THE KILLING OF THE GREY BEAR 169 



his. He had the power to sway, to draw, to rule. And 

 he knew it. 



My judgment of Schamyl may be wrong, but I do 

 not form my judgments on any matter thoughtlessly. 

 They are based upon the balance of a pair of scales ; 

 possibly ill-adjusted, but still a basis to work on. I 

 know I am ready to alter my judgments if my sense of 

 fact alters, but I cannot alter because someone just 

 says so, and this is where I take issue with aU the 

 writers who belittle Schamyl's motives. When a person 

 who knows more than I do says a thing is so, I wiU 

 accept it only if he gives me solid reason for his de- 

 duction. Ipse dixits are apt to be biased and do not 

 always bear searching examination ; even those 

 which emanate from men known to be sound in their 

 judgments. No man can be convinced by an ipse 

 dixit. Conviction is born of logic and not emotion. 

 Emotion may lead us towards conviction, but cannot 

 itself convince. 



We were not permitted to " make friends " with 

 the five wives of the Yuzbashi, who treated us all 

 alike. Because Mahommendan convention forbade 

 Kenneth making his salaams, Cecily and I might not do 

 so either. Ali, seeing our chagrin, explained that his 

 " cousin " was of a jealous disposition, which was, to 

 Cecily and me, no explanation at all. He seemed to 

 think that jealousy in a husband was a trait to apolo- 

 gize for, until we told him that though an Othello-like 

 worser-half might make for awkwardness on occasion, 

 he is at least not so humiliating as the husband who 

 simply doesn't know what jealousy means. 



