We took Hamed to Raiza’s cart. Her father said that he would heal without further complications if he applied bandages to him and if we kept him immobilized until the caravan reached Damascus. Raiza said she would take care of Hamed during the rest of the trip. As a consequence, I visited Hamed every afternoon as well as enjoying the pleasant company of Raiza.
On reaching Damascus we had to say goodbye to our new friends. Long before Hamed had saved my life, I had already decided to place him in the Christian mission of Father O'Callaghan in the city.
That morning we arrived at dawn with the first glimpses of the outskirts of Damascus. It was so early that the Souk hadn’t yet opened. At the great Roman wall that surrounds the city, the caravan split into two and went off in different dir
