Answered Kanmakan，'The hunter returneth not but with quarry after the measure of his intention.A little after thy departure，fortune came to me： so now say，wilt thou go with me and work thine intent in my company and journey with me in this desert？'Replied Sabbah，'By the Lord of the Ka'abah，from this time forth I will call thee naught but 'my lord'！'Then he ran on before the horse，with his sword hanging from his neck and his budget between his shoulder blades，and Kanmakan rode a little behind him； and they plunged into the desert，for a space of four days，eating of the gazelles and drinking water of the springs.
On the fifth day they drew near a high hill，at whose foot was a springencampment[96] and a deep running stream； and the knolls and hollows were filled with camels and cattle and sheep and horses，and little children played about the pens and folds.
When Kanmakan saw this，he rejoiced at the sight and his breast was filled with delight； so he addressed himself to fight，that he might take the camels and the cattle，and said to Sabbah，'Come，fall with us upon this loot，whose owners have left it unguarded here，and do we battle for it with near and far，so haply may fall to our lot of goods some share.'Replied Sabbah，'O my lord，verily they to whom these herds belong be many in number； and among them are doughty horsemen and fighting footmen；and if we venture lives in this derring do we shall fall into danger great and neither of us will return safe from this bate；
but we shall both be cut off by fate and leave our cousins desolate.'Then Kanmakan laughed and knew that he was a coward；
so he left him and rode down the rise，intent on rapine，with loud cries and chanting these couplets，'Oh a valiant race are the sons of Nu'uman，Braves whose blades shred heads of the foemanclan！[97]
A tribe who，when tried in the tussle of war，
Taketh prowess stand in the battlevan：
In their tents safe close gaberlunzie's eyne，
Nor his poverty's ugly features scan：