"Let him give me the chance, and I will see what I can do," he answered.
We were allowed another night's rest, with a sufficiency of food,--for
just then provisions were plentiful in the place, or we should have been
left by our masters to pick up what we could. We tried in vain to
discover who the charitable female was who had brought us provisions on
the previous evening. It confirmed my belief, however, that Woman is
the same all the world over; and that in every place some are to be
found who, according to the light within them, endeavour to do their
duty in the sight of God, by affording sympathy and help to their
fellow-creatures in distress.
Again we were on the road,--Ben being summoned to attend to his master,
while we trudged wearily on foot. Having neither cattle, sheep, nor
goats to impede us, our progress was more rapid than it had been across
the Desert. The baggage was carried on camels and asses; while the more
wealthy people rode, and the rest had to walk.
For several days we advanced, passing numerous ruins, which showed how
thickly the country at one time had been populated. At last one
afternoon we encamped on high ground, outside an ancient town or
fortress, amid which palms and other trees had grown up, attesting its
antiquity. The tents were pitched, and Boxall, Halliday, and I were
sent out with the horses and camels to graze on the pastures surrounding
the hill. Returning in the evening, we met Ben with his camel--beside
which it was his duty to sleep close to his master's tent. Ours was not
far off.
"I have a notion, Mr Blore," said Ben, "that if you could take my place
for the evening, you would find out more of what these fellows are about
than I can. Half-a-dozen or more are sure to be seated in front of the
tent for a couple of hours or so after dark, talking away, and smoking
their pipes; but for the life of me, though I listen, I cannot make out
what they say. They will not know the difference between you and I,
however, and the camel will be as quiet with you as he is with me."
I was very willing to take advantage of Ben's suggestion; so giving my
horses into his keeping, I took his camel and led it up in front of
Siddy Boo Cassem's tent, where, making it lie down, I threw myself on
the ground near it. Its owner and several friends were seated, as Ben
expected,--the hoods of their burnouses, drawn over their heads, making
them look more like a party of old crones than stalwart Arabs habituated
to war and the chase; or I might have taken them for the witches in
"Macbeth" discussing their malevolent designs. On one side were the
ruined walls of the Roman town, with a tall monument rising above them;
in front were the tents, spread beneath a few sparsely scattered
palm-trees; while beyond could be seen the boundless Desert, the
crescent moon casting a pale light over the scene.
As Siddy Boo Cassem knew that Ben could not understand him, even had he
been, as he supposed, near at hand, he and his friends spoke in loud
tones; every now and then indulging in a chuckling laugh at each other's
wit, or at the recollection of some scene in which they had been
engaged. I listened attentively, endeavouring to catch all they said.
Much of their conversation was not very edifying, but I became all
attention when Siddy Boo Cassem began to talk of his famous camel, and
to boast of his deads.
"Curses on the mother who bore them!" he exclaimed. "The rogues would
like to have him again, if they knew how near he was to them; but I will
take good care that none of their tribe scour again over the plain on
his back. He is not likely to remember his old haunts, or the masters
who owned him, or I should not have brought him so near them again."
"How did you obtain him, O friend of the Prophet?" asked one of the
party.
"As wise men obtain what they desire and cannot otherwise get," answered
Siddy Boo Cassem. "I stole him. I heard the report of his swiftness,
and determined to become his master. At that time I possessed two fine
black slaves, nimble of foot, and cunning in all their ways. Mounted on
a fleet steed, of black hue, in case I should have to beat a retreat,
and accompanied by my two slaves, I approached the camp an hour after
midnight. One of the slaves had also visited the camp some days before,
that he might ascertain where the Bu Saef was wont to be tethered; and I
had promised him his liberty should we succeed. I remained behind a
ruined wall, through which I had a view of the camp. Anxiously I
watched, till in less than an hour I distinguished through the gloom the
shadowy figure of the longed-for camel coming across the plain towards
me. I already felt that he was mine, and could scarcely refrain from
galloping forward to meet him. He reached the ruins, the faithful lad
leading him; but just at the moment I was mounting on his back a party
of horsemen were seen issuing from the camp. Alee threw himself upon my
horse, while I gave Bu Saef the rein. Fleet as the wind he flew over
the plain. A shriek reached my ears; my slave had received his
death-blow. A shot followed; neither Alee nor my black horse did I ever
see more. But I had obtained the object of my desire, at the price of a
horse and two slaves, which was as nothing compared to his value. Ever
since, for many a long year, have I ridden Bu Saef across the Desert in
safety, distancing every foe when pursued, following up their traces
when they have been attempting to escape, and ascertaining the
whereabouts of their camp."
"Allah is great! you performed a fine stroke of business," exclaimed the
company in chorus.
"Ho, ho! if you stole Bu Saef, we shall be justified in returning him to
his former owners, Siddy Boo Cassem," I thought to myself. But how that
was to be done, was the question. Bu Saef could not carry all five of
us, that was certain; and probably would refuse to move unless mounted
by his accustomed rider. I listened as eagerly as before to the
conversation, which went on without cessation for some hours; for the
Arabs are as good talkers as any people on the earth. I gathered from
what I heard that our party had advanced nearly as far north as it was
considered prudent to go, as the country beyond was held by the
infidels, or by tribes on friendly terms with them; that the great
chief, Abd-el-Kader, having been captured, his hordes were dispersed;
and that the tribe from which the Bu Saef had been stolen was now
encamped at no great distance from where we were. Of course, I knew
that the infidels spoken of were the French; and I felt sure that, could
we communicate with any outpost, the officer in command would do his
utmost to obtain our liberation--though that might be a difficult matter
to accomplish. The tribes of the Desert still entertained hostile
feelings towards those who were on friendly terms with the French, and
no intercourse was maintained between them. The exact object of our
expedition I could not learn; but that was of little consequence. The
great point to decide was the means of getting away; and that I did not
despair of, difficult as it appeared.
I lay perfectly still, so that, should any of the Arabs look towards me,
they might suppose I was asleep. My only fear was that Siddy Boo Cassem
might summon Ben, when I should run a great risk of being discovered,
and he might suspect that I had an object in taking his slave's place.
I was relieved at length when the Arabs separated, some going into Siddy
Boo Cassem's tent, and others elsewhere. At last, on hearing loud
snoring from the tent, I crept slowly away, crouching down on the ground
till I found Ben, who in like manner returned to his proper place.
After this, as may be supposed, we could talk of nothing else but the
means of escape. The distance between us and the tribe we wished to
reach was about thirty miles. On foot, it would be scarcely possible to
accomplish that distance during the night, even were we to run the whole
distance. We should also probably fall in with natives, who might take
it into their heads to stop us, and perhaps put us to death; while, as
soon as our flight was discovered, we should certainly be pursued.
Selim, who was as anxious to escape as we were, volunteered to go first,
to try and find some place in which we might conceal ourselves should we
be pursued, and where we might remain till the camp had broken up and
returned southward. He believed that he would have time to make a
search during the night for the sort of place which would answer our
purpose, and to return before daybreak without being discovered.
If not pursued, we intended to push on as far as we could without
stopping. We therefore hid away as large a stock of provisions as we
could, so that, should we be obliged to lie concealed for any length of
time, we might not be starved. From the information I gained, too, it
seemed likely that we should soon be shifting our camp, and we could
scarcely expect to reach a place from which we were so likely to make
our escape as where we now were. Besides, the moon was nearly at its
full, and though we might get out of the camp more easily during the
dark, still we could not find our way unless with the light which it
would afford us. We had already wandered over the country for some
distance from the hill, and had carefully noted the road that it was
evident we should take. We determined, therefore, no longer to put off
our adventure.
Selim slipped out directly all around him were asleep, made his way down
the hill without being seen, and was soon lost in the darkness. We
resolved, should he return unobserved, and report favourably, to start
the next night.
So anxious were we all, we could with difficulty go to sleep, though we
did not expect him back for some hours. My eyes at length closed; and
it seemed but a moment afterwards when I heard a voice whispering in my
ear, and looking up, saw Selim seated by my side. "All right," he said;
"I have discovered an old ruin, about a mile from this, some way off the
highroad; and though I had no little fear of meeting with hyenas or
other wild beasts, I explored it completely, and found within the walls
a hollow space with a narrow entrance, in which we might remain
concealed--even if the people are looking for us--by blocking up the
passage with a few stones. The place I speak of will do even though we
are pursued immediately on leaving the camp. After this I went on for
two hours, when I found, amid a grove of palm-trees, a still larger
ruin. One side had fallen down; and I thought that if I could climb up
I might find some chambers or hollows in the heaps of ruins, in which we
might conceal ourselves without much risk of being discovered. I was
not disappointed; and if we can reach that spot without being seen, we
may remain there in safety till our pursuers have returned."
This information greatly raised our spirits, and we resolved to leave
the camp without further delay, and make our way to the tribe in
alliance with the French.
We had of late performed our respective duties with such apparent
cheerfulness that the Arabs supposed we were reconciled to our lot.
Providence, too, just then favoured us in a way we little expected.
Siddy Boo Cassem fell ill, and recollecting that Boxall was supposed to
possess medical knowledge, he sent for him; directing me to come also,
to act as interpreter. Boxall very conscientiously recommended a
sudorific, and charged him to keep himself well covered up during the
night, and on no account to leave his couch. We accordingly piled on
the top of him all the cloaks and rugs we could find, and so wrapped him
up that he could not well move had he wished it. Unsuspicious of our
designs, he promised to follow Boxall's injunctions.
The moon was now waning, and would not rise till some time after the
occupants of the camp had gone to sleep. Selim, we agreed, was to start
first; Boxall, Halliday, and I, should we not be interrupted, were to
follow; while Ben, mounted on the camel, was to make his way down the
hill, and place himself at our head, in order that, should he be seen,
he might be taken for some traveller, with his attendants, leaving the
camp on a night journey. As soon as we were out of sight of the camp,
Ben was to start off at full speed to the northward; and as I had
instructed him what to say, we hoped he would be able to make himself
sufficiently understood to induce the tribe to move forward to our
rescue.
Selim set off at the time agreed on, and soon disappeared in the
darkness. We then crept out one by one, and made our way among the
sleeping camels and horses, unobserved by any of their keepers. We next
waited anxiously for the appearance of Ben; who, to our great
satisfaction, at last came riding down the hill, and placed himself at
our head,--when it was almost ludicrous to observe the air of unconcern
he assumed as he rode forward at our head. The plain we had to pass was
perfectly open, without a tree or shrub to conceal us, so that all we
could hope for was that no suspicious eyes might be turned in the
direction we were pursuing. On we went, wishing that Ben would hasten
forward with the camel; but there he sat, letting the beast walk at its
usual pace--which, when it was not obliged to put forth its powers, was
unusually slow.
We had got round the hill, and were steering northward, when, as we
looked over our shoulders, what was our dismay to see several Arabs
mounted on camels coming down from the camp at full speed! It was
evident that Ben had been seen, and his object suspected.
Boxall shouted to him to push on without thinking of us, and not to pull
rein till he had reached those who might be induced to come to our
assistance.
"Ay, ay, sir," he answered. "Trust me for that. I'll not drop anchor
till Bu Saef has rejoined his old masters."
Saying this, off he went; and we felt very sure that, fleet as were the
camels who were pursuing him, he would not be overtaken. In a few
seconds he was out of sight.