At Aboukir and Acre | Page 6

that he
was not one of the dwellers in the city, but an Arab of the desert. His
horse stood near, and he had apparently been dragged from it.
"What is the matter? what are you beating him for?" he asked in Italian.
"This Arab dog pushed against us with his horse, and when we cursed
him, struck at us."
"Well, if he did, you have punished him enough; but perhaps his story
is a different one."
"Go your way, boy," one exclaimed with a Greek oath, "or we will
throw you into that fountain, as we are going to do him."
"You will, eh? Unloose that lad at once or it will be worse for you."
The man uttered a shout of rage. "Hold this young Arab wolf's other
hand, Giaccamo, so that he cannot use his knife. I will settle this boy;"
and his companion seized the lad's other wrist.
He rushed at Edgar, waving his arms in windmill fashion, thinking to

strike him down without the least difficulty, but he was astounded at
being met with a terrific blow on the nose, which nigh threw him off
his balance, and this was followed an instant later by another on the
point of his chin, which hurled him back, half-stunned, to the ground,
with a vague impression in his mind that his head was broken into
fragments. Before he even thought of rising, Edgar sprang at his
companion, who, releasing the Arab boy's hands, grasped his knife, but
before he could draw it, a blow, given with all Edgar's strength and the
impetus of his bound forward, stretched him also on the ground, his
knife flying from his hand.
The Arab boy had drawn his knife also, but Edgar exclaimed to him in
his own language, "No, no, pick up the other knife, and then stand over
him, but don't stab him." Then he turned to his first assailant, who was
rising to his feet, still confused and bewildered. He had instinctively
drawn his knife.
"Drop your knife, drop it!" Edgar cried. But with an oath the man
sprang at him. His eyes, however, were full of tears, his ears sung, and
his head buzzed, partly from the blow on the jaw, partly from the force
with which he had come in contact with the ground. Edward lightly
sprung aside and avoided the cut aimed at him, and then delivered a
blow with all his force just in front of the ear, and the man dropped
again as if shot. In a moment Edgar had wrenched the knife from his
hand, then he turned to the young Arab.
"That is enough," he said; "they have both got more than they wanted;
they are harmless now, we have their two knives."
The Arab, who was panting from his exertions, and who had evidently
restrained himself with difficulty from plunging his knife into his fallen
assailant, turned round towards him.
"Who are you, brother, whose blows fell men like strokes of
lightning?"
"My name is Edgar Blagrove. I am the son of a merchant, whose place
of business is in the great square. Who are you, and how did this

business begin?"
"My name is Sidi Ben Ouafy. I am the son of a chief. My father's tribe
live in the oasis ten miles east of the old lake. I was riding from the
town when these two men, for whom there was, as you see, plenty of
room in the road, staggered suddenly against me, whether with evil
intent or merely to enjoy the pleasure of seeing me rolling in the dust, I
know not. They nearly unseated me from the suddenness of the attack,
and as I recovered I certainly struck at them with my whip. One seized
me by the foot and threw me off my horse, and then, as you saw, they
fell upon me, beat me, and were dragging me to the fountain to throw
me in when you came up. Had they not heard your horse coming along
they would, I believe, have killed me. Henceforth you are my brother;
my horses and all that I have are yours, and every sword of our tribe
would leap from its scabbard in your defence were it needed.
To-morrow I will ride in again, and my father himself will assuredly
come with me. I cannot speak of my gratitude now, my head is still
dizzy with the blows they gave me; even yet I cannot understand how it
was that these two men have thus fallen before you, and you with no
weapon in your hands. Are they dead?"
"Not they," Edgar said scornfully; "they are wondering what has
happened to them, and fear to move, not knowing that their own knives
might not be driven into their