Insolently2 indifferent Zarah stood, some hours later, in the Hall of Judgment4 waiting for the verdict to be passed.
In outraging5 her father’s hospitality by killing6 the dog accepted as a gift by the guest beneath his roof, she had committed the one sin unforgivable to the Arab.
The hospitality of the Arab to-day is as great and as genuine as in the days of Ishmael and Joktan—of either the one or the other he is supposed to be the direct descendant.
Three days is the prescribed limit to the Arab’s bounteousness7 on behalf of the stranger within the gates, though, if the guest’s company prove agreeable it will doubtlessly be offered for a period extending over weeks, or months, or even years. In any case, however, the three days’ limit is never strictly8 adhered to, even if there be but little sympathy between host and guest, and once the latter has eaten an Arab’s salt he can count himself as absolutely safe for roof and sustenance9, until courtesy or necessity bids him to move on. The Arab may hate the very sight of his guest and loathe10 his habits and disagree entirely11 with his views on life, but, whilst aching to see his back, will patiently bear with him and offer him of his best; he may be longing12 to know whence his guest came and whither he goes, but not a question will he ask if the stranger should not see fit to enlighten him as to his movements; and a traveller can most assuredly feel at ease about his precious life and belongings13 as long as he is under an Arab’s roof—as guest.
[35]
An Arab will give his life for you if you have broken bread with him, and under the same conditions he will not touch a button or a biscuit belonging to you, even though he may be wellnigh starving and dressed in rags himself.
The Emeer, or ruler, of one of the Wahhabee provinces had come in person, though secretly, to ask for the hand of the girl, the fame of whose beauty had been spread throughout the Peninsula by prisoners who had worked or paid their way back to freedom. He had not come straightforwardly14, because, even in Arabia, the powers that be, however insignificant15, do not openly deal with outlaws16. His offer to include Zarah amongst his wives and to give her all that she might wish for—within reason—had been refused, not because he already had three wives and various lesser17 lights of the harem, who were known to fight between themselves like cats, or because he was of middle age and inclined to rotundity, but just because Zarah already had everything she could wish for, within reason and without, and had no intention of marrying without love.
He had proffered18 his gifts and had accepted his host’s in return, and his eyes had glistened19 at the sight of the slender beauty of the greyhound which, within an hour of his departure, had been killed by his host’s daughter.
The Sheikh had many greyhounds; in fact, a pair had been substituted for the one killed, but that was not the point; the dead dog having been accepted had become the guest’s property, therefore it had also become sacred in the eyes of the host and the host’s family and servants.
The severest sentence, ofttimes that of death, is passed upon those who break the Arab’s law of hospitality, so that Zarah stood, beautiful, insolent3, alone, in the Hall of Judgment waiting to hear what punishment the two, so deeply wounded in their pride, would mete20 out to her.
[36]
And as she stood, knowing the power of her beauty, therefore fearing naught21, she looked indolently round the room, once a monk’s refectory, and thought in her greedy heart of how it would be decorated to enhance her power when once she reigned22 supreme23.
The Sheikh’s taste was rather primitive24 and inclined more to the useful than to the ornamental25. Prisoners had worked upon the rock floor until the surface had been made smooth, and upon it had been thrown skins of the small, ferocious26 tiger, the panther, the Nejd wolf, and other wild beasts of the Peninsula, with rugs woven from camel’s hair, patterned in different colours.
Great brass27 bowls, full of water, stood upon the thirty stools of stone, once used by the holy men as seats, now ranged against the walls upon which hung weapons of every sort, calibre and age, either honestly bought in towns or lifted in a raid. Lances or throwing spears, heavy and light, swords, knives, daggers28 ornamented29 with every conceivable device, and firearms of most genuine antiquity30, even match-lock or flint-guns, which, however, should not be treated with contempt when in the hands of the Bedouin. He is a splendid marksman, no matter what the age of the weapon he may handle.
The Sheikh and his men were magnificently armed, wealth and craft having procured31 them their hearts’ delight in the shape of the most up-to-date rifles and revolvers, which they loved a good deal more than their wives and almost as much as their sons.
The two men sat on cushions upon a dais at the end of the hall, the guest, in the place of honour upon the Sheikh’s left hand, looking down, perplexed32, uneasy, at the beautiful girl who stood so superbly indifferent just below them.
She had dressed for the occasion.
A Banian or Indian merchant, taken prisoner one time, had introduced and taught the men’s wives and daughters how to manipulate the sari. Zarah had learned from[37] them and had acquired a knack33 of winding34 yards upon yards of stuff about her slender person, as far down as her ankles and back again to her lissom35 waist, where she stuffed the ends in. She had wrapped yards of some glittering, yellow material around her this day, tightly enough to outline her superb figure but not to impede36 her movements as she walked upon her toes and from her hips37 in a manner insolent beyond words. Her beautiful arms and neck were bare, her small feet shod in golden sandals; she wore no jewels and looked young and innocent and altogether harmless until she looked up and sideways into the guest’s eyes.
She sighed a little and clasped her hands just above her heart of flint and looked down again, well content, believing that the love-stricken man would be on her side whatever punishment her outraged38 father should feel inclined to pass upon her in his terrible wrath39.
“My heart is broken, my pride shattered, the law of my fathers’ fathers set at naught by thee, O my daughter!” said the Sheikh quietly, as he sat, torn between a desire to pass the sentence of death upon the offender40 and a longing to spare the daughter he loved so much. “Know’st thou that if my men were to sit in judgment upon thee that they would drive thee out into the desert to die of hunger and thirst for what thou hast done to this my guest?”
Zarah bent41 her head and stood with hands clasped upon her breast, a figure of contrition42; and it was as well the deluded43 men were unable to see the look in her eyes or the twitching44 of the fingers which were aching to steal to a very small but very workmanlike automatic she invariably carried in her girdle.
“I am at a loss, my daughter. I would not humiliate45 thee before my men, who will one day serve under thy ruling because, as the proverb says, ‘Him who makes chaff46 of himself the cows will eat.’”
He paused as the guest murmured, “El hamdoo l’illahy,”[38] which is the correct response to the proverb and is translated, “Thanks be to God, that is not my weakness.”
There was not a sound as Zarah stood watching the men, nor movement as the men watched her from under half-closed lids, the guest with thoughts of her beauty, the father with fear as to which way his tiger-daughter would spring.
“Never has a father been so outraged in his honour as I by thee, O Zarah; never has a guest been so outraged as mine in all the history of the race.” The Sheikh plucked at his beard as he spoke47, a sure sign of anger, though his soft voice was not raised one tone by the wrath which surged within him. “I know not how my guest will look upon that which I am about to propose, nay48! nor if I dare to darken the honour of his house by my proposition.”
He looked towards the Emeer, who looked back at him, then sat silent, watching the girl who swayed a little upon her feet like some golden lily in the wind.
“Wilt49 thou O my guest of whom I crave50 pardon for the insult put upon thee by my child,” said the Sheikh at last, “wilt thou take her now, bereft51 of all dignity, as wife, to serve their Excellencies thy wives as handmaiden until the stain upon her honour and my honour be wiped out?”
She sprang straight forward, eyes blazing, face distorted with rage, looking from one man to the other and back as, without waiting to see how the Emeer would take the suggestion, she flung a proverb of protest at him.
“Nay! Nay! Nay!” she screamed. “‘My meat and his meat cannot be cooked in the same pot!’”
“Peace, daughter!” said the Sheikh sharply, “lest I drive thee myself out into the desert to die. All that is mine is my guest’s, my bread, my horses, my wealth and thou, if he will deign53 to look upon thee.”
[39]
He spoke with the Oriental’s habitual54 extravagance of speech, but, under the agony of the blow dealt his pride by his daughter, with the firm intention of giving all he possessed55 to the insulted man if by so doing he could obliterate56 the stain upon his own name. “Wilt have her, with jewels and horses and cattle and slaves, O my guest?”
The Emeer slowly shook his shaven turbaned head.
The offer was tempting57 indeed, but the brief insight into the girl’s character, allied58 to the memory of the warring factions59 already established in his house, had decided60 him.
He was getting on in years, with a liking61 for peace, good food and long hours of sleep; his line was firmly established, his fortune big enough to buy or hire maidens62 for the song or the dance.
Why run the risk, he had argued to himself during the altercation63 between his host and the girl, of keeping a caged tiger which, in all probability, would maul the household if let loose, when tame cats, using their claws only upon each other, could be kept safely at large?
“‘More just than a balance’ art thou, O my brother” he quoted, stroking his beard, “but not for one thousand woebe filled with gold pieces and precious stones would I of her.”
In her fury at the man’s indifference64 and the insult to her beauty, Zarah brought her punishment upon herself.
“Thou wouldst not of me!” she stormed, as she stepped back and threw out her arms. “Of me! Thou, with thy beard thinning upon thy ageing face and thy person rounded as a mosque65 beneath thy belt.” She laughed shrilly66, looking like some trapped, wild beast, with her flashing yellow eyes and perfect teeth. “Look to thy black slaves for thy cooking, to thy withered67 wives for dance and song. I have the blood of the whites in me, I——”
“’Tis a pity,” said the Emeer, making a gesture of resignation before the verbal storm which hurtled about[40] his head. “Yea! ’tis a pity that thou dost not go to thy mother’s people and so rid our race of one who does it no honour!”
“Ah!” softly exclaimed Sheikh Mohammed-Abd, as he let slip the rosary of Mecca between his fingers. “Well said, O my guest! Thou showest the way, thou hold’st a torch to lighten my feet in the darkness; through thy words of wisdom shall peace fall upon my dwelling68 for a space and the whip upon the shoulders of she who has disgraced me.”
The men sat silent, the amber69 mouthpieces of the nagilehs between their lips, whilst Zarah, utterly70 undaunted, filled in the time by smoking innumerable cigarettes with her back turned to the dais, which childish and uncontrolled action caused the Emeer to smile in his thinning beard.
The Arab delights in deliberation and procrastination71, and it is wise to let him talk round and round his subject or, if it please him better, to sit for long moments, even to the length of an hour, communing with his thoughts.
“Yea,” gently said the Sheikh at the end of twenty minutes’ hard thinking, “it is ordained72. Thou, Zarah, O my daughter, shalt go to the big school in Cairo where attend the daughters of the whites who sojourn73 for a while in Egypt, and there shalt thou learn the manners and customs of thy mother’s people.”
If he had proposed strangling the girl on the spot she could not have shown more horror.
“Thou wilt send me to Cairo,” she cried, flinging round, “me, who must one day, even at thy death, rule in thy stead. Nay! Make not the sign against the evil day, for die thou must. Thou art mad, O my father, nearing thy dotage74 or distraught or sick of a fever. What can they do, these white folk, to make me more than I am? Can they enhance my beauty by their ugly raiment? Or teach me anything that I do not know about horses or the dance, or soften75 my voice by teaching[41] me their language, which sounds like the hissing76 of snakes caught in a basket; can they?”
“Nay! they cannot!” indifferently replied the Sheikh, who was as easy to move as a pyramid once his mind was set upon a project. “But they can teach thee to eat even as did thy mother and less like a dog with a bone between its teeth; also can they drive home the duty of a daughter towards her father’s guests. For two years shalt thou sojourn amongst the stranger, then will I marry thee to whomsoever I will, if perchance there be a man who will look with favour upon one who has so dishonoured77 the name of her father.”
The Emeer, who was thoroughly78 enjoying the taming of the beautiful shrew, nodded his head in approval, whereupon the girl’s hand slipped to her girdle. She was mad with rage, ripe for direst mischief79, ready to kill through the workings of her untutored mind, but she reckoned without the Sheikh, who had not ruled a band of outlaws for nothing.
As her hand slipped to her girdle he sprang, and, catching80 her by the wrist, flung her to the floor, wrenching81 the pistol from her fingers, whilst the Emeer sat unmoved, nodding his turbaned head.
She was on her feet in an instant, breathless, undaunted, magnificent in her fury.
“O thou,” she cried, “who thinkest that a woman can be quelled82 by threats. Thou canst not even keep me by thy side. I leave this place for ever to-night, taking with me the men who, in their youth and strength, love me, leaving thee the grey-beards and women and children. O! thou fool, thou fool!”
She turned and ran swiftly across the hall as the Sheikh clapped his hands; she stopped dead as two gigantic Abyssinian slaves suddenly appeared in the doorway83 to inquire their master’s bidding.
[42]
The slaves pressed the pink palms of their dusky hands against their foreheads and turned to go.
“Bring me first my body-women—here—at once!”
The two slaves stood like graven images for an infinitesimal fraction of a second, whilst she looked them full in the eyes, then they bowed to the very ground before her and departed—to do her bidding.
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收听单词发音
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1
trample
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| vt.踩，践踏；无视，伤害，侵犯 | |
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insolently
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| adv.自豪地，自傲地 | |
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insolent
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| adj.傲慢的，无理的 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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outraging
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| 引起…的义愤，激怒( outrage的现在分词 ) | |
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6
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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bounteousness
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8
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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9
sustenance
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| n.食物，粮食；生活资料；生计 | |
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10
loathe
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| v.厌恶，嫌恶 | |
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11
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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12
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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belongings
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| n.私人物品，私人财物 | |
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14
straightforwardly
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| adv.正直地 | |
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15
insignificant
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| adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的 | |
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16
outlaws
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| 歹徒，亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 )； 逃犯 | |
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17
lesser
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| adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地 | |
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18
proffered
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19
glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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20
mete
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| v.分配；给予 | |
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21
naught
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| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
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reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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23
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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24
primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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25
ornamental
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| adj.装饰的；作装饰用的；n.装饰品；观赏植物 | |
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26
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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27
brass
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| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
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28
daggers
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| 匕首，短剑( dagger的名词复数 ) | |
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29
ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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31
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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knack
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| n.诀窍，做事情的灵巧的，便利的方法 | |
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34
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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35
lissom
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| adj.柔软的，轻快而优雅的 | |
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impede
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| v.妨碍，阻碍，阻止 | |
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37
hips
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| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
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38
outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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offender
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| n.冒犯者，违反者，犯罪者 | |
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41
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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42
contrition
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| n.悔罪，痛悔 | |
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43
deluded
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| v.欺骗，哄骗( delude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44
twitching
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| n.颤搐 | |
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45
humiliate
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| v.使羞辱，使丢脸[同]disgrace | |
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46
chaff
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| v.取笑，嘲笑；n.谷壳 | |
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47
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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48
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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49
wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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50
crave
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| vt.渴望得到，迫切需要，恳求，请求 | |
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51
bereft
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| adj.被剥夺的 | |
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52
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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53
deign
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| v. 屈尊, 惠允 ( 做某事) | |
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54
habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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55
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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56
obliterate
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| v.擦去，涂抹，去掉...痕迹，消失，除去 | |
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57
tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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58
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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59
factions
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| 组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 ) | |
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60
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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61
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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62
maidens
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| 处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球 | |
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63
altercation
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| n.争吵，争论 | |
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64
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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65
mosque
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| n.清真寺 | |
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66
shrilly
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| 尖声的； 光亮的，耀眼的 | |
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67
withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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68
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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69
amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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70
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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71
procrastination
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| n.拖延，耽搁 | |
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72
ordained
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| v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定 | |
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73
sojourn
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| v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留 | |
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74
dotage
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| n.年老体衰；年老昏聩 | |
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75
soften
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| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
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76
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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77
dishonoured
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| a.不光彩的，不名誉的 | |
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78
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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79
mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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80
catching
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| adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住 | |
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81
wrenching
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| n.修截苗根，苗木铲根（铲根时苗木不起土或部分起土）v.（猛力地）扭( wrench的现在分词 )；扭伤；使感到痛苦；使悲痛 | |
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82
quelled
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| v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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83
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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84
curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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85
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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