Part 42 (2/2)
”Boy, thou'rt mad! Why, Sakr-el-Bahr's quarrel will check a s in its flight”
”That is his boast, belike,” replied Marzak
”And what may thine be?” quoth Sakr-el-Bahr ”To hit the Island of Formentera at this distance?”
”Dost dare to sneer atwould that ask?” wondered Sakr-el-Bahr
”By Allah, thou shalt learn”
”In all humility I await the lesson”
”And thou shalt have it,” was the answer viciously delivered Marzak strode to the rail ”Ho there! Vigitello! A cross-bow forto obey hiain
”An it were not against the Prophet's law to , when Marzak interrupted him
”Already should I have proposed one”
”So that,” said Sakr-el-Bahr, ”thy purse would come to match thine head for emptiness”
Marzak looked at hiitello's hands one of the cross-bows that he bore and set a shaft to it And then at last Sakr-el-Bahr was to learn the malice that was at the root of all this odd pretence
”Look now,” said the youth, ”there is on that paler than the pupil of ht to see it Observe how my shaft will find it Canst thou better such a shot?”
His eyes, upon Sakr-el-Bahr's face, watching it closely, observed the pallor by which it was suddenly overspread But the corsair's recovery was al so entirely careless that Marzak began to doubt whether he had paled indeed or whether his own iination had led him to suppose it
”Ay, thou'lt choose invisible marks, and wherever the arrow enters thou'lt say 'twas there! An old trick, O Marzak Go cozen women with it”
”Then,” said Marzak, ”ill take instead the slender cord that binds the bale” And he levelled his bow But Sakr-el-Bahr's hand closed upon his arrip
”Wait,” he said ”Thou'lt choose another mark for several reasons For one, I'll not have thy shaft blundering throughone of them Most of them are slaves specially chosen for their brawn, and I cannot spare any Another reason is that the mark is a foolish one The distance is not more than ten paces A childish test, which, maybe, is the reason why thou hast chosen it”
Marzak lowered his bow and Sakr-el-Bahr released his arm They looked at each other, the corsair supre easily, no faintest trace of the terror that was in his soul showing upon his swarthy bearded countenance or in his hard pale eyes
He pointed up the hillside to the nearest olive tree, a hundred paces distant ”Yonder,” he said, ”is abranch of that first olive”
Asad and his officers voiced approval
”A man's mark, indeed,” said the Basha, ”so that he be a marksman”