Then young Odhainat gave a cry of joy.
"See, Bath Zabbai; they come, they come"! he cried. "It is my
father, Odhainat the esarkos,[1] with all the leaders and all the
bowmen and spearmen of our fahdh armed and in readiness. This day
will we fling off the Roman yoke and become the true and
unconquered lords of Palmyra. And I, too, Must join them," he
added.
[1] The "head man," or chief of the "fahdh," or family.
But the young girl detained him. "Wait, cousin," she said; "watch
and wait. Our fahdh will scarce attempt so brave a deed to-day,
with these new Roman soldiers in our gates. That were scarcely
wise.
But the boy broke out again. "So; they have seen each other," he
said; "both sides are pressing on!"
"True; and they will meet under this very portico," said Bath
Zabbai, and moved both by interest and desire this dark-eyed
Syrian girl, to whom fear was never known, standing by her
cousin's side, looked down upon the tossing sea of spears and
lances and glittering shields and helmets that swayed and surged
in the street below.
"So, Odaenathus!" said Rufinus, the tribune, reining in his horse
and speaking in harsh and commanding tones, "what meaneth this
array of armed followers?"
"Are the movements of Septimus Odaenathus, the head-man, of such
importance to the noble tribune that he must needs question a
free merchant of Palmyra as to the number and manner of his
servants?" asked Odaemathus haughtily.
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