“You mean to say,” he said in good Arabic to the leader of the gang who surrounded him and the grey-bearded man by his side, “that my life will he spared if I renounce Christianity and accept your faith?”
“That is what I do say, my son. Out of our great goodness we make this offer — not only to you, but to the other. Ah, be thankful it is with me and not with Abou Bazouki that you have to deal. If he stood in my place you would surely die, you and the other; but I have a merciful heart, and I would save your soul. There is but one true religion, my dear; all others are false religions — lies, all lies. Allah spoke to our Prophet, and to him He revealed His will. We are your friends in what we ask; give up lies, accept the truth.”
Joseph Hocking (1860-1937), was a Cornish novelist and United Methodist Free Church minister. Like the American Presbyterian minister Edward Roe, Hocking’s novels combine rich characters with gripping stories. Joseph Hocking published more than 101 books and was greatly respected as a fiction writer.