ly conversed. After them, the bodies of
Sheikh Salem and his comrades, covered with cloaks and stowed on camels.
And then came the great prize, Tancred, mounted on a dromedary, his
right arm bound up in a sling which Baroni had hastily made, and
surrounded and followed by a large troop of horsemen, who treated him
with the highest consideration, not only because he was a great prince,
whose ransom could bring many camels to their tribe, but because he had
shown those feats of valour which the wild desert honours.

Notwithstanding his wound, which, though slight, began to be painful,
and the extreme vexation of the whole affair, Tancred could not be
insensible to the strange beauty of the scene which welcomed him. He
had read of these deserted cities, carved out of the rocks of the
wilderness, and once the capitals of flourishing and abounding kingdoms.

They stopped before the pavilion of the great Sheikh; the arena of the
amphitheatre became filled with camels, horses, groups of warriors; many
mounted on the seats, that they might overlook the scene, their arms and
shawled heads glistening in the silver blaze of the moon or the ruddy
flames of the watch-fires. They assisted Tancred to descend, they
ushered him with courtesy to their chief, who made room for Tancred on
his own carpet, and motioned that he should be seated by his side. A
small carpet was placed for Sheikh Hassan, and another for Baroni.

'Salaam, brother of many queens, all that you see is yours; Salaam
Sheikh Hassan, we are brothers. Salaam,' added Amalek, looking at
Baroni, 'they tell me that you can speak our language, which is
beautiful as the moon and many palm trees; tell the prince, brother of
many queens, that he mistook the message that I sent him this morning,
which was an invitation to a feast, not to a war. Tell him we are
brothers.'

'Tell the Sheikh,' said Tancred, 'that I have no appetite for feasting,
and desire to be informed why he has made me a prisoner.'

'Tell the prince, brother of many queens, that he is not a prisoner, but
a guest.'

'Ask the Sheikh, then, whether we can depart at once.'

'Tell the prince, brother of many queens, that it would be rude in me to
let him depart to-night.'

'Ask the Sheikh whether I may depart in the morning.'

'Tell the prince that, when the morning comes, he will find I am his
brother.' So saying, the great Sheikh took his pipe from his mouth and
gave it to Tancred: the greatest of distinc