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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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