The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-01-22


ing hot with the fingers, for the Arab
scorn the friyolity of knives and forks.
found no difficulty whatever In reyertins
TO the methods of Adam. The batter
could mako nothing of, since 1t was lik,
putty in my hands, and the mutton seemed
none too cleanly dressed, but on the rice
and fruit fell with the furious zeal of @
furnishing man, being indeed ms empty us
dry we'll
The meal finished literally finished, fol
Arab hospitality enioins that guest shall
eat while morsel remains-we washed our
hands, an operation that was highly neces-
sary, and went into the garden to smoke
| the pipe Of peace under the umbrageous
| cover OF date palms.
cannot express the luxury of reclining
| in that verdurous scene, Watching the sun
descending to "his chambers" In the west.
Put mind and body at rest after racking
both; let fruits and blossoms and green
masses of foliage take the place of a baked
and blasted wilderness After raging
fever OF thirst let water pash and sparkle
III fountain and stream. Instead of torrd,
noxious blasts, let
Gentlo gales
Tanning their oderiferous wings dispense
Native perfumes aud whisper whence they
stole
Those balmy spoils.
and, above all, let a sense OF human cordial.
ity and sympathy replace the distress OF
the outcast, and you may dimly conceive
my feelings of quiet Joy and deep content
Everything was in unison with my mood,
from the mystic splendors of the encircllng
mountains to the soft beauty and incense
OF the radiant, mellowy groves close at
hand. We spoke not word. In delicious
silence we saw the gold waning, and the
rose flushing, and mountain, plain and tree
shining with a shifting glory that was like
an etiucnt food of light and color from the
open doors OF heaven. Then down dropped
the sun, darkness rushed upon the land,
and we went inside. Said Achmet lost no
time in reminding me OF tho promise to
tell my story
He listened TO It with the immovable
countenance of the sphinx, sucking quietly
at his pipe, his eyes fast on the ground.
When the recital was over, he raised his
face to mine.
"Thou hast been in great peril, my son,r
he said, land such as thou never couldst
have escaped except the hand of God were
with thee OF a surety thou art reserved
for some great work"
asked him IL he had any idea who and
what the men were who had plundered and
fired the brig, and almost truculeutly 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 iniqnitv
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.
1.-The city is called Maro bel +" he reioined
Thou shalt know it all. It is not so
mighty city as Bombay; neither is 1t so
rich. Yet it is n famous place, and we lave
great governor. 1t will please me to pre-
sent thee to him. But pcrchance may in
quire what thou meanest to do?"
How can the driftwood cast on the
beach know what the next wave will do
with it2n answered
He smoked little more thoughtfully Mt
this, as II he were pondering something.
I'VE arc people by ourselves he re-
marked slowly, after the space of a minute.
For ages too many to lie numbered we
have been what thou seest us. have tray
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 SUI.
fcrings, was enriched for keeping his souls
integrity and numbered the increase Of his
hocks and herds and gathered the overflow.
ing gold and silver from his thrashing floors
gold from that which was for wheat md
silver from that which was for barley Irhe
Arabs believe that Abraham built the
Caaba, and that after proving the right
eousnessof Job God sent two clouds which
rained gold and silver on his thrashing
floors till they ran oYer.l The children OF
lshmael have been the same since the be-
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 It's place
than they. As n people, we abide by our.
selves. Noships so from hence to far lands.
Wherefore il thou desirest to return to
thine own country it may be hard for thee.
And grieye to tell thee that soiournng
has many perils, for my people are inccnsed
against the face stranger. Three moons |
have not passed since an Egyptian spy was
slain and torn asunderi 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 Iknow |
an evil countenance when | see it. Thine /
pleads for thee; therefore thou shalt abide |
with me- Moreover, "A man of thy nation |
once gave me mylife. 1t would be a long
tale tell, but will remember it to his raee |
forever. For all these things tarry with me
for n tirNn nd y-biia I ct, a..
shalt not want. And IL thine ears are open |
to 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 IT ] attend 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, TO my astonishment, thou art
master of our tongue. As thou canst be an
Arab in speech, be one also in apparel
Thus far honor our country and be assured
it will stand to thee"
ut shall be as thou wilt ~ answered,
Said Aehmet got to his feet with an eager
smile.
(, "Goodi' he cried. "see Il make not as
likely follower of tho 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. My long shirt was spotless
white, my turhan was of fine yellow silk,
my mantle was black and gold, gorgeous
scarlet sash that would fifty have adorned
n queen encircled my waist and my naked
feet were put in costly sandals.
"By my faith. as genuine child Of the
desert as ever / set eyes onl" exclaimed
Said Achmet when l was .habited in my
flowing robes. But ono thing thou yet
lackest."
! He ran Into an inner room and brought
forth small silver hilted sword, supported
by richly wrought. variegated belt OF
camsl's hair and leather, set of with silver