Year: 1877


shouted the crowd


The Sultan shook the reins of his barb
aud rode down the square, accompanied
/ by his bashaws and sheiks. The Name
lukes and black troops remained together
with Abdallah aud the executioners. There
was no danger now in insulting him, and
they made the most Of the opportunity
The Mamelukes began by robbing him Of
everything valuable. One snatched his
turban, another his SASH third his jewel.
hited dagger, and the fourth the purse,
which he yainS attempted to conceal the
rest, meanwhile, rode around him and
pricked him with the points of their long
spears lie was then handed over to the
soldiers, and buffeted about till his bones
ached. When the sheik returned for his
slave he found him in a sorry plight, for
he was covered with blood and bruises,
and his garments were torn to tatters


Could his counterfeit and second self, the
vanquisbed beggar, have seen him then,
even he must have pitied him, he was 50
ragged and forlorn. 1t pleased the sheik
to ride through Cairo before he started for
the desert, and the whim seized him to
make Abdallah lead his camel. The slave
walked before his master, sullen and slow
the string of the camel slack in his hand,
and his eyes fixed on the ground. Turn
which way he would he was blasted by the
| sight of human faces. Men Of all ranks
and conditions rejOiced at his abasement
Children climbed up arches and gateways
to get glimpse of him. Citizens pointed
him out to strangers, and veiled women
peered at him from latticed balconies.
Many Of his debtors were present, and
merry enough they were too. 1t was not
every day that they could pay their debts
so easily After traversing the principal
streets Of the city, passing squares, markets
and bazaars, the sheik halted to make
room for procession. First came file
of soldiers loaded with swords and daggers
and armfuls of sashes and shawls then
row of black slaves, each with jar of gold
or jewelry on his head, and lastly the head
eunuch, leading a veiled girl, who trem-
bled under her veil The heart of the
slave sank within him. 1t was the spoil
of his own bazaars which the Sultan had
Just seized, aud his own child Zouleika on
her way 10 the accursed harem. A mist
swan before the eyes of the wretched
man; he staggered a step and fell senseless
in the dust When he came to himself
he was travelling with a caravan, for the
tribe whose slave he had become were
journeying back to the desert. The sheik
rode at their head, and Abdallah led his
camel over the sand. An ocean of yellow
sand stretched away on all sides till it
reached the edge of the horizon. Not a
tree or plant was to be seen anywhere, not
even blade of grass. The sky was with
out cloud, intensely blue and bright, and
the sand perfect glare Of. light Some.
times they followed the track of former
caravans, trampling in the footprints of
men and camels; at others, they struck out
a path for themselves, making the faraway
mountains landmarks. The road was fre-
quently strewn with bones, the skeletons
of men and camels, some Of whom were
overthrow by whirling sand, while others
must have perished from starvation. One
skeleton in particular impressed Abdallah,
and made him thoughtful for long time.
1t lay in advance of the multitude, and
beside it was broken water-cruse. He
picked up fragment of the cruise, and
saw its owners name engraved under the
mark of the potter. The dead man was
one of his own agents, trusty Egyptian
who started on a long journey for him and
never returned. "He met his fate in the
desert thought Abdallah; "he was starv-
ed to death that | might increase my
gains | remember now that his wife told
me this, but l feigned to think it false,
and refused her single piastre. | am
punished now, for | am 10 the desert my
self Allah forbid that his fate should be
mine y He cast his eyes over the sea of
rolling sand aud sighed aloud Up to this
time, and it was now the second day of
the journey, he had made no complaint 4
but now his limbs began to fail him from
excessive weariness, The hot sand burned
his tender feet, the waste of flint, into
which the caravan had come, cut him to
the very bone, and his steps were marked
with blood. In the afternoon the caravan
halted at valley well and pitched their
tent for the night The valley was mere
gully-the bed of some ancient river-and
the well was pit of blackish water. A
stunted palm rustled in the burning air,
and few brave tufts of grass disputed
the supremacy of the sand. 1t was
dreary place, but it seemed q garden to
the weary Abdallah. The camels were
fed and tethered for the night, the sheik
and his sons sat cross-legged in the tent
and related marvellous tales, the slaves
huddled together and sang wild songs in
strange tongues; but Abdallah stood alone
in the shade of palm. His first impulse
was flight, but glance at his swollen feet
convinced him of its utter folly. Had he
needed anything else to deter him he could
have found it in the hyena tracks which
surrounded the valley. He threw himself
nnder the stunted palm, and strove to for
get the change in his fortunes. He was
no longer Abdallah the slave, nor yet Alb.
dallah the merchant, but Abdallah the
man, man alone with nature.


The stars were out by thousands, spark
ling in the deep blue sky, and the moon
lifted her horn above the rim of the desert.
The first news that Abdallah had of her
presence was a long ray of light which she
shot full in his eyes, He turned his head
aside, and it glinted on the surface of the
well. A second followed it, and discover
ed what the dusk had for some time con-
cealed, the dusky faces of the slaves as
they sang their strange, wild songs. Then
Abdailah saw the white tent of the sheik
and the group Of tethered camels, and
then the stretch of desert beyond. There
was something in the moonlight which
made everything it shone upon beautiful,
even the stern old sheik, who came to
the door Of his tent to watch his slaves.
1t softened the heart of Abdallah and
filled him with tender and dreamy thoughts.
He remembered how often he had seen il
shining on the mosques aud domes of
Naira and kotv Il Aaalol IL