"Thou hast a good tongue, but though it speak from
now till the angel Al Sijil roll up all the scrolls of life, it shall
not avail.
"Ask some other thing; and remember, if thou dost try by any magic
to remove even a sand-grain of this gold, the salt will be no longer
between thee and me. This must be added to the two things I have
already told thee of, that would take away the salt!"
Narrowly the Master eyed him, then nodded. Huge though this rebuff
had been, and great as the loss must be, the Master realized the utter
impossibility of coming to any terms with Bara Miyan on a gold basis.
All the fanaticism of these people would resist this, to the death.
Even to insist further might precipitate a massacre. Therefore, like
the philosopher he was, he turned to other possibilities, considering
what was best to be done.
The Olema spoke again, pausing now and then as he puffed reflectively
at his water-pipe. Said he:
"I will tell thee a great secret, O Frank. In this city lie the lost
books of the Arwam (Greek) wise men and poets. When the Alexandrian
library was burned by Amrou, at Omar's order, the four thousand baths
of the city were heated for six months by ancient scrolls.
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