where he was, when the rattle of the reed curtain roused him and,
starting from his dream, he found the great caliph entering.
Reverently touching his forehead to the floor, Kanana remained prostrate
until the caliph was seated. Then he rose and stood leaning upon his
staff while the old ruler silently surveyed him. It seemed to Kanana
that his very heart was being searched by those grave and piercing eyes.
Upon the shoulders of the Caliph Omar rested the fate of Islam for
future ages; his word was law wherever Mohammed was revered. He could
have little time to waste upon a shepherd boy; yet he sat for a long
while, silently looking at Kanana. When he spoke, it was only to bid him
repeat, at greater length, the story of how he came by the letter and
how he brought it to Mecca.
"My son," he said, when Kanana had finished, "thou hast done what many a
brave man would not have ventured to attempt. Ask what reward thou wilt
of me."
"I would have the blessing of the Caliph Omar," Kanana replied.
"That thou shall have, my son; and camels, or sheep, or gold. Ask what
thou wilt."
"I have no use for anything. I ask thy blessing, my father, and thy word
to bid me go."
"Thou art a strange lad," replied the caliph. "Thou art like, and yet
unlike the Terror of the Desert. I command thee, my son, say what I can
best do for thee."
"Give me thy blessing, then let me go, my father," repeated Kanana,
kneeling. "More than that, if I took it, I should leave at thy gate."
Omar smiled gravely at the boy's obstinacy.
"If I can do nothing for thee, there is yet something which thou canst
do for me. Kahled is the greatest general who fights for the Prophet. He
will soon reach Bashra, with thirty thousand warriors. He will turn to
enter Persia, but these letters must reach him, with my orders that he
go again to Syria. Bashra is three weeks from here, and a company of
soldiers will start to-night to carry the messages, while I send far and
wide for the Faithful to join him. It would be well, my son, for thee to
go with the soldiers, to give the story to Kahled by word of mouth."
"The way is hard. The sand is deep and dry between Mecca and Bashra,"
said Kanana. The caliph looked in some surprise upon the hardy Bedouin
boy.
"Hardship should not be hard to thee; but thou shall be carried as one
whom the caliph would honor."
"The way is dangerous. Robbers and hostile tribes are like the sand
about Bashra," added Kanana, who had often heard of the countries along
the eastern borders of Arabia.
Surprise became astonishment. The caliph exclaimed:
"Thou! son of the Terror of the Desert, speaking of danger?"
"My father, I spoke for thy soldiers," replied Kanana, quickly. "Before
they reach the sands of Bashra they will be with the five who started
with this letter. Dost thou believe that Kanana spoke in fear or
cowardice? If so, give him the letters, and with thy blessing and the
help of Allah, he will deliver them to thy Kahled, though every river
run with fire, and the half of Arabia stand to prevent him!"
[Illustration: "DOST THOU BELIEVE THAT KANANA SPOKE IN FEAR?"]
"Beardless youth!" cried the caliph. "I am too old for mockery."
"My father, without a beard I brought that letter here, and He who
guarded me will guard me still."
"Wouldst thou dare to go without an escort?"
"I would rather have a sword I could not lift than have an escort,"
replied Kanana.
"By the beard of the Prophet, my son, there is both foolishness and
wisdom in thy words. Thou shall take the messages by one route, and by
another I will send the soldiers with copies. It may be that Allah
guides thy tongue. When wilt thou start?"
"Now," replied Kanana.
"That was well spoken," said the caliph. "What camels and servants shall
be provided?"
"My father," said Kanana, "as I came a little way with the caravan
which arrived to-day, I noted the white camel that took the lead. I
never saw so great power of speed and endurance in a camel of the plain.
The man who led him knew him well and was easily obeyed. I would have
the two, none other, and the swiftest dromedary in Mecca, with grain for
fourteen days."
The caliph shook his head: "It will be twenty days and more."
"My father, the burden must be light that the sand lie loose beneath
their feet, and small, that it tempt no envious eye." Then, in the
direct simplicity resulting from his lonely life, Kanana added, "If it
is a three weeks' journey for others, in fourteen days thy messages
shall be delivered."
The caliph summoned an officer, saying, "Go to the caravan at the
Moabede Gate. Say that Omar requires the white camel and the man who
leads it; none other. Bid Ebno'l Hassan prepare my black dromedary and
food for the two for fourteen days. Have everything at the gate, ready
to start, in half an hour." Then to a slave, he added, "Give to the son
of the Terror of the Desert the best that the house affords to eat and
drink."
Without another word the caliph left the room to prepare the messages.
The slave hurried to produce a sumptuous feast. The officer left the
house to execute the orders of the man whose word was law.
Alone, Kanana sat down again upon the mat and buried his face in his
hands, as though he were quietly preparing himself to sleep.
Only a whisper escaped his lips. The words were the same which he had
angrily spoken under the shadow of Mount Hor, but the voice was very
different: "This is my great reward for giving a cup of water to the
thirsty. _La Illaha il Allah!_" The slave placed the food beside him,
but he did not notice it. Not until the caliph entered again did he
suddenly look up, exclaiming, "This shepherd's coat would not be
fitting the dignity of the white camel. I must have an _abbe_ to cover
it, and a mantle to cover my face, that Mecca may not see a beardless
youth going upon a mission for the great caliph."
They were quickly provided. The camel and its driver were at the gate,
with the black dromedary. All was ready, and with the mantle drawn over
his beardless face, and the _abbe_ covering his sheepskin coat, Kanana
knelt and received the blessing of the Caliph Omar.
As he rose from his knees, the caliph handed him, first the letters,
which Kanana placed in his bosom, and next a bag of gold which Kanana
held in his hand for an instant; then, scornfully, he threw it upon the
mat, remarking, "My father, I have already received a richer reward than
all the gold of Mecca."
The caliph only smiled: "Let each one dance according to the music which
he hears. My son, I see the future opening before thee. This is not thy
last mission. I read it in thy destiny that thou wilt succeed, and
succeed again, until the name of Kanana be written among the greatest of
those who have lifted the lance for Allah and Arabia. Go now, and God go
with thee."
VII
A PRIZE WORTH WINNING
There was a group of several people standing about the caliph's gate as
Kanana emerged. They were apparently waiting, in careless curiosity, to
see the white camel start, and learn what they could of what was going
on in official departments.
The information they received was very meager, yet it proved sufficient
for more than one. They saw the white camel rise, with the veiled
messenger of Omar upon its back. As the driver looked up to receive his
first command their necks were bent in a way that betrayed their
eagerness to hear. Only one word was spoken, however. It was "Tayf," the
name of a city a short distance to the east of Mecca.
The camel-driver's cry sounded again through the streets, but the
twilight shadows were gathering. There were few abroad, and the cries
were not so loud or so often repeated as in the afternoon. When they
ceased altogether, Kanana had turned his back upon Mecca forever.
The night wind blew cool and refreshing from the surrounding hills as
the little caravan moved out upon the plain, but Kanana was ill at ease.
It was still as death in the valley. Far as the eye could penetrate the
darkness they were all alone, except for five horsemen who left the gate
of Mecca not long after the white camel, and were now riding slowly
toward Tayf, a short distance behind it.
Ever and again Kanana looked back at them. The faint shadows, silently
moving onward through the gloom, were always there; never nearer; never
out of sight.
Leaning forward, he spoke in a low voice to the driver, "You walk as
though you were weary. The dromedary was brought for you. Mount it, and
follow me."
"Master," replied the driver, "the white camel is obstinate. He will
only move for one whom he knows well."
"You speak to the wind," muttered Kanana. "Do as I bid thee. Hear my
words. Yonder black dromedary has the fleetest foot in Mecca. He is the
pride of the Caliph Omar. Mount him, and if you can overtake me while I
drive the white camel, you shall throw the dust of the desert in the
face of Raschid Airikat, and have the white camel for your own."
The driver started back, and stood staring at the veiled messenger of
Omar. The word, "Mount!" was sternly repeated. Then he quickly obeyed,
evidently bewildered, but well satisfied that he would have an easy task
before him, from the moment the white camel realized that a stranger was
in command.
Kanana spoke, and the camel started. The dromedary moved forward close
behind it without a word from the driver. The horsemen had approached no
nearer while they waited, though Kanana had purposely given them time
enough to pass, had they not halted when he halted. They were still five
silent shadows upon the distant sand.
"Faster," said Kanana, and the long legs of the white camel swung out a
little farther over the sand and moved more rapidly, in response.
The dromedary immediately quickened its pace without urging, and, a
moment later, from far in the distance, the night wind brought the sound
of horses' hoofs through the silent valley. It was very faint, but
distinct enough to indicate that the shadows behind them had broken into
a canter.
The camel-driver gave little heed to his surroundings. He was too
thoroughly engrossed in the prospect of owning the white camel to care
who might be coming or going in a way as safe as that from Tayf to
Mecca.
Kanana, however, who could walk through the streets of the holy city
without so much as knowing what the houses were made of, would have
heard the wings of a night-moth passing him, or seen a sand-bush move, a
quarter of a mile away.
His life as a shepherd had, after all, not been wasted.
"Faster," said Kanana, touching the camel's neck with his shepherd's
staff, and without even the usual grunt of objection, the animal obeyed.
The sand began to fly from his great feet as they rested upon it for an
instant, then left it far behind; the Bedouin boy sat with eyes fixed on
the path before him, and his head bent so that he could catch the
faintest sounds coming from behind. The mantle that had covered his face
fell loosely over his shoulder.
The dromedary lost a little ground for a moment, but gathering himself
together, easily made it up. The driver was too sure of the final
result to urge him unduly at the start. Soon enough the white camel
would rebel of his own accord, and till then it was quite sufficient to
keep pace with him.
The sound of horses' hoofs became sharper and more distinct, and Omar's
messenger knew that the five shadows were being pressed to greater
speed, and were drawing nearer.
"Faster!" said Kanana, and the white camel broke into a run, swinging in
rapid motions from side to side, as two feet upon one side, then two on
the other were thrown far in front of him and, in an instant, left as
far behind.
Still the dromedary made light work of keeping close upon his track,
evidently realizing what was expected of him; but the driver saw with
dismay how quickly the camel responded to the word of his rider, how
easily the man sat upon the swaying back--how carefully he selected the
best path for the animal, and how skillfully he guided him so that he
could make the best speed with the least exertion.
Many a night Kanana had run unsaddled camels about the pastures of the
Beni Sads, guarding the sleeping sheep and goats, little dreaming for
what he was being educated.
The sound of horses' hoofs grew fainter. They were losing ground, but
now and then the listening ear caught the sharp cry of an Arab horseman
urging his animal to greater speed.
"They are in earnest," muttered the Bedouin boy, "but they will not win
the race."
"Faster!" said Kanana; the camel's head dropped till his neck lost its
graceful curve, and the great white ship of the desert seemed almost
flying over the billowy sand.
For a moment the dromedary dropped behind. The driver had to use the
prod and force him to the very best that was in him, before he was able
to regain the lost ground.
The sound of hoofs could no longer be heard, and Kanana was obliged to
listen with the utmost care to catch the faintest echo of a distant
voice.
"They are doing their best and are beaten, but we can do still better,"
he said to himself with a deep sigh of relief, as he watched the desert
shrubs fly past them in fleeting shadows, scudding over the silver-gray
sand.
The music of the sand, as it flew from the camel's feet and fell like
hail upon the dry leaves of the desert shrubs, was a delightful melody,
and hour after hour they held the rapid pace; over low hills and sandy
plains; past the mud village and the well that marks the resting-place
for caravans, a night's journey from Mecca, without a sign of halting;
and on and on, the dromedary always just so far behind, always doing his
best to come nearer.
If by urging he was brought a little closer to the camel, the driver
heard that low word, "Faster!" and in spite of him the camel gained
again. Would he never stop?
The sounds from behind had long been lost when, far in advance, appeared
the regular caravan from Tayf. They approached it like the wind. Only
the mystic salaam of the desert was solemnly exchanged, then, in a
moment, the trailing train as it crept westward was left, disappearing
in the darkness behind them.
When it was out of sight the white camel suddenly changed its course,
turning sharply to the north of east and striking directly over the
desert, away from the hills and the beaten track to Tayf which he had
been following.
The driver could not imagine that such a man as sat upon the white camel
had lost his way. He silently followed till they passed a well that
marked the second night's journey from Mecca toward Persia.
The driver and dromedary would very willingly have stopped here; but
the camel glided onward before them through the changing shadows of the
night, as though it were some phantom, and not a thing of flesh and
blood.
By dint of urging, the driver brought the dromedary near enough to call:
"Master, we are not upon the road to Tayf."
"No," said Kanana, but the camel still held his course.
Driven to desperation, as the eastern sky was brightening, the driver
called again:
"Master, you will kill the camel!"
"Not in one night," said Kanana; "but if you value your own life, come
on!"
Faster still and faster the white camel swept toward the glowing east,
but the dromedary had done his best. He could not do better.
More and more he fell behind, and in spite of every effort of the
driver, the pride of the caliph was beaten.
Fainter and fainter grew the outline of the white camel against the
morning sky, ever swinging, swinging, swinging, over the silver-gray
sea, with a motion as regular and firm as though it had started but an
hour before.
As the red disc of the fiery sun rose out of the desert, however, the
driver saw the camel pause, turn half about, till his huge outline stood
out in bold relief against the sky, and then lie down.
Quickly Kanana dismounted. He caressed the camel for a moment,
whispering, "We are two days and a half from Mecca! Thou hast done
better than I hoped. Thou didst remember me yesterday in the temple
court. To-night thou hast cheerfully given every atom of thy strength to
help me. To-morrow we shall be far apart. Allah alone knows for what or
for how long; but if we ever meet again thou wilt remember me. Yes, thou
wilt greet thy Kanana."
The boy's dark eyes were bright with tears as he gave the camel the best
of the food provided for him; then, with sand in stead of water
performing the morning ablution, he faced toward Mecca.
When the dromedary and his rider reached the spot, the veiled messenger
of Omar was solemnly repeating his morning prayer.
VIII
TO SEEK THE BENI SADS
All in vain the camel driver sought to obtain one glimpse beneath the
mantle, to see the face of the caliph's messenger or to learn anything
of their destination.
He prepared their very frugal breakfast without a fire, and, when it was
eaten, in the humble, reproachful tone of one who felt himself unjustly
suspected, he said:
"My master, why didst thou deceive me, saying we should go to Tayf?
Didst thou think that I would not willingly and freely lead the white
camel anywhere, to serve the great caliph?"
"There were other ears than yours to hear," replied Kanana.
"There were only beggars at the gate, my master. Dost thou believe I
would be treacherous to a servant of Omar and the Prophet?"
"I believe that every child of Ishmael will serve himself," replied
Kanana; "but that had nothing to do with what I said. Before we start
to-night, I will lay out your path before you, to the very end. As for
the beggars, where were your senses? For three days, in disguise, I
journeyed with the caravan of Raschid Airikat, as it came to Mecca. I
saw in him a treacherous man, and when he yielded to a command he must
obey and gave me the white camel and his driver, I knew that he would
take them back again by stealth and treachery, if he were able to. Have
I no eyes, that I should spend three days with the caravan and then not
recognize the servants of Airikat, though they were dressed as beggars
and slunk away, with covered faces, into the shadows of the caliph's
gate? They did not cover their feet, and by their feet I knew them, even
when they deceived you, one of their own. To them I said, 'Go, tell
your master that his white camel is on the way to Tayf.'"
"My master," said the driver, respectfully, "the sheik Airikat is as
devout as he is treacherous and brave. He gave the sacred camel and thy
servant willingly, at the command of Omar, for the service of Allah and
Arabia. I do not think he would deal treacherously."
Kanana did not reply, for far away over the desert, to the east, there
was a little speck of dark, like a faint shadow, upon the sand. He sat
in silence watching it through the folds of his mantle, as it grew
larger and larger, and a long caravan approached.
The camels were worn out from a long journey. Their heads hung down, and
their feet dragged languidly over the sand. Their slow progress had
belated them, and the sun would be several hours above the desert when
they reached the oasis by the well, which the two had passed before
daylight.
As they drew nearer it could easily be seen that the camels bore no
burdens but necessary food, in sacks that were nearly empty, and that
their riders were savage men from the eastern borders of Arabia.
"Master, do they see us?" muttered the driver.
"They have eyes," replied Kanana. And they had. A fresh dromedary and a
white camel alone upon the desert, were a tempting prize.
They evidently determined to appropriate them; for, leaving the main
body of the caravan standing in the path, twenty or more turned
suddenly, and came directly toward them.
"Master, we must fly from them," whispered the driver.
"If they were behind us I would fly," replied Kanana, "for every step
would be well taken; but my path lies yonder." He pointed directly
toward the caravan. "And I would not turn from it though devils instead
of men were in the way."
"It is the will of Allah. We are lost," muttered the camel-driver, and
his arms dropped sullenly upon his knees, in the dogged resignation to
fate so characteristic of the Bedouin.
Kanana made no reply, but, repeating from the Koran, "'Whatever of good
betideth thee cometh from Him,'" he rose and walked slowly to where the
white camel was lying.
Upon the high saddle, which had not yet been removed, hung the
inevitable lance and sword, placed there by the officer of the caliph.
Leaning back against the saddle to await the approach of the caravan,
the Bedouin boy threw his right hand carelessly across the hilt of the
Damascus blade, exposing, almost to the shoulder, the rounded muscles of
the powerful arm of--a shepherd lad.
The caravan drew nearer and finally halted when the leader was less than
ten paces from the white camel.
His envious eyes had been gloating over the tempting prize as he
approached; but gradually they became fastened upon that hand and arm,
while the fingers that were playing gently upon the polished hilt seemed
to beckon him on to test the gleaming blade beneath.
He could not see the beardless face, protected by the mantle. How could
he know that that hand had never drawn a sword?
The whole appearance indicated a man without one thought of fear, and
the savage chief realized that, before the white camel became his prize,
some one beside its present owner would doubtless pay a dear price for
it.
He was still determined to possess it, but the silent figure demanded
and received respect from him.
[Illustration: THE SILENT FIGURE DEMANDED AND RECEIVED RESPECT.]
Instead of the defiant words which were upon his tongue, he pronounced
the desert greeting.
Kanana returned the salutation, and immediately asked, "Did the dust
from Kahled's host blow over you when your foot was on the sand of
Bashra?"
The sheik drew back a little. It was a slight but very suggestive
motion, speaking volumes to the keen eye of the Bedouin boy. He had been
leaning forward before, more than is natural even to one tired out with
sitting upon a camel's back. It was as if in his eagerness he was
reaching forward to grasp the prize. Now he seemed suddenly to have lost
that eagerness.
Quickly, Kanana took advantage of the hint. He drew from his bosom the
letter of the caliph, sealed with the great seal of Mohammed, which
every Mussulman could recognize, and calmly holding it plainly in view,
he continued:
"The beak of the vulture has whitened, instead of the bones he would
have plucked. The tooth of the jackal is broken, and not the flesh he
would have torn. Raschid Airikat is neither at Damascus nor Mecca.
To-morrow morning he will be at Tayf. He would have you meet him there.
Say to him, 'The fool hath eaten his own folly. The veiled messenger of
the Prophet, sitting upon the sacred camel, glides with the night wind
into the rising sun; for the fire is lighted in Hejaz that at Bashra
shall cause the camels' necks to shine.'"
A decided change came over the savage face of the Arab sheik. He sat in
silence for a moment, then, without a word, drove the prod into his
camel.
There was a grunt and a gurgling wail, and the tired animal was moving
on, followed by all the rest.
Kanana and his camel-driver were left alone. When they were well out of
hearing the driver prostrated himself before Kanana, touching his
forehead to the ground, and asked:
"Master, who was that sheik, with all his warriors, and who art thou
that they should cower before thy word?"
"I am no one to receive your homage. Stand upon your feet!" almost
shouted Kanana. "I never saw nor heard of them until to-day."
He breathed a deep, quivering sigh, and leaned heavily upon the saddle;
for every muscle in his body shook and trembled as the result of what
had seemed so calm and defiant. He tried to replace the letter in his
bosom, but his hand trembled so that he was obliged to wait.
"Thou knewest that he was of the tribe of Raschid Airikat, and that he
came from Bashra," said the driver.
"I knew nothing," replied Kanana, petulantly, in the intense reaction.
"How long have you been a man, well taught in killing other men, not to
see what any cowardly shepherd boy could read? Were not their lances
made of the same peculiar wood; and their camel saddles, were they not
the same, stained with the deep dye of Bashra? Who should come out of
the rising sun, with his camel licking the desert sand, if he came not
from Bashra? Who should be going toward Mecca at this season, without a
burdened camel in his caravan, if he went not to meet his chief for
war? Why did Airikat crowd his caravan, day and night, if he expected no
one?"