The second sand-pit was dug a short distance from the first; and when it
had been sunk to the depth of about four and a half feet, Golah
commanded the blacks to leave off their labour, one of them being sent
back to the line to be seated along with his fellow slaves.
By this time the tents had been struck, the camels loaded, and all but
Golah and Fatima appeared willing and anxious to depart from the spot.
These were not; for their business at that camping-place had not yet
been completed.
When the two guards had again resumed their former stations in front of
the line, as before with their muskets at full cock, Golah advanced
towards the woman, who, disengaging herself from her children, stood up
at his approach.
Then succeeded a moment of intense interest.
Was he going to kill her?
If so, in what manner?
All looked on with painful anticipation of some dire event.
It soon transpired. The woman was seized by Golah himself, dragged
towards the pits that had been dug, and thrust into one of them. The
slave who wielded the spade was then commanded to fill up the excavation
around her.
Terence was the first to speak.
"God help her!" he exclaimed; "the monster is going to bury her alive!
Can't we save her?"
"We are not men, if we do not try!" exclaimed Harry, as he suddenly
sprang to his feet.
His example was immediately followed by his white companions.
The two muskets were instantly directed towards them; but at a shout
from Golah their muzzles were as quickly dropped.
The sheik's son then, at his father's command, ran to the pit to secure
the woman; while Golah himself rushed forward to meet the helpless men
who were advancing towards him.
In an instant the four were thrown prostrate to the earth.
With their hands tied, the powerful sheik upset them as easily as though
they had been bags of sand.
Raising Harry by the hair of his head with one hand, and Terence with
the other, he dragged them back to their places in the line where they
had been already seated.
Sailor Bill saved himself from like treatment, by rolling over and over
until he had regained his former place. Colin was allowed to lie on the
ground, where the sheik had knocked him over.
Golah now returned to the pit where the woman stood half buried.
She made no resistance, she uttered no complaint, but seemed calmly to
resign herself to a fate that could not be averted. Golah apparently
did not intend to behold her die; for, when the earth was filled in
around her body, her head still remained above ground. She was to be
starved to death! As the sheik was turning away to attend to other
matters, the woman spoke. Her words were few, and produced no effect
upon him. They did, however, upon the Krooman, whose eyes were seen to
fill with tears that rapidly chased each other down his
mahogany-coloured cheeks.
Colin, who seemed to notice everything except the fate threatening
himself, observed the Krooman's excitement, and inquired its cause.
"She asked him to be kind to her little boy," said the man, in a voice
trembling with emotion.
Are tears unmanly?--No.
The shining drops that rolled from that man's eyes, and sparkled adown
his dusky cheeks, on hearing the unfortunate woman's prayer for her
children, proved that he was not a brute, but a man--a man with a soul
that millions might envy.
After leaving the place where the woman was buried, Golah walked up to
Colin, and, dragging him to his feet, led him away to the other pit.
His intentions were now evident to all. The two individuals who had
aroused his anger and jealousy were to be left near each other, buried
alive, to perish in this fearful fashion.
"Colin! Colin! what can we do to save you?" exclaimed Harry, in a tone
expressing despair and anguish.
"Nothing," answered Colin; "don't attempt it, or you will only bring
trouble on yourselves. Leave me to my fate."
At this moment the speaker was thrown into the pit, and held in an
upright attitude by Golah, while the black slave proceeded to fill in
the earth around him.
Following the philosophical example set by the woman, Colin made no
useless resistance; and was soon submerged under the sand piled up to
his shoulders. His companions sat gazing with speechless horror, all
suffering the combined anguish of shame, regret and despair.
The sheik was now ready to depart; and ordered the slave who had been
assisting him in his diabolical work to mount the camel formerly ridden
by the woman who was thus entombed. The black obeyed, pleased to think
that his late task was to be so agreeably rewarded; but a sudden change
came over his features when Golah and Fatima passed up the three
children and placed them under his care.
Golah had but one more act to perform before leaving the spot. It was
an act worthy of himself, although suggested by Fatima.
After filling a bowl about half full of water, he placed it midway
between Colin and the woman, but so distant from each that neither could
possibly reach it!
This satanic idea was executed with the design of tantalising the
sufferers in their dying hours, with the sight of that element the want
of which would soon cause them the most acute anguish. By the side of
the bowl he also placed a handful of figs.
"There," he tauntingly exclaimed; "I leave you two together, and with
more food and drink than you will ever consume. Am I not kind? What
more can you ask? _Bismillah_! God is great, and Mahomet is his
Prophet; and I am Golah, the kind, the just!"
Saying this he gave orders to resume the march.
"Don't move!" exclaimed Terence; "we will give him some trouble yet."
"Of course we'll not go and leave Colin there," said Harry. "The sheik
is too avaricious to kill all his slaves. Don't move a step, Bill, and
we may have Colly liberated yet."
"I shall do as you say, av coorse," said Bill; "But I expect we shall
'ave to go. Golah has got a way of making a man travel, whether he be
willing or not."
All started forward from the place but the three white slaves and the
two whom Golah intended to remain.
"Cheer up, lad," said Bill to Colin; "we'll never go and leave you
there."
"Go on! go on!" exclaimed Colin. "You can do me no good, and will only
injure yourselves."
Golah had mounted his camel and ridden forward, leaving to his two
guards the task of driving on the slaves; and, as if apprehensive of
trouble from them, he had directed Terence, Harry, Bill, and the
Krooman, to be brought on with their hands tied behind them.
The three refused to move; and when all efforts to get them on had been
tried in vain, the guards made a loud appeal to their sheik.
Golah came riding back in a great rage.
Dismounting from his camel he drew the ramrod from his musket; then
rushing up to Terence, who was the nearest to him, administered to him a
shower of blows that changed the colour of his shirt from an untidy
white to the darker hue of blood.
The two guards, following the example of their lord and master,
commenced beating Harry and Bill, who, unable to make any resistance had
to endure the torture in silence.
"Go on, my friends!" exclaimed Colin; "for God's sake, go and leave me!
You cannot do anything to avert my fate!"
Colin's entreaties as well as the torture from the blows they received,
were alike without effect. His shipmates could not bring themselves to
desert their old comrade, and leave him to the terrible death that
threatened him.
Rushing up to Bill and Harry, Golah caught hold of each, and hurled them
to the ground by the side of Terence. Keeping all three together, he
now ordered a camel to be led up; and the order was instantly obeyed by
one of the guards. The halter was then taken from the head of the
animal.
"We 'ave got to go now," said Bill. "He's going to try the same dodge
as beat me the other day. I shall save him the trouble."
Bill tried to rise but was prevented. He had refused to walk when
earnestly urged to do so; and now, when he was willing to go on, he had
to wait the pleasure of his owner as to the manner in which his journey
should be continued.
While Golah was fastening the rope to Harry's hands, the sharp shrill
voice of Fatima called his attention to some of the people who had gone
on before.
The two women, who led the camels loaded with articles taken from the
wreck, had advanced about three hundred yards from the place; and were
now, along with the black slaves, surrounded by a party of men mounted
on maherries and horses.