ame of Allah.

It was done, disclosing a vista of men with drawn scimitars. The
Marabout demanded without ceremony where were the prisoners.

'At yonder house,' he was answered by Yakoub himself, pointing to the
farther end of the village.

'Dog of a liar,' burst forth the Sunakite. 'Dost thou think to blind the
eyes of the beloved of Allah, who knoweth the secrets of heaven and
earth, and hath the sigil of Suleiman Ben Daoud, wherewith to penetrate
the secret places of the false?'

The ferocious-looking guardians looked at each other as though under the
influence of supernatural terror, and then Hadji Eseb spoke: 'Salaam
Aleikum, my children; no man need fear who listens to the will of Allah,
and honours his messengers.'

All made way for the dignified old man and his suite, and they advanced
into the court, where two men with drawn swords were keeping guard over
the captives, who were on their knees in a corner of the court.

The sabres were sheathed, and there was a shuffling away at the advance
of the Marabouts, Sheyk Yakoub making some apology about having delayed
to admit such guests, but excusing himself on the score of supposing they
were emissaries sent by those whose authority he so defied that he had
sworn to slaughter his prisoners rather than surrender them.

Hadji Eseb replied with a quotation from the Koran forbidding cruelty to
the helpless, and sternly denounced wrath on the transgressors, bidding
Yakoub draw off his savage bodyguard.

The man was plainly alarmed, more especially as the Sunakite broke out
into one of his wild wails of denunciation, waving his hands like a
prophet of wrath, and predicting famine, disease, pestilence, to these
slack observers of the law of Mohammed.

This completed the alarm. The bodyguard fled away pell-mell, Yakoub
after them. His women shut themselves into some innermost recesses, and
the field was left to the Marabouts and the prisoners, who, not
understanding what all this meant, were still kneeling in their corner.
Hadji Eseb bade Arthur and the interpreter go to reassure them.

At their advance a miserable embrowned figure, barefooted and half clad
in a ragged haik, roped round his waist, threw himself before the fair-
haired child, crying out in imperfect Arabic, 'Spare her, spare her,
great Lord! much is to be won by saving her.'

'We are come to save her,' said Arthur in French. 'Maitre Hebert, do you
not know me?'

Hubert looked up. 'M. Artu