The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1906-06-22


med his only prophet.
Saladin lifted his head and looked at
Balian.
Tel me- he said. what of the
Princess Of Baalbec, whom you know
as the lady Rosamund Darcy? | told
you that | would speak no more with
you of the safety of Jerusalem until
she was delivered to me for Judgment
sultan" answered BALKAN. we
found this Lady in the convent of the
Holy Cross. wearing the robe of Il nov
Ice of that order She had taken the
sanctuary there by the altar which we
deem so sacred and inviOlable. and re-
fused to come
Saladin laughed
Cannot all your men at arms drag
one maiden from an altar stone: In
less. indeed. the great knight Wulf
stood before it with sword aloft," he
added.
so he stood" answered Balian. but
1t was not of him that we thought
though aSsuredly he would have slain
some of us. To do this thing would
have been an awful crime. which we
were sure must bring down the venge-
ance of our God upon us and upon
the city
Listen. now SaIadin said at
length. Let the princess. my niece,
come to me and ask it of my grace.
and think that | will grant you terms
for which, in your plight, you may be
thankful
Then we mast dare the great sin
and take her" answered Balian sadly,
having first slain the knight Wulf.
who will not let her go while he is
alive"
Nay, Sir Balian; for that | should
be sorry. nor Will | suffer it, for though
a Christian he is Il man after my own
heart This time | said Let her come
to me- not Let her be brought Aye.
come of her own free will to answer
to me for her sin against me, under
standing that | promise her nothing.
who in the Old days promised her much
Princess of Baalbec, with all the rights
belonging to that great rank to whom
/ had sworn that 10 husband should
be forced upon her nor any change OF
faith. Now | take back these oathS,
and If she comes she comes as an eS-
capped cross worshiping slave. to whom
l offer only the choice of Islam or of IA
shameful DEATH
what highborn lady would take
such terms?" asked BALKAN in dismay.
Rather, | think. would she choose to
die by her own hand than 10y that of
your hangman. since she can never
abjure her faith"
and thereby doom 10000 of her
fellow Christians. who must accom-
pany her to that DEATH answered Sal
adm sternly. know, Sir Ralian. |
swear it before Allah and for the last
time, that if my niece ROsamund does
not come of her own free will. enforced
by any, Jerusalem shall be put to
sack
''Then the fate Of the holy city and
all its inhabitants hangs upon the no
bleness of single woman STAN
mered Ralian.
Aye, upon the nobleness of Il single
woman, as my vision told me 1t should
be. If her spirit is high enough Jeru-
salem may yet be saved If it be baSer
than | thought, as well may chance,
then aSsuredly with her it is doomed
have no more to say. but my ENJOYS
shall ride with you, hearing Il letter,
which with their own hands they must
present to my niece the Princess of
Baalbec. Then she can return with
them to me, or she can bde where she
is, when | shall know that | saw but
a lying vision of peace and mercy flow
ing from her hands and will press on
this war to its bloody end
1t was night, and in their lamp lit
chapel the Virgins of the Holy Cross
upon Bonded knees chanted the slow
and solemn "Miserere." From their
hearts they sang, to whom death and
diShOnOr were so near, praying their
Lord and the merciful Mother of God
to have pity and to spare them and
the inhabitants Of the hallowed town
where he had dwelt and suffered. and
TO lead them safe through the shadow
of Il fate so awful as his own. They
knew that the end was near: that the
walls were tOttpring to their fall.
Then would come the sack and the
either by the sword of the
Saracens. or. perchance. if these found
time and they We're not forgotten. more
ut the hands Of Christian
men. who thus would save them from
the worst.