ed to them telling what the words meant. They
listened very closely and asked many questions. It was all quite new
to them.

"Will you give me the book?" asked the Arab who was reading. Forder
knew that he would only value it if he bought it, so he sold it to him
for some dates, and eight or nine men bought copies from him.

Next day the Chief tried to get other passing Arabs to conduct Forder
to the Jowf, but none would take the risk. So at last he lent him two
of his own servants to lead him to Ithera--an oasis four hours' camel
ride across the desert. So away they went across the desert and in the
late afternoon saw the palms of Ithera.

"We have brought you a Christian," shouted the servants as they led
Forder into a room full of men, and dumped his goods down on the
floor. "We stick him on to you; do what you can with him."

"This is neither a Christian, nor a Jew, nor an infidel," shouted
one of the men, "but a pig." He did not know that Forder understood
Arabic.

"Men," he replied boldly, "I am neither pig, infidel, nor Jew. I am a
Christian, one that worships God, the same God as you do."

"If you are a Christian," exclaimed the old Chief, "go and sit among
the cattle!" So Forder went to the further end of the room and sat
between an old white mare and a camel.

Soon a man came in, and walking over to Forder put his hand out and
shook his. He sat down by him and, talking very quietly so that the
others should not hear, said: "Who are you, and from where do you
come?"

"From Jerusalem," said Forder. "I am a Christian preacher."

"If you value your life," went on the stranger, "you will get out of
this as quickly as you can, or the men, who are a bad lot, will kill
you. I am a Druze[70] but I pretend to be a Moslem."

"What sort of a man is the Chief of Ithera?" asked Forder.

"Very kind," was the reply. So the friendly stranger went out. Forder
listened carefully to the talk.

"Let us cut his throat while he is asleep," said one man.

"No," said the Chief. "I will not have the blood of a Christian on my
house and town."

"Let us poison his supper," said another. But the Chief would not
agree.

"Drive him out into the desert to die of hunger and thirst," suggested
a third. "No," said the Chief, whose name was Khy-Khevan, "we will
leave him till the morning."

Forder was then called to share supper with the others, and afterwards
the Chief led him out to the palm gardens, so that his evil influ