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"None must appear before the King showing his hands, and, dwarf, since you have no sleeves, thrust yours into your robe." "What am I to do with my feet?" he answered in a thick, guttural voice. "Will it offend the King of kings to see my feet, most noble eunuch?" "Certainly, certainly," answered Houman, "since they are ugly enough to offend even me. Hide them as much as possible.
To the boat with him, and before he enters it a hundred blows upon the feet with the rods," and he pointed at him with his sceptre. Then guards sprang upon Houman and dragged him away. As he went he clutched at Bes, but hissing something into his ear, the dwarf bit him through the hand till he let go.
Yes, he would speak with you with his own lips, and with that abortion of a servant of yours also. Come! Come swiftly!" "Swift as an arrow, Houman," I answered laughing, "seeing that for three moons I, like an arrow, have rested upon the string and flown no nearer to his Majesty." "Three moons!" screeched the eunuch.
They are unequalled in the whole world, for twenty years the merchants sought them in the days of my father; half of them would buy a satrapy. I wager them" here the listening nobles gasped and the fat eunuch, Houman, held up his hands in horror. "Against what, O King?" "Your slave Bes, to whom I have taken a fancy." Now I trembled and Bes rolled his yellow eyes.
Next I heard the bags of gold being removed from the boat, after which we walked away, guards supporting me by either elbow until I found my strength again, and Houman following just behind, perhaps because he feared my foot if he went in front. "What has chanced, Eunuch," I asked presently, "that I am disturbed from the bed where I was sleeping so well?" "I do not know, Lord," he answered.
"It is not for great lords to avenge themselves upon the fallen. Yet my slave here was also wronged and would say a word to yonder Houman." "So be it," said the officer, "only let him be careful not to hurt him too sorely, lest he should die before the time and escape his punishment."
At length, when the scales were even, the six hunters whose lives I had won and who had been given to me as slaves, were brought in and ordered to shoulder the bags of gold. I too was seized and my hands were bound behind me. Then I was led out in charge of the eunuch Houman, who informed me with a leer that it would be his duty to attend to my comfort till the end.
"Not quite," I answered, for I wished to hear the tale in his own words. "Well, Master, when I was walking with Houman after he had put you in the boat, I asked him about this seal. He showed it to me and said that he who bore it was for the time the king of all the Empire of the East.
Now, Master, you may not have noticed, but I did, that before the King doomed you to death by the boat yesterday, he took a certain round, white seal, a cylinder with gods and signs cut on it, which hung by a gold chain from his girdle, and gave it to Houman to be his warrant for all he did.
After this we talked of that day's adventure with the lions, and of others that we had shared together, laughing merrily all the while, till the soldiers stared at us as though we were mad. Also the fat eunuch, Houman, who was mounted on an ass, rode up and said, "What, Egyptian who dared to twist the beard of the Great King, you laugh, do you?
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