The Eye of Zeitoon

atesman, and a

other's hand,

find succor

lesser ones th

d parchment on

the while the p

for his church,

acknowledge

pal twilight

in truth enou

h acknowledg

rosary, and c

or the state, th

counselors to

and prospe

although with

at Tradition

ate might stand an

for the soldi

honor and t

m might carry

nce, and in

length should

rave a peace of

stood a patr

in gilt or

ek, and yet no

that glittered

il hours, a

ed too well. H

o gavest, may

not-acceptin

dly if the le

s and two-edge

s banner drawn

I'm false!" His

verything a dozen times for some utterly godless reason-Rustum Khan seizing each fugitive Armenian in turn to question him, alternating fierce threats with persuasion-Kagig striding up and down with ha

reversed a Turk would have taken unbelievable toll in blood and agony from any Armenian he could find, and they reasoned we were p

ith our backs against the wall. "Until we're in actual perso

n good. Give the Turks an excuse to call us outlaws and shoot inst

our little Willy too! One woman at a time, especially when the lady totes a mother-o'-pea

n't you! You'd jes

here's a lady in danger somewhere ahead, we

y no

d to the consul, that 'ud be on

Englishwoman?" I asked, with the su

osely set lips. But I did not see that t

nished questioning, went and stood in Kagig's

s it, E

ife,

your wife. She

nd her, Kagig-my wife and two

et. A brave, good woman. Always she agreed with me, I remember. Often I he

in the hands of Turks, Kagi

o merely die by the sword. Ten times by the count-during ten succeeding massacres I h

oing to sit here and leave a white woman in danger on t

to the floor and shrieked in agony of misery. Rustum Kh

one of them was ready when the hour set for this one came. They say-and they say the truth, that the Turks will murder a

s from Will, with the tips of his ears re

a severed wind-pipe. "If she were good-looking-I have heard say they pay high prices in the interior, say at Kaisarieh or Mosul. Once in a harem, who wo

're afraid!" sneered

e Rajput wou

darkening three or four shades under his black beard.

s. He rapped out a string of sudden rhetoric in the Rajput'

nel sahib!" he urged

sum will be th

eal of laughter that d

ruffled

m?" I asked him, d

! The aggregated essence of all femal

ave to teach

a blood-feud that nothing less than a man's life could settle, and Monty looked worried. There came a new thundering on the door t

houted, and resumed

rned to say that fifty mounted men from Zeitoon were drawn

is sportmen shoul

nd held out behind him

shall shoo

on,

s are

with him at once might have made him jump to false conclusions. The consul's last words to us had been insistent

you gentleme

r servant a

ig with a gesture of extreme irritation. It is only t

onty blandly, "then what

breath and drove it out again hissing throug

ch our hearts, "you are a lord, a friend of the King of Eengland. If I were less than a man of my word

ahveh, but Kagig did not turn his head. Three gipsies attended to Rustum Khan, slipping between h

ed Monty. "Con

y, palms upward, as if he were of

all I keep my word to you? Or sha

a hand to whichever member of the partnership was first engaged; and we never regretted it, although it often called for faith

to your word!

ed. "But m

! Surely you haven't promis

ust obey you for two piasters a

!" suggested

stiffly, f

y, "to know how many long years I have waited,

among the roof beams. The animals at the other end of the room went crazy, and there was instant panic, the Armenians outside trying to get in to help, and fighting with the men and animals and w

he wall!"

. In almost no time we had a great gap ready, and the extra draft we made increased the holocaust, but seemed to lift the heat higher. Then some of the Zeitoonli saw the gap, and began to hurry blindfolded horses through

Turk a hare

red rushed past us, and before I could get the smoke out of my eyes and throat they were hurrying out again with two old women in their a

outed. "The Measel

ilding, pulled the lid off the corn-bin (it was fastened like an ancient Egyptian coffin-lid with several stout

Fred's heart, "if you're the cause of

nguish, but the wise man vomits comfortably when he can,

he fever. Now he will be a man again. But the sahibs should have left that writer of characters

rned away from having been the last to leave by the front entran

ne with the Germa

aga Jhaere they call her, saw him do it. She watched like a cat, the fool, hoping to amuse herself, while he burned off his ropes with a brand that fell his way

demande

w the Turk, however. And Maga followed the German into the open, where she denounced him to some of the Zeitoonli who recently arrived. They took him and threw him

nty. "What of the Turkish

rn, too, if th

so shall you! W

Kagig it is time to go, before Turks come to take vengeance for a burned road-house. They will

high-pitched "Haide-

around the building to

squealing in fear of

d seven sons, to tell