The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-04-02
fred the brig, and almost truculently he

fired the brig, and almost truculently he
answered:
Dogs and thieves and murderers and, IL
1t be possible, worse. know them, the evil
offspring of Cain. They have had their
polluting hands on me; they have made me
suffer. Their deeds reek with iniquity
They are men, look you, whose heads
should not be on their shoulders. That is
it. But let us not talk of such vile dogs
1t is not good. 1t polluteth the mouth to.
name them"
Finding him so strangely moved, / was
at a loss how to proceed, but at a venture
inquired the name of the town.
THE city is called Marabel, he reioined
Thou shalt know il all. IL is not so
mighty city as Bombay; neither is it SO
rich. Yet il is famous place. and we have
a great governor. 1t will please me to pre-
sent thee TO him. But perchance may in
quirc what thou meanest TO do?'
How can the driftwood cast on the
beach know what the next wave will do
with iti" answered
He smoked little more thoughtfully at
this, as If he were pondering something.
1--WE are people by ourselves" he re-
marked slowly, after the space of a minute.
''For ages too many TO be numbered we
have been what thou seest us. have trav-
eled-l know what changes are in other
parts of the earth, but we change not. save
to go from youth TO age. from our mothers
care to the darkness of the grave. As the
son is, 30 was the father, and so the fathers
father, even to the generations afar off,
when the patriarch Abraham built the holy
house Of Mecca, and Job, after manifold suf-
ferings, was enriched for keeping his soti's
integrity and numbered the increase of his
flocks and herds and gathered the overflow
ing gold and silver from his thrashing floors
gold from that which was for wheat, and
silver from that which was for barley. THE
Arabs believe that Abraham built the
Caaba, and that after proving the right
eousness of Job God sent two clouds which
rained gold and silver ON his thrashing
floors till they ran over.l The children Of
Ishmael have been the same since the he
ginning, like the sun, and the moon, and
the stars.
"Yonder hills, my son, have yielded more
TO time than the seed of Hagar and the
sea has been farther moved from its place
than they. AS n people, we abide by our
selves. Noships 90 from hence TO far lands.
Wherefore IL thou desirest to return to
thine own country it may be hard for thee.
And grieve to tell thee that sojourning
has many perils, for my people are incensed
against the face a stranger. Three moons
have not passed since an Egyptian, spy was
slain and torn asunder in a public place, and
the blood of Persian who came seeking
what was not his is yet wet on the ground.
Yet let not these things dismay thee. know
an evil countenance when / see il. Thine
pleads for thee; therefore thou shalt abide
with me- Morever, "A man of thy nation
once gave me mylife. IL would be a long
tale TO tell, but Twill remember it to his race
forever. For all these things tarry with me
for a time, and while / have store thou
shalt not want. And IL thine ears are open
10 counsel there is one thing more would
say"
Speak" said earnestly. "If thy wis
dom equal thy goodness, it will indeed be
well with me IL Iattend to thy counsel"
Mortal knoweth not what may come TO
pass" said the Arab solemnly, "only God
and his holy prophet This, then, is my
counsel--that thou make thyself as one Of
us Already, 10 my astonishment, thou art
master OF our tongue. As thou canst be an
Arab in speech, lie one also in apparel
Thus far honor our country and be assured
IL will stand 10 thee"
| 1T shall be as thou wilt L answered.
Said Achmet got 10 his feet with an eager
smile.
"Goodr' he cried. "See II make not az
likely fo\wer of the prophet Of thee as
the best Of them" Whereupon he began
hastily to search out the clothes that were
TO effect my transformation.
He was fastidious In having me ortho-
doxly arrayed. Ny long shirt was spotless
white. my turban was Of fine yellow silk,
my mantle was black aud gold, gorgeous
scarlet sash that would fitly have adorned
a queen encircled my waist and my naked
feet were put in costly sandals.
"By my faith. as genuine n child OF the
desert "a ever l set eyes on" exclaimed
Said Achmet when I was habited in my
flowing robes. But one thing thou yet
lackest."
lie ran into an inner room apd brought