"I only did that officially. Send my Turk hither."
As he went out the priest murmured to himself—
"Birds of a feather! A nice pair of heretics!"
"Comrade Zülfikar," cried Clement to the Turk, as he tied on his sandals, "you can find the rest of your way by yourself, for I must take a side spring into the mountains."
"If you spring, I will spring too," replied the distrustful renegade. "Whithersoever you go, thither will I go also."
"My dear fellow, there is nothing to be pocketed on the road that I am about to take, except perhaps the devil, for man has never set his foot there."
"What do I care! My orders are to go along with you till I return to the point from whence I started."
"So much the better, then; I shall have the pleasure of your company. But pray help me to draw my sword, so that I may be able to defend myself in case of need."
"So you carry a sword which requires two men to draw it! Well, let's look at it," and with that the two men planted their legs one against the other, grasped the sword with both hands, and tugged away at it for a long time, till at last it flew out of its sheath so suddenly that Clement the Clerk nearly fell sprawling.
Clement then called for a jar of honey, rubbed the rusty blade all over with the viscid stuff, and stuck it back into its sheath.