Books By Jean Sasson

Swirling Sands       page 8                go to page  1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8

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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