His friend
Sabat stood by watching, just as Saul had stood watching them stone
Stephen nearly eighteen centuries earlier.
"You shall be given your life and be set free," they said, "if you
will spit upon the Cross and renounce Christ and say, 'There is no God
but Allah.'"
"I refuse," said Abdallah.
A sword was brought forward and unsheathed. Abdallah's arm was
stretched out: the sword was lifted--it flashed--and Abdallah's hand,
cut clean off, fell on the ground, while the blood spurted from his
arm.
"Your life will still be given you if you renounce Christ and proclaim
Allah and Mohammed as His prophet."
This is how Sabat himself described what happened next. "Abdallah made
no answer, but looked up steadfastly toward heaven, like Stephen, the
first martyr, his eyes streaming with tears. He looked at me," said
Sabat, "but it was with the countenance of forgiveness."
Abdallah's other arm was stretched out, again the sword flashed and
fell. His other hand dropped to the ground. He stood there bleeding
and handless. He bowed his head and his neck was bared to the sword.
Again the blade flashed. He was beheaded, and Sabat--Sabat who had
ridden a thousand miles with his friend and had faced with him
the blistering sun of the desert and the snow-blizzard of the
mountain--saw Abdallah's head lie there on the ground and the dead
body carried away.
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