Page:The L-poem of the Arabs.djvu/11

 the lightest marching order, unarmed; also, that they would naturally visit the tank, hoth to refresh themselves on their journey, and to ascertain whether the coast were clear of the tribe, ere they ventured further.

On the other hand, the tribe may have been out themselves on a similar marauding expedition, bound to surprise the confederates, if possible. They, too, were unarmed; but they were provided with ropes to bind any prisoners they might chance to take.

The anecdote then proceeds:

"When the three confederates reached the neighbourhood of the tank, Ta'abbat declared to his companions that it was beset by the foe in ambuscade, as he could hear the palpitations of their hearts."

The natural explanation of this passage is, that the confederates were proceeding with due circumspection. Ta'abbata Sharran, either in his turn, or as the most experienced local guide, or as the acknowledged captain of the triumvirate, was leading the van, acting as scout in advance. His acute ear informed him at some distance that the neighbourhood of the tank was not untenanted. He had, in consequence, fallen back on his friends, or had waited for them to join him. Then he communicated his discovery. But, meanwhile, the Bajlla party had also become aware of the approach of the trio, or of some one unknown. The word had been passed round among them, and all was now as still as death.

The anecdote runs on:

"The two friends assured Ta'abbat that (as they could detect no sound) he must have been deceived by the beating of his own heart. He took their hands, placed them on his bosom to convince them how tranquil all was there, and remarked: 'My heart never palpitates audibly from fear.'"

The two friends were satisfied on that score. Still, all was silent. After a while, spent in listening, as woodsmen and Arabs can listen, Shanfarà, perhaps pressed by thirst and urged by chivalrous devotion, determined to run the risk of being seized, but felt persuaded there was no real danger. Most likely there was no other water available within attainable distance. He went, drank, and returned in safety; assuring Ta'abbat that the water was not beset. He had seen and heard nothing. And yet, this was the Shanfarà of the Laraivya poem, who could glide in and out among the watchdogs of his foes, without arousing them. Still, Ta'abbat was sure he had not been mistaken. His answer to his friend was, simply: "It is not you they want."

The other confederate of the three, 'Umar son of Barrāq, now went to the tank, drank his fill, saw and heard nothing, and returned also without molestation.

Ta'abbat was not to be deceived. He knew what he had heard, but he knew also that he must drink or perish. He therefore addressed his companions: "As soon as I stoop down to drink, they will set upon me and seize me. When you witness that, do you, Shanfarà, betake yourself quickly to the foot of yon hillock, and hide yourself there for a short time. You will hear me shout: 'Seize! Seize!' Then do you at once make for me, and release me from bonds."

Shanfarà went off towards the hillock swiftly and stealthily. The foe remained in ignorance of his action.

Ta'abbat then turned to 'Umar, and said: "I shall propose you as my hostage to these men. Go not far away; but suffer them not to touch you."

That, like most or all of similar historical details, the whole of this scene is drawn from the imagination of the narrator, is evident from the childish inconsistency of its elements. "With the darkest of dark nights, always selected for such expeditions, shortly after a new moon, the hidden foe, so securely ensconced away as to be utterly inscrutable to two such men as Shanfarà and 'Umar,—that foe is still able to distinguish unerringly their forms, or the fall of their footsteps, from that of Ta'abbat, their own arch-foe. Ta'abbat can hear their hearts beat; but he can instruct his friends in a suddenly conceived plot, which they carry out forthwith in every detail; and yet those hidden foes gain no inkling of the plan, as we shall presently see.

"Having thus taken his measures, Ta'abbat now advances to the tank, stoops, drinks, and, as he had anticipated, is