ed at his despair. At a threat to put him in prison, he flung
them all the money he possessed, then cast himself upon the ground with
face buried in his arms. Seeing he was finished, his tormentors left
him thus; and the crowd, when they were gone, advised him friendly,
bidding him look to Allah for redress.

Scared in his very soul, Elias rose at last and crept back to the house
of his co-religionist. There he sat and moaned through all that day,
refusing food and every other comfort. Disarmed and penniless, he
could proceed no further in that lawless region. It was all Iskender's
fault--the cunning devil! The valley of the gold seemed now his legal
birthright, of which he had been defrauded by a wicked malefactor, who,
not content with that, was leading out the good Emir to kill him in the
desert. Iskender had bribed Aflatun and Faris; Iskender had lamed his
horse; Iskender had set on the soldiers to despoil him. By the time he
started on his homeward way, the world was poisoned by Iskender's
wickedness; he could not look at rock, or myrtle-bush, or wayside
flower without groans and gnashing of teeth; and wherever he reposed at
noon, or spent the night, he told his wrongs. The story ran before him
through the countryside. When he came at last to his own door, it was
to find a crowd awaiting him, anxious to know the truth of strange
reports. Several of the dragomans were there, including Abdullah,
uncle of Iskender, who questioned Elias in no peaceful tone.

Awed by the sternness of so respectable a man, Elias dissembled his
rage, and spoke in sorrow:

"Alas! it is too true. Allah knows, it grieves my soul to relate it.
Iskender, whom I loved as my own eyes, has led the good Emir into the
wilderness, meaning to rob him there and take his life."

"It is a lie!" cried Abdullah furiously. "Take back those words this
instant, or thy blood shall pay for it. Allah knows thou wast ever the
chief of liars."

"That is true," agreed the bystanders.

"That is true, perhaps," Elias owned; "yet in this case I speak the
truth. Those two had learnt the hiding-place of a great treasure, and
Iskender means to have the whole of it. I had secret warning of his
wicked purpose, and went to bring good honest men to defeat it. But
he, suspecting what I was about, persuaded the Emir to start without
me. Moreover, he dismissed the muleteer whom I had chosen, engaging in
his stead a murderous ruffian. My soul died withi