Arab countries -- Fiction; Crusades -- Fiction; Great Britain -- History -- Medieval period, 1066-1485 -- Fiction
That very night Abdullah was seized and put to the question. In his
suffering he confessed that he had been to the tent of the brethren and
received from one of them the jewel which was found upon him, as a
bribe to bring the princess to a certain garden outside the camp. But
he named the wrong garden. Further, when they asked which of the
brethren it was who bribed him, he said he did not know, as their
voices were alike, and their tent was in darkness; moreover, that he
believed there was only one man in it—at least he heard or saw no
other. He added that he was summoned to the tent by an Arab man whom he
had never seen before, but who told him that if he wished for what he
most desired and good fortune, he was to be there at a certain hour
after sunset. Then he fainted, and was put back in prison till the
morning by the command of Saladin.
When the morning came Abdullah was dead, who desired no more torments
with doom at the end of them, having made shift to strangle himself
with his robe. But first he had scrawled upon the wall with a piece of
charcoal:
“May that accursed Star of Hassan which tempted me bring better luck to
others, and may hell receive the soul of Mesrour.”
Thus died Abdullah, as faithful as he could be in such sore straits,
since he had betrayed neither Masouda nor his son, both of whom were in
the plot, and said that only one of the brethren was present in the
tent, whereas he knew well that the two of them were there and which of
these spoke and gave him the jewel.
Very early that morning the brethren, who were lying wakeful, heard
sounds without their tent, and looking out saw that it was surrounded
by Mameluks.
“The plot is discovered,” said Godwin to Wulf quietly, but with despair
in his face. “Now, my brother, admit nothing, even under torture, lest
others perish with us.”
“Shall we fight?” asked Wulf as they threw on their mail.
But Godwin answered:
“Nay, it would serve us nothing to kill a few brave men.”
Then an officer entered the tent, and commanded them to give up their
swords and to follow him to Saladin to answer a charge that had been
laid against them both, nor would he say any more. So they went as
prisoners, and after waiting awhile, were ushered into a large room of
the house where Saladin lodged, which was arranged as a court with a
dais at one end. Before this they were stood, till presently the Sultan
entered through the further door, and with him certain of his emirs and
secretaries. Also Rosamund, who looked very pale, was brought there,
and in attendance on her Masouda, calm-faced as ever.
The brethren bowed to them, but Saladin, whose eyes were full of rage,
took no notice of their salutation. For a moment there was silence,
then Saladin bade a secretary read the charge, which was brief. It was
that they had conspired to steal away the princess of Baalbec.
“Where is the evidence against us?” asked Godwin boldly. “The Sultan is
just, and convicts no man save on testimony.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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