Sleep was impossible. Thoughts of Zoraida absorbed me. Her position
was an extraordinary, yet perilous one, and she herself was still
enveloped in a mystery that seemed utterly impenetrable. Apparently she
was well aware of the secret plans of the Senousya, and by her grace and
beauty had charmed these wild, merciless outlaws, ruling even Hadj
Absalam himself. Queen of that fierce piratical band, she seemed to
have held them so completely under her sway, that the great Sultan of
the Sahara himself had been led by her into battle, and had carried out
her orders with implicit confidence and passive obedience. The whole
situation seemed unintelligible. It appeared impossible that this fair
woman, scarcely more than a girl, with such amazingly beautiful features
and gracefully-moulded half-bare limbs, who seemed to lead an exotic
existence, half consumed by the ennui of the harem, should be
responsible for the plunder and carnage, the heartless outrages and
brutal massacres, which had during the past few years appalled both
Christians and True Believers throughout North Africa. Yet had I not
already heard rumours of this from the Spahis? Was it not now proved by
her own admissions that she had led the Ennitra against the Zouaves,
Turcos, and _homards_?
Why, I wondered, had the dead hand been sent to me; why had some unknown
person endeavoured to convince me of her death; why, indeed, had those
who knew her all conspired to keep from me the knowledge that she still
lived? The facts formed a strange enigma which I hoped would ere long
be solved, for this latest disappearance of the Crescent of Glorious
Wonders had added considerably to the mystery. Nevertheless she had
promised to communicate with me, so I existed from hour to hour in
intense expectancy, hoping to receive a summons to enter her bewitching
presence.
I had not long to wait, for, on the following evening, while the people
had assembled on the opposite side of the camp and were performing their
evening prayer, I was strolling slowly past the three silken pavilions
of the self-styled Sultan, when suddenly there appeared at the door of
one of the two smaller tents, that were zealously and constantly guarded
by armed men, a black female slave. For a few seconds she disappeared,
then, coming forth again, she beckoned me. As I approached, my passage
was immediately barred by a dozen unsheathed swords, but on a word from
the negress the men's arms were relegated to their scabbards, and I
followed her into the pavilion.
The sweetly-scented interior was replete with every comfort and luxury.
From a golden lamp above a soft, subdued light fell upon bright divans,
velvet hangings, dark-hued rugs, and little mother-of-pearl tables,
whereon there stood fresh fruits in vessels of gold; while stretched
upon a lion's skin, with which her low couch was covered, lay Zoraida, a
radiant, dazzling vision of beauty.
Throwing down her cigarette as I entered, she raised herself upon her
elbow and greeted me with a smile of glad welcome, at the same time
ordering her slave to bring me cigarettes, and motioning me to a seat
beside her.
In silence our hands clasped until the negress disappeared. She had
gone to mount guard at the door, in order to give us warning if enemies
approached. The armed guards were, Zoraida explained in a few hasty
words, her own trusted servants, and would keep my presence a secret.
Thus placing me at my ease, and assuring me that we had naught to fear,
she entwined her bare arms around my neck, and, gently pulling my head
down to hers, kissed me passionately.
"Through long, weary days, my Amin, have we been parted. So long! And
thou hast always been so faithful, so unswerving in thy devotion unto
me!"
"I have merely striven to fulfil my promise," I said, enravished by her
beauty, and returning her tender caress. "For many moons have I
journeyed in order to accomplish the mission I undertook, yet until
yesterday I mourned for thee as dead. Canst thou imagine my joy now
that we are once again together?"
"Ah!" she exclaimed, throwing one arm over her head, as her white,
scented bosom, half-covered with flashing jewels, slowly rose and fell.
"Thou didst think me dead? Perhaps it would have been better for me--
better for thee--if I had really died. On the night we parted I was
near indeed to death."
"How?" I asked anxiously. "I heard thy screams, but was held powerless
to return and render thee help. Tell me what occurred?"
"Strive not to penetrate secrets that are mine alone, Ce-cil," she
answered, kindly but firmly. "I can only show thee evidence of the
coward's blow;" and raising herself into a sitting posture, she tore
asunder the transparent, pearl-embroidered lace which was the only
covering of the upper part of her body, revealing to my astonished eyes
a great ugly wound only half-healed. She had been struck in the left
side, half-way between arm-pit and waist, evidently with a keen, crooked
_jambiyah_, which had inflicted a terrible injury. The white, delicate
flesh was red and inflamed around a deep wound about three inches in
length, from which bandages had apparently only recently been removed.
"Who attempted thy murder?" I asked, enraged that anyone should thus
strike down a defenceless woman.
"An enemy," she answered, readjusting her filmy garments, the
transparency of which caused her no concern. The gauzes of the harem
had always been her attire from childhood, and she knew nothing of rigid
Western conventionalities. To the fair daughters of Al-Islam the
follies and foibles of Parisian fashion are a mystery. It is the
mission of the inmates of the harem to look beautiful, but they trust to
their own personal attractions, not to Worth's creations or Truefitt's
coiffures. The corsets, tailor-made gowns, and other arts that
transform a hag of sixty into a "smart" Society woman, are unknown in
the dreamy Courts of Love, for the velvet zouaves, the gauzy _serroual_,
and the garments of brilliant silk brocade are practically the same from
Fez to Teheran.
"Name the man who struck thee!" I cried. "He shall answer to me."
"No, no," she replied, turning slowly among her luxurious cushions,
causing her golden anklets to jingle. "It is best that, for the
present, thou shouldst not know."
"But a dead hand, with thy rings upon its lifeless fingers, was sent to
me, and I thought thou hadst--"
"Yes, yes," she answered quickly, interrupting. "But thou mayest not
know for what object the severed hand was sent thee. Forget the
incident now; some day shalt thou know all."
"When?"
Taking my hand gently in hers, she raised it slowly to her lips,
replying, "When we are free to love each other."
"Are we not free now? What obstacle is there?"
"One that seemeth insurmountable," she answered, looking earnestly at me
with her fine dark eyes, so full of love and passion. "By a secret bond
am I held unto the Ennitra, and thou alone canst sever it and give me
freedom."
"How?" I asked eagerly.
"By faithfully carrying out the mission that I entrusted unto thee; by
obtaining the secret from Mohammed ben Ishak at Agadez."
"I have done my best," I said. "I have actually been in Agadez, but
only as slave in the Fada of the Sultan."
"Yes," she replied, with a sweet, tender smile, lifting her dark lashes
for an instant; "already have I heard of thy perilous adventures, of the
gallant attempt thou hast made, risking thy life fearlessly among thine
enemies for my sake. True, we love each other devotedly, but, alas!
we--we are not yet free;" and her bright eyes became dimmed with tears.
"When shall we have liberty?" I asked, entwining my arm about her neck,
so that her sensuously-beautiful head pillowed itself upon my shoulder.
For a few moments she remained silent; then, gazing up into my eyes with
an intense, wistful look, she answered--
"When thou hast learned the Secret, and used it upon our mutual behalf;
then only can I extricate myself from the Bond of Blood."
"The Bond of Blood! What is that?" I asked eagerly.
"Ah, no!" she responded, with a touch of sorrow in her voice. "I am
unable to give thee explanation. When thou hast gained the Secret, then
wilt thou learn the truth, and penetrate the veil of Great Mystery.
Until that day have patience, and seek not that which must remain
hidden."
"But I--I have lost the Crescent," I blurted forth despondently.
"It is in my possession," she replied, with a smile, rising from her
divan, kneeling beside me, and placing her arms about my neck. "When
last night I recognised thee on thine arrival in our camp, I foresaw thy
deadly peril. Labakan, who had been ordered to kill thee, was also
aware of thy presence; therefore I had thy travelling companion, Halima,
brought before me, and from her ascertained that on thy journey thine
eyes had been constantly upon one of thy saddle-bags. I therefore felt
confident that the Crescent thou hadst lost had been recovered. Later,
I caused search to be made among thy belongings, and it being found
there, it was abstracted and brought hither."
"Hadst thou a reason for this?" I asked, puzzled.
"Yes. I knew that if the Crescent of Glorious Wonders were found in the
possession of thyself, an Infidel, no argument of mine would save thee
from death."
"But thou hast again rescued me, Zoraida," I murmured in ecstasy.
"Again my life hath been in thine hands."
"I love thee," she responded, briefly and simply.
"And thou art risking everything for my sake--even thy position as Queen
of the Ennitra!"
"Art thou not doing the same for me?" she asked. "As lovers it is our
duty to assist each other, and to stand together in the hour of danger."
"How didst thou know I had lost that which thou hadst entrusted to my
care?" I asked, much interested in this remarkable phase of the
extraordinary affair.
"I ascertained that when thou wert a slave in the Fada thou hadst not
the Crescent. Then I learnt of the circumstances of thy fall into the
hands of the Kel-Fade, and it was at once apparent that it was they who
had filched it from thee."
"Thou didst not know how I recovered it?" I asked, transported by her
beauty.
"No," she answered. "Tell me; I am interested to learn the truth;" and
with charming ingenuousness she imprinted upon my cheek another warm,
affectionate kiss.
Briefly, I told her of my journey after my adventurous escape from
Agadez, of the dastardly attempt to take my life, my strange rescue, and
my wanderings in the gloomy subterranean passages beneath the Sheikh's
palace. As I related how I had suddenly entered the hall where the
conspirators of the Senousya had assembled to practise their mystic
rites, she grew excited and alarmed, eagerly drinking in every word of
my description. When I had finished, she placed her hand upon my arm,
and said with intense earnestness--
"Tell no one of this, O Ce-cil! Thine eyes have beholden, and thou
hast, alas! learned the secrets of the League of Terror. I fear that
the punishment of eavesdroppers may be meted out to thee. Know thou
that the terrible vengeance of the Senousya is so far-reaching that the
man or woman it condemneth can never escape a violent death, even though
he or she may flee beyond seas unto the uttermost corners of the earth.
Wherever shineth the sun, there also are emissaries of the Senousya.
Therefore take every precaution for thy safety; tell no one of the
knowledge thou hast thus acquired; and upon the subject of the Holy War
remain always silent as the grave. Take warning, and exercise caution--
for my sake. The vengeance is always fatal!"
"I will heed thy words," I said. "But I care naught for enemies while I
am nigh unto thee;" and as I drew her slowly towards me, her lips met
mine in a warm, entrancing caress, enough to make any man's senses
whirl.
"I--I wish we could meet daily," she declared wistfully; "but for thee
to tread the enchanted ground of my pavilion is impossible. At the
peril of our lives, and by the connivance of those placed as janitors
over me, am I enabled to-night to speak with thee for one brief hour, to
hear thee tell me of thy love." Then, grasping my hand tightly, and
gazing with a fervent love-look into my face, she added, "For days, for
weeks have I been longing to see thee, hoping against hope. In the dim,
silent seclusion of mine own apartment strange rumours and distorted
reports have reached me regarding thy fate. Although those I employed
lied unto me, I felt confidence in thee. I knew thou wouldst strain
every nerve to obtain knowledge of the Great Secret that is essential to
our happiness. We meet now only to part again; to part perhaps for a
few days, perhaps for many moons. Let me dwell within thy memory, so
that thou wilt ever remember that she who loveth thee followeth thee
unseen, and that all her trust is in thine own brave heart."
She spoke with the fierce passion of love, and in her fine brilliant
eyes tears were welling. I was silent in the devout worship of my
entrancing idol--this woman whose face was perfect in its beauty, whose
supple figure and exquisite grace charmed me, and whose soft, tuneful
Arabic sounded as sweetest music. With her slight form in my embrace,
her cheek, fresh as an English girl's, lying upon my breast, her long
dark unplaited hair straying over my white burnouse, she filled me with
a restful, dreamy languor, a feeling of perfect enchantment and bliss,
enhanced by the heavy perfumes and the sensuousness of her luxuriant
surroundings.
"While wandering afar, the thought of thine affection hath given me
heart; thou art always my Pole Star, my light, my guide," I said,
enraptured. "Though I have failed to obtain the knowledge which I
sought, it was purely owing to the fickleness of fortune."
"Yes," she answered gravely. "I know thou hast done thy best. Yet
there are still means by which thou canst ascertain the truth, and
elucidate the Great Mystery."
"How?"
"By becoming one of us; by bearing arms under the green banner of Hadj
Absalam, and accompanying us to Agadez."
"Art thou actually on thy way thither?" I asked, amazed. "Surely it is
dangerous?"
"Dangerous only for the Sultan of the Ahir," she laughed.
"I cannot understand," I said. "What is the object of thy journey?"
"The same as the object of all our expeditions," she answered, the smile
dying from her lips. "The trade of the Ennitra is marked always by
rapine and murder, plunder and bloodshed;" and she shuddered.
"Do thy people intend fighting?" I asked.
"Hearken, and I will give thee explanation," she said excitedly. "For
many moons hath Hadj Absalam contemplated an attack upon the Sultan of
the Ahir, and the looting of the great Fada wherein thou wert held a
slave. At last the expedition hath been arranged, and is now being
carried out. Divided into four sections, our people, mustering all
their strength for the supreme effort, have stealthily moved hither, and
are now encamped at various points on the border of the Sultan's
territory, ready to advance upon Agadez like swarms of locusts at the
moment the drum of victory is conveyed unto them. Armed to the teeth,
and eager for a struggle that must be brief though deadly, they are
awaiting the completion of our plans. Two days hence all will be ready,
the drum that beateth us to arms will be carried forth, our tents will
be packed, and, acting in conjunction with the three other forces of our
fighting men, we shall advance, dealing blows swift and terrible among a
people who little dream of the approach of an enemy, and are entirely
unprepared."
"Hast thou actually a sufficient force to attack the almost impregnable
kasbah of Agadez?" I asked incredulously.
"Yes. In two days the green standard will be raised, the drum will be
sent round to the three other camps, and with one accord shall we sweep
onward to the great stronghold of the Ahir."
"And thou desirest that I should become a Bedouin of the Ennitra--an
outlaw of the Sahara?" I said.
"Thou _must_!" she answered, with enthusiasm, her slim lingers closing
tightly upon my hand. "Dost thou not see that I have obtained a respite
for thee, only on condition that thou throwest in thy lot with us?"
"What is this mysterious influence which Hadj Absalam declareth hath
been transferred unto me?" I inquired, eager to ascertain the meaning
of the strange words she had so boldly addressed to the robber Sheikh.
But she laughed, and, evading my question, answered with light
coquetry--
"The power that draweth us together; the influence that causeth us to
love each other."
"But why didst thou urge thy Ruler to compel me to become a freebooter?"
"It was my last extremity," she said. "I pleaded for thee, and--almost
failed. To fight beside us is thine only chance of reaching Agadez, and
of finding he whom thou seekest."
"To be near unto thee I am prepared to join thy people, even though they
are mine enemies," I said, as she looked into my eyes with trusting
gaze.
"Although thou wilt be near me, thou must never seek to have speech with
me," she exclaimed quickly. "We meet here at imminent risk, but we must
not again invite the wrath of those who desire thy death. To thee I
must be as a stranger, for remember that thou art a Roumi, and thy very
glance defileth mine unveiled face!" and she laughed lightly.
"Ah! the religious prejudices of thy people are indeed curious," I said.
"How long must we affect this estrangement?"
"Until Agadez hath fallen, and thine errand be accomplished."
"But if thou hast the Crescent in thy possession, canst thou not snap
thy bonds and escape with me?" I suggested. "Surely thy place is not
upon the field of battle, amid the carnage that must inevitably ensue
from such a combat?"
"Impossible!" she answered, moving uneasily, and wafting to me the sweet
perfume that clung to her draperies. She was agitated, for her hand
holding mine trembled violently, and her lips were tightly compressed.
"The Bond of Blood bindeth me more firmly than fetters of steel, and if
I attempted to desert the camp, the death of both of us would be
inevitable. No! To Agadez must we advance. From to-day thou art an
outlaw of the plains, and I am thy leader! Obey me, but speak not; for
upon thy silence and obedience dependeth thy life. Hidden in my
possession the Crescent will remain until such time as thou wilt require
it; then, once inside the Great Mosque, the secret knowledge will be
imparted unto thee, and will peradventure be of profit."
"It grieveth me sorely to think that thou, the woman I adore, art the
head of this fierce band of murderous marauders, and wilt lead them to
commit merciless massacre and pillage, to--"
"Ah, no!" she cried, raising both her hands as if to arrest my words.
"Reproach me not, O Ce-cil! I cannot bear it _from thee_! Thinkest
thou that were I not compelled, I would be the cause of this widespread
death and desolation; thinkest thou that I would urge onward these wild
hordes to deeds horrible and revolting? Thou believest I have a heart
of stone, that I have no woman's tenderness, that--that I, a woman of
the Desert, am"--and, unable to complete her sentence, she burst into a
passionate torrent of tears.
"No, Zoraida, I blame thee not," I tenderly hastened to reassure her.
"I know there are circumstances connected with thine hidden past of
which I have no knowledge, therefore I love thee fondly, awaiting the
time when thou art enabled to renounce thy people and become my wife."
"What canst thou think of a woman such as I?" she sobbed bitterly.
"Even to thee, so faithful as thou hast been, I am compelled to still
preserve my secret, appearing in thine eyes as one to whom the clash of
arms is sweeter than the music of the _derbouka_, and the wail of the
vanquished the pleasantest sound upon mine ear!"
"But thy position is not of thine own choosing," I said, quietly
endeavouring to soothe her.
"No!" she cried wildly, starting up. "I hate it all! Though each raid
enricheth me with gold and jewels of great price, yet there is a curse
upon the treasure, obtained, as it is, by the relentless slaughter of
the weak. Ah, Ce-cil! if thou couldst only know how acutely I suffer,
how these jewels upon me glitter with the fire of deadly hatred as each
one telleth its mute but horrible story, a story of rapine and murder
for which I--the woman thou lovest, the woman who would willingly give
her life for thee--am responsible! Is not my existence one of hollow
shams, of feigned daring and wretched duplicity? I loathe myself; and
were it not that I look forward to happiness with thee, I would--I would
end it all with this!" and she drew from her breast a small keen dagger,
with hilt encrusted with turquoises, that she always kept concealed
there.
"Speak not of that," I said firmly. "Place thy knife in its sheath. I
love thee, Zoraida, I trust in thee, and none shall ever come between
us."
"Dost thou place thy faith in me implicitly, notwithstanding that I
appear in thine eyes debased, and am unable to give thee explanation?"
she asked, half credulously, through her blinding tears.
The jewels upon her flashed with a brilliancy that was dazzling, and the
sweet odours of her apartment seemed intoxicating.
"I do," I answered, fervently kissing her with a mad, fierce passion.
"Indeed, had it not been for thine exertions, my bones would long ago
have been stripped by the vultures."
"Ah! my Amin, thou too art performing for me a mission, the result of
which will effect stranger things than thou hast ever dreamed," she
exclaimed earnestly; adding, "Our story-tellers relate wondrous things,
but none have described such marvels as thou shalt behold. I told thee
in Algiers that I was in peril of death, and that thou couldst avert the
danger that threatened. These words I now repeat, and trust in thee to
save me."
"To save thee I will again face our enemies fearlessly, and strive to
reach the _imam_ who holdeth the Secret, even though I have been told
that the Omen of the Camel's Hoof hath been revealed unto me," I said,
entranced by her beauty, and smiling in an endeavour to chase away the
gloomy shadow that seemed to have settled upon her.
"Yes," she answered, slowly winding both arms about my neck, and looking
up to me with big, tear-stained eyes. "The mark, to thee invisible, is
upon thy brow, yet hath not that presage of evil already been fulfilled
in thy failure to elucidate the Mystery of the Crescent? Is it not
possible that henceforward good fortune and success may attend thine
efforts?"
"Truly, O my beloved One of Wondrous Beauty!" I said, "thy words renew
hope within me, and restore confidence. I will seek the _imam_ of the
Mesallaje, and at any risk learn the hidden wonders."
In silence she gazed at me with a look of unutterable sadness. The
pallor of her countenance enhanced her delicate beauty, and the
trembling of her hands showed me how intensely agitated she had become.
She loved me with all the fiery passion of her race, yet it seemed as
though she kept from me, with tantalising persistency, just those facts
I desired explained. She seemed half incredulous, too, that I should be
prepared to make another strenuous effort to reach Mohammed ben Ishak
merely upon the expression of her desire, for after a short silence,
during which her peach-like cheek, fragrant with perfume, lay against
mine, she suddenly exclaimed--
"Dost thou, O Ce-cil! believe me blindly, even though I admit to thee
that I--I am unworthy thy generous love? To me, alas! debased and
degraded as I am, the fruit of the great lote tree is forbidden, and the
water of Salsabil may never cool my lips." Then, sinking upon her knees
before me, she suddenly burst again into tears, covering her face with
her hands.
"Come," I said, "let not thoughts of thy past cause thee unhappiness.
There is danger; and we must arm ourselves, and both bear our burdens
bravely."
"Ah!" she cried in accents of poignant bitterness, "it is impossible
that thou canst ever love me sufficiently to make me thy wife, even when
thou, at last, knowest my story. See!" and, throwing out her arms
wildly, she stretched forth her open palms towards me. "See! I am held
to this horde of cut-throats by gyves invisible yet unbreakable! I
kneel before thee, my Amin! a despicable, vile-hearted woman, whose
whole life hath been one of ignominy and deceit, whose very name is a
by-word of reproach! Forsaken by Allah, defamed by man, I confess
myself unworthy thy thoughts. I cannot--nay, I will not bring upon thee
disgrace and shame, for my hands!--they are stained by heinous crimes!"
she added hoarsely, bowing low and hiding her face.
Taking her by the wrist, I was about to assist her to rise, when she
snatched away her arm as if she had been stung.
"No, no!" she cried in heart-thrilling tones. "Place not thine hand
upon me! My touch polluteth thee! It will perhaps be best--best for
both of us if we part to-night to never meet again!"
"Tell me," I demanded quickly, "have not thy crimes been committed under
compulsion?"
"Yes, they have! I swear--they--have!" she answered brokenly.
"And thou art the wife of Hadj Absalam?" I said fiercely, half
convinced that I spoke the truth.
"Ah! no, no!" she protested, with feverish anxiety, raising her pale,
haggard face imploringly to mine. "Judge me not too harshly," she
cried. "Though the awful stigma of sin lieth upon me, and my life is
accursed, yet here at thy feet I tell thee I am neither wife nor slave.
I have suffered no man to hold me in fond embrace, nor to kiss my lips,
save thee. I take oath upon the Book of Everlasting Will."
"Canst thou not tell me why thou, a pure and innocent woman, art here
among these barbaric Sons of the Desert?" I asked, now convinced by her
terrible earnestness that my suspicions were groundless.
"I am not innocent, I confess to thee. How can I be, when to my vile
cunning is due that inhuman butchery which causeth the Ennitra to be
held in terror throughout the Desert? Until thine eyes met mine, I knew
neither mercy nor remorse, but now--Faugh! I see my crimes in all their
revolting hideousness, and I--I hate--I loathe myself--for I am the
Slave of the Destroyer!"
"Let us bury the past," I said, slowly and with sincerity, assisting her
to rise, and, holding her again in my arms, I rained passionate kisses
upon her sequin-covered brow. "Though much that is incomprehensible
remaineth like a curtain obscuring thee, yet I am satisfied that I
bestow not my affection in vain--"
"Ah, my Amin! thou knowest not how dearly I love thee," she interrupted,
raising her lips slowly until they met mine.
"I can gauge thy feelings by mine own," I answered. "Thou must leave
this life of outlawry; but ere thou canst escape from thy people, I am
compelled to gain certain knowledge. This will I strive once again to
accomplish; but in the meantime I desire not to gaze down the uninviting
vista of thy past, or tear the veil from unpleasant facts that thou
wouldst hide from me. I am confident in the knowledge that thou art
neither a wife nor an inmate of thy Sheikh's harem, and that, though
morally guilty of the massacres that have sent a thrill through two
continents, yet thy position hath, in some way unexplained, been thrust
upon thee. I consider this in considerable measure palliates thy
crimes, and--"
"I vow I have acted always against my will--always! It was horrible!"
she interrupted.
"Yes, I know," I said, tenderly stroking her long silky hair. "Thou
hast my love, sympathy, and forgiveness. Some day, when we are wedded,
peradventure thou wilt tell me how thou earnest to rule this piratical
band."
"It was to save mine honour," she declared, with fervour.
"Then I will demand no further explanation," I said. "It sufficeth that
we are confident in each other's love."
"Yes, we are, we are!" she cried, with a wild outburst of passionate
affection, kissing me again and again. "I have spoken the truth as
clearly as circumstances will allow, nevertheless, thou hast faith in
me. Thou art still my Amin, generous and true. For thee will I live in
the hope of eventual freedom, and should misfortune overtake us, by thy
side will I die!"
"Let us anticipate success," I said.
"Yes," she answered, smiling, as she dashed away her tears.
"If thou gainest the Great Secret, thou wilt obtain strange knowledge,
which will prove to thee amazing, and reveal an unheard-of marvel.
Therefore strive on. Though thou mayest see me sometimes, seek not to
hold converse with me. Remember always while thou art with us that we
are watched closely by those only too eager for a pretext for killing
thee. Indeed, if thou wort discovered here, thine head would quickly be
smitten off and mounted upon thy tent-pole, so likewise any attempt to
speak with me would inevitably cause a dozen knives to pierce thine
heart. Henceforth we are strangers until I restore to thee the
Crescent, and thy mission is safely accomplished."
"I will preserve silence, and seek thee not."
"Make me one other promise," she exclaimed in grave earnestness.
"Whatsoever thou mayest witness during our advance upon Agadez, never
wilt thou think ill of me. Remember always that I am forced to act as I
do in order to preserve mine own honour."
"I promise," I replied, sealing the compact with a lingering, ecstatic
kiss.
Next second her slave entered excitedly, with the news that prayers were
over, and that the people were flocking back to their tents.
"Thou must, alas! leave me, my Amin," Zoraida cried, on hearing the
negress's unwelcome announcement. "Would that we could spend some hours
longer together! but we must not run too great a risk. May Allah, the
Merciful Protector of the weak, watch over and guide thee, and may thy
footsteps fall in paths of peace. _Slama. Allah iselemeck_!"
Our leave-taking was tender and affectionate, for I saw how fervid and
passionate was her love, nevertheless she compelled me, firmly yet
kindly, to tear myself from her, and a few minutes later I was seated in
dreamy thoughtfulness outside the little tent which my enemies had given
me.
A few brief days, I reflected, and my fate would be decided. Would the
mystery of the Crescent of Glorious Wonders, with its undreamed-of
marvels that she had promised, ever be revealed?