down to the plains for a little vengeance, leaving the Arabs for
our wives to guard. They are women of spirit, the Zeitoonli wives!

"Word reached Zeitoon presently that we were being hard pressed on
the plains. It was told to the Zeitoonli wives that they might arrange
to have pursuit called off from us by surrendering those Arab prisoners.
They answered that Zeitoon-fashion. How? I will tell. There is
a bridge of wood, flung over across the mountain torrent, five hundred
feet above the water, spanning from crag to crag. Those Zeitoonli
wives of ours bound the Arab prisoners hand and foot. They brought
them out along the bridge. They threw them over one at a time, each
man looking on until his turn came. That was the answer of the brave
Zeitoonli wives!"

"And you on the plains?"

"Ah! It takes better than Osmanli to conquer the men of Zeitoon!"
he gave the Turks their own names for themselves with the air of
a brave fighting man conceding his opponent points. "We heard what
our wives had done. We were encouraged. We prevailed! We fell
back to-ward our mountain and prevailed! There in Zeitoon we have
weapons--numbers--advantage of position, for no roads come near Zeitoon
that an araba, or a gun, or anything on wheels can use. The only
thing we fear is treachery, leading to surprise in overwhelming force.
And against these I keep watch!"

"Why should you tell us all this?" demanded Will.

"How do you know we are not agents of the Turkish government?"