d them wondering, she said briefly that it was
arranged thus because she refused to expose us to more insults. She
added that a festival had begun which would last for a week, and that
she did not wish us to see how vile were the ways of her people.

That evening and many others which followed it--we never dined in the
central hall again--passed pleasantly enough, for the Khania made Leo
tell her of England where he was born, and of the lands that he had
visited, their peoples and customs. I spoke also of the history of
Alexander, whose general Rassen, her far-off forefather, conquered the
country of Kaloon, and of the land of Egypt, whence the latter came, and
so it went on till midnight, while Atene listened to us greedily, her
eyes fixed always on Leo's face.

Many such nights did we spend thus in the palace of the city of Kaloon
where, in fact, we were close prisoners. But oh! the days hung heavy
on our hands. If we went into the courtyard or reception rooms of the
palace, the lords and their followers gathered round us and pestered us
with questions, for, being very idle, they were also very curious.

Also the women, some of whom were fair enough, began to talk to us on
this pretext or on that, and did their best to make love to Leo; for,
in contrast with their slim, delicate-looking men, they found this
deep-chested, yellow-haired stranger to their taste. Indeed they
troubled him much with gifts of flowers and messages sent by servants or
soldiers, making assignations with him, which of course he did not keep.

If we went out into the streets, matters were as bad, for then the
people ceased from their business, such as it was, and followed us
about, staring at us till we took refuge again in the palace gardens.

There remained, therefore, only our rides in the country with the
Khania, but after three or four of them, these came to an end owing to
the jealousy of the Khan, who vowed that if we went out together any
more he would follow with the death-hounds. So we must ride alone, if at
all, in the centre of a large guard of soldiers sent to see that we did
not attempt to escape, and accompanied very often by a mob of peasants,
who with threats and entreaties demanded that we should give back the
rain which they said we had taken from them. For now the great drought
had begun in earnest.

Thus it came about that at length our only resource was making pretence
to fish in the river, where the water was so clear