On entering within the tent to which they had been directed, they found,
lying upon the ground, a man of about forty years of age. Although he
appeared a mere skeleton, consisting of little more than skin and bones,
he did not present the general aspect of a man suffering from ill
health; nor yet would he have passed for a white man anywhere out of
Africa.
"You are the first English people I've seen for over thirty years," said
he, as they entered the tent; "for I can tell by your looks that every
one of you is English. You are my countrymen. I was white once myself;
and you will be as black as I am when you have been sun-scorched here
for forty-three years, as I have been."
"What!" exclaimed Terence; "have you been a slave in the Saara so long
as that? If so, God help us! What hope is there of our ever getting
free?"
The young Irishman spoke in a tone of despair.
"Very little chance of your ever seeing home again, my lad," answered
the invalid! "but I have a chance now, if you and your comrades don't
spoil it. For God's sake don't tell these Arabs that they are the fools
they are, for making salvage of the ballast! If you do, they'll be sure
to make an end of me. It's all my doing. I've made them believe the
stones are valuable, so that they may take them to some place where I
can escape. It is the only chance I have had for years, don't destroy
it, as you value the life of a fellow-countryman."
From further conversation with the man, our adventurers learned that he
had been shipwrecked on the coast many years before, and had ever since
been trying to get transported to some place where he might be ransomed.
He declared that he had been backward and forward across the desert
forty or fifty times; and that he had belonged to not less than fifty
masters!
"I have only been with these fellows a few weeks," said he, "and
fortunately when we came this way we were able to tell where the sunken
ship was, by seeing her foremast then sticking out of the water. The
vessel was in ballast; and the crew probably put out to sea in their
boats, without being discovered. It was the first ship my masters had
ever heard of without a cargo; and they would not believe but that the
stones were such, and must be worth something, else why should they be
carried about the world in a ship? I told them it was a kind of stone
from which gold was obtained; but that it must be taken to some place
where there was plenty of coal or wood, before the gold could be melted
out of it, and then entrusted to white men who understood the art of
extracting the precious metal from the rocks.
"They believe all this: for they can see shining particles in the
sandstone which they think is really gold, or something that can be
converted into it. For four days they forced me to toil, at diving and
assisting them; but that didn't suit my purpose; and I've at length
succeeded in making them believe that I am not able to work any longer."
"But do you really think," asked Harry Blount, "that they will carry the
ballast any distance without learning its real value?"
"Yes; I did think that you might take it to Mogador, and that they would
let me go along with them."
"But some one will meet them, and tell them that their lading is
worthless?" suggested Colin.
"No, I think that fear of losing their valuable freight will keep them
from letting any one know what they've got. They are hiding it in the
sand now, as fast as they get it ashore; for fear some party stronger
than themselves should come along and take it away from them. I intend
to tell them after they have started on their journey, not to let any
one see or know what they have, until they are safe within the walls of
Mogador, where they will be under the protection of the governor. They
have promised to take me along with them, and if I once get within sight
of a seaport, not all the Arabs in Africa will hinder me from recovering
my liberty."
While the pretended invalid was talking to them, Sailor Bill had been
watching him, apparently with eager interest.
"Beg pardon for 'aving a small taste o' differences wid you in the
mather ov your age," said the sailor, as soon as the man had ceased
speaking; "but I'll never belave you've been about 'ere for forty years.
It can't be so long as that."
The two men, after staring at each other for a moment, uttered the
words, "Jim!"
"Bill!" and then, springing forward, each grasped the hand of the other.
Two brothers had met!
The three mids remembered that Bill had told them of a brother, who,
when last heard from was a slave somewhere in the Saara, and they needed
no explanation of the scene now presented to them.
The two brothers were left alone; and after the others had gone out of
the tent they returned to the Krooman; who had just succeeded in
convincing the sheik that the stones being fished out of the sunken ship
were, at that time and place, of no value whatever.
All attempts on the part of the old sheik to convince the wreckers as he
had been convinced himself, proved fruitless.
The arguments he used to them were repeated to the sailor, Bill's
brother; and by him were easily upset with a few words.
"Of course they will try to make you believe the cargo is no good,"
retorted Jim. "They wish you to leave it, so that they can have it all
to themselves. Does not common sense tell you that they are liars?"
This was conclusive; and the wreckers continued their toil, extracting
stone after stone out of the hold of the submerged ship.
Sailor Bill at his brother's request then summoned his companions to the
tent.
"Which of you have been trying to do me an injury?" inquired Jim. "I
told you not to say that the stones were worthless."
It was explained to him how the Krooman had been enlightening his
master.
"Call the Krooman," said Jim, "and I'll enlighten him. If these Arabs
find out that they have been deceived, I shall be killed, and your
master, the old sheik, will certainly lose all his property. Tell him
to come here also. I must talk to him. Something must be done
immediately, or I shall be killed."
The Krooman and the old sheik were conducted into the tent; and Jim
talked to them in the Arabic language.
"Leave my masters alone to their folly," said he to the sheik; "and they
will be so busy that you can depart in peace. If not, and you convince
them that they have been deceived, they will rob you of all you have
got. You have already said enough to excite their suspicions, and they
will in time learn that I have been humbugging them. My life is no
longer safe in their company. You buy me, then; and let us all take our
departure immediately."
"Are the stones in the wreck really worth nothing?" asked the sheik.
"No more than the sand on the shore; and when they find out that such is
the case, some one will be robbed. They have come to the sea-coast to
seek wealth, and they will have it one way or the other. They are a
tribe of bad men. Buy me, and leave them to continue the task they have
so ignorantly undertaken."
"You are not well," replied the sheik; "and if I buy you, you cannot
walk."
"Let me ride on a camel until I get out of sight of these my masters,"
answered Jim; "you will then see whether I can walk or not. They will
sell me cheap: for they think I am done up. But I am not; I was only
weary of diving after worthless stones."
The old sheik promised to follow Jim's advice; and ordered his
companions to prepare immediately for the continuance of their journey.
Sidi Hamet was called, and asked by Rias Abdallah if he would sell some
of the stones they had saved from the infidel ship.
"Bismillah! No!" exclaimed the wrecker. "You say they are of no value,
and I do not wish to cheat any true belief of the Prophet."
"Will you give me some of them, then?"
"No! Allah forbid that Sidi Hamet should ever make a worthless present
to a friend!"
"I am a merchant," rejoined the old sheik, "and wish to do business.
Have you any slaves, or other property, you can sell me?"
"Yes! You see that Christian dog," replied the wrecker, pointing to
Sailor Bill's brother; "I will sell him."
"You have promised to take me to Swearah," interrupted Jim. "Do not
sell me, master; I think I shall get well some time, and will then work
for you as hard as I can."
Sidi Hamet cast upon his infidel slave a look of of contempt at this
allusion to his illness; but Jim's remark, and the angry glance, were
both unheeded by the Arab sheik.
The slave's pretended wishes not to be sold were disregarded; and for
the consideration of an old shirt and a small camel-hair tent, he became
the property of Rias Abdallah Yezzed.
The old sheik and his followers then betook themselves to their camels;
and the kafila was hurried up the dry bed of the river, leaving the
wreckers to continue their toilsome and unprofitable task.