p and dragged my horse away, and made this noise. They
say the water in the spring is theirs, and no one else has any right
to touch it. I offered to make payment, but they would not hear me. I
threatened them with vengeance, but they showed no fear. Is it your
Honour's will that I should beat a few of them?'

Seeing their numbers, I considered it the wiser plan for us to let
them be till their excitement had cooled down, and till Suleyman
arrived to help us with advice. Accordingly, I smiled and nodded to
the villagers, and rode back up the path a little way, Rashid obeying
my example with reluctance, muttering curses on their faith and
ancestry. Then we dismounted and lay down in the shadow of some rocks.
It wanted still two hours before the sun would set.

Suleyman came on us, and dismounted at a call from me.

'What is the noise down there?' he questioned, looking at the village
with that coolness, like indifference, habitual to his face when
meeting problems of importance.

'They will not let us touch the water--curse their fathers!' growled
Rashid. 'Heard anyone the like of such inhospitality? It would but
serve them right if we destroyed their houses.'

Suleyman screwed up his eyes, the better to survey the crowd of
villagers below, who now sat guard around the spring, and murmured
carelessly:

'It is evident that thou hast angered them, O son of rashness. We
shall do well to wait before approaching them again with our polite
request.'

Therewith he stretched his length upon the ground, with a luxurious
sigh, and would, I think, have gone to sleep, had not Rashid,
conceiving himself blamed, thought necessary to relate in full the
whole adventure.

'What else could man have done?' he asked defiantly. 'Say in what
respect, however trifling, did I act unwisely?'

'By Allah, thou didst nothing wrong, and yet thou mightest have done
better, since thy efforts led to failure,' said the sage, benignly.
'Thou art a soldier yet in thought, and thy one method is to threaten.
If that avails not, thou art helpless. There are other ways.'

'I offered money,' cried Rashid indignantly. 'Could man do more?'

'What are those other ways? Instruct us, O beloved!' I put in, to save
Rashid from feeling lonely under blame for ignorance.

'No truly great one ever argues with a crowd. He chooses out one man,
and speaks to him, him only,' said Suleyman; and he was going to tell
us more, but just then something in the wadi d