Page:Achmed Abdullah--Wings.djvu/209

Rh The holy derwishes of the brotherhood, the beloved ones of Allah, opened the gates and gave him food and shelter. They were old men, with the dignity of white beards, but they loved the youth who had come to them from the West, and they gave to him a little cell which opened towards a garden, rich with fruits and flowers of many colors.

For seven years Khassoum ibn Taib lived with the inspired ones of the Bir Tefguia; there were thousands of volumes in the library of the monastery, and the young Hadji would read and read, and think and think until his knowledge became as vast as time, as deep as the sea and as broad as the river Nile.

But ever and anon the voice of Khizr spoke to him, saying: "Khassoum, a pilgrim thou art and rich in knowledge, but thou hast not yet learned the lesson of true wisdom. Seek on!"

Khassoum listened to the voice of Khizr and he sought; he read and thought and read again, until his was the knowledge of a thousand generations; at his command the spirits of the soldiers, the saints, the scholars and the great men of the past would fly through the window of his little cell and keep him company. They talked to him and taught