The Savannah morning news., 1904-09-18
THE BRETHREN
A Romance of the Crusades
BY H. RIDER .!AGGARD.

dwell in the East. we took ship and
| came safe home. bearing this ring of
Jebal with us, for 1 would not give it
up, as his servants demanded that
should do save to him alone. But be-
fore that vessel sailed a man dis
guised as a fisherman brought me a
| message from Ayoub and his son Sala-
din. swearing that they would yet re-
| capture Zobeide. the daughter of one
of them and sister of the other.
THAT is the story, and you see that
their oath has not been forgotten,
| though when in after years they learn
ed of my wife's death, they let the
matter lie. But since then Saladin,
who in those days was but a noble
youth. has become the greatest sui
tan that the East has ever known,
and having been told of you Rosa
mund, by that traitor, Lozelle, he seeks
to take you in your mothers place,
and, girl, 1 tell you that 1 fear him. -
AT least we have a year in which
to prepare ourselves, or to hide" said
Rosamund; "or perhaps much longer,
seeing that this palmer must travel
back to the East before my Uncle
Saladin can have our answer"
Aye" said Sir Andrew; perhaps
we have a year
What of the attack on the quay?'
asked Goodwin, who had been thinking.
1.-The knight Lozelle was named there,
yet it Saladin had to do with it, it
seems strange that the blow should
come before the word"
Sir Andrew brooded a while, then
said:
Bring in this palmer. I would ques-
ton him
So the man Nicholas, who was found
still eating as though his hunger would
never be satisfied, was brought in by
Wulf. He bowed low before the old
knight and Rosamund, studying them
the while with his sharp eyes, and the
roof and the floor, and every other de-
tail of the chamber-for those eyes of
his seemed to miss nothing.
You have brought me a letter from
far away, Sir Palmer, who are nam
ed Nicholas" said Sir Andrew.
II have brought you a chest from
Damascus, Sir Knight, but of it's con-
tents / know nothing. At least you
will bear me witness that it has not
been tempered with" answered Nicho-
las.
81 find it strange" went on the old
Knight, that one of your holy garb
should be chosen as the emissary of
Saladin, with whom Christian men have
| little to do
But Saladin has much to do with
Christian men, Sir Knight. Thus he
takes them prisoner even in times of
peace as he did me-"
Did he, then, take the Knight
| LoZelle prisoner"
1.-The knight Lozelle?" replied the
| palmer WAS he a big, red-faced man,
! with a scar upon his forehead, who
always wore a black cloak over his
/ mail?'
THAT might be he"
| Then he was not taken prisoner, but
| he came to visit Saladin at Damascus
while l lay in bonds there for I saw
| him twice or thrice, though what his
! business was I do not know. After
wards he left. and at Jaffa 1 heard
! that he had sailed for Europe three
months before I did,
Now the brother looked at each
other. So Lozelle was in England. But
| Sir Andrew made no comment, only he
said:
Tell me your story. and be careful
that you speak the truth
why should speak aught else who
| have nothing to hide?" answered
! Nicholas. II was captured by some
! Arabs as I journeyed to the Jordan
upon a pilgrimage, who, when they
! found that 1 had no goods to be rob-
bed of. would have killed me. This
indeed, they were about to do, had not
some of Saladin's soldiers come by and
command them to hold their hands
and give me over to them. They did so,
and the soldiers took me to Damascus
There l was imprisoned, but not straitly,
and then it was that 1 saw Lozelle, or,
at least, a Christian man who had
some such name, and. as he seemed to
be in favor with the Saracens. begged
him to intercede for me. Afterwards
I was brought before the court of
Saladin. and having questioned me, the
Sultan himself told me that / must
either worship the false prophet or die,
to which you can guess my answer.
So they layed me away, as l thought
to death. but none offered to do me
hurt. Three days later Saladin sent
for me again, and offered to spare my
life If I would answer an oath. which
oath was that I should take certain
package and deliver it to you, or to
your daughter named the Lady Rosa
mund, here at your hall of Steeple, in
Essex, and bring back the answer to
Damascus. Not wishing to die, / said
that I would do this, if the Sultan pas
sed his word. which he never breaks,
that / should be set free afterwards"
"And now you are safe in England,
do you propose to return to Damascus
with the answer, and, If so, why?"
For two reasons, Sir Andrew. First,
because have sworn so to do, and
! do not break my word any more