he boy's assistance. He was older
than Gebhr and from the beginning of the flight from Gharak el-Sultani
all complied with his orders. Now he snatched the courbash from his
brother's hand and, pushing him away, exclaimed:

"Away, you fool!"

"I'll flog that scorpion!" answered Gebhr, gnashing his teeth.

But at this, Idris seized his cloak at the breast and gazing into his
eyes began to say in a threatening though quiet voice:

"The noble* [* All relatives of the Mahdi were termed "noble."] Fatma
forbade us to do any harm to those children, for they interceded for
her--"

"I'll flog him!" iterated Gebhr.

"And I tell you that you shall not raise the courbash at either of
them. If you do, for every blow, I shall give you ten."

And he began to shake him like a bough of a palm, after which he thus
continued:

"Those children are the property of Smain and if either of them does
not reach him alive, the Mahdi himself (May God prolong his days
infinitely!) would command you to be hung. Do you understand, you fool?"

The name of the Mahdi created such a great impression upon all his
believers that Gebhr drooped his head at once and began to repeat as if
with fear:

"Allah akbar! Allah akbar!"* [* This cry means, "God is great"; but
Arabs utter it in moments of fear, summoning aid.]

Stas rose, panting and whipped, but felt that if his father could have
seen and heard him at that moment he would have been proud of him, for
he had not only leaped to save Nell, without thinking, but now, though
the blows of the courbash burnt him like fire, he did not think of his
own pain but instead began to console and ask the little girl whether
the blow had injured her.

And afterwards he said:

"Whatever I got, I got, but he will never attack you. Oh, if I only had
some weapon!"

The little woman entwined his neck with her arms and dampening his
cheeks with tears began to assure him that it did not pain her very
much and that she was crying not from pain but from sorrow for him. At
this Stas put his lips to her ear and whispered:

"Nell, I swear that, not because he whipped me, but because he struck
you, I shall not forgive him." With that the incident closed.

After a certain time Gebhr and Idris, becoming reconciled, spread out
their cloaks upon the ground and lay upon them, and Chamis soon
followed their example. The Bedouins poured out durra for the camels,
after which, having mounted two unengaged camels, they ro