The Armourer's Apprentice — page 29: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

% ” hin ceandecne neat our camp, spying.” __ “Yam no spy,” replied the man,in good x English ; “Tam a fugitive” “OK fu itive, and from whence?” de- : “manded Sir Stephen. “From the great Saladin,” replied the een “Why should I hide my crime, if _ crime it be? I was taken prisoner by an ip English knight. .He was good and kind to - me, and converted me to his religion. I would have stayed with him, but I had a wife, whom 1] loved beyond everything, am and therefore prayed my master to release _ me from captivity. e did so, and [| it returned to my people—returned to find yr ny home desolate, for the all-powerful Sheik Mahomed Abu had seized my _ fortune, and carried off my wife, the & - beautiful Zayda, and placed her in his - harem.” ee - “And what did you do under such bitter vrong ?” demanded Sir Stephen. 5 “ ay appealed to the great Saladin to re- _ dress my wrong and punish the sheik.” ~ “And did he not do so?” demanded our 4 hero. “Be is reported brave and gener- i, pos. “Andsoheis. But I had turned Christ- be ian, and Saladin never forgives that. Iwas ‘G "stripped to the waist and flogged with rods and whips. I was thrown into a filthy i) dungeon. and told that there I should be s ept until every Christian had been driven 0 ut of Palestine, and then I should be handed over to my deadly foe, the Sheik rome’: Abu, as his slave.” oe Tf thy story be true, thou hast, indeed, been most shamefully treated.” _“T pray you believe me, nobie sir. See here, on my arms,” he returned, as he rolled . back his sleeves and showed dreadful scars s Be ‘upon the upper part of his arms—‘“ on my i arms are proofs of how badly I was treated, | “i trots that 1 shall ca with me to my grave. These scars are silent witnesses to ou; to me they cry aloud, ‘ Revenge— a pevenee upon the Sheik Mahomed Abu!’” we ‘How did you escape from the dungeon? th M ethinks that was no easy matter.” i ae “Weeks had passed away. My gaoler, a pe rue] fellow, with skin as black as his heart, used to visit me and jeer at my misery. nee. He would tell me how my Zayda had become 43 queen of my rival’s harem, and declared | one was at her desire I was so cruelly treated. One day, after the wretch had _ left me, I flung myself down on the damp wee edt h. “maddened with grief and despair. _ AS did somy hands struck something. It was au 0! old, rusty dagger. How it came in ‘that lace I know not. To me it seemed sent by heaven, and on its rust-eaten blade, 3 rier: brain, there appeared fiery ts at ers, traced by the finger of Fate, eyotng ont Sa py r —_ . ‘ “5 P P ae 4 ry whe 4 “ - > . - 7 . “mE SARACEN RENE GADE. cS It was, indeed, strange; but stili I believe you,” said Sir Stephen. “Proceed.” “T waited crouched in a corner, the knife grasped in my neryous hand, until I heard my gaoler’s approach. prison and threw me my loathsome food, heaping me with insult and abuse. “YT did not stir—I did not speak. He kicked me—still I remained motionless, until at last the monster, thinking that death had released me from his cruelties, leaned over to examine me. “Tn an instant I had him by the throat, and the next moment he was a corpse at my feet. Quickly I changed clothes with the dead body, and having arranged the folds of my turban so as to conceal my face as much as possible, I stole forth from my dungeon. “The prison was well known to me. [| crept to the room which had belonged to my gaoler, coloured my face to look like his, armed myself with his weapons, and so managed to pass the guard, and fled, deter- _ mined to return to the Christian army, and fight against tbe sons of Islam.” “7 will ask you one ortwo questions, and if you answer them properly will receive you amongst my people,” said Sir Stephen. “JT will answer as best I can,’ replied the man; “but I want not to be of thy eople.” | “What! cried Will; “dare you refuse — the noble knight’s offer ?” “J tell you I have other work todo than merely to fight.- My whole life shall be devoted to ruining Mohamed Abu, and revenging the wrong he has done me. In doing that I shall assist the Christian cause, for the Sheik Mahomed 1s one of the most powerful and deadliest foes to their cause.’ “Tell me how it wasthat you discovered a band of English had arrived here ?” “Last night I was hiding amongst the rocks, and saw the ship on fire. This morn- ing I concealed myself, and saw the wrecks and the combat; and when I saw the others fly I knew that they were traitors, and therefors joined you. Besides, the soldiers of the Sheik Mahomed Abu are not far dis- tant, and I doubt not your foes wiilfall into their hands.” “Tf so he will assuredly kill them, so they will meet their reward.” “T know not that,” replied the man; “if they change their religion he will receive them with open arms., The renegade warriors of the west are always warmly welcomed by our people. If they join the sheik I doubt not that they will guide him down here to seize you.’ “ By my faith! but thatis too likely,” said Sir Stephen. “Sir Bidulph de Boischeneis aman who cares not for ho our or religion. He is a bold, bad man, without heart oF ir EComilehbooks:. co “S He entered the —