a gazed upon it with eyes of delight. His
quick glance, however, soon discovered that one of the emerald feet was
missing.

"It is imperfect," he said. "Where is the missing foot?"

"That I cannot tell you," replied Tarik; "you have the table as it was
brought to me."

Musa, accepting this answer without suspicion, gave orders that the lost
foot should be replaced with one of gold. Then, after thanking the other
leading officers for their zeal and valor, he turned upon Tarik and
accused him in severe tones of disobedience. He ended by depriving him of
his command and putting him under arrest, while he sent the caliph a
report in which Tarik was sharply blamed and the merit of his exploits
made light of. He would have gone farther and put him to death, but this
he dared not do without the caliph's orders.

As it proved, Al-Walid, the Commander of the Faithful, knew something of
the truth. Far distant as Damascus was from Toledo, a report of Tarik's
exploits had reached his august ears, and Musa received orders to replace
him in his command, since it would not do "to render useless one of the
best swords of Islam." Musa dared not disobey; and thus, for the time
being, Tarik triumphed.

And now, for the end of the trouble between Musa and Tarik, we must go
forward in time. They were left in Spain until they had completed the
conquest of that kingdom, then both were ordered to appear before the
caliph's judgment seat. This they did in different methods. Tarik, who had
no thirst for spoil, made haste, with empty hands, to Damascus, where,
though he had no rich presents for the commander of the faithful, he
delighted him with the story of his brilliant deeds. Musa came more slowly
and with more ostentation. Leaving his sons in command in Spain and
Africa, he journeyed slowly to Syria, with all the display of a triumphal
march. With him were one hundred of his principal officers, as many sons
of the highest Berber chiefs, and the kings of the Balearic Islands in all
their barbaric state. In his train rode four hundred captive nobles, each
wearing a crown and girdle of gold, and thirty thousand captives of lower
rank. At intervals in the train were camels and wagons, richly laden with
gold, jewels, and other spoils. He brought to the East the novelties of
the West, hawks, mules, and Barbary horses, and the curious fruits of
Africa and Spain, "treasures," we are told, "the like of which no hearer
ever heard of before, and n