ave went running up to a door in
front, leading a splendid white horse, just in time for the Emir, his
master, one whom Frank had only seen at a distance. He stepped out,
sprang on his horse, drew his sword, and uttering a hoarse shout to his
followers, rode with flashing eyes to their head.

There was no pause for parleying; an enemy had invaded his place; his
men were gathering round him, eager for the fray; and as the young Emir
rode up to his side the dervishes came dashing up to range themselves by
their leader, and in another minute the fight would have begun had the
newly arrived strangers displayed the same daring in face of the Emir's
rapidly increasing force that they had in pursuit of two fugitives.

As it was, Frank sat upon his panting horse watching while a couple of
the dervish party rode forward to temporise, and as far as he could make
out by their gestures one of the two explained that they were peaceably
riding through the city, strangers though they were, when they were
attacked by the young Emir and his followers.

At this the young chief to whom he pointed burst into a mocking laugh of
disdain, and it seemed to Frank that as he turned to the Emir in whose
court he had taken sanctuary with his companion, that he pointed to the
young Englishman and then to himself, holding up two fingers, and then
making gesture after gesture as if counting, but giving it up at the end
of ten, and holding up his ten fingers over and over again, the Emir's
men bursting into a scornful laugh, which seemed to be the echo of the
young chief's mirth.

There was a low, muttering growl amongst the strange dervishes at this,
and their leader said something to which Frank's companion replied by
riding up to them, sword in hand, and mockingly pointing with it at the
various articles of plunder hung from the bows and cantrils of their
saddles, and once again there was a roar of laughter from the Emir's
men.

Their leader held up his hand for silence, and then turned to the
dervish leader as if asking him haughtily a question with the very
gesture and air of a schoolboy at home; and exciting though the scene
was, and doubtful whether the next minute the court would not be full of
cutting, slashing, and stabbing combatants, it appeared to the looker-on
just like old times when a school-fellow asked another whether he wanted
to fight or no.

It was something common to human nature, no doubt, for the dervish chief
followed