o his distinguished prisoner. Amalek, pressing his hand to his
heart, gave Tancred the salute of peace, and then, followed by Hassan,
who had lost nothing of his calm self-respect, but who conducted himself
as if he were still free, the great Sheikh seated himself on the
carpet that was spread before the tent, and took the pipe, which
was immediately offered him by Freeman and Trueman, following the
instructions of an attendant of the Emir Fakredeen.

After the usual compliments and some customary observations about horses
and pistols, Fakredeen, who had seated himself close to Tancred, with a
kind of shrinking cajolery, as if he were seeking the protection of some
superior being, addressing Amalek in a tone of easy assurance, which
remarkably contrasted with the sentimental deference he displayed
towards his prisoner, said:

'Sheikh of Sheikhs, there is but one God: now is it Allah, or Jehovah?'

'The palm tree is sometimes called a date tree, replied Amalek, 'but
there is only one tree.'

'Good,' said Fakredeen, 'but you do not pray to Allah?'

'I pray as my fathers prayed,' said Amalek.

'And you pray to Jehovah?'

'It is said.'

'Sheikh Hassan,' said the Emir, 'there is but one God, and his name is
Jehovah. Why do you not pray to Jehovah?'

'Truly there is but one God,' said Sheikh Hassan, 'and Mahomet is his
Prophet. He told my fathers to pray to Allah, and to Allah I pray.'

'Is Mahomet the prophet of God, Sheikh of Sheikhs?'

'It may be,' replied Amalek, with a nod of assent.

'Then why do you not pray as Sheikh Hassan?'

'Because Moses, without doubt the prophet of God,--for all believe in
him, Sheikh Hassan, and Emir Fakredeen, and you too, Prince, brother of
queens,--married into our family and taught us to pray to Jehovah. There
may be other prophets, but the children of Jethro would indeed ride on
asses were they not content with Moses.'

'And you have his five books?' inquired Tancred.

'We had them from the beginning, and we shall keep them to the end.'

'And you learnt in them that Moses married the daughter of Jethro?'

'Did I learn in them that I have wells and camels? We want no books to
tell us who married our daughters.'

'And yet it is not yesterday that Moses fled from Egypt into Midian?'

'It is not yesterday for those who live in cities, where they say at
one gate that it is morning, and at another it is night. Where men tell
lies, the deed of the dawn is the secret of sunse