children crying out. Whereupon he questioned one of the
shepherds, saying, "What be all this?"; and they replied, "This
is the Harim of Mardas, Chief of the Banu Kahtan, and his good
and that of his clan; for yesterday Jamrkan slew Mardas and made
prize of his women and children and household stuff and all the
belonging of his tribe. It is his wont to go a raiding and to cut
off highways and waylay wayfarers and he is a furious tyrant;
neither Arabs nor Kings can prevail against him and he is the
scourge and curse of the country." Now when Sahim heard these
news of his sire's slaughter and the looting of his Harim and
property, he returned to Gharib and told him the case, wherefore
fire was added to his fire and his spirit chafed to wipe out his
shame and his blood wit to claim: so he rode with his men after
the robbers till he overtook them and fell upon them, crying out
and saying, "Almighty Allah upon the rebel, the traitor, the
infidel!" and he slew in a single charge one-and-twenty fighting-
men. Then he halted in mid-field, with no coward's heart, and
cried out, "Where is Jamrkan? Let him come out to me, that I may
make him quaff the cup of disgrace and rid of him earth's face!"
Hardly had he made an end of speaking, when forth rushed Jamrkan,
as he were a calamity of calamities or a piece of a mountain,
cased in steel. He was a mighty huge[FN#10] Amalekite; and he
crave at Gharib without speech or salute, like the fierce tyrant
he was. And he was armed with a mace of China steel, so heavy, so
potent, that had he smitten a hill he had smashed it. Now when he
charged, Gharib met him like a hungry lion, and the brigand aimed
a blow at his head with his mace; but he evaded it and it smote
the earth and sank therein half a cubit deep. Then Gharib took
his battle flail and smiting Jamrkan on the wrist, crushed his
fingers and the mace dropped from his grasp; whereupon Gharib