Name then
at once, my daughter, the piastres that you will give; for the prince,
the brother of queens, may to-morrow be dust.' 'How so?' eagerly
inquired Eva. 'He is a Mejnoun,' replied Amalek. 'After the man named
Baroni departed for El Khuds, the Prince of Franguestan would not
rest until he visited Gibel Mousa, and I said "Yes" to all his wishes.
Whether it were his wound inflamed by his journey, or grief at his
captivity, for these Franks are the slaves of useless sorrow, he
returned as wild as Kais, and now lies in his tent, fancying he is still
on Mount Sinai. 'Tis the fifth day of the fever, and Shedad, the son of
Amroo, tells me that the sixth will be fatal unless we can give him the
gall of a phoenix, and such a bird is not to be found in this part of
Arabia.
Now, you are a great hakeem, my child of children; go then to the young
prince, and see what can be done: for if he die, we can scarcely ransom
him, and I shall lose the piastres, and your father the backsheesh which
I meant to have given him on the transaction.'
'This is very woful,' murmured Eva to herself, and not listening to the
latter observations of her grandfather.
At this moment the curtain of the pavilion was withdrawn, and there
stood before them Fakredeen.
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