slaves as ye can, that we may make a strong party.
Tell me, Sheikh Amer, how many of thy people armed canst thou take with
thee?"

"Who?--I? I can take two hundred well-armed servants, besides my two
faithful fundis, Simba and Moto, as they are called by the slaves, who
are worth an army by themselves, and--"

"Let me go, my father," cried Selim, seating himself on the carpet close
to his father's knees, and looking up to his face with eager, entreating
eyes, "I can shoot. Thou knowest the new gun which thou didst send for
to London, in the land of the English, and which the good balyuz [Balyuz
is an Arabic word for consul, or rather ambassador] taught me how to
use. The balyuz told me the other day that I would be able to shoot
better than he could, by-and-by. I can shoot a bird on the wing already
with it. Give thy consent, and let me accompany thee, father. I will
be both good and brave, I promise thee."

"Hear the boy!" said Amer, admiringly. "A true Bedaween could not have
spoken otherwise. But why dost thou wish to leave thy mother, child, so
soon?"

"My mother will regret me, I know, but I am now strong and big, and it
is not good for me to remain in the harem all my life. I must quit my
mother some time, for work which all men must do."

"And who gave thee such ideas, son Selim? Who told thee thou wert too
big to remain with thy mother?"

"The other day I went out with Suleiman, son of Prince Majid, and the
young son of the American balyuz--I can't pronounce his name--to shoot
wild birds. The young American boy, who is smaller than I am, and
already thinks himself a man, though he is no bigger than my hand,
laughed at me; and when I asked him why he laughed, he said to me,
`Truly, Selim, thou appearest to me to be like a little girl whose
mother bathes her in new milk every day to preserve her complexion. I
cannot understand the spirit of an Arab boy which contents itself with
looking no further out-doors than within sight of a mother's eyes.'
These are the words he spoke to me within hearing of Suleiman, Majid's
son, who also laughed at me, while I felt my cheeks were red with shame,
they tingled so."

"Tush, boy! What is it to thee what the thoughts of a forward Nazarene
lad are? Thou art not of his race or kin. But I must own to ye, my
friends," said Amer, turning to the elders, "that the youths of the
Nazarenes [Nazarene is the Arabic term for Christian] are bolder than
ours, though