uth to complain against Mahmood, pitching her voice in
the terrible key of her kind.

"My Lord, may God bless thee and lengthen...."

A fierce shake from her captor interrupted the sentence, but did not
keep her quiet, for immediately she continued, in pleading tones, as
best she could, struggling the while to keep her mouth free from the
wretch's hand.

"Protect me, I pray thee, from this cruel man; he has struck me: yes,
my Lord."

"Strike her again if she doesn't stop that noise," cried the kaid, and
as the man raised his hand to threaten her she saw there was no hope,
and her legs giving way beneath her, she sank to the ground in tears.

"For God's sake, yes, my Lord, have mercy on thine handmaid." It was
pitiful to hear the altered tones, and it needed the heart of a brute
to reply as did the governor, unmoved, by harshly asking what she had
been up to.

"She's a thief, my Lord, a liar, like all her people; God burn their
religion; I gave her a waistcoat to make a week ago, and I purposed it
for a present to thee, my Lord, but she has made away with the stuff,
and when I went for it she abused me, and, by thy leave, thee also, my
Lord; here she is to be punished."

"It's a lie, my Lord; the stuff is in my hut, and the waistcoat's half
done, but I knew I should never get paid for it, so had to get some
other work done to keep my children from starving, for I am a widow.
Have mercy on me!"

"God curse the liar! I have spoken the truth," broke in the policeman.

"Fetch a basket for her!" ordered the kaid, and in another moment a
second attendant was assisting Mahmood to force the struggling woman
to sit in a large and pliable basket of palmetto, the handles of which
were quickly lashed across her stomach. She was then thrown shrieking
on her back, her bare legs lifted high, and tied to a short piece of
pole just in front of the ankles; one man seized each end of this, a
third awaiting the governor's orders to strike the soles. In his hand
he had a short-handled lash made of twisted thongs from Tafilalt, well
soaked in water. The efforts of the victim to attack the men on either
side becoming violent, a delay was caused by having to tie her hands
together, her loud shrieks rending the air the while.

"Give her a hundred," said the kaid, beginning to count as the blows
descended, giving fresh edge to the piercing yells, interspersed with
piteous cries for mercy, and ribbing the skin in long red lines, which