"On your single undertaking to protect me? Are you king of all
that countryside?"

"If you will come, you shall have an escort, every man of whom
will die before he would let you be killed. And if they, and
you, should all be killed, their sons and grandsons would avenge
you to the third generation of your murderers."

"That's undoubtedly handsome, but--"

"Believe me, effendi," he urged, "many a soul has been consoled
in hell-fire by the knowledge that his adversaries would be cut
off in their prime by friends who are true to their given word."

Meaning to back out politely, I assured him I would think the
offer over.

"Well and good," he answered. "You have my promise. Should you
decide to come, leave word here with the American Colony. They
will get word to me. Then I will send for you, and the escort
shall meet you at the Dead Sea."

I talked it over with two or three members of the Colony, and
they assured me the promise could be depended on. One of
them added:

"Besides, you ought to see El-Kerak. It's an old crusader city,
rather ruined, but more or less the way the crusaders left it.
And that craving of theirs for a school is worth doing something
about, if you ever have an opportunity. They say they have too