The solemnity of Iskender's voice claimed grave attention. The Emîr
recalled his gaze from far-off things, and fixed it upon the speaker
with some awe.
Both stood stock still.
"If you blease, sir, I think I tell you better sittin' down."
Iskender had espied a Muslin tomb among the leaves ahead, a small white
cube, with egg-shaped dome atop of it, having in its shade a place for
the repose of wayfarers. Thither he conducted the Emîr, and both sat
down. Iskender toyed with his fingers in the crevices of its rough
pavement. He wished to enjoy his love alone as long as possible; and
the walk from thence to the hotel was but a short one. From a
garden-hedge before them, two cypress-trees stood sharply out against
the jewel sky.
"I wish to sbeak to you, sir, about something which I neffer told to
anybody. My mother knows, but no one else. Will you bromise, blease,
to keeb it secret, what I'm goin' to tell you?"
"Yes, rather! Fire away," said the Emîr.
"Well, sir, I know of a blace where gold is found more blenty than the
oranges in that garden we now come from."
"You don't? You're joking!" The Emîr stared at him.
"I do, sir. You know, there's lots of country neffer been exblored
away there to the south and east, behind the Jordan. No one effer goes
there. My father went there once--he was a muleteer and traffeled all
about in those days--and in the desert, far away from any houses, he
found a blace where bits of gold were lyin' on the ground quite thick
like bebbles in a mountain wady."
"But your father was not rich," the Frank objected.
"No, sir; and just because he was not rich, he could not go again and
fetch the gold. It wants horses and camels, and many men and arms to
make afraid the Bedouins. My father saw that blace with his own eyes,
and before he died he wrote a baber teach me how to get there. He told
me he got a big biece of gold, enough to make him rich, but had to drob
it after a bit, it was so heffy."
"How far is the place from here?"
"Nine days or ten, I think. When I get home I look in the baber which
my father left and see for certain."
"But perhaps your father was mistaken, and the stuff he found was not
gold at all."
"That might be." Iskender grasped his chin reflectively, admitting
that he had not thought of that contingency. "But father was a knowing
man," he added; "he looked close at things. Though he was only a boor
common man, he had traffeled a great deal, and I think he'd know gold
when he saw it."
"I must say I should like to go and see," exclaimed the Emîr, now
warming to the subject.
"You'd better not, sir, till you make sure of brotection. The desert
beeble don't like strangers hangin' round. And the Guffernment would
stob you, if they got to know. I thought I'd tell you, sir, because
you're kindest friend I effer had. Then by-and-by you get some friends
to join you, and go with a strong barty; and then, when you've got much
gold, you think: Iskender made me a nice bresent. I hobe you think so.
I know I am only a boor common man, like dirt to you. But I luff you
truly, sir, and wish to gif you something."
"Don't talk such rubbish," said the Emîr impatiently. "Of course we
should share alike, and go together, if at all. By Jove, it would be
fun!" and he began to shadow forth the expedition, Iskender helping him
with tempting details. To Iskender the vision of riding for days
together alone with his beloved seemed all glorious. Sitting there
beside the Muslim tomb, with the Emîr talking to him like a brother in
the excitement of their common dream, he lost the thought of time, and
was surprised to see the fires of evening in the sky, and the shadows
of the two tall cypress-trees extending right across the sandy road.
"We must find out more about that place," said the Emîr with a great
yawn as he rose and stretched himself. "We must make inquiries. Other
people must at least have heard of it.
"Oh, sir, I beg you not!" the son of Yâcûb cried in sudden terror.
"You bromised faithfully to keeb my secret!"
"Of course, you stupid!" came the laughing assurance. "We can make
inquiries without telling any one."
At the door of the hotel they found Elias waiting. He stood forth and
greeted the Emîr quite unabashed, convulsed with laughter at the
latter's cold amazement.
"You thinkin' of that business in the garden? Neffer fear, sir! That
was all a dam' bad joke of that briest-fellow, Mîtri--I'll be efen with
him yet, by Jingo!--all to pay me out because I neffer gif him nothing
when he bless my house. He is a funny man, sir--that briest is! He
makes me laugh fit to sblit with his awful silly jokes."
Yet while thus joyously ascribing his late discomfiture to the Orthodox
priest, his manner towards Iskender showed new deference, clearly
indicating that he saw the young man's hand in the business, and
recognised his master in guile. Iskender was greatly shocked when his
Emîr allowed that proven rogue to enter with them. What was his horror
when, arrived in the bedroom, his Highness lightly asked Elias if he
had ever heard of a place in the interior where gold lay on the surface
of the ground.
His lord shot a glance at Iskender to reassure him on the score of
secrecy. But the poor youth gnashed his teeth and clenched his hands.
He saw his credit hanging on a thread, his new-found favour on the
point of leaving him, Elias avenged, triumphant. The dragoman had
travelled far and wide; he was sure to ridicule the tale, and prove
convincingly that no such place existed. He could hardly suppress a
cry when Elias, instead of laughing, pulled a grave face and solemnly
affirmed:
"I know it well."
"Have you been there?" inquired the Emîr, himself astonished. "I heard
of it to-day by chance, and am curious to know the whole story of it."
"Not I myself. But I know one man what went there. He left this bart
of the country, though; may be dead, by Jofe, for what I know!"
Interrogated further, Elias declared that the name of the place was
well known. It was Wady 'l Mulûk, the Valley of the Kings; though why
he could not say, unless it were because the kings of old, who were
certainly richer than kings are nowadays, derived their gold from
thence. Many persons had, at divers times, set out to find that place;
but few had reached it, for the reason that no one knew the road
exactly, and the desert tribes were fond of killing travellers.
"Don't you make no mistake!" he concluded. "The Wady 'l Mulûk, he's
there all right, only a job to find him. If you want to hear about
him, I tell you what, dear sir, I ask some beebles."
"I should be obliged if you would," said the Frank.
Iskender was still in the stupefied state of one who wakes to find his
dream made real. After such evidence from Elias, an unprepared,
impartial person, there was no longer any room for doubt but that the
gold of his vision actually existed. He felt a trifle jealous of the
witness for knowing more about it than he did himself. A servant
summoning the Emîr to dinner, he went out into the twilight with Elias,
who still treated him with the gravest deference. As they walked away
together, the dragoman still talking of the wonders of the place of
gold, Iskender could not help informing him that he had certain
knowledge of the whereabouts of that valley, away in the eastern
wilderness, beyond the Jordan.
"Thou sayest? Now may Allah bless thee!" muttered Elias, with
immediate reverence. "Allah witness how I always loved thee. I
understand now why his Honour questioned me with so much mystery. You
are going there together. The Emîr will furnish forth the expedition
and become thy partner. Allah witness how I always loved thee.
Bitterly do I repent my conduct towards thee of the last few days, and
Allah knows thou hast had ample vengeance. Thou art too strong for me.
Henceforth I am thy friend and loving servant. Take me also, I beseech
thee, O my soul. I can be useful to thee from my wide experience in
travel; and of the spoil I would claim no more than an alms or
gleaning. Fear not that I shall breathe a word to any man. Elias is
renowned for his discretion. Say yes, O beloved! For the love of
Allah, let me go with you."
Iskender said yes, though with mental reservations. The concession set
Elias upon heights of glory. He kissed Iskender on both cheeks at
parting, and swore by Allah that the love he felt for him transcended
that which he bore his own father and mother.