CHAPTER II
The man as now revealed was of admirable proportions, not so tallas powerful. Loosening the silken rope which held the kufiyeh on hishead, he brushed the fringed folds back until his face was bare--astrong face, almost negro in color; yet the low, broad forehead,aquiline nose, the outer corners of the eyes turned slightly upward,the hair profuse, straight, harsh, of metallic lustre, and fallingto the shoulder in many plaits, were signs of origin impossibleto disguise. So looked the Pharaohs and the later Ptolemies; solooked Mizraim, father of the Egyptian race. He wore the kamis,a white cotton shirt tight-sleeved, open in front, extending tothe ankles and embroidered down the collar and breast, over whichwas thrown a brown woollen cloak, now, as in all probabilityit was then, called the aba, an outer garment with long skirtand short sleeves, lined inside with stuff of mixed cotton andsilk, edged all round with a margin of clouded yellow. His feetwere protected by sandals, attached by thongs of soft leather.A sash held the kamis to his waist. What was very noticeable,considering he was alone, and that the desert was the haunt ofleopards and lions, and men quite as wild, he carried no arms,not even the crooked stick used for guiding camels; wherefore wemay at least infer his errand peaceful, and that he was eitheruncommonly bold or under extraordinary protection.
The traveller's limbs were numb, for the ride had been long andwearisome; so he rubbed his hands and stamped his feet, and walkedround the faithful servant, whose lustrous eyes were closing in calmcontent with the cud he had already found. Often, while making thecircuit, he paused, and, shading his eyes with his hands, examined thedesert to the extremest verge of vision; and always, when the surveywas ended, his face clouded with disappointment, slight, but enoughto advise a shrewd spectator that he was there expecting company,if not by appointment; at the same time, the spectator would havebeen conscious of a sharpening of the curiosity to learn what thebusiness could be that required transaction in a place so far fromcivilized abode.
However disappointed, there could be little doubt of the stranger'sconfidence in the coming of the expected company. In token thereof,he went first to the litter, and, from the cot or box oppositethe one he had occupied in coming, produced a sponge and asmall gurglet of water, with which he washed the eyes, face,and nostrils of the camel; that done, from the same depository hedrew a circular cloth, red-and white-striped, a bundle of rods,and a stout cane. The latter, after some manipulation, proved tobe a cunning device of lesser joints, one within another, which,when united together, formed a centre pole higher than his head.When the pole was planted, and the rods set around it, he spreadthe cloth over them, and was literally at home--a home much smallerthan the habitations of emir and sheik, yet their counterpart inall other respects. From the litter again he brought a carpet orsquare rug, and covered the floor of the tent on the side fromthe sun. That done, he went out, and once more, and with greatercare and more eager eyes, swept the encircling country. Except adistant jackal, galloping across the plain, and an eagle flyingtowards the Gulf of Akaba, the waste below, like the blue aboveit, was lifeless.
He turned to the camel, saying low, and in a tongue strange to thedesert, "We are far from home, O racer with the swiftest winds--we arefar from home, but God is with us. Let us be patient."
Then he took some beans from a pocket in the saddle, and put themin a bag made to hang below the animal's nose; and when he saw therelish with which the good servant took to the food, he turned andagain scanned the world of sand, dim with the glow of the verticalsun.
"They will come," he said, calmly. "He that led me is leading them.I will make ready."
From the pouches which lined the interior of the cot, and from awillow basket which was part of its furniture, he brought forthmaterials for a meal: platters close-woven of the fibres ofpalms; wine in small gurglets of skin; mutton dried and smoked;stoneless shami, or Syrian pomegranates; dates of El Shelebi,wondrous rich and grown in the nakhil, or palm orchards, of CentralArabia; cheese, like David's "slices of milk;" and leavened breadfrom the city bakery--all which he carried and set upon the carpetunder the tent. As the final preparation, about the provisions helaid three pieces of silk cloth, used among refined people of theEast to cover the knees of guests while at table--a circumstancesignificant of the number of persons who were to partake of hisentertainment--the number he was awaiting.
All was now ready. He stepped out: lo! in the east a dark speckon the face of the desert. He stood as if rooted to the ground;his eyes dilated; his flesh crept chilly, as if touched bysomething supernatural. The speck grew; became large as a hand;at length assumed defined proportions. A little later, full intoview swung a duplication of his own dromedary, tall and white,and bearing a houdah, the travelling litter of Hindostan. Then theEgyptian crossed his hands upon his breast, and looked to heaven.
"God only is great!" he exclaimed, his eyes full of tears, his soulin awe.
The stranger drew nigh--at last stopped. Then he, too, seemed justwaking. He beheld the kneeling camel, the tent, and the man standingprayerfully at the door. He crossed his hands, bent his head, andprayed silently; after which, in a little while, he stepped fromhis camel's neck to the sand, and advanced towards the Egyptian,as did the Egyptian towards him. A moment they looked at each other;then they embraced--that is, each threw his right arm over theother's shoulder, and the left round the side, placing his chinfirst upon the left, then upon the right breast.
"Peace be with thee, O servant of the true God!" the stranger said.
"And to thee, O brother of the true faith!--to thee peace andwelcome," the Egyptian replied, with fervor.
The new-comer was tall and gaunt, with lean face, sunken eyes,white hair and beard, and a complexion between the hue of cinnamonand bronze. He, too, was unarmed. His costume was Hindostani;over the skull-cap a shawl was wound in great folds, forming aturban; his body garments were in the style of the Egyptian's,except that the aba was shorter, exposing wide flowing breechesgathered at the ankles. In place of sandals, his feet were cladin half-slippers of red leather, pointed at the toes. Save theslippers, the costume from head to foot was of white linen. The airof the man was high, stately, severe. Visvamitra, the greatest ofthe ascetic heroes of the Iliad of the East, had in him a perfectrepresentative. He might have been called a Life drenched with thewisdom of Brahma--Devotion Incarnate. Only in his eyes was thereproof of humanity; when he lifted his face from the Egyptian'sbreast, they were glistening with tears.
"God only is great!" he exclaimed, when the embrace was finished.
"And blessed are they that serve him!" the Egyptian answered,wondering at the paraphrase of his own exclamation. "But let uswait," he added, "let us wait; for see, the other comes yonder!"
They looked to the north, where, already plain to view, a thirdcamel, of the whiteness of the others, came careening like a ship.They waited, standing together--waited until the new-comer arrived,dismounted, and advanced towards them.
"Peace to you, O my brother!" he said, while embracing the Hindoo.
And the Hindoo answered, "God's will be done!"
The last comer was all unlike his friends: his frame was slighter;his complexion white; a mass of waving light hair was a perfectcrown for his small but beautiful head; the warmth of his dark-blueeyes certified a delicate mind, and a cordial, brave nature. He wasbareheaded and unarmed. Under the folds of the Tyrian blanket whichhe wore with unconscious grace appeared a tunic, short-sleeved andlow-necked, gathered to the waist by a band, and reaching nearly tothe knee; leaving the neck, arms, and legs bare. Sandals guardedhis feet. Fifty years, probably more, had spent themselves uponhim, with no other effect, apparently, than to tinge his demeanorwith gravity and temper his words with forethought. The physicalorganization and the brightness of soul were untouched. No need totell the student from what kindred he was sprung; if he came nothimself from the groves of Athene', his ancestry did.
When his arms fell from the Egyptian, the latter said, with atremulous voice, "The Spirit brought me first; wherefore
I knowmyself chosen to be the servant of my brethren. The tent is set,and the bread is ready for the breaking. Let me perform my office."
Taking each by the hand, he led them within, and removed theirsandals and washed their feet, and he poured water upon theirhands, and dried them with napkins.
Then, when he had laved his own hands, he said, "Let us take careof ourselves, brethren, as our service requires, and eat, that wemay be strong for what remains of the day's duty. While we eat,we will each learn who the others are, and whence they come,and how they are called."
He took them to the repast, and seated them so that they facedeach other. Simultaneously their heads bent forward, their handscrossed upon their breasts, and, speaking together, they saidaloud this simple grace:
"Father of all--God!--what we have here is of thee; take our thanksand bless us, that we may continue to do thy will."
With the last word they raised their eyes, and looked at each otherin wonder. Each had spoken in a language never before heard by theothers; yet each understood perfectly what was said. Their soulsthrilled with divine emotion; for by the miracle they recognizedthe Divine Presence.