several times as if he had never been there in his life, but he
suffered a deep longing for his mother. The strongmen -
Hamooda, Lionheart, Barakaat and Quicksilver - saw him
but did not beat him up as they did the rest of Hamdaan's
people, only getting in his way and maki ng fun of his bag.
One ti me Thudclub met him. He stared at Gebel coldly,
barred his way and asked:
- Where have you been hiding?
- In the wide world.
Thudclub spoke aggressively:
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Gebel
- I'm your strongman and I've a right to ask you anything.
You have to answer.
- I answered you as best I could.
- And what's brought you back?
- Whatever it is that brings a man back to his own alley.
- I wou ldn 't have come back if I ' d been you.
He lunged suddenly at Gebel, who would have been caught
if he had not ju mped aside, controlling his temper. At that
moment the gatekeeper of Trustee's House called to him.
Gebel turned towards him i n surprise, then walked over to
him. They mel in [ron l of the house and shook hands warmly.
The man asked how thi ngs were with him, then told him that
her Ladyship wanted to see him. Gebel had been expecting
this i nvitation ever since he first showed himself in the Alley;
his heart had told him it was sure to come. It would have been
impossible for him just to call at the house, because of the way
in which he had left it. Quite apart from that, he had decided
not to seek a meeting, so that nei ther the Trustee nor the
strongmen cou ld suspect what was coming.
Scarcely had he entered the gate than the news was all over
the Alley. As he walked to the veranda he glanced quickly
around the garden with its tall mulberry and fig trees, its rose
bushes and flowering shrubs in every corner. The familiar
scents had disappeared with winter. A soft, still light like that
of evening shone as if distilled from the spread of whi te cloud.
He walked up the steps, fighting back a swarm of memories. He
went i nto the drawing room and saw seated at the far end Lady
Hudaa and her husband, waiting for him. He looked at his
mother and their eyes met. She stood up for an emotional
greeting. He bent over her hands and kissed them, and she
kissed him tenderly on the forehead, bringing pangs to his
heart. He turned his face to the Trustee and saw him si tting
there in his cloak, eyeing them both coldly. He offered him his
hand and the Effendi half stood up to shake it, then hastily sat
down again.
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Children of Gebelaawi
Hudaa ran her eyes over Gebel with mixed surprise and
concern at his appearance, h is lean body clothed in a shoddy
jellaba with a coarse belt, his worn-out shoes, the dirty cap over
h is tousled hair. Her eyes spoke her grief at his state and at the
life he had contented h imself with. Her h igh hopes seemed to
have come to nothing. She motioned him to sit down, and he
took a seat beside her. She herself sank into her chair as if
exhausted. He understood what she felt and told her in a
confident voice about his life i n Muqattam Bazaar, his work
and his marriage. He spoke with satisfaction ofthat life, in spi te
of i ts harsh ness. His words upset her.
- Live as you please ! Bu twhy didn ' t you make my house the
first you came to when you returned to the Alley?
He was tempted to tell her that his real goal in returning was
her house, but he pu t off saying so because the moment was
not suitable and because he had not yet recovered from the
emotion of the meeting. He answered:
- I wanted to come to your house, but I didn't have the
courage to enter it after what had happened.
The Effendi asked him coldly:
- Why did you come back if life elsewhere was so good?
Hudaa gave her husband a reproachful look, which he
ignored. Gebel said with a smile:
- Perhaps I came back, sir, because I wanted to see you .
Hudaa reproached him:
- But you didn' t come and see us till we sent for you, you
ungrateful creature.
Gebel looked down .
- Believe me, whenever I remembered the circumstances
that drove me to leave this house, I cursed them from the
bottom of my heart.
The Effendi looked at him suspiciously and was about to ask
him what he meant, but Hudaa got in first:
- You heard, of course, that we had pardoned Hamdaan's
people for your sake?
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Gebel
Gebel realized that it was time for these well-bred pleasantries to end, as had been fated from the beginning, and for the struggle to begi n. He said:
- The tru th is that they're suffering a degradation worse
than death, and several of them have been killed.
The Effendi gripped his prayer beads tightly and shouted:
- They're criminals and they got what they deserved.
Hudaa waved her hand hopefu lly and said:
- Let's forget all about the past.
The Effendi persisted:
- Qi dra's blood couldn 't be shed with impu nity.
Gebel said stubborn ly:
- The real crimi nals are the strongmen.
The Effendi stood up nervously and addressed his wife:
- You see what happenswhen I give way to you about asking
him i nto our house?
Gebel said wi th determi nation:
- It was my intention to come to you in any case, sir;
perhaps it's because I real ize how much I owe this house that
I waited ti ll I was invited.
The Trustee looked at him with fear and suspicion.
- What do you want out of coming?
Gebel faced the Effendi boldly, knowing full well that he was
opening the door through which a furious storm wou ld burst,
but his experience in the desert had given him unshakable
courage.
- I 've come to demand the rights of Hamdaan 's people to
the Trust and to a secure life.
The Effendi's face darkened wi th rage, and Hudaa's mouth
hung open in despair. The Trustee glared as he said:
- Do you really dare to talk like that agai n? Have you
forgotten how the disasters fell on your people one after the
other after your stupid old head-man dared to come with these
idiotic demands? I swear you 're mad, and I don 't waste my time
on madmen.
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Children of Gebelaawi
Hudaa said tearfully:
- Gebel, I was going to ask you and your wife to come and
live with us.
Gebel said firmly:
- I 've simply passed on to you the wishes of one whose
wishes can't be refused, your Ancestor and ours, Gebelaawi.
The Effendi studied Gebel carefully, bewildered. Hudaa
stood up anxiously and put her hand on Gebel's shoulder,
saying:
- Gebel, what's come over you?
Gebel said wi th a smi le:
- I'm well, thank you !
The Effendi protested:
- Well? You 're weii? What's happened to your intelligence?
Gebel said calmly:
- Listen to my story and judge for yourself.
And he told them what he had told Hamdaan's people.
When he had fi nished, the Effendi said, peering suspiciously
into his face:
- The Founder hasn't left his house since he withdrew
from the world.
- But I met him in the desert.
He asked ironically:
- And why didn't he tell me of his wishes?
- That's his secret; he knows best.
The Effendi laughed scornfully.
- Conjuri ng is the right job for you; but you 're not content
with simple tricks; you wan t to juggle with the whole Trust.
Gebel remained calm.
- God knows I 've spoken nothing but the truth. Let's
consult Gebelaawi himself, if you can, or the Ten Clauses.
The Effendi's rage burst forth. He scowled, and his limbs
trembled as he shouted:
- You cu nning thief, you shan ' t escape your horrible fate,
not even if you nee to the top of the Jebel.
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Gebel
Hudaa wailed:
- Oh misery! I never imagined you 'd bring me all this
sorrow, Gebel.
Gebel asked in amazement:
- All this just because I've demanded my people's lawful
rights?!
The Effendi screamed at the top of his voice:
- Quiet! Cunning devil! Dope-head! Alley of dope-heads!
Sons of bitches! Get out of my house! Come back with your
drivel, and you and your people will be slaughtered like lambs.
Gebel scowled furiously and shouted:
- Mi nd the anger ofGebelaawi doesn 't catch up with you !
The Effendi sprang at Gebel and punched him i n his broad
chest with all his might, but Gebel stood the blow stoutly, then
turned to Hudaa and said:
- I only respect him out of respect for you.
He turned his back on them and left.
3 9 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Hamdaan's people expected the very worst. Henna disagreed with the general view and thought that, as long as Gebel was head of 1-Iamdaan 's people, Lady 1-Iudaa would not allow
them to be destroyed. However, Gebel himself did not share
Hen na's view. He mai ntained that when the Trust was threatened, no one cou nted, neither Gebel nor anyone else, however close to the Effendi. He reminded them of their Ancestor's wish that they should be strong and ready to face disasters.
Digger told people how Gebel had been rolling in luxury and
had thrown it aside of his own free will for their sakes; it would
not be right for anyone to let him down. If they used force and
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Children of Gebelaawi
i t did not succeed, it could not make things any worse for them
than they already were.
The fact was that Hamdaan 's people were afraid and their
nerves were on edge, but in their despair they found strength
and purpose. They kept repeating the proverb: 'May as well
hang for a wolf as a sheep. ' Radwaan the bard alone kept saying
sadly: 'If the Founder wished, he'd proclaim the truth and
decide in our favor and save us from certain destruction. '
When Gebel heard about this h e was furious a n d stormed
round to see him. He seized him by the shoulders and shook
him till he almost fell from his seat. He roared: ' Is this what the
bards are like, Radwaan? You recite the stories of the heroes
and sing to the music of the rebec, but when things get nasty
you bolt to your holes and spread doubt and despair. Damned
cowards ! (Then, turning towards those seated arou nd:)
Gebelaawi has not honored any other sector as he has honored
yours. If he hadn 't thought of you as being his family in a
special way, he wouldn't have met me and spoken to me. He
shi nes his light on our path, and he's promised to help us. I'm
goi ng to fight, by God, even if I have to fight alone! '
But i t seemed he was not alone; every man and every woman
supported him. They all expected an ordeal and seemed not
to care abou t the consequences. Gebel had taken over the
leadership of his sector spontaneously, as the result of events
that he had neither intended nor arranged. Hamdaan himself
had not tried to prevent this but had been happy to give up a
position that would become the target for an unrestrained
attack.
Gebel did not stay in but went about as usual, against
Hamdaan 's advice. He expected trouble at every step, but not
one of the strongmen molested him. He was amazed at this.
The only explanation he could think of was that the Effendi
had kept quiet about their meeting in the hope that Gebel in
return wou ld say no more about his demands, so that it would
be as though nothing had happened. Behind this policy he saw
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Gebel
Hudaa's sad face and her faithful mother-love. He was afraid
that if her love lasted it would hurt him more than her
husband's harshness. He thought for a long time about what
must be done to poke the fire back i nto life.
Strange things began to happen in the Alley. One day a
woman 's cries for help were heard from a cellar. It turned out
that a snake had sli thered between her feet and she had rushed
out into the road. Some men volunteered to search for it and
wen t into her home with their sticks. They hunted it down and
killed it with a hail of blows. They threw it into the road and
urchins snatched it up and played with it noisily. This was not
an unusual event in the Alley, but hardly an hour had passed
before another scream for help was heard from a house at the
end nearest to Gemalia. No sooner had night fallen than there
was uproar in a tenement-house in Hamdaan 's sector when
somebody saw a snake; but it disappeared before anyone cou ld
catch it, and all efforts to find it came to nothing. Then Gebel
himself offered to fetch it out, using what he had learnt from
Balqeeti. Hamdaan's people talked of how Gebel had stood
naked in the courtyard and spoken to the snake in a secret
language till it came obediently.