his face to here and there on his body,
as a flame on marble. The cords began to beat and throb in his neck and
on his forehead, and his eyes gave out fire like flint on an arrow-head.

"Then he began to talk. He could not say much, for he knew so little of
their language. But it was 'No!' every other word. 'No--no--no--no!' the
words ringing from his chest. 'She is good!' he said. 'The other-no!'
and he made a motion with his hand. 'She must not die--no! Evil? It is
a lie! I will kill each man that says it, one by one, if he dares come
forth. She tried to save me--well?' Then he made them know that he was
of high place in a far country, and that a man like him would not tell a
lie. That pleased the king, for he was proud, and he saw that the Slave
was of better stuff than himself. Besides, the king was a brave man, and
he had strength, and more than once he had laid his hand on the chest
of the other, as one might on a grand animal. Perhaps, even then, they
might have spared the girl was it not for the queen. She would not hear
of it. Then they tried the Great Slave, and he was found guilty. The
queen sent him word to beg for pardon. So he stood out and spoke to the
queen. She sat up straight, with pride in her eyes, for was it not a
great prince, as she thought, asking? But a cloud fell on her face, for
he begged the girl's life. Since there must be death, let him die, and
die by fire in her place! It was then two women cried out: the poor girl
for joy--not at the thought that her life would be saved, but because
she thought the man loved her now, or he would not offer to die for her;
and the queen for hate, because she thought the same. You can guess the
rest: they were both to die, though the king was sorry for the man.

"The king's speaker stood out and asked them if they had anything to
say. The girl stepped forward, her face without any fear, but a kind of
noble pride in it, and said: 'I am ready, O king.'

"The Great Slave bowed his head, and was thinking much. They asked him
again, and he waved his hand at them. The king spoke up in anger, and
then he smiled and said: 'O king, I am not ready; if I die, I die.' Then
he fell to thinking again. But once more the king spoke: 'Thou shalt
surely die, but not by fire, nor now; nor till we have come to our great
camp in our own country. There thou shalt die. But the woman shall die
at the going down of the sun. She shall die by fire, and thou shalt
light the faggots