cholas, your servant.
You, her fit mate? Why, were it not that you must guide this
ship, and that my master bade me not to quarrel with you till
your task was done, I would behead you now and cut from your
throat the tongue that dared to speak such words," and as he
spoke he gripped the handle of his scimitar.

Lozelle quailed before his fierce eyes, for well he knew Hassan,
and knew also that if it came to fighting his sailors were no
match for the emir and his picked Saracens.

"When our duty is done you shall answer for those words," he
said, trying to look brave.

"By Allah! I hold you to the promise," replied Hassan. "Before
Salah-ed-din I will answer for them when and where you will, as
you shall answer to him for your treachery."

"Of what, then, am I accused?" asked Lozelle. "Of loving the lady
Rosamund, as do all men--perhaps yourself, old and withered as
you are, among them?"

"Ay, and for that crime I will repay you, old and withered as I
am, Sir Renegade. But with Salah-ed-din you have another score to
settle--that by promising her escape you tried to seduce her from
this ship, where you were sworn to guard her, saying that you
would find her refuge among the Greeks of Cyprus."

"Were this true," replied Lozelle, "the Sultan might have cause
of complaint against me. But it is not true. Hearken, since speak
I must. The lady Rosamund prayed me to do this deed, and I told
her that for my honour's sake it is not possible, although it was
true that I loved her now as always, and would dare much for her.
Then she said that if I did but save her from you Saracens, I
should not go without my reward, since she would wed me. Again,
although it cost me sore, I answered that it might not be, but
when once I had brought my ship to land, I was her true knight,
and being freed of my oath, would do my best to save her."

"Princess, you hear," said Hassan, turning to Rosamund. "What say
you?"

"I say," she answered coldly, "that this man lies to save
himself. I say, moreover, that I answered to him, that sooner
would I die than that he should lay a finger on me."

"I hold also that he lies," said Hassan. "Nay; unclasp that
dagger if you would live to see another sun. Here, I will not
fight with you, but Salah-ed-din shall learn all this case when
we reach his court, and judge between the word of the princess of
Baalbec and of his hired servant, the false Frank and pirate, Sir
Hugh Lozelle."

"Let him learn it