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Scott, Walter, Sir, 1771-1832

"The Talisman"

"
Here the voice of the Saracen was drowned in that of the hermit,
who began to hollo aloud in a wild, chanting tone, "I am
Theodorick of Engaddi--I am the torch-brand of the desert--I am
the flail of the infidels! The lion and the leopard shall be my
comrades, and draw nigh to my cell for shelter; neither shall the
goat be afraid of their fangs. I am the torch and the lantern
--Kyrie Eleison!"
He closed his song by a short race, and ended that again by three
forward bounds, which would have done him great credit in a
gymnastic academy, but became his character of hermit so
indifferently that the Scottish Knight was altogether confounded
and bewildered.
The Saracen seemed to understand him better. "You see," he said,
"that he expects us to follow him to his cell, which, indeed, is
our only place of refuge for the night. You are the leopard,
from the portrait on your shield; I am the lion, as my name
imports; and by the goat, alluding to his garb of goat-skins, he
means himself. We must keep him in sight, however, for he is as
fleet as a dromedary.


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