The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1906-04-20
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. 49,


to them sprang forward with an oath
and struck him across the face with
his mailed hand. Instantly guards
thrust themselves between them, and
Sinan asked through Masouda:
"Why do you dare to strike this
Frank in my presenter
Because, lord" answered Wulf, "he
is a rogue who has brought all these
troubles on our house. l challenge him
to meet me in battle to the DEATH
"And I also" said Goodwin.
81 am ready" shouted Lozelle, stung
to fury by the blow.
"Then, dog, why did you try to run
away when you saw our faces" asked
wulf.
Masouda held up her hand and began
to interpret. addressing Lozelle and
speaking in the first person as the
mouth Of Sinan.
81 thank you for your service who
have served me before. Your messen-
ger came, a Frank whom 1 knew in
old days. AS you had arranged it
should be, sent one Of my fedais with
soldiers to kill the men of Salah-ed-din
on the ship and capture this lady, who
is his niece all of which, it seems, has
been done. The bargain that your mes
senger made was that the lady should
be given over to you
Here Goodwin and Wulf ground their
teeth and glared at him.
''But these knights say that you stole
her, their kinswoman, from them, and
or hoc CT
lenged you to single combat, which
challenge you have accepted. l sane
ton the combat gladly. who have long
desired to see two knights Of the
Franks fight in tourney according to
their custom. will set the course, and
you shall be given the best horse in my
kingdom. This knight shall ride his
own. These are the conditions: The
course shall be on the bridge between
the inner and outer gates Of the castle
city, and the fight, which must be to
the death, shall take place on the night
Of the full moon-that is, three days
from now. If you are victor, we will
talk of the matter Of the lady for
whom you bargained as wife,
my lord, my lord" answered Lo-
zelle, "who can lay a lance on that ter
rible place in moonlight? Is it thus
that you keep faith with me?"
It can and willv' cried Wulf. DOG,
1 would fight you with my soul on the
hazard
Keep faith with yourself" said ST.
nan, "who said that you accepted the
challenge of this knight and made no
conditions, and when you have proved
upon his body that his quarrel is not
just, then speak of my faith with you.
Nay, no more words. When this fight
is done we will speak again, and not
before. Let him be led to the outer
castle and there given Of our best. Let
my great black horse be brought to
him, that he may gallop it to and fro
upon the bridge or where he will with
in the circuit of the walls by day or
by night, but see that he has no speech
with this lady whom he has betrayed
into my power or with these knights,
his foes, nor suffer him to come into
my presence"
AS Masouda finished translating and
before Lozelle could answer, the lord
Sinan moved his head, whereon guards
sprang forward and conducted LoZelle
from the terrace.
your report" said Sinan, address
ing the tall fedai, who all this while
had lain upon his face before him,
still as the form that was stretched
upon the bier. There should have
been another prisoner, the great emir
Hassan; also where is the Frankish
spy?'
The fedai rose and spoke.
Lord" he said, Il did your bidding
The knight who has gone steered the
ship into the bay, as had been ar
ranged. We overcame and killed them
all except the prince Hassan, whom we
took prisoner. 1 left some men to
watch the ship. The crew we spared,
as they were the servants of the Frank
Lozelle, setting them loose upon the
beach to find their way to the nearest
city. Yesterday morning we started
for Masyaf the prince Hassan riding
in a litter together with that Frankish
spy who was here a while ago and told
you of the coming of the ship. AT night
they slept in the same tent. l left the
prince bound and set a guard, but in
the morning when we looked we found
him gone. how l know not, and lying
in the tent the Frankish spy, dead,
with knife wound through his heart
Behold! And. withdrawing the cloth
from the stretcher, be revealed the stiff
form of the spy Nicholas. 80, having
searched without avail. came on here
with the lady your prisoner and the
Frank Lozelle l have spoken"
Now when he had heard this report,
forgetting his calm, Sinan arose from
the cushion and stepped forward two
PAGES. There he halted, with fury in
his glittering eyes. looking like man
clothed in black bell. For n moment
he st-oked his beard, and the brethren
noted that on the first finger, Of his
right hand was a ring so like to that
which hung about the neck of Goodwin
that none could have told them apart.
Man. Sinan said i'll low voice.
what have You done? You have left
the emir Hassaa 80, who is the most
trusted friend and general of the sui
tan of Damascus. BY now he is there
or near it, and within six days we shall