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The
Sheik sprinted after Faten, who was now running away.
We heard him shouting, “You stupid woman!
You dishonor my tent!” Faten
was sure to get a good thrashing by her husband, but here was a woman who
deserved a beating, I reasoned. Nura
urged our men to take us away from what was, for us, a primitive and
frightening place, and they quickly complied.
When
everyone heard the full story, I was praised as a heroine.
Sara is the most beloved member of our entire family, and even
Kareem understood that I had no option but to defend her.
Asad
was so shaken at the thought that a crazed Bedouin woman would have
attacked his beloved, that he told Sara he was going to buy me the most
expensive piece of jewelry available in Riyadh, as a gift of thanks.
Even
Ali looked upon my act with great pride, and told everyone that would
listen that he was the one who had taught me my fighting skills, which I
had to agree was true.
For
the next few days, talk of my victorious fight with Faten kept our camp in
a high state of excitement.
When
Sheik Fahd offered an apology in the form of ten female Batiniyah camels,
we knew that Faten’s behavior was indeed a source of great shame to that
proud Bedouin chief.
Batiniyah camels are from Oman, and are considered one of the best
species of camels.
The ten camels were of high quality, for they all had small heads,
wide foreheads, large eyes, small nostrils, and long ears. A
Bedouin tribe’s wealth is measured by the size and quality of its camel
herd, and ten Batiniyah camels are extremely costly. Suspecting
that they represented the best of Sheik Fahd’s herd,
Kareem did not wish to accept this expensive gift.
Still, he could not decline, for his refusal would have offended
Sheik Fahd deeply.
So, the Batiniyah beauties joined our own herd. After
such a melodrama, we attempted to enjoy the remaining days of our desert
trip with more quiet pursuits.
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