by Brian Smith
9
When the Caliph returned to Africa in triumph from his attack on Suddene members of his household went down to the port to welcome him. As one of his personal slaves Isabella was taken along. The splendid procession was rich and opulent and there were even some elephants from far away India to greet the Caliph and make his homecoming more majestic.
A magnificent procession to welcome the Caliph
On the way Isabella passed by many places she had never seen before. There was the city’s slave market where a group of African slaves had just arrived bound together in chains around their necks. Next they walked past the bazaar, as markets in Arab countries are known, where everything from clothes to exotic spices was for sale.
Chained African slaves arrive
Market vendors were praising their wares loudly while groups of excited women examined the items for sale. A few streets on they passed through the town gate and from there on a long walk through the country to the port where the Caliph was expected.
The country was hot and dry. Isabella found the heat oppressive. Lisbon was hot in summer, but nothing like the scorching heat of Africa. The air was still. Not even the slightest breeze offered any relief as they walked past fields where slaves were toiling under the burning sun. And yet, what struck Isabella the most was the sight of a slave master beating one of the slaves viciously by the side of a field. She never found out why the slave was being beaten, and really it wasn’t important.
