Part 20 (1/2)
”Of great and glorious tidings, O exalted one! Sakr-el-Bahr is returned”
”The praise to Him!” exclai the thrill of his voice
There fell a soft step behind hiraceful stripling in turban and caftan of cloth of gold salaaht and the light of the lanterns fell full upon his face the astonishi+ngly white fairness of it was revealed--a woht have been, so softly rounded was it in its beardlessness
Asad s that the boy had been sent by his ever-watchful s that they bore
”Thou hast heard, Marzak?” he said ”Sakr-el-Bahr is returned”
”Victoriously, I hope,” the lad lied glibly
”Victorious beyond aught that was ever known,” replied Tsamanni
”He sailed at sunset into the harbour, his cohty Frankish shi+ps, which are but the lesser part of the great spoil he brings”
”Allah is great,” was the Basha's glad welcos of his Sicilian wife ”Why does he not come in person with his news?”
”His duty keeps him yet awhile aboard, my lord,” replied the wazeer
”But he hath sent his kayia Othmani here to tell the tale of it”
”Thrice welcoether, whereat slaves placed cushi+ons for hiround He sat, and beckoned Marzak to his side ”And now thy tale!”
And Othed to distant England in the shi+p that Sakr-el-Bahr had captured, through seas that no corsair yet had ever crossed, and how on their return they had engaged a Dutchth and numbers; how none the less Sakr-el-Bahr had wrested victory by the help of Allah, his protector, how he had been dealt a wound that reater glory of Isla wealth of the booty which at dawn tomorrow should be laid at Asad's feet for his division of it
CHAPTER VI THE CONVERT
That tale of Othall and ood to her jealous soul Evil enough to know that Sakr-el-Bahr was returned in spite of the fervent prayers for his foundering which she had addressed both to the God of her forefathers and to the God of her adoption But that he should have returned in triu with him heavy spoils that must exalt him further in the affection of Asad and the esteem of the people was bitterness indeed It left her mute and stricken, bereft even of the power to curse him
Anon, when her mind recovered from the shock she turned it to the consideration of what at first had seemed a trivial detail in Othularly odd that he should have undertaken that long voyage to England to wrest thence just those two captives; that being there he should not have raided in true corsair fashi+on and packed his shi+p with slaves Most singularly odd!”
They were alone behind the green lattices through which filtered the perfuale's voice laden with the tale of its love for the rose Fenzileh reclined upon a divan that was spread with silken Turkey carpets, and one of her gold-embroidered slippers had dropped from her henna-stained toes Her lovely arms were raised to support her head, and she stared up at the la
Marzak paced the length of the chamber back and forth, and there was silence save for the soft swish of his slippers along the floor
”Well?” she asked him impatiently at last ”Does it not seem odd to thee?”
”Odd, indeed, Oto a halt before her
”And canst think of naught that was the cause of it?”
”The cause of it?” quoth he, his lovely young face, so closelyblank and vacant