'No, I cannot, cannot deny my Lord--my Lord that bought me!'

'We own Issa Ben Mariam for a Prophet,' said Yusuf.

'But He is my only Master, my Redeemer, and God. No, come what may, I
can never renounce Him,' said Arthur with vehemence.

'Wed, awed,' said Yusuf, 'maybe ye'll see in time what's for your gude.
I'll tell the sheyk it would misbecome your father's son to do sic a deed
owre lichtly, and strive to gar him wait while I am in these parts to get
your word, and nae doot it will be wiselike at the last.'

CHAPTER VII--MASTER AND SLAVE

'I only heard the reckless waters roar,
Those waves that would not hear me from the shore;
I only marked the glorious sun and sky
Too bright, too blue for my captivity,
And felt that all which Freedom's bosom cheers,
Must break my chain before it dried my tears.'

BYRON (_The Corsair_).

At the rate at which the traffic in Yusuf's tent proceeded, Arthur Hope
was likely to have some little time for deliberation on the question
presented to him whether to be a free Moslem sheyk or a Christian slave.

Not only had almost every household in El Arnieh to chaffer with the
merchant for his wares and to dispose of home-made commodities, but from
other adowaras and from hill-farms Moors and Cabyles came in with their
produce of wax, wool or silk, to barter--if not with Yusuf, with the
inhabitants of El Arnieh, who could weave and embroider, forge cutlery,
and make glass from the raw material these supplied. Other Cabyles,
divers from the coast, came up, with coral and sponges, the latter of
which was the article in which Yusuf preferred to deal, though nothing
came amiss to him that he could carry, or that could carry itself--such
as a young foal; even the little black boy had been taken on
speculation--and so indeed had the big Abyssinian, who, though dumb, was
the most useful, ready, and alert of his five slaves. Every bargain
seemed to occupy at least an hour, and perhaps Yusuf lingered the longer
in order to give Arthur more time for consideration; or it might be that
his native tongue, once heard, exercised an irresistible fascination over
him. He never failed to have what he called a 'crack' with his young
countryman at the hour of the siesta, or at night, perhaps persuading the
sheyk that it was controversial, though it was more apt to be on
circumstances of the day's trade or the news of the Border-side.
Controversy indeed there could be l