was stretching out 
 his hand to the young Bedouin. Leila disappeared, 
 and Abdallah went to meet the stranger. 
 
 "Welcome!" said he; "thy arrival brings us the 
 blessing of God. The house and all it contains are 
 thine ; thou art the master thereof." 
 
 "Son of Yusuf]' answered the stranger, "I will not 
 set foot on the ground till thou hast sworn to render 
 me the service of which I am in need." 
 
 "Speak; said Abdallah. "Thou art a guest; thy 
 word is a command." 
 
 "I am a poor merchant from Syria," resumed the 
 stranger. "I have been to Mecca on business. Yester- 
 day I was drawn into a quarrel in the Holy City with 
 a Beni Motayr, and had the misfortune to kill my 
 adversary. His family and friends are pursuing me; 
 I have no one to defend me. If I can not reach the 
 noble Medina, I am lost. You alone, it is said, can 
 conduct me thither in safety. My life is in your hands; 
 decide my fate." 
 
 "Enter my tent; replied the son of Yusuf. "In two 
 hours we will set out." 
 
 " Remember; said the merchant, "that I trust myself 
 to you alone." 
 
 "I alone will accompany you]' returned Abdallah. 
 "I answer for your safety on my head." 
 
 No sooner had the stranger been brought into the 
 tent and confided to the care of Halima than the 
 young Bedouin went out to prepare for departure. 
 
 164
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 Cafour stopped him on the way. "Do you know this 
 man?" said she. 
 
 "No; what matters it? It was God that sent him 
 hither." 
 
 "He is not a merchant, I have seen his pistols; 
 they are too handsome. He is a soldier. Beware of 
 him ! " 
 
 "Soldier or merchant, what have I to fear from a 
 stranger and a fugitive?" returned Abdallah. "Make 
 haste and prepare supper; I have only time to tell 
 Leila of the journey." 
 
 When the son of Yusuf returned to his guest, Cafour 
 had spread the table with unleavened bread, pressed 
 dates, boiled rice, new milk, and cold water. She 
 bustled about him and gazed at him earnestly, trying 
 to recall where she had seen this face, which seemed 
 familiar to her. The stranger was perfectly calm and 
 indifferent. In her anxiety, she determined to arouse 
 him and break the charm that hid the danger. Seiz- 
 ing an earthen vase, she placed herself behind the 
 pretended merchant, and threw it on the ground, 
 shivering it in pieces; the stranger looked angrily 
 around. 
 
 "The Arnaut!" cried she, looking at her master. 
 
 "Begone! " said Abdallah, "and do not trouble me 
 with your follies." 
 
 Cafour glided to a corner of the tent, and soon 
 returned with boiling tea. The stranger was perfectly 
 tranquil; the word "Arnaut" had not moved him. 
 
 "My guest" said Abdallah, "welcome to this poor 
 
 165
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 table. The journey will be long, and it is good to 
 strengthen yourself against the fatigue to come. Sat- 
 isfy your hunger." 
 
 "Excuse me" replied the merchant; "my anxiety 
 and fatigue have given me a fever, and I have but one 
 desire, to set out on my way." 
 
 "Salt is good for the appetite" said Cafour, and 
 taking a handful of salt, she thrust it into the strangers 
 mouth and fled to the garden. 
 
 "Wretch!" cried Abdallah, "I will chastise your 
 insolence ! " as he rushed furiously after Cafour to pun- 
 ish her. 
 
 "Strike," said Cafour, weeping, "strike the dog that 
 warns you, and caress the jackal that will devour you. 
 Did you not hear the dogs howl this morning? they 
 saw Azrael. Madman, your sins blind you; death is 
 hovering over this house. Do you not know that 
 merchant?" 
 
 "A guest is above suspicion," interrupted Abdallah; 
 and returning to the tent, he found the stranger seated 
 in the same place, with a smile on his lips. 
 
 "The slave has given me a lesson in politeness," 
 said he. " The beard of the guest is in the hand of the 
 master of the tent; I will endeavor to do honor to 
 your hospitality." 
 
 He fell to eating with an excellent appetite for a 
 sick man, talking freely and seeking every means to 
 be agreeable to Abdallah. 
 
 At the moment of departure, when the stranger 
 was already mounted, Leila came out, with her face 
 
 166
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 half concealed in her burnoose, holding a pitcher in 
 her hand, from which she sprinkled a few drops of 
 water on the feet and haunches of the camel. " May 
 God give thee a good journey" said she, "and conduct 
 thee back in safety to those who love and watch for 
 thee ! " 
 
 "Those who love me are under ground," answered 
 the stranger; "and since I lost my mother, twenty 
 years ago, no one has watched for me." 
 
 "Then may God give thee a wife to love thee and 
 grow old by thy side ! " 
 
 "Let us go," said the stranger, abruptly; "the 
 moments are numbered." 
 
 "My lord" said Leila to her husband, "thou bearest 
 happiness away with thee ; mayest thou soon bring it 
 back again ! " 
 
 Cafour was by Abdallah's side. "Master" said she, 
 "don't you take your gun?" 
 
 "No, it would be an insult to him whom I accom- 
 pany. Fear nothing; he whom God guards is well 
 guarded. When my uncle returns from the fields, tell 
 him to watch over the tent. Next to God it is to him 
 that I trust you." 
 
 And taking his lance in his hand, Abdallah set out 
 on his way, walking by the side of the stranger's 
 camel. 
 
 Halima and Leila followed the travellers with their 
 eyes as long as they could see them, then returned 
 to the tent. 
 
 Cafour alone remained outside, with fixed gaze and 
 
 16'7
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 trembling heart. It seemed to her that the horizon 
 was about to open and the desert to give back the 
 master for whom she watched. Vain hope of an anxious 
 soul! Night fell on the earth without bringing 
 Abdallah. 
 
 168
 
 XXV 
 
 THE GOLDEN LEAF 
 
 sooner had they plunged into the 
 sands than the stranger looked around 
 him to be certain that he was alone, 
 and began to play with the handle of 
 his pistol. "I hope, my dear guest" 
 said Abdallah, "that you will par- 
 don the folly of that child who disturbed your 
 repose." 
 
 "If the slave had been mine, I should have pun- 
 ished her severely" answered the traveller. 
 
 "We should be indulgent to those who love us," 
 returned Abdallah. "Cafour thought me threatened 
 with some great danger; it was to save me from this 
 imaginary peril that she involuntarily offended you . By 
 forcing you to eat my salt, she has made us friends 
 for life and death. Is not this the case among you 
 Syrians?" 
 
 "In my tribe," said the stranger, "the obligation 
 lasts for one day. But if the second day passes with- 
 out partaking of the same dish, the salt loses its virtue, 
 and we are free to hate each other." 
 
 169
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Well, my guest" replied Abdallah, smiling, "you 
 shall kill me to-morrow after I have saved your life. 
 Until then I am in your keeping; it is your duty to 
 protect me against all men." 
 
 "So I will" returned the stranger, then was silent. 
 " These are strange words " thought he . " The Bedouin 
 is right; I can not kill him while the salt of hospitality 
 is still in my stomach, it would be a crime. I will 
 wait till evening. When the sun sets, another day 
 will begin, and I shall have the right to do as I 
 like." 
 
 All along the way he gazed at Abdallah, who went 
 on with an erect head and calm brow. The Bedouin's 
 pistols were not loaded, and if he carried a lance in 
 his hand, it was only to aid him in walking. 
 
 "This man's confidence hampers me," said the stran- 
 ger to himself. "I would gladly fell an enemy; I 
 can not slaughter a sheep. Five thousand douros for 
 such a task is not enough; I would rather kill that 
 dog of an Omar for half the price ." 
 
 When the sun was near setting, the merchant urged 
 on his camel in order to prepare his weapons without 
 being seen by Abdallah; then, hiding his arms under 
 his burnoose, he paused. "Well" thought he, "the 
 moment has come." 
 
 As he turned round, the son of Yusuf approached 
 him, seized the camel by the bridle, and thrusting 
 his lance into the ground, spread two carpets on the 
 sand. "My brother" said he, "this is the hour of 
 prayer. The keblah is before us, and if we have no 
 
 170
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 water for our ablutions, you know that the Prophet 
 permits us to use the sand of the desert." 
 
 "I have no time to waste here; let us go on" cried 
 the stranger. 
 
 "Are you not a Mussulman? " said Abdallah, looking 
 at him with a threatening air. 
 
 "There is no god but God, and Mohammed is his 
 prophet" the merchant hastened to reply. "But the 
 religion of a poor pilgrim like me is simpler than that 
 of a noble Bedouin. I do not pray, because all that 
 God does he does well ; I do not wash my face, because 
 I need the water of the desert to drink ; I do not give 
 alms, because I ask them ; I do not fast in the month 
 of Ramadan, because I famish with hunger all the 
 year round; and I do not go on pilgrimages, because 
 the whole earth is the house of God. This is my faith ; 
 so much the worse for those who are too nice to like it." 
 
 "You surprise me, my dear guest," resumed the 
 son of Yusuf . " I had a different opinion of you . Do 
 you not wear, like myself, an amulet on your arm to 
 drive away the temptations of the Evil Spirit? Do 
 you not know that it contains the two saving chapters ? " 
 
 "Yes, I wear a talisman," said the stranger. "My 
 mother gave it to me twenty years ago on her dying 
 bed. It is the only thing that I respect; more than 
 once it has turned aside the death that was whistling 
 about me." 
 
 " Have you forgotten the words that make the vir- 
 tue of this treasure?" 
 
 "I have never troubled myself about them. My 
 
 171
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 mother chose them for me; she knew that of which 
 I am ignorant." 
 
 " Hearken to them" said Abdallah, solemnly. 
 "When a man lives in the midst of these sands which 
 may overwhelm him at a breath, it is good to draw 
 nigh by prayer to Him who alone rules the danger." 
 
 And bending toward Mecca, the son of Yusuf 
 repeated, with emotion, the chapter of the Koran 
 entitled the 
 
 DAYBREAK. 
 
 "In the name of the clement and merciful God, 
 Say, I fly for refuge unto the Lord of the DAYBREAK ; 
 From the mischief of the beings whom he has created; 
 From the mischief of the night when it cometh on, 
 From the mischief of the envious, who beareth us envy!' 
 
 "Peace be upon thee! " cried the merchant. "Are 
 those the words which my mother left me? " and while 
 listening to Abdallah, he replaced the pistols in his 
 belt. 
 
 The son of Yusuf continued to recite the Koran : 
 
 MEN. 
 
 " In the name of the clement and merciful God, 
 Say, I fly for refuge unto the Lord of MEN, 
 The King of men, 
 The God of men ; 
 From the mischief of him who suggests evil thoughts and 
 
 slyly withdraweth, 
 
 Who whispers evil into the hearts of men ; 
 From genii and men." 
 
 "Who says this? " asked the stranger. "Who reads 
 thus the heart?" 
 
 172
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "It is God himself" replied Abdallah; "we are his. 
 If he wishes our destruction, our feet lead us where 
 death awaits us. If he wishes our safety, death falls 
 before us like a wounded lion. He saved Abraham 
 in the midst of the flames ; he drew Jonah from the 
 depths of the sea and the belly of the whale." 
 
 "Then do you never fear death?" 
 
 "No. Where God commands, all precautions are 
 vain. There are two days in our life when it is useless 
 to arm ourselves against death, the day when God 
 orders Azrael to strike us, and the day when he forbids 
 him to approach us." 
 
 " May we not still fear the unknown hour that is 
 destined to carry us away?" 
 
 "No, not if we have followed the Word of God. 
 Your mother doubtless told you more than once what 
 mine has often repeated to me, ' Remember that on 
 the day of thy birth thou alone wept, while all around 
 thee rejoiced. Live so that at thy last moment all 
 around thee may be in tears, while thou alone hast 
 no tears to shed; then thou wilt not fear death, what- 
 ever may be the hour of its coming.'" 
 
 "You dwellers in the desert are a strange people," 
 murmured the stranger; "your words are golden, but 
 your acts are evil." And he involuntarily carried his 
 hand to his pistol. 
 
 "We are the people of the Prophet" returned the 
 Bedouin; "we follow his teachings. Before ever you 
 set foot in my tent" he continued, raising his voice, 
 "I knew you, Kara Shitan. You are my enemy; you 
 
 173
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 came to my dwelling under a false name. I know not 
 the end of your journey, and nothing would have 
 been easier than for me to rid myself of you ; but you 
 demanded my hospitality, God placed you under my 
 keeping, and this is why I have accompanied you, 
 alone and unarmed. If you have evil thoughts, may 
 God protect me ! if not, give me your hand." 
 
 " May hell be my inheritance if I touch him who 
 has spared me ! " said Kara Shitan. " Here is my hand ; 
 it is that of a soldier who returns evil for evil, and 
 good for good." 
 
 No sooner had the Arnaut uttered the words than 
 he began to regret them . " Here I have allowed myself 
 to be trifled with like a child," thought he. "Shall I 
 give back the five thousand douros? No ; Omar is rich 
 enough to pay his brother's debt. Besides, have I not 
 rid him of Abdallah? If his heart has not failed him, 
 Leila by this time is on the way to Djiddah. If he 
 undertakes to complain, let him come for his douros. 
 I have promised to kill some one; I give him the 
 preference." 
 
 At this happy thought Kara Shitan laughed to him- 
 self, and admired his own wit. 
 
 An instant after he was seized with remorse. "It 
 is not natural" thought he, "for me to give way to 
 such weakness. Who now will ask my aid? I am like 
 an old lion without teeth or claws . That young woman 
 who spoke to me so gently, this Bedouin who trusts 
 in me, the voice of my mother which seems to rise 
 from the tomb, all this is magic. Accursed amulet, 
 
 174
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 thou hast destroyed me ! " and he snatched the talis- 
 man from his arm. 
 
 "Captain" said Abdallah, "we must plunge into the 
 desert if you would not meet the caravan which we 
 see yonder on the way to the noble Medina." 
 
 "No" said Kara Shitan, "on the contrary, I shall 
 join it ; I need you no longer. What shall I give you 
 to show my gratitude? Here, take this talisman. You 
 know not what you owe it ; you know not what it costs 
 me. Farewell ; if you hear me called a coward, remem- 
 ber that I have been your guest and your friend." 
 
 And urging on his camel, he rode off, leaving Abdal- 
 lah surprised by these strange words, the meaning of 
 which escaped him. 
 
 Left alone, the son of Yusuf endeavored to fasten 
 the protecting amulet about his arm. It was a little 
 roll of parchment, wound around with a silken thread. 
 On one side was sewed a bit of velvet, to which some- 
 tiling resembling a golden bee was attached . Abdallah 
 uttered a cry of joy. He could not be mistaken; it 
 was the third leaf. The shamrock was complete. The 
 son of Yusuf had nothing more to seek for on earth ; 
 the diamond leaf awaited him in heaven. 
 
 With a soul overflowing with gratitude, Abdallah 
 prostrated himself on the earth, and in a voice full of 
 emotion, recited the Fat-hah: 
 
 " In the name of the clement and merciful God, 
 Praise be to God, the Lord of the universe, 
 The clement and merciful, 
 The King of the day of judgment ! 
 
 175
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 Thee alone do we worship, and of thee alone do we beg 
 assistance. 
 
 Direct us in the right way, 
 
 In the way of those whom thou hast loaded with thy bless- 
 ings, 
 
 Not of those who have incurred thy wrath, nor of those 
 who go astray ! 
 
 Amen, Lord of the angels, of the genii, and of men." 
 
 The prayer finished, Abdallah turned his face home- 
 ward with a light heart and joyous tread. A new 
 thought had entered his brain, a thought which was 
 a new happiness in itself. Was it certain that the 
 diamond leaf had fallen within the gates of Paradise ? 
 Did not these three leaves, reunited from different 
 parts of the globe, cry out for their sister? Could a 
 blessing of God remain imperfect? Why might not 
 a new effort, a more entire devotion to the divine 
 will, obtain the highest prize for which Abdallah's 
 heart sighed? 
 
 Intoxicated with this hope, the son of Yusuf walked 
 on without thinking of the length and fatigue of the 
 journey, and the darkness alone forced him to stop. 
 The sky was lowering, and the moon did not rise till 
 near morning. Wrapped in his burnoose, the Bedouin 
 threw himself at the foot of a tree, and quickly fell 
 asleep. But his thoughts did not quit the divine sham- 
 rock; he saw it in his dreams. Then the leaves grew 
 and assumed a human form; Leila, Hafiz, Halima, 
 and poor Cafour, hand in hand, formed the mysterious 
 plant, and enriched him with their smiles and love. 
 
 176
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "To-morrow, my loved ones, to-morrow we shall meet 
 again ! " murmured he. 
 
 "Verily, the knowledge of the hour of judgment 
 is with God. No soul knoweth what it shall gain on 
 the morrow, neither doth any soul know in what land 
 it shall die ; but God is knowing, and fully acquainted 
 with all things." 
 
 m
 
 XXVI 
 
 THE RETURN 
 
 IEN the son of Yusuf awakened, the 
 moon was shedding her gentle light on 
 the earth, and the breeze of the morn- 
 ing was already felt. The impatient 
 traveller quickened his steps, and on 
 mounting a small rising ground, he 
 saw the tents of his tribe in the distance by the first 
 beams of daylight. In front of them, and nearer him, 
 was his own dwelling; he had waited for autumn before 
 removing from the garden he had planted, the bower 
 in which Leila took delight. 
 
 At the sight of his people Abdallah paused to take 
 breath and enjoy the spectacle before his eyes. The 
 first sounds of the morning were succeeding the calm- 
 ness of the night. A few women were already on 
 their way to the well, with their pitchers on their 
 heads; the camels were stretching out their long necks 
 and braying; and the sheep were bleating in their 
 folds for the shepherd. Around Abdallah 's tent all 
 was silent ; there was neither sound nor movement in 
 the garden. "My uncle is growing old," thought the 
 
 178
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 Bedouin; "there is great need of me at home. What 
 happiness to surprise them all ! Who would have 
 thought once that a day's absence would seem so long 
 to me?" 
 
 As he descended the hill, a horse ran past him at 
 full gallop, it was Hamama. He called her; the 
 frightened mare fled toward the Bedouin village; for 
 the first time she did not hear the voice of her master. 
 
 "Who has untied Hamama?" thought Abdallah. 
 "What has frightened her? It is some new prank of 
 Cafour's. Why haven't they kept better guard?" 
 
 He entered the garden, the gate of which was open. 
 At the sound of his steps the dogs came out of the 
 tent, but instead of running to meet him, they set up 
 a mournful howl. "God is great! " exclaimed the son 
 of Yusuf. "Misfortune has entered my dwelling." 
 
 In a moment he felt the bitterness of death; he 
 tried to go on, but his knees bent beneath him, and 
 a cloud passed before his eyes. He tried to call out, 
 but his words choked him. At last, with a desperate 
 effort, "My uncle, my mother, Leila, Cafour, where 
 are you?" shouted he. 
 
 There was no answer. The doves were cooing among 
 the branches ; the bees were humming around the last 
 remaining Howers; the water was rippling over the 
 pebbles; everything was living in the garden the 
 tent was mute and lifeless. Abdallah dragged himself 
 from one clump of trees to another ; then his strength 
 returned, and the blood mounted to his cheeks. He 
 staggered onward like a drunken man.
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 The tent was empty, the furniture overturned, and 
 a table broken; there had been a struggle. The cur- 
 tain of the apartment of the women was down. Abdal- 
 lah ran thither. As he entered he stumbled over a 
 corpse, it was Hafiz. The old man was stretched on 
 his back, his teeth shut, his mouth covered with foam, 
 and his features contracted with rage. His hands were 
 clinched. In the left he held a shred of blue cotton 
 stuff, it was the robe of Leila; in the right a piece 
 of scarlet cloth, torn doubtless from the ravisher. 
 Brave Hafiz ! the cowards had not dared attack him 
 face to face, but had assassinated him from behind 
 while he was defending Leila. 
 
 Abdallah fell on his knees by the side of his uncle 
 and closed his eyes. "God grant thee mercy!" said 
 he ; "may He be as good to thee as thou wert to us! " 
 He rose without shedding a tear, and walked with a 
 firm step toward the village ; but his limbs failed him 
 on the way, and he was forced to lean against a palm- 
 tree for support. Taking his pistols from his girdle, 
 he fired them in the air. At the sound the Bedouins 
 ran from all sides . Men and women surrounded Abdal- 
 lah, who stood pale, with fren/ied eyes and trembling 
 limbs. " Here you are " he cried, "brave warriors, Beni 
 Amurs, kings of the desert ! Oh, sons of Jews, hearts 
 of women, cowards, the curses of God fall upon your 
 heads ! " and for the first time he wept. 
 
 A cry of rage answered his words. "He is mad" 
 cried one of the old men. "Respect him whose soul 
 is with God. Come, my child," added he, taking 
 
 180
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 Abdullah's hand, "calm yourself; what is the mat- 
 ter?" 
 
 "What is the matter? " cried the young man. "This 
 night, in my absence, Hafiz has been killed, my mother 
 has been carried off, all that I loved have been snatched 
 from me. And you you were asleep you heard 
 nothing. Curses on you! To me the misfortune; to 
 you the outrage and infamy ! " 
 
 At the first words of Abdallah the women had rushed 
 toward the tent, where they were heard moaning and 
 weeping. The sheik cast down his head. 
 
 "Who would have thought of watching over your 
 family when your uncle and brother were there to 
 protect them" said he. 
 
 "My brother! impossible! " 
 
 "Your brother came here last evening with six 
 slaves" said a Bedouin. "I knew the little merchant; 
 I helped Hafiz kill a sheep for the supper of his 
 guests." 
 
 The son of Yusuf hid his face in his hands, then 
 looked at his companions, and said in a faint voice, 
 "Come and see what my brother has done, and advise 
 me what to do." 
 
 "Advice is easy" replied the sheik. "After an out- 
 rage there is but one thought for him who has a soul, 
 vengeance ! You are a finger of our hand ; whoever 
 touches you wounds us ; whoever seeks your life seeks 
 ours. Omar has a few hours the start of us, but with 
 God's aid we will kill him before night. Come, my 
 brave men" he added, "saddle your horses and take 
 
 181
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 a double ration of water; the weather is lowering, 
 and the skins dry fast. Let us go." 
 
 Before mounting his horse, Abdallah wished to see 
 his uncle once more. The women had already sur- 
 rounded the corpse, and commenced their lamenta- 
 tions. "Oh, my father, my only friend," cried the 
 Bedouin, "thou knowest why I leave thee! Either I 
 will never more enter this dwelling, or thou shalt be 
 avenged." 
 
 The Beni Amurs followed the son of Yusuf. The 
 sheik gazed long at old Hafiz; then, raising his hand, 
 "Accursed be he who returns to his wife till he has 
 stricken down the enemy!" said he. "Woe to him 
 who has insulted us ! Before this night we will fling 
 his corpse to the eagles and jackals. The whole earth 
 shall know whether the Beni Amurs are brethren who 
 cling together, or children with whom men can trifle 
 with impunity."
 
 XXVII 
 
 E band set out amid the cries of the 
 women and shouts of vengeance. 
 Once in the desert, all was silent, each 
 making ready his arms and watching 
 the horizon. It was not difficult to 
 follow the caravan; the wind had not 
 yet effaced the footprints of the camels, all of which 
 pointed toward Djiddah. Abdallah, always in advance, 
 counted the minutes, and called God to his aid; but 
 however much he strained his gaze, he saw naught 
 but solitude. The air was burning; the heavens were 
 heavy with the coming storm. The horses, panting 
 and covered with sweat, advanced at a slow pace. 
 The son of Yusuf sighed ; vengeance seemed escaping 
 him. 
 
 At length he perceived a black speck in the dis- 
 tance, it was the caravan. It had felt the approach 
 of the storm, and had taken refuge near those Red 
 Rocks known so well to Abdallah. "My friends, we 
 have them!" cried he. "Here they are; God has 
 delivered them into our hands. Forward!" And each 
 
 183
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 one, forgetting fatigue, spurred his horse on the rav- 
 ishers. 
 
 In these endless plains it is not easy to surprise an 
 enemy that stands on his guard. Omar soon recog- 
 nized his pursuers, and did not wait for them. He 
 ranged the camels in line, and placed a few drivers 
 behind them to feign a defence, then mounted a horse, 
 and fled with the rest of the band into the desert. 
 
 The Bedouins came up. At the first discharge, 
 Omar's camel-drivers gave way and fled among the 
 rocks. Before the smoke was cleared away a woman 
 ran to meet Abdallah, it was Halima, who had been 
 left behind and had escaped her enemies. 
 
 "Blessed be thou, my son!" she cried. "Do not 
 stop! give chase to that negro with the red jacket; 
 he is the assassin of Hafiz and the kidnapper of Leila. 
 Avenge us; eye for eye, tooth for tooth, life for life! 
 Death to traitors, death to murderers ! " 
 
 At these cries Hamama rushed over the sands with 
 the swiftness of a torrent, as if sharing in her master's 
 passion. The Bedouins had great difficulty in keeping 
 their companion in sight. As for Abdallah, rage made 
 him forget danger. " Cowards ! " cried he to the accom- 
 plices of Omar, "where would you flee when God 
 pursues you?" and with drawn sabre he passed amid 
 the bullets, his eye fixed on the negro who was carry- 
 ing off Leila. The pursuer and pursued soon left the 
 rest of the party behind. The Ethiopian, mounted on 
 a fleet horse, sped like an arrow through the air, while 
 Abdallah followed close behind. Hamama gained 
 
 184
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 ground; vengeance was approaching. Leila, placed 
 in front and held by a powerful arm, called her hus- 
 band, writhing in the stifling embrace, and vainly 
 struggling against the terrible rider. Suddenly she 
 seized the bridle and gave it a jerk, which disturbed 
 the horse, and caused him to stop for an instant. 
 "Curses on you!" cried the negro; "I am lost! Let 
 go the bridle, or I shall be killed ! " 
 
 " Here, my beloved ! " cried Leila, clinging to the 
 bridle, despite threats and blows, with the energy 
 of despair. 
 
 She was saved. The son of Yusuf fell like a thun- 
 derbolt on the ravisher, when suddenly the frightened 
 Hamama sprang aside with a bound which would have 
 thrown any other than her rider. A heavy mass had 
 fallen at her feet. Abdallah heard a groan which 
 chilled him to the heart. Without thinking of the 
 flying enemy, he leaped to the ground and raised the 
 unhappy Leila, pale and bleeding, with distorted fea- 
 tures. A deep wound was gaping in her throat, and 
 her eyes were sightless. "Leila, my love, speak to 
 me ! " cried Abdallah, clasping his wife to his heart, 
 while he tried to stanch the gaping wound from which 
 her life-blood was ebbing. Leila no longer heard him. 
 He seated himself on the sand with his precious bur- 
 den, and taking Leila's hand, raised one finger in the 
 air. "My child" said he, "repeat with me, 'There is 
 no god but God, and Mohammed is his prophet.' 
 Answer me, I entreat you ! it is your husband, it is 
 Abdallah that calls you." 
 
 185
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 At this name Leila started; her eyes sought him 
 whom she loved, and her lips half opened; then her 
 head fell on Abdallah's shoulder like the head of a 
 dying hare on the shoulder of the hunter. 
 
 When the Beni Amurs joined the son of Yusuf, 
 they found him motionless in the same place, holding 
 his wife in his arms and gazing in her face, which 
 seemed to smile on him. They surrounded their com- 
 panion in silence, and more than one wept. 
 
 At the sight of the corpse, Halima uttered a cry 
 of anguish, and threw herself on her son's neck; then, 
 suddenly rising, "Are we avenged?" said she. "Is 
 Omar dead? Is the negro slain?" 
 
 "See those crows gathering yonder," said one of the 
 Bedouins; "there is the murderer of Hafiz. Omar 
 has escaped us, but the simoom is rising; it will over- 
 take him before he can escape from the desert, and 
 before an hour the sand will serve as his winding- 
 sheet." 
 
 "My son, summon up your courage" said Halima. 
 "Our enemy still lives; leave tears to women. Leave 
 us to bury the dead ; go, punish the traitor. God will 
 go with you." 
 
 These words reanimated Abdallah. "God is great ! " 
 he cried. "You are right, my mother; to you the 
 tears, and to me the vengeance." 
 
 He rose and placed Leila in his mother's arms ; then, 
 gazing at her pale face with infinite tenderness, " Peace 
 be with thee, daughter of my soul ! " he said in a slow 
 and grave voice. "Peace be with thee, who art now 
 
 186
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 in the presence of the Lord ! Receive what has been 
 promised thee. It is God that raises us up; it is God 
 that casts us down. It is God that gives us life; it is 
 God that sends us death. If it pleases God, we shall 
 soon join thee. O God, forgive him, and forgive us ! " 
 
 He raised his hands to heaven, murmured the Fat- 
 hah, and passing his hand over his brow, embraced 
 his mother and mounted his horse. 
 
 "Where are you going? " said a sheik. "Do you not 
 see that fiery cloud advancing? We have barely time 
 to reach the Red Rocks; death is yonder." 
 
 "Farewell" answered Abdallah. "There is no more 
 rest for me except in the shadow of death." 
 
 187
 
 XXVIII 
 
 VENGEANCE 
 
 CARCELY had the son of Yusuf quit- 
 ted his friends when he found himself 
 before a. corpse; it was the negro, 
 already covered with birds of prey. 
 "God hates the treacherous" mur- 
 mured the Bedouin ; " he will deliver 
 
 the son of Mansour into my hand." 
 
 The whirlwind was approaching; the sky was of a 
 milky white; the rayless sun looked like a burning 
 mill-stone; and a poisonous blast dried up the saliva 
 in the throat and melted the marrow of the bones. 
 A noise was heard in the distance like that of an 
 angry sea ; whirlwinds of red dust rose from the sand 
 and mounted in columns to the sky, like giants with 
 faces of fire and arms of vapor. Everywhere there 
 was desolation, everywhere an implacable heat, and 
 at moments a silence even more horrible than the 
 moaning of the simoom. 
 
 Over this land, parched with drought, Hamama 
 advanced slowly, with panting breath and palpitating 
 sides. Her master had the tranquillity of a man that 
 
 188
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 knows neither hope nor fear. He felt neither heat 
 nor thirst ; one thought alone ruled his body and soul, 
 to overtake the assassin and kill him. 
 
 After an hour's march he saw a horse stretched on 
 the sand. A little farther on he heard something like 
 a sigh. He approached the spot. A man lay in the 
 dust perishing with thirst, and without strength to 
 utter a cry. It was the son of Mansour. His eyes 
 were starting from his head, his mouth was wide open, 
 and his hands were pressed to his panting chest. De- 
 lirious with pain, he did not recognize Abdallah; all 
 that he could do was to carry his fingers to his parched 
 throat. 
 
 "Yes, you shall have water," said the Bedouin; "not 
 in this way shall you die." 
 
 He dismounted from his horse, took a skin of water 
 from the saddle-bow, and after throwing away Omar's 
 pistols and sabre, put it to the lips of the dying man. 
 Omar drank deeply of the water, which restored his 
 life, and found himself face to face with Abdallah. 
 
 "You have saved me," murmured he; "I recognize 
 your inexhaustible goodness. You are a brother to 
 those who have no brothers, a life-giving dew to the 
 unfortunate." 
 
 "Son of Mansour, you must die," said the young man. 
 
 "Pardon, my brother! " cried the merchant, recov- 
 ering the consciousness of danger ; "you have not saved 
 my life to put me to death? Pardon, in the name of 
 what is dearest to you on earth, pardon, in the name 
 of her who nourished us both ! " 
 
 189
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Halima curses you" returned the son of Yusuf; 
 "you must die." 
 
 Terrified at the sinister air of the Bedouin, Omar 
 fell on his knees. "My brother, I acknowledge my 
 guilt" said he. "I have deserved your anger; but 
 however great my fault, can I not redeem it? Take 
 all my fortune; be the richest man in Arabia." 
 
 "You have killed Hafiz; you have killed Leila. You 
 must die" said Abdallah. 
 
 " Leila dead ! " exclaimed the son of Mansour, burst- 
 ing into tears, "it can not be. Her blood be on her 
 murderer's head; I am not guilty of it. Spare me, 
 Abdallah ; have pity on me ! " 
 
 "As well implore the gates of the tomb" replied 
 the son of Yusuf. " Make haste," he added, drawing 
 his sabre. "May God give you patience to endure 
 the affliction he sends you ! " 
 
 "At least, my brother," returned Omar, in a voice 
 of emotion, "give me time for a last prayer. You 
 would not have the angel of death seize me before I 
 have implored the mercy of God? " 
 
 "Say your prayers," replied Abdallah. 
 
 The merchant unrolled his turban and spread it 
 before him; then, throwing his robe over his shoul- 
 ders and bowing his head, he awaited the death-blow. 
 
 "God is great ! " he murmured ; "there is no strength 
 nor power but in God. To Him we belong; to Him we 
 must return. O God! sovereign of the day of retri- 
 bution, deliver me from the fires of hell; have pity 
 on me ! " 
 
 190
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 Abdallah gazed at him, weeping. "It must bej' he 
 said to himself, "it must be;" yet his heart failed 
 him. This wretch was his brother ; he had loved him, 
 he still loved him. When love has once entered 
 the soul, it lodges there like the ball in the flesh; 
 tear it out if you will, the wound still remains. In 
 vain the son of Yusuf sought to rouse his courage by 
 calling to mind the images of his slaughtered uncle 
 and dying wife ; despite himself he could see nothing 
 but the happy days of childhood, Halima clasping 
 both her children to her breast, and old Hafiz taking 
 them in his arms to tell them of his adventures in 
 battle. The pleasures they had shared, the sorrows 
 they had had in common, all these sweet recollections 
 rose from the past to protect the son of Mansour. 
 Strange to say, the victims themselves appeared to 
 ask pardon for the assassin. " He is thy brother, and 
 defenceless," said the old soldier. " He is thy brother " 
 cried Leila, in tears; "do not slay him." "No, no" 
 murmured the young man, repulsing the beloved phan- 
 toms, "it must be. Not to punish crime is to betray 
 justice." 
 
 In spite of the trouble of the son of Mansour, Abdal- 
 lah's hesitation did not escape his keen eye. Bathed 
 in tears, he clasped the knees of his judge. "Oh, my 
 brother" he said, "do not add thy iniquity to mine! 
 Remember what Abel said to his brother when threat- 
 ened by him: 'If thou stretchest forth thine hand to 
 slay me, I will not stretch forth my hand against thee 
 to slay thee; for I fear God, the lord of all creatures' 
 
 191
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 Alas! my folly has been greater than that of Cain. 
 Thou hast a right to kill me ; my life is too little to 
 expiate the crime to which I have been led by my 
 passions. But the forgiving God loves those who fol- 
 low his example. He has promised indulgence to 
 those who remember him; leave me to repent. He 
 has promised a paradise whose breadth equalleth the 
 heavens and the earth to those who bridle their anger; 
 pardon me that God may show thee mercy, for God 
 loveth the beneficent." 
 
 " Rise ! " said Abdallah . " Thy words have saved 
 thee . Vengeance belongs to God alone . Let the Lord 
 be thy judge; I will not dip my hands in the blood 
 of him whom my mother has nursed." 
 
 "Wilt thou abandon me here?" said Omar, looking 
 round him anxiously; "it would be more cruel than 
 to slay me." 
 
 For his sole answer, Abdallah pointed to Hamama. 
 Omar sprang on the mare, and without turning his 
 head, buried his spurs in her flanks and disappeared. 
 
 "Well" thought he, as he rode through the billows 
 of sand upheaved by the wind, "if I escape the 
 simoom, I am saved from the peril predicted me. This 
 Abdallah is very imprudent to remain in the desert 
 in such weather, alone, without a horse, and without 
 water. No matter; his folly be on his own head. I 
 will forget these accursed Bedouins, who have never 
 brought me anything but misfortune. The time has 
 come at last to live for myself." 
 
 192
 
 XXIX 
 
 THE DIAMOND LEAF 
 
 |HE wicked laugheth in his heart at 
 his success, and saith, "I am cunning, 
 and cunning is the queen of the world." 
 The just submitteth to whatever may 
 befall him, and saith, lifting his hands 
 to heaven, "O Lord, thou causest to 
 err whom thou pleasest, and directest whom thou 
 pleasest. Thou art the mighty and the wise; what 
 thou doest is well done." 
 
 Abdallah turned his steps homeward with profound 
 sadness. His soul was still troubled ; he had expelled 
 its anger, but could not uproot its grief. Large tears 
 trickled down his face, while he made vain efforts to 
 check them. "Forgive me, O Lord!" he cried; "be 
 indulgent to the weakness of a heart that can not 
 submit! The Prophet has said, 'The eyes are made 
 for tears and the flesh for affliction.' Glory to him 
 who holdeth the dominion over all things in his hands ! 
 May he give me strength to endure what he has 
 willed!" 
 
 He walked on thus in prayer amid the sands and 
 
 193
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 the fiery whirlwinds; heat and fatigue soon forced 
 him to stop. The blood in his veins was turned to 
 fire ; a strange disorder troubled his brain, and he was 
 no longer the master either of his senses or thoughts. 
 Devoured with a burning thirst, at moments both 
 sight and hearing deserted him ; then he saw in the 
 distance gardens full of verdure and lakes bordered 
 with flowers; the wind whistled through the trees, 
 and a spring gushed from among the grass. At this 
 refreshing sight, he dragged himself toward these 
 enchanting waters. Vain illusion! gardens and run- 
 ning springs all vanished at his approach; there was 
 naught about him but sand and fire. Exhausted and 
 breathless, Abdallah felt that his last hour was 
 approaching. "There is no god but God, and Moham- 
 med is his prophet" he cried. "It is written that I 
 shall never depart from this place. O Lord, come to 
 my aid ! remove far from me the horrors of death ! " 
 
 He knelt and washed his face with the sand of the 
 desert, then, drawing his sabre, began to dig his own 
 tomb. 
 
 As he began to stir the earth, it suddenly seemed 
 to him that the simoom had vanished. The horizon 
 lighted up with a glow softer than the dawn, and 
 the clouds slowly opened like the curtains of a tent. 
 Was it the mirage? None can tell ; but Abdallah stood 
 mute with surprise and admiration. Before him 
 bloomed a vast garden, watered by brooks flowing in 
 all directions. Trees with trunks of gold, leaves of 
 emerald, and fruits of topaz and ruby, covered broad 
 
 194
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 lawns, enamelled with strange flowers, with their lux- 
 uriant shade. Beautiful youths, clad in green satin 
 and adorned with costly jewels, reclined on magnifi- 
 cent cushions and carpets, looking lovingly at each 
 other, and drinking from silver cups that water, whiter 
 than milk and sweeter than honey, which quencheth 
 the thirst for ever. By the side of the youths stood 
 enchanting maidens, with large black eyes and modest 
 mien. Created of the light, and like it transparent, 
 their grace ravished the eyes and the heart; their 
 faces shone with a softer lustre than the moon emerg- 
 ing from the clouds. In this kingdom of delights and 
 peace, these happy couples were smilingly conversing, 
 while lovely children, eternally young, surrounded 
 them like strings of pearl, each holding a vase more 
 sparkling than crystal, and pouring out for the blessed 
 that inexhaustible liquor which never intoxicates, and 
 the taste of which is more delicious than the fragrance 
 of the pink. In the distance was heard the angel 
 Israfil, the most melodious of the creatures of God. 
 The houris joined their enchanting voices to the notes 
 of the angel, and the very trees rustled their leaves, 
 and celebrated the divine praise with a harmony 
 exceeding all that man has ever dreamed. 
 
 While Abdallah admired these marvels in silence, 
 an angel descended toward him, not the terrible 
 Azrael, but the messenger of celestial favors, the good 
 and lovely Gabriel. He held in his hand a tiny dia- 
 mond leaf; but small as it was, it shed a light that 
 illumined the whole desert. His soul intoxicated with 
 
 195
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 joy, the son of Yusuf ran to meet the angel. He 
 paused in terror ; at his feet was a vast gulf, full of fire 
 and smoke, bridged only by an immense arch made 
 of a blade of steel, which was finer than a hair and 
 sharper than a razor. 
 
 The Bedouin was already seized with despair, when 
 he felt himself supported and urged on by an invisible 
 power. Hafiz and Leila were on either side of him. 
 He did not see them; he dared not turn for fear of 
 awaking. But he felt their presence, he heard their 
 soothing words ; both supported and carried him along 
 with them. "In the name of the clement and merciful 
 God! " he cried. At these words, which are the key 
 to Paradise, he was transported, like lightning, to the 
 other side of the bridge. The angel was there, hold- 
 ing out the mysterious flower. The young man seized 
 it. At last the four-leaved shamrock was his; the 
 ardor of desire was quenched; the veil of the body was 
 lifted; the hour of recompense had struck. Gabriel 
 turned his eyes toward the bottom of the garden, 
 where divine majesty was enthroned. Abdallah's 
 glance followed that of the angel, and the eternal 
 splendor flashed in his face. At this lustre, which no 
 eye can endure, he fell with his face to the ground, 
 uttering a loud cry. 
 
 This cry man's ear has never heard, man's voice has 
 never repeated. The delirious joy of the shipwrecked 
 mariner who escapes the fury of the waves, the delight 
 of the bridegroom who presses his beloved for the 
 first time to his heart, the transports of the mother 
 
 196
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 who finds the son whom she has wept, all the joys 
 of earth are naught but mourning and sorrow to the 
 cry of happiness which rose from the soul of Abdallah. 
 At this voice, repeated afar by the echoes, the earth 
 resumed the beauty of its days of innocence and blos- 
 somed with the flowers of Paradise; the sky, bluer 
 than sapphire, seemed to smile upon the earth ; then 
 gradually silence fell on all things, the heavens dark- 
 ened, and the whirlwind regained dominion of the 
 desert. 
 
 197
 
 XXX 
 
 THE HAPPINESS OF OMAR 
 
 N re-entering his house at Djiddah, 
 the son of Mansour experienced the 
 joy of a criminal escaped from death ; 
 he shut himself up to regain his com- 
 posure, and again viewed his wealth 
 and handled his gold ; it was his life 
 and his power! Did not his treasures give him the 
 means to subjugate men and the right to despise 
 them? 
 
 Nevertheless, the pleasure of Omar was not un- 
 mixed ; there was still more than one danger in per- 
 spective. If Abdallah reached home, might he not 
 regret his clemency? If he should die in the desert, 
 would he not have an avenger? Might not the sherif 
 think himself offended? Might not the pacha set an 
 extortionate price on his protection? The son of Man- 
 sour drove away these importunate thoughts. "Why 
 be terrified " thought he, " when the most imminent 
 peril is past, thanks to my address? Am I at the end 
 of rny resources? My real enemies have fallen; shall 
 I not overcome the others? Life is a treasure that 
 
 198
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 diminishes daily; what folly to waste it in vain anxi- 
 eties! How difficult it is to be perfectly happy here 
 011 earth ! " 
 
 These reasonable fears were followed by other cares 
 which astonished the son of Mansour. In spite of him- 
 self, he thought of old Hafiz, whom he had murdered; 
 nor could he put aside the remembrance of Leila, or 
 of his brother dying in the desert, the victim of a 
 generous devotion. 
 
 "Away with these foolish imaginings, that whiten 
 the beard before the time! " cried he. "What weak- 
 ness to think of such things! Can I change destiny? 
 If old Hafiz is no more, it is because his time had 
 come. On the day that Abdallah was born, his death 
 was written before God. Why shall I, therefore, 
 trouble myself? Am I not rich? I buy the conscience 
 of others; I will buy repose for my own heart." 
 
 It was in vain for him to try; his soul was like the 
 restless ocean, which, unable to appease its angry 
 waves, casts up mire and foam upon the shore. 
 
 " I must gain time," thought he ; " these feelings 
 are nothing but a remnant of agitation, which fools 
 call remorse, but which is nothing but a little fatigue 
 and feverishness. I know how to cure it. I have 
 a wine of Shiraz which has more than once con- 
 soled me; why not seek patience and forgetfuliiess 
 therein ? " 
 
 He went to his harem, and called a Persian slave 
 with an enchanting voice, a heretic who was not 
 shocked at the use of the cup, and who poured out 
 
 199
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 with infernal grace this poison accursed by all true 
 Mussulmans. 
 
 " How pale you are, master ! " said she, on seeing 
 the discomposed features of the son of Mansour. 
 
 "It is the fatigue from a long journey" answered 
 Omar. " Pour me some wine, and sing me one of the 
 songs of your country, to drive away care and bring 
 back mirth." 
 
 The slave brought two crystal cups set in gold which 
 she filled with a liquor as yellow as gold and as clear 
 as amber; then taking a tambourine, she struck it 
 alternately with her hand and elbow, and waved it 
 over her head, while she sang one of the perfumed 
 odes of the Bulbul of Shiraz. 
 
 "Pass round the flowing bowl, child, 
 
 Filled to the brim with bright wine; 
 All the ills and woes of life 
 
 Are healed in this juice divine. 
 Has Time writ his lines on thy brow? 
 
 Has sleep through the night fled thine eyes? 
 Cast into these liquid flames 
 
 Thy regretful cares and thy sighs. 
 
 "Away with that drinker morose, 
 
 Who mourns for the years that are gone ; 
 In these wines of amber and rose 
 
 The flowers and the spring live on. 
 Are the roses dead in their bowers? 
 
 Has the nightingale left thee alone? 
 Drink, drink, and the clink of the glass 
 
 Shall be sweet as the bulbul's tone. 
 
 .'00
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 " Leave Fortune, the treacherous sprite, 
 
 To the weak or the wicked throng ; 
 What good can she give us more, 
 
 Since she leaves us wine and song? 
 The false one, lightly betrayed, 
 
 Nightly in visions I see; 
 Oh, wine, give me back the sweet dream ! 
 
 Oblivion and love are in thee." 
 
 " Yes, give me oblivion" cried the son of Mansour. 
 " I know not what is the matter with me to-day ; this 
 wine saddens instead of diverting me. Strike your 
 instrument louder; sing faster; make more noise; 
 intoxicate me." 
 
 The beautiful Persian sang merrily, striking her 
 tambourine: 
 
 " Hafiz, thou squanderest life ; 
 
 ' In the wine-cup death lurks,* say the old. 
 Oh, sages, he envies you not, 
 
 Nor your snowy locks nor your gold. 
 You may chide him, but still he will drink; 
 
 Day and night he will still drink deep, 
 For wine only can cause him to smile, 
 
 Wine only can cause him to weep." 
 
 " Curses on you ! " cried Omar, raising his hand to 
 strike the slave, who fled affrighted. "What name do 
 you bring me? Can not the dead rest in their graves? 
 Will they come even here to trouble my repose ? After 
 ridding myself of my enemies, shall I care for phan- 
 toms? Away with these chimeras! I will tear out 
 these memories from my heart ; in spite of them all, 
 
 201
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 I will laugh and be happy." As he said this, he uttered 
 a cry of terror. Cafour stood before him. 
 
 "Where do you come from, child of the Devil?" 
 he exclaimed . " What are you doing in my house ? " 
 
 " That is what I wish to know " answered the child ; 
 "it was not by my will that your servants carried me 
 to your harem." 
 
 "Begone! I do not wish to see you." 
 
 "I will not go till you have given me back my 
 mistress. I belong to Leila; I wish to serve her." 
 
 "Your mistress has no more need of your services." 
 
 "Why?" said the negress. 
 
 "Why?" replied the son of Mansour, in a broken 
 voice. "You will know by and by. Leila is in the 
 desert; go and find her." 
 
 "No" said Cafour, "I shall stay here, and wait for 
 Abdallah." 
 
 " Abdallah is not in my house." 
 
 "He is; I have seen his hoi-se." 
 
 "My servants brought away the horse at the same 
 time with you." 
 
 "No, they did not" returned Cafour; "before your 
 servants seized me, I had let Hamama loose. She 
 was more fortunate than I; she escaped. If she is 
 here, Abdallah must be here too; if not, what have 
 you done with your brother?" 
 
 "Away from here, insolent wretch ! I will not be 
 questioned by you. Dread my anger; I can cause you 
 to die under the bastinado." His eyes glared at these 
 words like a madman's. 
 
 202
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 "Why do you threaten me? " said Cafour, in a milder 
 tone. "Although I am but a slave, perhaps I can 
 serve you. You have some hidden trouble; I see it 
 in your face. This trouble lean dispel. In my country 
 we have spells to cure the heart. Were sorrow or 
 even remorse preying upon your soul, I could draw it 
 thence as the bezoar-stone draws the venom from a 
 wound." 
 
 "You have this power, a child like you ! " said Omar, 
 ironically, looking at Cafour, whose eyes steadfastly 
 met his gaze. "Why not? " he added; "these Maghrebi 
 negroes are all children of Satan; they know their 
 father's secrets. Well, yes, I have a sorrow; cure me, 
 and I will reward you." 
 
 " Have you any hashish in your house?" said Cafour. 
 "Let me mix you a drink ; I will restore your gayety." 
 
 "Do what you will" replied Omar. "You are a 
 slave; you know that I am rich and generous. I have 
 confidence in you; I wish at any price to enjoy life." 
 
 Cafour soon found the hashish-leaves. She brought 
 them to the son of Mansour, who followed her move- 
 ments with an eager eye. She took the plant, washed 
 it three times, and rubbed it in her hands, muttering 
 strange words. She then pounded the leaves in a 
 copper mortar, and mixed them with spices and milk. 
 "Here is the cup of oblivion" said she; "drink and 
 fear nothing." 
 
 No sooner had Omar drunk than he felt his head 
 suddenly grow light; his eyes dilated, and his senses 
 became marvellously acute, yet, strange to say, he 
 
 203
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 seemed moved by the will of Cafour. If she sang, he 
 repeated the song ; if she laughed, he burst into shouts 
 of merriment ; if she was grave, he wept ; if she threat- 
 ened him, he trembled. As soon as the negress saw 
 him in her power, she set to work to wrest his secret 
 from him. 
 
 "You are satisfied" said she; "you are avenged on 
 your enemies?" 
 
 "Yes, I am satisfied" said Omar, laughing; "I am 
 avenged. The beautiful Leila will no longer love her 
 Bedouin." 
 
 "Is she dead?" asked Cafour, in a trembling voice. 
 
 " She is dead," said Omar, weeping ; " but I did not 
 kill her: it was the negro. Poor woman! she would 
 have been so well off in my harem ! " 
 
 "And you no longer fear Abdallah ! " said Cafour, 
 with an exulting air. 
 
 "No, I do not fear him. I took his horse, and left 
 him alone in the desert, exposed to the simoom. He 
 will never more quit it." 
 
 "Lost in the sands, dead, perhaps ! " cried Cafour, 
 tearing her clothes. 
 
 " How could it be helped? " said Omar, in a plaintive 
 voice. "It was destiny. It had been predicted to me 
 that my best friend would be my worst enemy. The 
 dead always love you; they harm no one." 
 
 "What friend had you to fear, you who had never 
 loved any human being? " cried the negress. " Hold ! " 
 she added, struck with a sudden inspiration; "shall I 
 show you this friend who will cause your death ? " 
 
 204
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 " No, no ! " exclaimed Omar, trembling like a child 
 threatened with the rod. "Amuse me, Cafour; do not 
 make me sad." 
 
 " Look ! " said the slave, placing a mirror before his 
 eyes. "See the assassin of Hafiz; see the murderer 
 of Leila; see the fratricide; see the villain; see him 
 for whom there is no more repose ! Wretch ! you have 
 loved no one but yourself! Your selfishness has been 
 your ruin; your selfishness will be your death." 
 
 At the sight of her contracted features and haggard 
 eyes Omar stood terrified. A new light dawned on his 
 soul; he abhorred himself, and tore his beard in despair. 
 Shame soon restored his consciousness: he looked 
 around him, and at the sight of Cafour possessed of his 
 secret, he fell into a paroxysm of rage. "Wait, child 
 of perdition ! " he cried, "I will punish your insolence; 
 I will send you to join your Abdallah." 
 
 Giddy as he was, he attempted to rise; his foot 
 slipped. He struck against the table, and dragged 
 the lamp with him in his fall ; his clothes caught fire, 
 and in an instant his whole body was in flames. " Die, 
 villain!" cried Cafour; "die like a dog. Abdallah is 
 avenged ! " 
 
 The son of Mansour uttered lamentable shrieks, 
 which reached the inmates of the harem. They ran 
 to his aid. At the sound of their footsteps, Cafour set 
 her foot on the face of Omar, and with a bound sprang 
 to the outer door and disappeared. 
 
 205
 
 TWO FRIENDS 
 
 jjHILE the slaves flew to the succor of 
 the son of Mansour, Cafour saddled 
 Hamama, took a skin of water and 
 some provisions, and galloped through 
 the narrow streets of Djiddah. The 
 night was dark, and the storm was 
 rumbling in the distance. The child began to stroke 
 the horse and talk to it, as if the brute understood . 
 "Oh, dear Hamama" said she, "take me to your 
 master. Together we will save Abdallah. You know 
 how much he loves you ; no other hand has cared for 
 you ; help me to find him . Thanks to you, I will restore 
 him to his mother; together we will weep for Leila, 
 and I will comfort him. Do this, dear Hamama, and 
 I will love you." She embraced the horse, and stretch- 
 ing herself along the neck of the animal, gave it full 
 rein. Hamama darted onward like an arrow, as if led 
 by an invisible hand. As she rushed past an Arnaut 
 post at daybreak, the frightened sentinel discharged 
 his gun, declaring that he had seen Satan mounted 
 on a white horse fleeter than the wind. 
 
 206
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 Thus flew Hamama, without pausing or needing to 
 drink. A strange instinct impelled her toward her 
 master. She went straight toward him, regardless of 
 the beaten track, over rocks, through beds of rivers, 
 and across deep gullies, with God for a guide. 
 
 Toward midday Cafour perceived Abdallah in the 
 distance, prostrate on the sand, as if in prayer. " Mas- 
 ter! master!" she cried, "here I am!" But neither 
 the tread of the horse nor the cries of the child roused 
 Abdallah from his contemplation. Hamama stopped; 
 but he did not stir. Cafour, trembling, ran to him. 
 He seemed asleep; his face was beaming with ecstasy; 
 a heavenly smile was on his lips ; sorrow had fled that 
 countenance which had been a prey to such suffering. 
 " Master ! master ! speak to me! " cried the poor slave, 
 clasping him in her arms. He was cold ; life had quit- 
 ted the mortal covering. God had called to himself 
 this spirit made for heaven. 
 
 "Abdallah ! " cried Cafour, throwing herself on him 
 and covering him with kisses, "Abdallah, I loved thee!" 
 And she rendered up her soul to God. 
 
 Hamama gazed long at the two friends with anxiety, 
 and laid her burning nostrils again and again on Cafour's 
 cheek; then she stretched herself on the sand, with 
 her eyes fixed on the two bodies, to await the awak- 
 ening of those who were never to wake again on earth. 
 
 Long after, some Bedouins, wandering in the des- 
 ert, discovered Abdallah and Cafour in the sands, so 
 closely embraced that it was necessary to put them 
 into the same coffin. Strange to say, the beasts of 
 
 207
 
 ABDALLAH 
 
 prey had devoured the horse, but not a vulture had 
 alighted by day on the head of Abdallah, not a jackal 
 had touched by night the body of Cafour. 
 
 Under the shade of the palms by the Well of the 
 Benediction, two mounds of earth, surrounded with 
 stones to keep off the jackals, mark the spot where 
 the Bedouin, the Egyptian, and the negress await 
 together the day of judgment. The fragrant jessa- 
 mine, trailing from the branches of the trees, festoons 
 the tomb, and surrounds it all the year with odorous 
 blossoms. Here the weeping Halima mourned her 
 children till summoned by Azrael to join them; and 
 here the wearied travellers pause, before quenching 
 their thirst at the blessed well, to recite a Fat-hah 
 in honor of Abdallah, well named the servant of God. l 
 
 'Abdallah in Arabic signifies the servant of God. 
 
 208
 
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