abalah Ebn Al Ayham had taken. Now it happened that
Mahan desired Abu Obeidah to send one of his officers to him for a
conference. This being complied with, Kaled proffered his services, and
being accepted by Abu Obeidah, by his advice he took along with him a
hundred men, chosen out of the best soldiers in the army. Being met and
examined by the out-guards, the chief of whom was Jabalah Ebn Al Ayham,
they were ordered to wait till the general's pleasure should be known.
Mahan would have had Kaled come to him alone and leave his men behind
him. But as Kaled refused to hear of this, they were commanded as soon
as they came near the general's tent to alight from their horses and
deliver their swords; and when they would not submit to this either,
they were at last permitted to enter as they pleased. They found Mahan
sitting upon a throne, and seats prepared for themselves. But they
refused to make use of them, and, removing them, sat down upon the
ground. Mahan asked them the reason of their doing so, and taxed them
with want of breeding. To which Kaled answered that that was the best
breeding which was from God, and what God has prepared for us to sit
down upon is purer than your tapestries, defending their practice from a
sentence of their prophet Mahomet, backed with this text of the _Koran_,
"Out of it [meaning the earth] we have created you, and to it we shall
return you, and out of it we shall bring you another time." Mahan began
then to expostulate with Kaled concerning their coming into Syria, and
all those hostilities which they had committed there. Mahan seemed
satisfied with Kaled's way of talking, and said that he had before that
time entertained a quite different opinion of the Arabs, having been
informed that they were a foolish, ignorant people. Kaled confessed that
that was the condition of most of them till God sent their prophet
Mahomet to lead them into the right way, and teach them to distinguish
good from evil, and truth from error. During this conference they would
argue very coolly for a while, and then again fly into a violent
passion. At last it happened that Kaled told Mahan that he should one
day see him led with a rope about his neck to Omar to be beheaded. Upon
this Mahan told him that the received law of all nations secured
ambassadors from violence, which he supposed had encouraged him to take
that indecent freedom; however, he was resolved to chastise his
insolence in the persons of his frien