I KAMBALU. NTO the city of Kambalu, By the road that leadeth to Ispahan, At the head of his dusty caravan, Laden with treasure from realms afar, The Khan from his palace-window gazed, And the shining scimitars of the guard, Thus into the city of Kambalu Rode the great captain Aläu; And he stood before the Khan, and said : "The enemies of my lord are dead; All the Kalifs of all the West Bow and obey thy least behest; The plains are dark with the mulberry-trees, The miners are sifting the golden sand, "Baldacca's Kalif, and he alone, Rose in revolt against thy throne : His treasures are at thy palace-door, With the swords and the shawls and the jewels he wore; His body is dust o'er the desert blown. "A mile outside of Baldacca's gate. Concealed by forests and hillocks of sand, Into the ambush I had planned. Ere we reached the town the alarm was spread, And above them the banner of Mohammed: So we snared them all, and the town was subdued. Kambalu. "As in at the gate we rode, behold, A tower that was called the Tower of Gold ! Heaped and hoarded and piled on high, And thither the miser crept by stealth 27 On jewels that gleamed like a glow-worm's spark, Or the eyes of a panther in the dark. "I said to the Kalif: 'Thou art old, Thou hast no need of so much gold. Thou shouldst not have heaped and hidden it here, Till the breath of battle was hot and near, But have sown through the land these useless hoards To spring into shining blades of swords, These jewels and pearls and precious stones "Then into his dungeon I locked the drone, In the honey-cells of his golden hive: "When at last we unlocked the door, We found him dead upon the floor; |