wo other men there, while the
fifth was at his back. The oath they had taken prevented them from
using their weapons against him, so they lassoed him once more, pulled
him from his horse, beat him unmercifully, bound his hands and feet,
and laid him down on the burning sands of the desert.

Said begged piteously for mercy; he promised them a large ransom, but
with a laugh they mounted their horses and galloped off. He listened
for some moments to the receding steps of their horses, and then gave
himself up for lost. He thought of his father and of the old man's
sorrow if his son should never more return; he thought on his own
misery, doomed to die so young; for nothing was more certain than that
he must suffer the torments of suffocation in the hot sands, or that he
should be torn to pieces by jackals.

[Illustration]

The sun rose ever higher, and its hot rays burnt into his forehead;
with considerable difficulty he rolled over, but the change of position
gave him but little relief. In making this exertion, the whistle fell
from his bosom. He moved about until he could seize it in his mouth,
then he attempted to blow it; but even in this terrible hour of need it
refused to respond to his will. In utter despair, he let his head fall
back, and before long the sun had robbed him of his senses.

After many hours, Said was awakened by sounds close by him, and
immediately after was conscious that his shoulder had been seized. He
uttered a cry of terror, for he could believe nothing else than that a
jackal had attacked him. Now he was grasped by the legs also, and
became sensible that it was not the claws of a beast of prey but the
hands of a man who was trying to restore his senses, and who was
speaking with two or three other men. "He lives," whispered they, "but
he believes that we are his foes."

At last Said opened his eyes, and perceived above his own the face of a
short, stout man, with small eyes and a long beard, who spoke kindly to
him, helped him to get up, handed him food and drink, and while he was
partaking of the refreshments told him that he was a merchant from
Bagdad, named Kalum-Bek, and dealt in shawls and fine veils for ladies.
He had made a business journey, and was now on his way home, and had
seen Said lying half-dead in the sand. The splendor of the youth's
costume, and the sparkling stone in his dagger had attracted his
attention; he had done all in his power to revive him, and his efforts
had f