The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-05-03

not reign long. DAMASCUS anu lne
plain around 1t were one great camp,
and every day new thousands Of wild
tribesmen poured in and took up the
quarters that had been prepared for
them. They asked Masouda. who knew
everything, what it meant. She an
swered:
cit means the jihad. the holy war,
which is being preached in every
mosque throughout the east. 1t means
that the great struggle between cross
and crescent is at hand, and then, pill
grims Peter and John, you viii! have
30 choose your standard"
"There can be little doubt about
that" said Wulf.
"None," replied Masouda, with one
of her smiles, ''only it may pain you
10 have to make war upon the Princess
of Baalbec and her uncle, the COM
mander of the faithful" Then she
went, still smiling.
For this was the trouble Of it: Rosa
mund, their cousin and their love, mad
In truth become the Princess of Baal-
bec--for them. She lived In great state
and freedom, as Saladin had promised
that she should live in his letter to Sir
Andrew Darcy. No insult or violence
was offered to her faith; no sutton was
thrust upon her. But she was In land
where women do not consort with men,
especially IL they be high placed. AS q
princess Of the empire of Saladin, she
must obey Its rules even to yelling her
self when she went abroad and ex-
changing no private words with men.
they might be allowed to speak with
her from time to time, but he only an
swered shortly:
"Sir Knights, our customs are our
customs. Moreover, the less you see Of
the Princess of Baalbec the better l
think 1t will be for her, for you, whose
blood / do not wish to have upon my
hands, and for myself, who await the
fulfllment of that dream which the
angel brought"
Then the brethren left his presence
sore at heart, for, although they saw
her from time to time at feasts and
festivals, Rosamund was as far apart
from them as though she sat in Steeple
hall-aye, and farther. Also they came
to see that of rescuing her from Da-
mascus there was no hope at all. She
dwelt in her own palace, whereof the
walls were guarded night and day by a
company OF the sultan's mamelukes,
who knew that they were answerable
for her with their lives. Within its
walls, again, lived trusted eunuchs, I'M
der the command of cunning fellow
named Mcsrour, and her retinue Of
women, all of them spies and wa6chful.
4 One comfort, however, was left to
: them. When she reached the court
Rosamund had prayed of the sultan
that Masouda should not be separated
from her, and this, because of the part
she had played in his niece's rescue
from the power of Sinan, he had grant
ed, though doubtfully. Moreover, Ma
SCUBA, being u person Of no account
except for her beauty, and hereto,
was allowed to go where she would
and to speak with whom she wished.
So, as she wished to speak often with
Goodwin, they did not lack for tidings
of Rosamund.
From her they learned that in a fash
ion the princess was happy enough
who would not be that had just escap-
ed from Al-je-bal?-yet weary Of the
strange eastern life, of the restraints
upon her and of her aimless days; vex-
ed also that she might not mix with the
brethren. Day by day she sent them
her greetings and with them warnings
to attempt nothing-not even to see her
since there was no hope that they
would succeed. So much afraid of
them was the sultan. Rosamund said,
that both she and they were watched
day and night, and of any folly their
lives would pay the price. When they
heard all this the brethren began to
despair.
Then 1t was that a chance came to
them Of which the issue was to make
them still more admired by Saladin
and to lift Masouda to honor. One hot
morning they were seated in the court
yard Of their house beside the fountain,
staring at the passersby through the
bars of the bronze gates and at the SEN
tries who marched to and fro before
them. The house was in one of the
principal thoroughfares of Damascus
and In front Of 1t flowed continually an
amending, many colored stream of folk
Goodwin and Wulf, seated In. the
shade of the painted house, watched
them gloomily. They were weary of
the ever changing sameness, weary OF
the eternal glare and glitter of this un
familiar life, weary of the insisten;
cries Of the mollahs on the minarets
of the fash of the swords that would
soon be red with the blood OF their own
people; weary, too. of the hopeless task
to which they were sworn. Rosamund
was one of this multitude She was the
Princess of Baalbec. half an eastern by
her blood and growing more eastern
day by day-or so they thought in their
bitterness. As well might two Sara
Gems hope to snatch the queen Of Eng
land from her palace at Westminster
as they TO drag the Princess of Baalbec
out of the power of a monarch more
absolute than any king of England.
Presently they heard voices at the
gate and, looking up, saw woman
wrapped In long cloak, talking with
the guard. who with a laugh thrust out
his arm. as though to place 1t round
her. Then a knife flashed, and the sol
der stepped back, still laughing. and
opened the wicket. The woman came
in. 1t was Masouda. They rose and
bowed to her. but she passed before
s,xtn