, it seemed likely that they would be prevented
from stirring in this dangerous search for a woman who was the
niece of Saladin, and for aught they knew thrown into prison, or
shipped back to Europe. True, they might try to find their way to
Damascus alone, but if the Sultan was warned of their coming,
would he not cause them to be killed upon the road, or cast into
some dungeon where they would languish out their lives? The more
they spoke of these matters the more they were perplexed, till at
length Godwin said:

"Brother, our uncle bade us earnestly to seek out this
Al-je-bal, and though it seems that to do so is very dangerous, I
think that we had best obey him who may have been given foresight
at the last. When all paths are full of thorns what matter which
you tread?"

"A good saying," answered Wulf. "I am weary of doubts and
troublings. Let us follow our uncle's will, and visit this Old
Man of the Mountains, to do which I think the widow Masouda is
the woman to help us. If we die on that journey, well, at least
we shall have done our best."

Chapter Nine: The Horses Flame and Smoke

On the following morning, when they came into the eating-room of
the inn, Godwin and Wulf found they were no longer alone in the
house, for sundry other guests sat there partaking of their
morning meal. Among them were a grave merchant of Damascus,
another from Alexandria in Egypt, a man who seemed to be an Arab
chief, a Jew of Jerusalem, and none other than the English trader
Thomas of Ipswich, their fellow-passenger, who greeted them
warmly.

Truly they seemed a strange and motley set of men. Considering
them as the young and stately widow Masouda moved from one to the
other, talking to each in turn while she attended to their wants,
it came into Godwin's mind that they might be spies meeting there
to gain or exchange information, or even to make report to their
hostess, in whose pay perhaps they were. Still if so, of this
they showed no sign. Indeed, for the most part they spoke in
French, which all of them understood, on general matters, such as
the heat of the weather, the price of transport animals or
merchandise, and the cities whither they purposed to travel.

The trader Thomas, it appeared, had intended to start for
Jerusalem that morning with his goods. But the riding mule he had
bought proved to be lame from a prick in the hoof, nor were all
his hired camels come down from the mountains, so that he must
wait