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"If thou contentedly let the years slip by and make no effort to repay, then thou hast but the contemptible soul of a slave. No man is otherwise who cannot respect himself and no man can respect himself who does not repay honest debts.'

"But what can I do who am a slave in Syria?'

"Stay a slave in Syria, thou weakling.'

"I am not a weakling,' I denied hotly.

"Then prove it.'

"How?'

"Does not thy great king fight his enemies in every way he can and with every force he has?

Thy debts are thy enemies. They ran thee out of Babylon. You left them alone and they grew too strong for thee. Hadst fought them as a man, thou couldst have conquered them and been one honored among the townspeople. But thou had not the soul to fight them and behold thy pride hast gone down until thou art a slave in Syria.'

"Much I thought over her unkind accusations and many defensive phrases I worded to prove myself not a slave at heart, but I was not to have the chance to use them. Three days later the maid of Sira took me to her mistress. "My mother is again very sick,' she said. 'Saddle the two best camels in my husband's herd. Tie on water skins and saddle bags for a long journey. The maid will give thee food at the kitchen tent.' I packed the camels wondering much at the quantity of provisions the maid provided, for the mother dwelt less than a day's journey away. The maid rode the rear camel which followed and I led the camel of my mistress. When we reached her mother's house it was just dark. Sira dismissed the maid and said to me:

"Dabasir, hast thou the soul of a free man or the soul of a slave?'

"The soul of a free man,' I insisted.

"Now is thy chance to prove it. Thy master hath imbibed deeply and his chiefs are in a stupor.

Take then these camels and make thy escape. Here in this bag is raiment of