The ulemas bowed their heads and followed him. "Allah be praised,
and may the prophet look down in mercy upon the most insignificant
of his creatures!"
The door of their prison closed behind them; Mohammed took the key
and concealed it about his person. "Now," said he, "pray and
meditate upon your crimes and their punishment. I will myself make
known to the men of Praousta that they may find you here, and all
who wish can come to see you. It rests with you to tell the people
that they must submit to the law, or else bring your heads to the
block. Think well of this, and rest assured the tschorbadji will
confirm what he has declared through me. To-morrow, at the hour of
prayer, must the double tax be paid by the men of Praousta, or your
heads shall be placed on the cliffs where everybody can see them,
and your bodies thrown upon the rock Bucephalus, that the vultures
and ravens may feed upon them."
CHAPTER II
MASA
The sea lay like a sleeping lion reposing after a conflict, and
curled its waves dreamily upon the mountain-rock Bucephalus. The sun
was burning hot, and no breath of air cooled the atmosphere, and not
one cloud or shadow afforded protection from the glowing rays of the
sun, which fell full upon the uncovered space within which the sheik
and the ulemas had been confined since early in the morning. But
they stood firm, and no complaint escaped their lips.
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