Page 103 - A Knight of the White Cross

At first this was difficult, and he had to eke out the Turkish words he had
acquired with English; but it was not long before there was no necessity for

this. His intercourse for ten or twelve hours a day with this Turk, and the
pains taken by his instructor, caused him to acquire the language with

extreme rapidity. Of course, he had to put up with a great deal of banter
from the younger knights upon his passion for study. Sometimes they
pretended that his mania, as they considered it, arose from the fact that he

was determined to become a renegade, and was fitting himself for a high
position in the Turkish army. At other times they insisted that his intention

was to become a Turkish dervish, or to win a great Turkish heiress and
settle in Syria. But as he always bore their banter good temperedly, and was
ready occasionally to join them in the sport when assaults-at-arms were

carried on, they soon became tired of making fun of him.

After nine months' constant work, the young knight's studies were abruptly
stopped by the receipt of a letter from the Pasha of Syria, offering a
considerable sum for the ransom of his instructor. The request was at once

acceded to, as it was the policy of the knights to accept ransoms for their
prisoners, both because the sums so gained were useful, and because they

were themselves compelled sometimes to pay ransom for members of the
Order. Suleiman Ali was, it was arranged, to be put on board an Egyptian
craft bound for Acre, a safe conduct having been sent for the vessel and her

crew, and for a knight, who was to receive the ransom from the pasha.

"At any rate, Sir Gervaise," the Turk said, when the young knight expressed
great regret at his leaving them, "our position as instructor and pupil would
have come to an end shortly. For the last three months there has been but

little teaching between us; we have talked, and that has been all, save that
for a short time each day you read and wrote. But there has been little to

teach. You speak the native language now as fluently as I do, and would
pass anywhere as a Syrian, especially as there are slight differences of
speech in the various provinces. I believe that in Syria you would not be

suspected of being anything but a native, and assuredly you would be taken
for a Syrian elsewhere. You have learnt enough, and it would be but a

waste of time for you, a knight and a soldier, to spend another day in
study."