“No!” replied Daireh, startled into answering in the same language; and the moment he did so he could have bitten his tongue out for vexation.
The sheikh took the likeness in his hand; it was unmistakable.
“Here is your portrait, and it was taken in Dublin, for it bears that name upon it. Also you know English,” he said.
“I learned that language at Alexandria,” replied Daireh, more firmly now he had collected his wits; “and I had a brother very like me who went beyond the seas, and may have lived in the place you speak of, for I never heard of him again.”
“You speak the words of Sheytan, the father of lies,” said the sheikh sternly; “where are the stolen documents?”
“I never heard of them, your Justice; and I know not what you mean,” replied Daireh, striving, but with indifferent success, not to tremble.
“Hassan!” called the sheikh, and a tall, stalwart black stepped forward, with a courbash in his hand. “Twenty lashes to refresh his memory.”
“Mercy, great sheikh; oh, favourite of Allah, have mercy, and listen to me!” cried the wretch; but without heeding his cries four men seized him and flung him on the ground face downwards. Two held his legs, one his arms, and a third put a knee on his back between the shoulder-blades to keep him in position. It was all done in a twinkling.
Then Hassan stepped up, courbash in hand, and measured his distance. The courbash is a fearful whip made of hippopotamus’ hide, a stroke from which is felt by a bullock as painfully as a cut from an ordinary whip is by a horse.
It whistled through the air, and came down upon the naked flesh of the victim, who screamed with the pain as if he would break a blood-vessel. The wild men in the hall gathered round, their eyes sparkling and their teeth gleaming with enjoyment and laughter. It was good fun to them to see any one flogged, but a money-lender and extortioner, that the punishment should fall upon such an one, was indeed a treat! And Daireh too was particularly disliked. Then the currish way in which he took his licking added to the sport. The little civilisation they had was very superficial, and did not go nearly deep enough to repress the instinct of cruelty.