goes Nassim, the son of Taib, the great merchant"; for let but a dog roll in gold, and the men in the bazaar will call him "Sir Dog."
His fame was great throughout the lands of the Moslim; and from the dazzling palace of the Sheriff at Mecca to the somber tents of the murderous Tauregs, all knew the name of Nassim, the rich.
And ever greater became his greed tor the hard yellow gold; forgetting the commandments of the Messenger Mohammed—on whom be peace—he formed partnerships with the Jew and the Giaour merchants who lived in the coast towns and lent out money at usuring rates of interest. His wealth increased, and the more it increased, the more he tightened the strings of his purse; he endowed no mosques, no libraries rich in written knowledge, no shrines to commemorate the glories of Islam's fighting marabouts. He built no fountains and dug no wells to assure to himself the gratitude and the blessings of future generations; and the people in the bazaars who called him Effendi to his face, called him a pig, the son of a pig with a pig's heart, as soon as his back was turned; and the little children would run into the houses of their parents
