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'The princes of Franguestan cannot take off heads, observed Darkush. 'All they can do is to banish you to islands inhabited by demons. 'But the capitani of whom I speak is prince of many tails, is the brother of queens. Even the great Queen of the English, they say, is his sister. 'He who serves queens may expect backsheesh. 'And you serve a queen, Darkush?
At this moment the curtain of the pavilion was withdrawn, and there stood before them Fakredeen. The moment his eyes met those of Eva, he covered his face with both his hands. 'How is the Prince of Franguestan? inquired Amalek. The young Emir advanced, and threw himself at the feet of Eva. 'We must entreat the Rose of Sharon to visit him, he said, 'for there is no hakeem in Arabia equal to her.
'A good backsheesh for our Queen, comrade. If these children of Franguestan can pay a princess's dower to visit some columns in the desert, like Tadmor, they may well give us the golden keys of their treasury when they enter where none should go but those who are 'But they say that this Frank is one.
He should have brought the ransom himself; 'and the great Sheikh sent two curling streams out of his nostrils. 'Whoever be the bearer, he is the payer, said Eva. 'It is he who is the prisoner, not this son of Franguestan, who, you think, is your captive. 'Your father wishes to scrape my piastres, said the great Sheikh, in a stern voice, and looking his granddaughter full in the face.
'What is this Prince of Franguestan to thee and thine? said Amalek. 'He comes to our land like his brethren, to see the sun and seek for treasure in our ruins, and he bears, like all of them, some written words to your father, saying, "Give to this man what he asks, and we will give to your people what they ask."
"God is great!" said an elderly Turk with a long white heard. "The Hakim congratulates the faithful because they have taken a woman!" "Not so merely," replied Iskander; "I heard the woman was a princess. If so, the people of Franguestan will pay any ransom for their great women; and, by giving up this fair Giaour, you may free many of the faithful."
Name then at once, my daughter, the piastres that you will give; for the prince, the brother of queens, may to-morrow be dust. 'How so? eagerly inquired Eva. 'He is a Mejnoun, replied Amalek. 'After the man named Baroni departed for El Khuds, the Prince of Franguestan would not rest until he visited Gibel Mousa, and I said "Yes" to all his wishes.
'Two millions of piastres! Why not at once ask for the throne of Solomon? 'Which would be given, if required, rejoined Amalek. 'Was it not said in the divan of Besso, that if this Prince of Franguestan wished to rebuild the Temple, the treasure would not be wanting? 'Said by some city gossip, said Eva, scornfully.
Is it to be told in the bazaars of Franguestan that his first office of devotion was to send this youth into the desert to be spoiled by the father of his wife? 'Why did my daughters marry men who live in cities? exclaimed the old Sheikh. 'Why did they marry men who made your peace with the Egyptian, when not even the desert could screen you?
'The Sheikh must excuse me, said Tancred to Baroni; 'I am wearied and wounded. Ask if I can retire and have a tent. 'Are you wounded? said the young Sheikh, who was sitting on the carpet of Amalek, and speaking, not only in a tone of touching sympathy, but in the language of Franguestan.
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