“And no other?”
“Also Sheikh Soliman, Mohammed Cheir Allah, Ibn Sidi Aulad Aali, has granted us protection and peace.”
“Then are ye welcome and blessed.”
“The Giver of all blessings bless thee and thy father, O chief!”
“Have ye need of ought? My men will supply it. In Wadi Ghitere are our tents, and ye are welcome there if ye seek rest. If not, may Allah grant a prosperous journey!”
“He will be with us, for He is merciful.”
“And the Guide on all good ways.”
“Amen, O chief!”
And the troop wheels off; rider and steed become one; the light hoofs seem scarce to touch the sand, the white burnooses flutter in the wind, and the poet’s words rise into memory—
“Bedouin, on thy steed, thou art a poem in thyself!”