en.

Several men entered the tent, all swarthy, lithe and sinewy, with the
scowling faces and even, white teeth characteristic of the typical Arab.
They gesticulated constantly as they talked; but Yusuf, though
thoroughly familiar with the Arabic language, paid little attention to
the conversation, giving himself up to what seemed to him, after his
adventures, perfect rest.

Presently the chief's wife entered. She was unveiled, and her features
were distinctly Hebrew; for Lois, wife of the Bedouin Musa, had been
born a Jewess. She was dressed in a flowing robe of black confined by a
crimson girdle. Strings of coins and of blue opaque beads hung upon her
breast and were wound about her ankles, and she wore a black head-dress
also profusely decorated with beads and bangles of silver.

On a platter she carried some cakes, still smoking hot. These she placed
on a low, circular table of copper. A wooden platter of boiled mutton
was next added, along with a caldron filled with wheat boiled in camel's
milk, and some cups of coffee.

Yusuf was placed at the table, and Musa, after sipping a little coffee,
handed the cup to him; the chief then picked out the most savory bits of
mutton, and, according to Arabian etiquette, handed them to his guest.

Several men gathered around to partake of the banquet. They crouched or
reclined on the ground, about the low table; yet, savage-looking though
they were, not one of the Bedouins ventured an inquisitive question or
bestowed a curious glance on the Persian.

Among them, however, was a little, inquisitive-looking man, whose quick,
bird-like movements attracted Yusuf's attention early in the evening.
His round black eyes darted into every place and upon every one with an
insatiable curiosity, and he talked almost incessantly. He was a Jewish
peddler who traded small wares with the Arabs, and who was constantly
somewhere on the road between Syria and Yemen, being liable to appear
suddenly at the most mysterious times, and in the most unlikely places.

In his way, Abraham of Joppa was a character, and one may be pardoned
for bestowing more than a passing glance upon him. Though permitted to
eat at the table with the rest, it was evident that the Arabs looked
upon him with some contempt. They enjoyed listening to his stories, and
to his recital of the news which he picked up in his travels, but they
despised his inquisitiveness, and resented the impertinence with which
he coolly addre