Latest / Khaled, A Tale of Arabia / 03 - Khaled, A Tale of Arabia by Francis Marion Crawford

Transcript

03 - Khaled, A Tale of Arabia by Francis Marion Crawford · Khaled, A Tale of Arabia

0:01
Speaker 1: Khalid sat with his sword upon his feet, and when
0:04
Speaker 1: the whole was not in the room, he played with
0:07
Speaker 1: a hilt and thought of all that was happening. Truly,
0:12
Speaker 1: he said to himself, Allah is great. Was I not
0:17
Speaker 1: but a few days since one of the gene condemned
0:20
Speaker 1: to perish at the day of the Resurrection? And am
0:24
Speaker 1: I not now a man married to the most beautiful
0:28
Speaker 1: woman in the whole world, and the wisest and the best,
0:33
Speaker 1: needing only to be loved by her in order to
0:37
Speaker 1: obtain an undying soul? And why should this woman not
0:42
Speaker 1: love me? Truly, we shall see before long when this
0:48
Speaker 1: mummery is finished. So he sat on the couch while
0:52
Speaker 1: the whole was led before him again and again, each
0:56
Speaker 1: time in clothing more splendid than before, and each time
1:00
Speaker 1: with new songs and new music. But at the last
1:05
Speaker 1: time the attendants left her standing before him and went away,
1:11
Speaker 1: and only a very old woman remained at the door,
1:14
Speaker 1: screaming out in a cracked voice the customary exhortations. Then
1:21
Speaker 1: she too went away, and the door was shut, and
1:24
Speaker 1: Khalid and Zahoa were alone. It was now near the
1:29
Speaker 1: middle of the night. The chamber was large and high
1:33
Speaker 1: lighted by a number of hanging lamps, such a maiden
1:37
Speaker 1: baghdad of brass, perforated with beautiful designs and filled with
1:42
Speaker 1: colored glasses, in each of which a little wick floats
1:46
Speaker 1: upon oil. Upon the walls of rich carpets were hung,
1:50
Speaker 1: both Arabian and Persian, some taken in war's booty and
1:55
Speaker 1: some brought by merchants in time of peace. A brass
1:59
Speaker 1: chafing dish stood at some distance from the couch, and
2:03
Speaker 1: upon the coals the women had thrown powdered Myrrh and
2:06
Speaker 1: benzowin before they went away. But Khalid cared little for
2:11
Speaker 1: these things, since he had seen all the treasures of
2:14
Speaker 1: the earth in their most secret depositories. So Hoa had
2:18
Speaker 1: watched him narrowly during the ceremony of the dresses, and
2:22
Speaker 1: it seemed that he felt no surprise at anything which
2:25
Speaker 1: was brought before him. His own country must be full
2:29
Speaker 1: of great wealth and magnificence, she thought, since so much
2:33
Speaker 1: treasure does not astonish him, and she was disappointed. Now
2:38
Speaker 1: that they were alone. He still sat in silence, gazing
2:42
Speaker 1: at her as she stood before him, and not even
2:46
Speaker 1: thinking of any speech, for he was overcome and struck
2:50
Speaker 1: dumb by her eyes. You are not pleased with what
2:54
Speaker 1: I have shown you, Sahoa said at last, in a
2:57
Speaker 1: tone of displeasure and disappointment. And yet you have seen
3:01
Speaker 1: the wealth of my father's palace. I have seen neither
3:05
Speaker 1: wealth nor treasure, neither rich garments, nor precious stones, nor
3:10
Speaker 1: chains of gold, nor embroideries of pearls, Khalid answered slowly.
3:16
Speaker 1: But Zohoa frowned and tapped the carpet impatiently with her
3:20
Speaker 1: foot where she stood, for she was annoyed, having expected
3:24
Speaker 1: him to praise the beauty of her many dresses. Those
3:29
Speaker 1: who have eyes can see, she said. But if you
3:33
Speaker 1: are not pleased, my father will give me a hundred
3:37
Speaker 1: dresses more beautiful than these, And pearls and jewels without
3:41
Speaker 1: end I should not see them. Khalid replied, I have
3:46
Speaker 1: seen two jewels which have dazzled me so that I
3:49
Speaker 1: can see nothing else. Zehoah gazed at him with a
3:53
Speaker 1: look of inquiry. I have seen the eyes of Zehoah,
3:58
Speaker 1: he continued, Which are as the star as Sirius and
4:02
Speaker 1: Aldebaran when they are over the desert in the nights
4:06
Speaker 1: of winter. What jewels can you show me like these?
4:11
Speaker 1: Then Zahoah laughed softly and sat down beside her husband
4:15
Speaker 1: on the edge of the couch. Nevertheless, she said, the
4:19
Speaker 1: dresses are very rich. You might admire them also. I
4:24
Speaker 1: will look at them when you are not near me,
4:26
Speaker 1: but then my side will be restored for other things.
4:30
Speaker 1: Khalid took her hand in his and held it. Tell me, Zahoa,
4:35
Speaker 1: will you love me? He asked, in a soft voice.
4:39
Speaker 1: You are my lord and my master. She answered, looking
4:43
Speaker 1: modestly downward as her hand lay quite still. She was
4:47
Speaker 1: so very beautiful that as Khalid sat beside her and
4:51
Speaker 1: looked at her downcast face and knew that she was his,
4:55
Speaker 1: he could not easily believe that she was cold and
4:59
Speaker 1: indifferent to him. By Allah, he thought, can it be
5:04
Speaker 1: so hard to get a woman's love? Cruelly? I think
5:08
Speaker 1: she begins to love me already. Zohoah looked up and
5:13
Speaker 1: smiled carelessly, as though answering his question. But Khalid was
5:18
Speaker 1: obliged to admit in his heart that the answer lacked clearness,
5:23
Speaker 1: for he found it no easier to interpret a woman's
5:26
Speaker 1: smile than men had found it before him, and have
5:30
Speaker 1: found it since even to this day. You have had
5:35
Speaker 1: many suitors, he said at last, and it is said
5:38
Speaker 1: that your father has given you your own free choice,
5:42
Speaker 1: allowing you to see them and hear them speak while
5:45
Speaker 1: he was receiving them. Tell me why you have chosen
5:49
Speaker 1: me rather than the rest, unless it is because you
5:53
Speaker 1: love me. For I came with empty hands and without
5:56
Speaker 1: servants or slaves or retinue of any kind, riding alone
6:01
Speaker 1: out of the red desert. It was therefore for myself
6:04
Speaker 1: that you took me. You are right, it was for
6:09
Speaker 1: yourself that I took you. Then it was for love
6:12
Speaker 1: of me, was it not? There were and still are
6:17
Speaker 1: many and good reasons, answered Zahoa calmly, and at the
6:22
Speaker 1: same time, withdrawing her hand from his and smoothing back
6:25
Speaker 1: the black hair from her forehead. I told them all
6:27
Speaker 1: to my father, and he was convinced tell them to me, also,
6:33
Speaker 1: said Khalid. So she explained all to him in detail,
6:38
Speaker 1: making him see everything as she saw it herself, and
6:41
Speaker 1: the explanation was so very clear that Khalid felt a
6:44
Speaker 1: cold chill in his heart as he understood that she
6:47
Speaker 1: had chosen him rather for politic reasons than because she
6:51
Speaker 1: wished him for her husband. And yet she added at
6:55
Speaker 1: the end, it was the will of Allah, for otherwise
6:59
Speaker 1: I would not have chosen you. For surely, he said,
7:04
Speaker 1: somewhat encouraged by these last words, there was some love
7:07
Speaker 1: in the choice too. How can I tell, she exclaimed,
7:12
Speaker 1: with a little laugh, what is love? Finding himself confronted
7:17
Speaker 1: by such an amazing question, Khalid was silent and took
7:21
Speaker 1: her hand again. For though many have asked what love is,
7:26
Speaker 1: no one has ever been able to find an answer
7:29
Speaker 1: in words to satisfy the questioner, Seeing that the answer
7:33
Speaker 1: can have no more to do with words than love itself,
7:37
Speaker 1: a matter sufficiently explained by a certain wise man who
7:41
Speaker 1: understood the heart of man. If said he, a man
7:45
Speaker 1: who loves a woman or a woman who loves a man,
7:49
Speaker 1: could give in words the precise reason why he or
7:53
Speaker 1: she loves, then love itself could be defined in language.
7:58
Speaker 1: But as no man or woman has ever succeeded in
8:01
Speaker 1: doing this, I infer that they who love best do
8:06
Speaker 1: not themselves know in what love consists. Still less therefore
8:11
Speaker 1: can anyone else know. Wherefore the definition is impossible, and
8:17
Speaker 1: no one need waste time in trying to find it.
8:21
Speaker 1: A certain wit has also said that although it be impossible,
8:25
Speaker 1: for any man to explain the nature of love to
8:27
Speaker 1: many persons at the same time, he generally finds it
8:31
Speaker 1: easy to make his explanations to one person only. But
8:35
Speaker 1: this is a mere quippling jest and not deserving of
8:41
Speaker 1: any attention. Sohoe expected an answer to her question, and
8:46
Speaker 1: Khalid was silent, not because he was as yet too
8:50
Speaker 1: little acquainted with the feelings of a man to give
8:52
Speaker 1: them expression, but because he already felt so much that
8:57
Speaker 1: it was hard for him to speak at all. Zoua
9:01
Speaker 1: laughed and shook her head, for she was not of
9:04
Speaker 1: a timid temper. How can you expect me to say
9:09
Speaker 1: that I love you when you yourself were unable to
9:12
Speaker 1: answer such a simple question, she asked, And besides, are
9:17
Speaker 1: you not my lord and my master? What is it
9:21
Speaker 1: then to you whether I love you or not? But
9:26
Speaker 1: again Khalid was silent, debating whether he should tell her
9:30
Speaker 1: the truth, how the angel had promised an Allah's name
9:34
Speaker 1: that if she loved him, he should obtain an undying soul,
9:39
Speaker 1: and how the task of obtaining her love had been
9:41
Speaker 1: laid upon him as a sort of atonement for having
9:44
Speaker 1: slain the Indian prince. But as he reflected, he understood
9:50
Speaker 1: that this would probably Estranger all the more from him.
9:54
Speaker 1: Yet I can answer your question, he said at last.
10:00
Speaker 1: What is love? It is that which is in me
10:03
Speaker 1: for you only. But how am I to know what
10:08
Speaker 1: that is? Asked Theahoah, drawing up the smooth gold bracelets
10:13
Speaker 1: upon her arm and letting them fall down to her
10:15
Speaker 1: wrist so that they've jangled like the camel's bell. If
10:20
Speaker 1: you love me, you will know, Khalid answered, But then
10:24
Speaker 1: perhaps you will feel a tenth part of what I feel.
10:29
Speaker 1: And why not all that you feel? She asked, looking
10:33
Speaker 1: at him, but still playing with the bracelets, Because it
10:37
Speaker 1: is impossible for any woman to love as much as
10:40
Speaker 1: I love you, Zahoa, You mean perhaps that a woman
10:46
Speaker 1: is too weak to love so well, she suggested. And
10:50
Speaker 1: you think perhaps that we are weak because we sent
10:54
Speaker 1: all our lives upon the carpets and the harms, eating sweetmeats,
10:59
Speaker 1: and listening to see girls and old women who tell
11:02
Speaker 1: us tales of long ago. Yet there have been strong
11:06
Speaker 1: women too, as strong as men. Kinda who tore out
11:11
Speaker 1: the heart of Kamsa. Was she weak? Women are stronger
11:17
Speaker 1: to hate than to love, said Khalid, But a man
11:21
Speaker 1: can forget his hatred in the love of a woman,
11:24
Speaker 1: and his strength also laughed Sahoa, I would rather that
11:29
Speaker 1: you should not love me at all than that you
11:32
Speaker 1: should forget to be strong in the day of battle.
11:36
Speaker 1: For I have married you that you may lead my
11:39
Speaker 1: people to war and bring home the spoil. And no
11:43
Speaker 1: I destroy all your enemies and the enemies of your people.
11:47
Speaker 1: Will you love me, men, Zahoa? Why should I love
11:51
Speaker 1: you then more than now? What has war to do
11:55
Speaker 1: with love? Again? I ask, what is it to you
11:59
Speaker 1: whether I love you or not? Am I not your wife?
12:04
Speaker 1: And are you not my master? What is this love
12:07
Speaker 1: of which you talk? Is it a rich garment that
12:10
Speaker 1: you can wear, A precious stone that you can fasten
12:13
Speaker 1: in your turban, A rich carpet to spread in your house,
12:17
Speaker 1: A treasure of gold, a mountain of ambergris a bushful
12:20
Speaker 1: of pearls from a man? Why do you covet it?
12:24
Speaker 1: Am I not beautiful enough? Then? Is love hin on
12:28
Speaker 1: to make my hair bright? Or cold to darken my eyes?
12:32
Speaker 1: Or a billed egg with almonds to smooth my face?
12:36
Speaker 1: I have all these things and ointments from Egypt, and
12:40
Speaker 1: perfumes from Syria. And if I am not beautiful enough
12:45
Speaker 1: to please you. It is the will of Allah, and
12:48
Speaker 1: love will not make me fairer. Yet love is beauty,
12:53
Speaker 1: Khalid answered, for Cardijio was lovely in the eyes of
12:57
Speaker 1: the prophet, upon whom be peace because she loved him,
13:02
Speaker 1: though she was a widow and old. Am I a widow?
13:06
Speaker 1: Am I old? Asked the whole with some indignation. Do
13:11
Speaker 1: I need the imaginary cosmetic you call love to smooth
13:15
Speaker 1: my wrinkles, to lighten my eyes, or to make my
13:18
Speaker 1: teeth white? No, you need nothing to make you beautiful,
13:23
Speaker 1: And for the matter of that, I can say it
13:27
Speaker 1: of you, you tell me that you love me. Is
13:30
Speaker 1: it love that makes your body tall and straight, your
13:34
Speaker 1: beard black, your forehead smooth, your hands strung? Would not
13:39
Speaker 1: any woman see what I see, whether you loved her
13:43
Speaker 1: or not? See? Is your hand whiter than mine? Because
13:48
Speaker 1: you love and I do not. She laughed again as
13:52
Speaker 1: she held her hand beside his truly, thought Khalid, it
13:58
Speaker 1: is less easy than I supposed, For the heart of
14:02
Speaker 1: a woman who does not love is like the desert
14:05
Speaker 1: when the wind blows over it, and there are neither
14:08
Speaker 1: tracks nor landmarks. And I am wandering in this desert
14:12
Speaker 1: like a man seeking lost camels. But he said nothing,
14:17
Speaker 1: for he was not yet skilled in the arguments of love. Thereupon,
14:23
Speaker 1: Zohoa smiled, and, resting her cheek upon her hand, looked
14:27
Speaker 1: into his face as though saying, scornfully, is it not
14:32
Speaker 1: all vanity and folly? Khalid sighed, for he was disappointed
14:37
Speaker 1: as a thirsty man who, coming to drink of a
14:40
Speaker 1: clear spring, finds the water bitter, while his thirst increases
14:45
Speaker 1: and grows unbearable. Why do you sigh, Zohoa asked, after
14:50
Speaker 1: a little silence. Are you weary? Are you tired with feasting?
14:56
Speaker 1: Are you full of bitterness? Because I do not love
14:58
Speaker 1: you command me and I will obey. Are you not
15:03
Speaker 1: my lord to whom I am subject? He did not speak,
15:08
Speaker 1: but she drew him to her so that his head
15:11
Speaker 1: rested upon her bosom, and she began to sing to
15:14
Speaker 1: him in a low voice. For a long time, Khalid
15:18
Speaker 1: kept his eyes shut, listening to her voice. Then on
15:22
Speaker 1: a sudden he looked up, and, without speaking so much
15:26
Speaker 1: as a word, he clasped her in his arms and
15:30
Speaker 1: kissed her. Before it was day, there was a great
15:33
Speaker 1: tumult in the streets of her yad, of which the
15:36
Speaker 1: noise came up evento the chamber where Khalid and Sahoa
15:39
Speaker 1: were sleeping. Zahoah awoke and listened, wondering what had happened
15:44
Speaker 1: and trying to understand the cries of the distant multitude.
15:49
Speaker 1: Then she laid her hand upon Khalid's forehead and waked him.
15:53
Speaker 1: What is it, he asked, It is war, she answered.
15:57
Speaker 1: The enemy have surprised the city in the night of east.
16:00
Speaker 1: Arise and take arms and go out to the people.
16:04
Speaker 1: Khalies sprang up and in a moment he was clothed
16:06
Speaker 1: and had gird on his sword. Then he took Sahoe
16:09
Speaker 1: in his arms. While I live, you are safe, he said,
16:13
Speaker 1: Am I afraid? Go quickly? She answered. At that time
16:19
Speaker 1: the Sultan of na Zd was at war with the
16:21
Speaker 1: northern tribes of Shamar, and the enemy had taken advantage
16:25
Speaker 1: of the month of Ramadan, in which you people travel,
16:29
Speaker 1: to advance in great numbers through Yod. During the three
16:33
Speaker 1: days east of bay Round they had moved on every night,
16:37
Speaker 1: slaying the inhabitants of the villages, so that no one
16:40
Speaker 1: had escaped to bring the news, And in the daytime
16:43
Speaker 1: they had hidden themselves wherever they could find shelter. But
16:47
Speaker 1: in the night in which Khalid and Zahoa were married,
16:51
Speaker 1: they reached the very walls of the city, and, waiting
16:54
Speaker 1: until all the people were asleep, a party of them
16:57
Speaker 1: had climbed up upon the ramparts and had opened one
17:00
Speaker 1: of the gates to their companions. After killing the guards,
17:05
Speaker 1: Khalid found his mare and mounted her without saddle or
17:08
Speaker 1: bridle in his haste. Then drawing his saber, he rode
17:12
Speaker 1: swiftly out of the palace into the confusion. The enemy,
17:16
Speaker 1: with their long spears, were driving the panic stricken guards
17:20
Speaker 1: and the shrieking people before them towards the palace, slaughtering
17:24
Speaker 1: all whom they overtook, so that the gutters of the
17:27
Speaker 1: street were already flown with blood, and the horses of
17:30
Speaker 1: the enemy stumbled over the bodies of the defenders the
17:34
Speaker 1: whole multitude of the pursuit, and the pursuers were just
17:37
Speaker 1: breaking out of the principal street into the open space
17:40
Speaker 1: before the palace, when Khalid met them, a single man
17:44
Speaker 1: facing ten thousand, I shall certainly perish in this fight,
17:50
Speaker 1: he said to himself. And yet I shall not receive
17:54
Speaker 1: the reward of the faithful, Since Allah has not given
17:58
Speaker 1: me a soul. Never the less certain of these dogs
18:03
Speaker 1: shall eat dirt before the rest get into the palace.
18:08
Speaker 1: So he pressed his legs to the bare sides of
18:11
Speaker 1: his mare, lifted up his sword, and rode at the foe,
18:14
Speaker 1: having neither buckler, nor helmet, nor shirt of mail to
18:18
Speaker 1: protect him, but only his clothes and his turban. But
18:22
Speaker 1: his arm was strong. And it has been said by
18:26
Speaker 1: the wise that it is better to fall upon an
18:29
Speaker 1: old lion with our reed than to stand armed in
18:33
Speaker 1: the way of our man who seeks death. Yellah, the
18:38
Speaker 1: sword of the Lord, shouted Khalid in such a terrible
18:43
Speaker 1: voice that the assailant ceased to kill for a moment,
18:47
Speaker 1: and the terrified guards turned to see whence so great
18:50
Speaker 1: a voice could proceed, And some who had seen Khalid
18:53
Speaker 1: recognized him and ran to meet him, and the others followed.
18:58
Speaker 1: When the enemy saw a single man riding towards them
19:01
Speaker 1: across the great square before the palace, they sent up
19:04
Speaker 1: a shout of derision and turned again to the slaughter
19:08
Speaker 1: of such the inhabitants as could not extricate themselves. Shall
19:12
Speaker 1: one man stop an army, they said, Shall a fox
19:16
Speaker 1: turn back? Or heard of hyenas. But when Khalid was
19:20
Speaker 1: among them, they found less matter for laughter, for the
19:25
Speaker 1: sword was king, the mayor was swift to double in turn,
19:29
Speaker 1: and Khalid's hand was strong. In the twinkling of an eye,
19:34
Speaker 1: two of the enemy lay dead, the one clove into
19:37
Speaker 1: the chin, the other headless. Then a strange fever seized Khaleide,
19:44
Speaker 1: such as he had not heard of, and all things
19:47
Speaker 1: turned a scarlet before his eyes, but the walls of
19:50
Speaker 1: the houses and the faces in the garments of his foes.
19:54
Speaker 1: Men who saw him say that his face was white
19:57
Speaker 1: and shining in the dawn, and that the flashing of
20:00
Speaker 1: the sword was like a storm of lightning about his head,
20:04
Speaker 1: And after each flash there was a great rain of
20:07
Speaker 1: blood and a crashing like thunder, as the horses and
20:10
Speaker 1: the men of the enemy fell to the earth. In
20:13
Speaker 1: the meantime, too, the soldiers of the city and the
20:16
Speaker 1: Bedouins of the desert, who were within the walls for
20:19
Speaker 1: the feast, took courage, and, turning fiercely, began to drive
20:23
Speaker 1: the assailants back by the way they had come towards
20:26
Speaker 1: the marketplace in the bazaar. But those behind us still
20:30
Speaker 1: kept pressing forward, while those in front were driven back,
20:34
Speaker 1: and the press became so great that the Shamars could
20:37
Speaker 1: no longer wield their weapons. The enemy were crowded together
20:41
Speaker 1: like sheep in a fold, and Khalid with his men
20:44
Speaker 1: began to cut a broad road through the very midst
20:47
Speaker 1: of them, hewing them down in ranks and throwing them
20:51
Speaker 1: aside as corn is harvested in Egypt. But after some
20:58
Speaker 1: time Khalid saw that he was alone with a few followers,
21:02
Speaker 1: surrounded by a great throng of the enemy. For some
21:05
Speaker 1: of his men had been slain after slaying many of
21:08
Speaker 1: their foes, and some had been unable to follow, being
21:12
Speaker 1: hindered at first by the heaps of dead, and afterwards
21:15
Speaker 1: by the multitude of their opponents, who closed and again
21:19
Speaker 1: over the bloody way through which Khalid had passed. Now
21:23
Speaker 1: the Shamars saw that Khalid could not escape them, and
21:27
Speaker 1: they pressed him on every side. But the archers dared
21:31
Speaker 1: not shoot at him, for fear of hitting their own
21:34
Speaker 1: friends if their arrows chanced to go by the mark.
21:38
Speaker 1: Otherwise he would undoubtedly have perished, since he had no
21:42
Speaker 1: armor and not even a buckler with which to ward
21:45
Speaker 1: off the darts. But they thrust at him with their spears,
21:49
Speaker 1: and struck at him with their swords, and wounded him
21:52
Speaker 1: more than once, though he was not conscious of pain
21:55
Speaker 1: or loss of blood, being hot with the fever of
21:59
Speaker 1: the fight. He was pressed therefore, and while he smote
22:03
Speaker 1: without ceasing, he began to know that unless a speedy
22:07
Speaker 1: rescue came to him, his hour was at hand. From
22:12
Speaker 1: the borders of the marketplace, the mono riacht could see
22:16
Speaker 1: his sword flashing and striking, and they still heard his
22:20
Speaker 1: fierce cry. He looked about him as he fought, and
22:23
Speaker 1: he saw that he was now almost alone. One after another,
22:29
Speaker 1: the few who had penetrated so far forward with him
22:32
Speaker 1: into the press were overwhelmed by numbers, and lay bleeding
22:36
Speaker 1: from a hundred wounds, till only a score were left.
22:40
Speaker 1: And Khalid saw that unless he could now cut his
22:43
Speaker 1: way free, he must inevitably perish. But the press was stubborn,
22:49
Speaker 1: and a man might as well hope to make his
22:52
Speaker 1: way through. Or heard of camels crowded together in a
22:54
Speaker 1: narrow street, then Khalid bethought him of a stratagem. He
23:00
Speaker 1: alone was on horseback, for the enemy's riders had ridden before,
23:05
Speaker 1: and he had met them in the street leading to
23:07
Speaker 1: the palace, when he had himself slain many, and where
23:11
Speaker 1: the rest were even now falling under the swords of
23:14
Speaker 1: the minervy god. And the few men who were with
23:17
Speaker 1: him were also all on foot. Therefore, looking across the
23:22
Speaker 1: market place, he made as though he saw a great
23:26
Speaker 1: force coming to his assistance, and he shouted with all
23:30
Speaker 1: his breath, while his arm never rested, Smite Madame narzed.
23:36
Speaker 1: He cried, for eyes, see the Sultan himself coming to
23:41
Speaker 1: meet us with five hundred horsemen. Smite yello, it is
23:47
Speaker 1: the sword of the Lord. Hearing these words, as men
23:53
Speaker 1: were encouraged and of the enemy, many turned their heads
23:58
Speaker 1: to see the new danger, but being on foot, they
24:01
Speaker 1: were hindered from seeing by the throng. Yet so much
24:05
Speaker 1: the more Khaleades shouted that the Sultan was coming, and
24:09
Speaker 1: many of their heads that turned to look were not
24:11
Speaker 1: turned back again, but rolled down to the feet of
24:15
Speaker 1: those to whom they had belonged. The brave men who
24:19
Speaker 1: were with Khalid took heart and hewed with all their might,
24:24
Speaker 1: taking up the cry of their leader. When they saw
24:27
Speaker 1: that it disconcerted their foes, so that they at last
24:31
Speaker 1: took fright, and the panic ran for the whole multitude.
24:35
Speaker 1: We shall be slain like sheep and taken like locust
24:39
Speaker 1: under a mantle, for we cannot move, they cried, and
24:43
Speaker 1: they began to press away out of the marketplace, forcing
24:46
Speaker 1: their comrades before them into the narrow streets. But here
24:52
Speaker 1: many perished, for while every man in riot had taken
24:56
Speaker 1: his sword and had gone out of his house to fight,
24:59
Speaker 1: though women had dragged up cauldrons of boiling water and
25:03
Speaker 1: also hand mill stones to the roofs, and they scalded
25:08
Speaker 1: and crushed their rere treating foes. Then too, as the
25:12
Speaker 1: marketplace was cleared, the soldiers came on from the side
25:16
Speaker 1: of the palace, having slain all that stood in their way,
25:19
Speaker 1: and taking most of their horses alive, which alone was
25:23
Speaker 1: a great boody, for there are not many horses in
25:26
Speaker 1: a jeded besides those of the Sultan, that these are
25:30
Speaker 1: the very best and fleetest in all Arabia. But the
25:35
Speaker 1: Chamars of the north are great horse breeders. So the
25:39
Speaker 1: soldiers mounted and joined Khalid in the pursuit, and a
25:43
Speaker 1: great slaughter followed in the streets, though some of the
25:46
Speaker 1: enemy were able to escape to the gates and warn
25:49
Speaker 1: those of their fellows who were outside to flee to
25:52
Speaker 1: the hills for safety, leaving much booty behind. At the time,
25:57
Speaker 1: in the second call to prayer, Khalid dismounted from his
26:00
Speaker 1: mare in the marketplace, and there was not one of
26:03
Speaker 1: the enemy left alive within the walls. Those who remember
26:07
Speaker 1: that day say that there were five thousand dead in
26:10
Speaker 1: the streetscenary odd Khalid made such abolition as he could,
26:16
Speaker 1: and having prayed and given thanks to Allah, he went
26:20
Speaker 1: back on foot to the palace, his bay mare following
26:23
Speaker 1: him and thrusting her nose into his hand as he walked,
26:27
Speaker 1: for she was little hurt, and the blood that covered
26:30
Speaker 1: her shoulders and her flanks was not her own. But
26:34
Speaker 1: Khalid had many wounds on him, so that his companions
26:38
Speaker 1: wondered how he was able to walk in the court
26:41
Speaker 1: of the palace. The Saultan came to meet him and
26:44
Speaker 1: fell upon his neck and embraced him. For many messengers
26:48
Speaker 1: had come from time to time telling how the fight
26:51
Speaker 1: went and of the great slaughter, And Khalid smiled, for
26:56
Speaker 1: he thought that he could now win the love of Zahoah,
27:00
Speaker 1: said I not truly that he is as brave as
27:04
Speaker 1: the lion and as strong as the camel, cried the Sultan,
27:09
Speaker 1: addressing those who stood in the court, Has he not
27:12
Speaker 1: scattered our enemies as the wind scatters the sand. Surely
27:18
Speaker 1: he is well called by the name Khalid. Forget not
27:23
Speaker 1: your own men, Khalid answered, where they have shared in
27:28
Speaker 1: the danger and have slain more than I and deserved
27:31
Speaker 1: the spoil. There was a score of stout fellows with
27:35
Speaker 1: me at the last in the marketplace, whose faces I
27:39
Speaker 1: should know again on a cloudy night. They fought as
27:43
Speaker 1: well as I, And it was the will of Allah
27:46
Speaker 1: that their enemies should boil everlastingly and drink boiling water.
27:52
Speaker 1: Let them be rewarded. They shall everyone have a rich
27:57
Speaker 1: garment and a sum of money, besides their sheriff the spoil.
28:02
Speaker 1: But as for you, my beloved son, go in and
28:06
Speaker 1: rest and bind up your wounds, and afterwards there shall
28:11
Speaker 1: be feasting and merriment until the nights. The enemy is
28:16
Speaker 1: not destroyed yet, answered Khalid. Command rather that the army
28:21
Speaker 1: make ready for the pursuit. And when I have washed,
28:24
Speaker 1: I will earn myself, and we will ride out and
28:28
Speaker 1: pursue our dogs until not one of them is left alive,
28:34
Speaker 1: and by the help of Allah. We will take aul
28:37
Speaker 1: chamar and lay it on the tribute, and bring back
28:41
Speaker 1: the women captive. After that we shall feast more safely
28:47
Speaker 1: and sleep without fear of being waked by a herd
28:51
Speaker 1: of hyenas in our streets. Nay, but you must rest
28:57
Speaker 1: before going upon this expedition. Object at the Sultan, The
29:01
Speaker 1: true believer will find rest in the grave and feasting
29:06
Speaker 1: in paradise. Answered Khalid, this is true, but even the
29:12
Speaker 1: camel must eat and drink on the journey, or ought
29:16
Speaker 1: he and his master will perish. Let us eat and
29:21
Speaker 1: drink quickly, that we may the sooner go as you will.
29:25
Speaker 1: Let it be, said the Sultan with a sigh, for
29:29
Speaker 1: he loved feasting and music, being now too old to
29:33
Speaker 1: go out and fight himself as he had formerly done. Thereupon,
29:38
Speaker 1: Khalid went into the harem and returned to Zahoah's apartment.
29:43
Speaker 1: As he went, the women gathered round him with cries
29:47
Speaker 1: of gladness and songs of triumph, staunching the blood that
29:52
Speaker 1: flowed from his wounds with their veils and garments as
29:56
Speaker 1: he walked, and others ran before to prepare the bath
30:00
Speaker 1: and to tell Zahawa of his coming. When she saw him.
30:04
Speaker 1: She ran forward and took him by the hands and
30:08
Speaker 1: let him in, and herself. She bathed his wounds and
30:12
Speaker 1: bound them up with precious balsams of great healing power,
30:16
Speaker 1: not suffering any of the women to help her nor
30:19
Speaker 1: to touch him, but sending them away so that she
30:22
Speaker 1: might be alone with Khalid. I have slain certain of
30:26
Speaker 1: your enemies, Zahoa, he said, at last, and I have
30:30
Speaker 1: driven out the rest from the city. As yet neither
30:34
Speaker 1: of them had spoken. Do you think that I have
30:37
Speaker 1: not heard what you have done, Zahoa asked. You have
30:41
Speaker 1: saved us all from death and captivity. You are our
30:46
Speaker 1: father and our mother. At now I will bring you
30:50
Speaker 1: food and drink, and afterwards you shall sleep. So you
30:56
Speaker 1: are well pleased with the doings of the husband you
30:59
Speaker 1: have married, he said. He was displeased, for he had
31:03
Speaker 1: supposed that she would love him for his deeds and
31:06
Speaker 1: for his wounds, and that she would speak differently. But
31:10
Speaker 1: those she tended him, and bound his wounds, and bathed
31:14
Speaker 1: his brow with perfumed waters, and laid pillows under his head,
31:18
Speaker 1: and fanned him as a slave might have done. He
31:22
Speaker 1: saw that there was no warmth in her cheek, and
31:24
Speaker 1: that the depths of her eyes were empty, and then
31:27
Speaker 1: her hands were neither hot nor cold. For all these signs,
31:32
Speaker 1: he knew that she felt no love for him, so
31:35
Speaker 1: he spoke coldly to her. Is it for me to
31:38
Speaker 1: be pleased or displeased with the deeds of my lord
31:42
Speaker 1: and master? She asked. Nevertheless, thousands are even now blessing
31:48
Speaker 1: your name and returning things to Allah for having sent
31:52
Speaker 1: them a preserver in the hour of danger. I am
31:56
Speaker 1: but one of them. I would rather see a faint
31:59
Speaker 1: light in your eyes, eyes as of a star rising
32:02
Speaker 1: in the desert, then hear the blessings of all the
32:05
Speaker 1: men of Nazed. I would rather that your hand were
32:08
Speaker 1: cold when it touches mine, and your cheek hot when
32:11
Speaker 1: I kiss it, than that your father should bestow upon
32:15
Speaker 1: me all the treasures of Ayad? Is that love, asked Zehoa,
32:21
Speaker 1: with a laugh, a cold hand, a hot cheek, a
32:25
Speaker 1: bright eye. Khalid was silent, for he saw that she
32:30
Speaker 1: understood his words but not his meaning. It was now noon,
32:35
Speaker 1: and it was very hot, even in the inner shade
32:38
Speaker 1: of the Harem, and Khalid was glad to rest after
32:41
Speaker 1: the hard fighting, for his many slight wounds smarted with
32:45
Speaker 1: a healing balsam, and his heart was heavy and discontented.
32:50
Speaker 1: Then Zohoah called a slave woman to fan him with
32:53
Speaker 1: a palm leaf, and presently she brought him meat and
32:57
Speaker 1: rice and dates to eat and cool drink a golden cup,
33:01
Speaker 1: and she sat at his feet while he refreshed himself.
33:05
Speaker 1: How many did you slay with your own hand, she
33:09
Speaker 1: asked at last, taking up the good sword which lay
33:12
Speaker 1: beside him on the carpet. End of Chapter three