ond wife should have been full: and Golah
demanded to know why it was not.

The woman tremblingly asseverated that she and her children had eaten
them.

At this confession Fatima uttered a scornful laugh, and spoke a few
words that increased the terror of the delinquent mother,--at the same
time causing the boy to commence howling with affright.

"I tell you so," said the Krooman, who was standing near the white
slaves; "Fatima say to Golah, 'Christian dog eat the figs'; Golah kill
him now; he kill da woman too."

In the opinion of those who travel the great desert, about the greatest
crime that can be committed is to steal food or drink, and consume
either unknown to their companions of the journey.

Articles of food intrusted to the care of any one must be guarded and
preserved,--even at the expense of life.

Under no circumstances may a morsel be consumed, until it is produced in
the presence of all, and a division, either equitable or otherwise, has
been made.

Even had the story told by the woman been true, her crime would have
been considered sufficiently great to have endangered her life; but her
sin was greater than that.

She had bestowed favor upon a slave,--a Christian dog,--and had aroused
the jealousy of her Mahometan lord and master.

Fatima seemed happy; for nothing less than a miracle could, in her
opinion, save the life of her fellow-wife, who chanced to be a hated
rival.

After drawing his scimitar from its sheath, and cocking his musket,
Golah ordered all the slaves to squat themselves on the ground, and in a
row.

This order was quickly comprehended and obeyed,--the whites seating
themselves together at one end of the line.

Golah's son and the other guard--each with his musket loaded and
cocked--were stationed in front of the row: and were ordered by the
sheik to shoot any one who attempted to get up from the ground.

The monster then stepped up to Colin, and, seizing the young Scotchman
by the auburn locks, dragged him a few paces apart from his companions.
There, for a time, he was left alone.

Golah then proceeded to serve out some cheni to every individual on the
ground; but none was given to the woman who had aroused his anger, nor
to Colin.

In the sheik's opinion, to have offered them food would have been an act
as foolish as to have poured it upon the sands.

Food was intended to sustain life, and it was not designed by him that
they should live much longer. And yet it