Charles Morris
speaker
7,961 appearances
2 recordings
1 series
first heard Jul 2026
last heard 18 Aug
Charles Morris’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.
Trend
recordings per month · last 12 monthsRecordings per month over the last 12 months — 2 in all, peaking in Aug 2026 with 1.
Appearances
Chapter ten The Adventures of a Fugitive Prince
A new dynasty came to the throne of the caliphs of Damascus in seven hundred fifty.
The line of the Omeades, who had held the throne since the days of the Prophet Muhammad, was overthrown, and the line of the Abasides began.
Abdullah, the new caliph, bent on destroying every remnant of the old dynasty, invited ninety of its principal adherents to a banquet, where they were set upon and brutally murdered.
There followed a scene worthy of a savage.
The tables were removed, carpets were spread over the bleeding corpses, and on these the vians were placed, the guests eating their dinner, to the dismal music of the groans of the dying victims beneath.
The whole country was now scoured for all who were connected with the fallen dynasty, and wherever found they were brutally slain.
Yet despite the vigilance of the murderers, a scion of the family of the Omeades escaped.
Adoraman, the princely youth in question, was fortunately absent from Damascus when the order for his assassination was given.
Warned of his proposed fate, he gathered what money and jewels he could and fled for his life, following little used paths until he reached the banks of the Euphrates.
But spies were on his track and descriptions of him had been sent to all provinces.
He was just twenty years old, and unlike the Arabians in general, had a fair complexion and blue eyes, so that he could be easily recognized, and it seemed impossible that he could escape.
His retreat on the Euphrates was quickly discovered, and the agents of murder were so hot upon his track that he was forced to spring into the river and seek for safety by swimming.
The pursuers reached the banks when the fugitives were nearly halfway across, Abdurrahman supporting his son, four years of age, and better, a servant, aiding his thirteen year old brother.
The agents of the caliph called them back, saying that they would not harm them, and the boy whose strength was giving out turned back in spite of his brother's warning.
When Abdulrahman reached the opposite bank, it was with a shudder of horror that he saw the murderer of the boy, whose head was at once cut off.
The gruesome spectacle decided the question of his trusting himself to the mercy of the caliph or his agents.
The life of the fugitive prince now became one of unceasing adventure.
He made his way by covert paths towards Egypt, wandering through the desert in company with bands of Bedouins, living on their scanty fare, and constantly on the alert against surprise.
Light sleep and hasty flittings were the rule with him and his few attendants, as they made their way slowly westward over the barren sands, finally reaching Egypt.
Showing 801–820 of 7,961 · page 41 of 399
← Previous
Next →