‘A Pilgrimage to Nejd, the cradle of the Arab race. A visit to the court of the Arab Emir, and "Our Persian Campaign."' [‎171] (224/334)

CH. VIII.]
Radi's story.
171
was set free and returned to Nejd, and gathering all
his people together there, he led them across the
Neffid by this very way, making the road we had
just seen, to enable them to come in safety. He
then marched on to Tunis, and laid siege to the town.
Abu Zeyd beseiged Tunis for a year but could not
enter, and he never would have taken it, but for Sferi
who was plotting for his success outside. Sferi was
a wise woman. She could read and write, and knew
magic and could interpret prophecies. And there
was a prophecy concerning Znati that he could be
killed by no one in battle but by a certain Dib
ibn Ghanim, a robber in the neighbouring desert.
And Sferi sent word of this to Abu Zeyd, who took
this robber into his service, and on the next occasion
sent him against Znati when he came out to fight.
And the Emir was slain.
Then Abu Zeyd became Emir of Tunis and Merrey
married Sferi.
Such is Radi's stoiy, which it may be hoped is not
exactly true as to Sferi's betrayal of her father. As
to the road legend, it is impossible to say that the
road is there "to witness if he lies." Road or no
road we have been wandering about in zigzags all
day long, sometimes toiling up steep slopes, at others
making a long circuit to avoid a fulj, and sometimes
meandering for no particular reason yet always on a
perfectly untrodden surface of yielding sand. The
ground is more broken than ever, the fuljes bigger
and the travelling harder. But both mares and