'There is but one God,' said Sheikh Hassan, whose men had now reached
him, 'and Mahomet is his Prophet. Stand aside, sons of Eblis, or you
shall bite the earth which curses you!'
A wild shout from every height of the defile was the answer. They looked
up, they looked round; the crest of every steep was covered with armed
Arabs, each man with his musket levelled.
'My lord,' said Baroni, 'there is something hidden in all this. This is
not an ordinary desert foray. You are known, and this tribe comes from a
distance to plunder you;' and then he rapidly detailed what had already
passed.
'What is your force, sons of Eblis?' said the Sheikh to the horsemen.
'Count your men, and your muskets, and your swords, and your horses, and
your camels; and if they were all double, they would not be our force.
Our great Sheikh would have come in person with ten thousand men, were
not your wilderness here fit only for Giaours.'
'Tell the young chief,' said the Sheikh to Baroni, 'that I am his
brother, and will shed the last drop of my blood in his service, as I am
bound to do, as much as he is bound to give me ten thousand piastres for
the journey, and ask him what he wishes.'
'Demand to know distinctly what these men want,' said Tancred to Baroni,
who then conferred with them.
Pages:
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346