Alfonzo passed in with Ali-ben-Sarac,
the friendly lieutenant who rode in the
rear of the troop; and close behind him
galloped Athir; after these came the Catalan
merchant, and the two Hadjii, and
one or two others. The gates were then
closed by a loud command from the captain
of the guard, and Alfonzo found himself
within the city of his foes, without
hope of escape, save by his address,
courage, and the excellency of his disguise.

`Which way do you ride?' asked Aliben-Sarac,
as they rode swiftly up the
main street which led from the gate to
the great square of the Mosque of Omar.

`I shall go to some caravansera,' answered
Alfonzo. `I thank thee for thy
courtesy to me, a stranger.'

`No Moor who wears the green turban
is a stranger to a true follower of the
Prophet, brother. Besides, did I not see
by thy air and bearing that thou wert of
good birth and rank. If thou wilt ride
to the Caliph's palace I will insure thee a
good reception from Abdelasis, if thou
wilt take service with him. Under what
Emir hast thou served as captain?'

`Under none of late;—as I said, I am
now a private citizen. I must, therefore,
beg leave to decline your kind invitation.
I will now bid thee good night, and pray
that to-morrow El Zegris may fall into
thy hands. Athir, dismount and give the
soldier by thee the horse he has given
thee to ride so long.'

Athir obeyed, throwing the rein to the
Moor and taking Alfonzo's horse by the
bit; for he had reined up, seeing that
they had come to a cross street, down
which he thought it best to turn to get rid
of going to the palace with the kindly-disposed
Ali Sarac.

`Then if thou goest no farther, Allah
take thee in his keeping, noble brother!'
answered Ali Sarac, bowing with courtesy,
and laying his hand upon his heart.

The next moment he was dashing after
his troop at full speed, followed by
his two attendants, one of whom led the
horse which had so well accommodated
Athir.

Alfonzo turned aside from the street
of the gate into another narrower and
obscure, bordered by low stone houses
with here and there an arch over-topped
by a palm, leading into the court-yard of
some secluded mansion. There were
but few persons in the streets, and these
standing about the door-ways. Now and
then two or three of the Moorish soldiers
were met lounging along, but they paid
no heed to the rider and his slave. The
twilight was already deepening into night,
and Alfonzo saw that it would be necessary
for him to find the house of Senor
Velez to whom the hermit had recommended
him.

`Dost thou know this street we are in,
Athir?' he asked of the young Moor who
walked at his horse's head.

`It is the street El Tarif, my lord! It
leads in the direction of the old palace of
Algezir!'

`I would seek the street which leads
past the Mosque of Omar, the fourth
door therefrom.'

`We shall have then to leave this one
and go to the left, my lord, and take
three turnings to bring us to the Mosque,
unless we turn back and approach it by
the street of the gate.'

`No, we will go this way, if it be the
safest.'

`There is less danger of meeting a
guard here. If you cross the great
square you will be challenged, now that
it is dark.'

`Then let us go on and at good speed,
Athir! I leave my guidance to thee,
for I am not familiar with the city.'

`I know it well, my lord. I lived here
in service with Algezir many months ere
I slew the Eunuch and fled to the

[figure description] Page 051.[end figure description]

mountains. Dost thou see this high wall
which we are passing on our left, with
the trees over-topping it and loading the
air with the perfume of their flowers?'

`I see it, and the top of a noble edifice
within the garden.'

`This palace was the favorite residence
of the Caliph Musa, whose assassination
brought all the evils upon Cordova that
have since befallen it. It is still a fair
palace.'

`And what lofty tower is this on the
corner beyond, rising side by side with
that lofty palm, which seems to wish to
rival its height?'

`That is called the Vizier's tower.
From it the conqueror Taric received
his conquest and hung the severed banner
of the prophet. It is now used as a
prison, my lord. Thou, seest that a
guard is pacing to and fro before it now.
Let us pass rapidly by!'

`Not so, Athir. It were safer to be
unconcerned,' answered Alfonzo.

As he rode past the Moorish sentinel
gazed at them fixedly, but remained

[figure description] Page 052.[end figure description]

silent and let them move on without hinderance.
They now came to the corner or
another street, broader and handsomer,
with stately edifices on either side and
shaded with rows of lime trees. Minarets
pierced the sky above their heads,
and a vast dome lifted its huge bulk like
a mountain into the air.

`That is the Mosque of Omar,' said
Athir. `We will go down this narrow
street and come to it on the west side; by
this means we shall avoid the public
square in front of it, where, from the
sounds of trumpets and martial music
which we hear, we shall be likely to fall
in with the body guard of the Caliph.
Safe as your disguise is, my lord, you
cannot be too cautious.'

`I will be as careful, my brave and
faithful friend, as thou couldst wish to
have me; for more than my own life
and liberty hangs upon my safety. Ha,
here seems to be a broil in the street before
us.'

`I hear the shouts. They are beating
a Christian slave!'

`Yes, I now hear their epithets of
`Christian dog' and `accursed Nazarine.'
And I hear the lashes, too, upon the
poor slaves back!' said Alfonzo, who
could scarcely restrain the impulse to
gallop forward and interpose to save the
victim of oppression whom he heard
pleading piteously in the name of the
Virgin for life! But he felt that he
owed as much to his own self-preservation
as he did to humanity. `My poor
countryman!' he sighed.

`Let us pass another way, my lord,'
said Athir, who found that Alfonzo would
be tempted to expose himself in an effort
to rescue the Christian.

`No. Thou canst trust me, Athir. I
will not interpose. Heaven, in its grace,
soon vouchsafe to me the time when I
may!' he added fervently.

They now came up with the scene of
cruelty and suffering.

`What is this?' asken Athir of a man
who stood by with a trowel in his hand,
and in the garb of a mason.

`It is a Christian slave being bastinadoed,
as thou seest,' answered the Moor,
pointing to a man half naked, kneeling,
with his arms bound around a post, while
the soles of his feet were held up-turned
by a cord fastened to them, and grasped
by two Moslem boys. A man, with the
sleeves of his bernish rolled back to his
shoulder, was armed with a nine-lashed
whip, with which, at intervals of about a
quarter of a minute, he would inflict severe
blows upon the exposed soles. At
every stroke of the cutting thongs the
man would utter a piercing shriek, which
would be mocked by the jeering Infidels
around. The sight made the bosom of
Alfonzo burn.

`What has he done?' demanded Athir
of the man with the trowel.

`He is the slave of the man who is
punishing him—that is enough, Allah be
praised,' answered the man; and he turned
away and imitated with cruel precision
another of the piercing cries which
the sufferer uttered.

`Save me, for Jesu's sake,' cried the
poor man.

`Call on Allah!' shouted the crowd.

`Yes, call on Allah, slave, and say
that God is God, and Mahomet is his
Prophet.'

`Never! Oh, Lord Jesu, save my
soul!' was the firm but agonizing response
of the Christian.

It was with difficulty that Alfonzo
could recollect his own danger and restrain
the impulse to rush forward to savo
him; for he was touched to the heart
with admiration by his noble firmness in
such an hour of suffering.

`Let us pass on, my lord,' said Athir.
`You can do nothing. If you speak in

[figure description] Page 053.[end figure description]

his behalf, you will subject yourself to
suspicion.'

`I will go on, Athir. It would do no
good for me to speak. This is but one
in a thousand cases that occur each day.
To rescue him would be but as a drop
taken from the fountain of our sorrows,'
he said, riding forward, the crowd making
way for him to pass.

`The master has powerover his slave,
and can do what he will, my lord. The
Caliph could not forbid the punishment
we have now witnessed. Here we are,
my lord, in the street which passes to the
morgue. We are at the lower end and
will have to pass up towards the morgue.
Thou didst say the fourth gate this side?'

`Yes, such were my directions.'

`Who is it thou wouldst see?'

`It is a man who, though a Christian,
still lives in Cordova free, though he had
to pay large sums for the privilege until
he became a Moslem.'

`A Moslem?'

`Thou shalt see him for thyself, Athir,'
answered Alfonzo, who felt that he ought
not to betray, even to Athir, that Senor
Velez was only outwardly a Mussulman,
being at heart a true Christian Spaniard.