The Hawk of Egypt

ar and bull, Wo

BAR

been strolling by hersel

you with the colouring of a desert sunset, if, in short, you can add a splash of colour to anything so colourful as a native bazaar, then 'twere wise to do your sa

re sunset, so that little by little and quite unconsciou

h the yellow-white arch of the doorway showed a stretch of turquoise-blue sky across which, upon a string, sw

tiful picture, staying his talk with Abdul, who, with the courtesy of the East,

built horses. He stood impatiently, with an occasional plunk of a hoof on the sandy stones, or nuzzled his master's sleeve, or pulled at it with his teeth, whilst two shaggy dogs of Billi lay str

ith you a couple of greyhounds and a dog or so from Billi, get right off the tourist

you will have all the bazaar camels

s satin, short, heavy, with half-closed green eyes fixed steadfastly upon a plum

d altogether amiable. When thrown, she is as a bullet from a rifle, binding her quarry in high air even as a man holds his woman to his heart upon the roof-top under the stars. She is full summed"-and he ran his slender fingers th

the large beak and deep mouth; held up the ugly face to the light, examined the flight-feathers and, moving his hand quickly up and down, caused the bird to flutter its wings-and so give him a chance of measuring the distance of the wings

om the master and the falconer. They laughed, they moved, whilst some in the back row stood up to see t

sight; then, "Fetch!" she commanded

ed mistress; but, restless from prolonged inactivity and the smell of strange beasts, he hurled himself in the direction pointed; and his speed, once he go

ear for him, and sensing an enemy in the growling jaguar, was at its throat like a thrown spear; missing it by an inch as

e, passing the astounded spectators, who sal

" she cried. "Give it

ready leant down in the seething, growling mass of fur and hate, and loosened the chain; whilst, with screams of fear and de

gus

d of bull-fighting or pigeon-sho

lung his birds far behind the growling, spitting, raging couple, whilst the stallion, rearin

ngton, taking an off-chance, suddenly turned and bit one of them clean through the shoulder; whereupon it

th arms round her to draw her to safety; then, suddenly realising the

rate them?" h

ce my dog's blood is up, nothi

great dog hurled himself at the spitting brute, only to meet the teeth and claws

heeks, Damaris looked up into the man's f

custom and convention and, taking root, put forth shoots and sprang in one moment into the gr

earned his lesson; instead, he rai

but Thee," just as, with a sudden swish, a flock of startled pigeons flashing like

lldog's sides, a click, a shiver, and the black brute fell dead, as the dog, a mass of blood, foam and pride, hurled himself onto the skirt of his beloved mis

e with sand. And "Irja Sooltan," he called to the stallion, which, terrified at the sounds and sight and smell of battle, had bolted up a side street, where he stood fretting and fidgeting himself into a fine sweat, until he heard the clear call which could always bring him back to

e woman who stood so close to his master, so that she

she cried. "Oh

u r

ape of a horse she had been able to get so far, and upon

she said. "I have not r

d by Abdul, who, all smiles, stood before them, with the whi

ing to find favour in the eyes of the nobles, he only wanted to give them

lady!"

the air, allowed her a little

d missed the pigeon by a hair's-breadth as it "put in", which mean

of a dead plover and called his hawk with the luring Eastern call. "Coo-coo," h

n the stallion's mane, looking up at

ite bird, it failed. The House of Allah, who is God, gave sanc

og, who, reft 'tween pride and pain, showed a lamentable coun

pick her up and ride with her to his home i

r me in the Sikket el

*

whilst continuous lamentations were wafted through the spring-doors from the spot where sat a

of crimson roses tied with golden tasse

stion, neither d

e young to work out the salvation of their own souls; which did not, however, mean

t the wise old lady, as she passed a bi

rak," it sai

but had taken weeks of teac