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"Must I continually remind you," said Abdullah, "that to-morrow may never dawn? We camp at El Zarb to-night." At nine o'clock they marched under the palms of El Zarb. Abdullah held up his hands; Ali ran to the head of the dun leader; the caravan halted, groaned, and knelt. The first day's journey was over.
KING ARGIMENES There will be nothing more to hope for when we have eaten the King's dog. ZARB Why you might find gold in the earth while you were digging. Then you might bribe the commander of the guard to lend you his sword; we would all follow you if you had a sword.
But will the slaves follow me? ZARB You will make them follow you if you have a sword. Yet is Illuriel a very potent god. They say that none have prevailed against King Darniak's dynasty so long as Illuriel stood. Once an enemy cast Illuriel into the river and overthrew the dynasty, but a fisherman found him again and set him up, and the enemy was driven out and the dynasty returned.
For centuries it has been the custom of Sahara caravans to travel not more than five miles the first day. Abdullah, the iconoclast, made thirty-three. Ali came to him at two o'clock. "Shall we camp, master?" he asked. "When I give the word," replied Abdullah. "You forget that the wells at Okba are choked. We shall camp at El Zarb." "El Zarb," exclaimed Ali. "We should camp there to-morrow."
But will they throw him to us? Will so honourable a brute as the King's dog be thrown to us? ZARB When he is dead his honours are taken away. Even the King when he is dead is given to the worms. Then why should not his dog be thrown to us? KING ARGIMENES We are not worms! ZARB You do not understand, Argimenes. The worms are little and free, while we are big and enslaved.
KING ARGIMENES Have you any god? ZARB We may not have a god because he might make us brave and we might kill our guards. He might make a miracle and give us swords. KING ARGIMENES Ah, you have no hope then. ZARB I have a little hope. Hush, and I will tell you a secret The King's great dog is ill and like to die. They will throw him to us. We shall have beautiful bones then. KING ARGIMENES Ah!
They came and seized me at once and bound my arms. The great dog wanted me to speak to him again, but I was hurried away. KING ARGIMENES You should have made obeisance. ZARB The great dog seemed so friendly that I forgot he was the King's great dog. KING ARGIMENES But tell me more. Was he hurt, or is it a sickness? ZARB They say that it is a sickness. KING ARGIMENES Ah.
But he would have freed himself if he could have bribed the guard. SLAVES He is going to the King. He is going to the King. ZARB He is going to the King. KING ARGIMENES Going to prophesy good things to the King. It is easy to prophesy good things to a king, and be rewarded when the good things come. What else should come to a king? A prophet! a prophet!
The guards will be afraid when they see him look so angry and see his terrible sword. It was a huge sword, and he looked very angry. He will bring us the swords of the slave-guard. We must prostrate ourselves before him and kiss his feet or he will be angry with us too. OLD SLAVE Will Argimenes give me a sword? ZARB He will have swords for six of us if he slays the slave-guard.
KING ARGIMENES If I had a sword would they follow me? A beautiful huge sword of bronze. ZARB I wish I could think of things like that. It is because you were once a king that you can think of a sword of bronze. I tried to hope once that I should some day fight the guards, but I couldn't picture a sword, I couldn't imagine it; I could only picture whips. KING ARGIMENES Dig a little nearer, Zarb.
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