"Thus!" exclaimed he, "thus do I fight with a warrior who fears to fight."
The Prince's patience became exhausted. Hastily recovering his rejected weapon, he leaped forward, like a lion bitten by a jackal, and attacked the Pathan. The latter was ill fitted to bear the force of that tremendous onslaught; and he measured his length on the ground, borne down by the staltwart body of the Prince. The Prince got up upon the breast of his enemy, and wresting his sword from his hand and holding his own over his throat, said,
"How now? Has your craving for fight been satisfied."
"Not while I live," returned Osman.
"Your life I can end this moment," said the Prince.
"Do so;—or else your mortal enemy will live," said Osman.
"Let him," replied the Prince; "the Rajput scorns to fear it. I would have killed you; but you spared my life, and so do I."
He then bound together the hands and feet of Osman, and one by one deprived him of all his weapons.
"Now betake yourself to your home in peace," said he, after releasing him. "Being a Yavan, you durst kick the person of a Rajput Prince, and it is only for this guilt of yours that I have reduced you to this plight; otherwise the Rajputs are never so ungrateful as to lay their hands on the persons of their benefactors."
Without making any reply, Osman mounted his horse, and galloped in the direction of the fortress.
The Prince let down his sheet in a well close by, and washed his body with the water. He then unfastened the reins of his steed and mounted it, when he perceived a letter fastened to the
