As the choking cry broke from the lips of Abraham, the son of Abraham,
Lady Barbara and Smith wheeled to see him fall, the knife clattering
to the ground from his nerveless fingers. Smith was horrified, and the
girl blenched, as they realized how close death had been. She saw Jobab
and the others standing there, their evil faces contorted with rage.
"We must get away from here," he said. "They will be upon us in a
moment."
"I'm afraid you'll have to help me support your friend," said Smith.
"She cannot walk alone."
"Put your left arm around her," directed Lady Barbara. "That will leave
your right hand free for your pistol. I will support her on the other
side."
"Leave me," begged Jezebel. "I will only keep you from escaping."
"Nonsense," said Smith. "Put your arm across my shoulders."
"You will soon be able to walk," Lady Barbara told her, "when the blood
gets back into your feet. Come! Let's get away from here while we can."
Half carrying Jezebel, the two started to move toward the circle of
menacing figures surrounding them. Jobab was the first to regain his
wits since the Prophet had collapsed at the critical moment. "Stop
them!" he cried, as he prepared to block their way, at the same time
drawing a knife from the folds of his filthy garment.
"One side, fellow!" commanded Smith, menacing Jobab with his pistol.
"The wrath of Jehovah will be upon you," cried Lady Barbara in the
Midian tongue, "as it has been upon the others who would have harmed
us, if you fail to let us pass in peace."
"It is the work of Satan," shrilled Timothy. "Do not let them weaken
your heart with lies, Jobab. Do not let them pass!" The elder was
evidently under great mental and nervous strain. His voice shook as he
spoke, and his muscles were trembling. Suddenly he, too, collapsed as
had Abraham, the son of Abraham. But still Jobab stood his ground, his
knife raised in a definite menace against them. All around them the
circle was growing smaller and its circumference more solidly knit by
the forward pressing bodies of the Midians.
"I hate to do it," said Smith, half aloud, as he raised his pistol and
aimed it at Jobab. The Apostle was directly in front of Lafayette Smith
and little more than a yard distant when the American, aiming point
blank at his chest, jerked the trigger and fired.
An expression of surprise mingled with that of rage which had convulsed
the unbecoming features of Jobab the Apostle. Lafayette Smith was
also surprised and for the same reason--he had missed Jobab. It was
incredible--there must be something wrong with the pistol!
But Jobab's surprise, while based upon the same miracle, was of a
loftier and nobler aspect. It was clothed in the sanctity of divine
revelation. It emanated from a suddenly acquired conviction that he
was immune to the fire and thunder of this strange weapon that he had
seen lay Lamech low but a few minutes earlier. Verily, Jehovah was his
shield and his buckler!
For a moment, as the shot rang out, Jobab paused and then, clothed
in the fancied immunity of this sudden revelation, he leaped upon
Lafayette Smith. The sudden and unexpected impact of his body knocked
the pistol from Smith's hand and simultaneously the villagers closed in
upon him. A real menace now that they had witnessed the futility of the
strange weapon.
Lafayette Smith was no weakling, and though his antagonist was inspired
by a combination of maniacal fury and religious fanaticism the outcome
of their struggle must have been a foregone conclusion had there
been no outside influences to affect it. But there were. Beside the
villagers, there was Lady Barbara Collis.
With consternation she had witnessed the futility of Smith's
marksmanship; and when she saw him disarmed and in the grip of Jobab,
with others of the villagers rushing to his undoing, she realized that
now, indeed, the lives of all three of them were in direct jeopardy.
The pistol lay at her feet, but only for a second. Stooping, she seized
it; and then, with the blind desperation of self-preservation, she
shoved the muzzle against Jobab's side and pulled the trigger; and as
he fell, a hideous shriek upon his lips, she turned the weapon upon
the advancing villagers and fired again. It was enough. Screaming in
terror, the Midians turned and fled. A wave of nausea swept over the
girl; she swayed and might have fallen had not Smith supported her.
"I'll be all right in a moment," she said. "It was so horrible!"
"You were very brave," said Lafayette Smith.
"Not as brave as you," she replied with a weak little smile; "but a
better shot."
"Oh," cried Jezebel, "I thought they would have us again. Now that they
are frightened, let us go away. It will require only a word from one of
the apostles to send them upon us again."
"You are right," agreed Smith. "Have you any belongings you wish to
take with you?"
"Only what we wear," replied Lady Barbara.
"What is the easiest way out of the valley?" asked the man, on the
chance that there might be another and nearer avenue of escape than the
fissure through which he had come.
"We know of no way out," replied Jezebel.
"Then follow me," directed Smith. "I'll take you out the way I came in."
They made their way from the village and out onto the dark plain toward
Chinnereth, nor did they speak again until they had gone some distance
from the fires of the Midians and felt that they were safe from
pursuit. It was then that Lafayette Smith asked a question prompted by
natural curiosity.
"How can it be possible that you young ladies know of no way out of
this valley?" he asked. "Why can't you go out the way you came in?"
"I could scarcely do that," replied Jezebel; "I was born here."
"Born here?" exclaimed Smith. "Then your parents must live in the
valley. We can go to their home. Where is it?"
"We just came from it," explained Lady Barbara. "Jezebel was born in
the village from which we have just escaped."
"And those beasts killed her parents?" demanded Lafayette.
"You do not understand," said Lady Barbara. "Those people are her
people."
Smith was dumfounded. He almost ejaculated: "How horrible!" but stayed
the impulse. "And you?" he asked presently. "Are they your people,
too?" There was a note of horror in his voice.
"No," replied Lady Barbara. "I am English."
"And you don't know how you got into this valley?"
"Yes, I know--I came by parachute."
Smith halted and faced her. "You're Lady Barbara Collis!" he exclaimed.
"How did you know?" she asked. "Have you been searching for me?"
"No, but when I passed through London the papers were full of the story
of your flight and your disappearance--pictures and things, you know."
"And you just stumbled onto me? What a coincidence! And how fortunate
for me."
"To tell you the truth, I am lost myself," admitted Smith. "So possibly
you are about as badly off as you were before."
"Scarcely," she said. "You have at least prevented my premature
cremation."
"They were really going to burn you? It doesn't seem possible in this
day and age of enlightenment and civilization."
"The Midians are two thousand years behind the times," she told him,
"and in addition to that they are religious, as well as congenital,
maniacs."
Smith glanced in the direction of Jezebel whom he could see plainly
in the light of a full moon that had but just topped the eastern rim
of the crater. Perhaps Lady Barbara sensed the unspoken question that
disturbed him.
"Jezebel is different," she said. "I cannot explain why, but she is not
at all like her people. She tells me that occasionally one such as she
is born among them."
"But she speaks English," said Smith. "She cannot be of the same blood
as the people I saw in the village, whose language is certainly not the
same as hers, to say nothing of the dissimilarity of their physical
appearance."
"I taught her English," explained Lady Barbara.
"She wants to go away and leave her parents and her people?" asked
Smith.
"Of course I do," said Jezebel. "Why should I want to stay here and be
murdered? My father, my mother, my brothers and sisters were in that
crowd you saw about the crosses tonight. They hate me. They hated me
from the day I was born, because I am not like them. But then there is
no love in the land of Midian--only religion, which preaches love and
practices hate."
Smith fell silent as the three plodded on over the rough ground down
toward the shore of Chinnereth. He was considering the responsibility
that Fate had loaded upon his shoulders so unexpectedly and wondering
if he were equal to the emergency, who, as he was becoming to realize,
could scarcely be sure of his ability to insure his own existence in
this savage and unfamiliar world.
Keenly the realization smote him that in almost thirty hours that he
had been thrown exclusively upon his own resources he had discovered
not a single opportunity to provide food for himself, the result of
which was becoming increasingly apparent in a noticeable loss of
strength and endurance. What then might he hope to accomplish with two
additional mouths to feed?
And what if they encountered either savage beasts or unfriendly
natives? Lafayette Smith shuddered. "I hope they can run fast," he
murmured.
"Who?" asked Lady Barbara. "What do you mean?"
"Oh," stammered Lafayette. "I--I did not know that I spoke aloud." How
could he tell her that he had lost confidence even in his .32? He could
not. Never before in his life had he felt so utterly incompetent. His
futility seemed to him to border on criminality. At any rate it was
dishonorable, since it was deceiving these young women who had a right
to expect guidance and protection from him.
He was very bitter toward himself; but that, perhaps was due partly
to the nervous reaction following the rather horrible experience at
the village and physical weakness that was bordering on exhaustion.
He was excoriating himself for having dismissed Obambi, which act, he
realized, was at the bottom of all his troubles; and then he recalled
that had it not been for that there would have been no one to save
these two girls from the horrible fate from which he had preserved
them. This thought somewhat restored his self-esteem, for he could not
escape the fact that he had, after all, saved them.
Jezebel, the circulation restored to her feet, had been walking without
assistance for some time. The three had lapsed into a long silence,
each occupied with his own thoughts, as Smith led the way in search of
the opening into the fissure.
A full African moon lighted their way, its friendly beams lessening
the difficulties of the night march. Chinnereth lay upon their right,
a vision of loveliness in the moonlight, while all about them the grim
mass of the crater walls seemed to have closed in upon them and to hang
menacingly above their heads, for night and moonlight play strange
tricks with perspective.
It was shortly after midnight that Smith first stumbled and fell. He
arose quickly, berating his awkwardness; but as he proceeded, Jezebel,
who was directly behind him, noticed that he walked unsteadily,
stumbling more and more often. Presently he fell again, and this time
it was apparent to both girls that it was only with considerable effort
that he arose. The third time he fell they both helped him to his feet.
"I'm terribly clumsy," he said. He was swaying slightly as he stood
between them.
Lady Barbara observed him closely. "You are exhausted," she said.
"Oh, no," insisted Smith. "I'm all right."
"When did you eat last?" demanded the girl.
"I had some chocolate with me," replied Smith. "I ate the last of it
this afternoon sometime."
"When did you eat a meal, I mean?" persisted Lady Barbara.
"Well," he admitted, "I had a light lunch yesterday noon, or rather day
before yesterday. It must be after midnight now."
"And you have been walking all the time since?"
"Oh, I ran part of the time," he replied, with a weak laugh. "That was
when the lion chased me. And I slept in the afternoon before I came to
the village."
"We are going to stop right here until you are rested," announced the
English girl.
"Oh, no," he demurred, "we mustn't do that. I want to get you out of
this valley before daylight, as they will probably pursue us as soon as
the sun comes up."
"I don't think so," said Jezebel. "They are too much afraid of the
North Midians to come this far from the village; and, anyway, we have
such a start that we can reach the cliffs, where you say the fissure
is, before they could overtake us."
"You must rest," insisted Lady Barbara.
Reluctantly Lafayette sat down. "I'm afraid I'm not going to be much
help to you," he said. "You see I am not really familiar with Africa,
and I fear that I am not adequately armed for your protection. I wish
Danny were here."
"Who is Danny?" asked Lady Barbara.
"He's a friend who accompanied me on this trip."
"He's had African experience?"
"No," admitted Lafayette, "but one always feels safe with Danny about.
He seems so familiar with firearms. You see he is a protection guy."
"What is a protection guy?" asked Lady Barbara.
"To be quite candid," replied Lafayette, "I am not at all sure that
I know myself what it is. Danny is not exactly garrulous about his
past; and I have hesitated to pry into his private affairs, but he did
volunteer the information one day that he had been a protection guy for
a big shot. It sounded reassuring."
"What is a big shot?" inquired Jezebel.
"Perhaps a big game hunter," suggested Lady Barbara.
"No," said Lafayette. "I gather from Danny's remarks that a big shot is
a rich brewer or distiller who also assists in directing the affairs of
a large city. It may be just another name for political boss."
"Of course," said Lady Barbara, "it would be nice if your friend were
here; but he is not, so suppose you tell us something about yourself.
Do you realize that we do not even know your name?"
Smith laughed. "That's about all there is to know about me," he said.
"It's Lafayette Smith, and now will you introduce me to this other
young lady? I already know who you are."
"Oh, this is Jezebel," said Lady Barbara.
There was a moment's silence. "Is that all?" asked Smith.
Lady Barbara laughed. "Just Jezebel," she said. "If we ever get out of
here we'll have to find a surname for her. They don't use 'em in the
land of Midian."
Smith lay on his back looking up at the moon. Already he was commencing
to feel the beneficial effects of relaxation and rest. His thoughts
were toying with the events of the past thirty hours. What an adventure
for a prosaic professor of geology, he thought. He had never been
particularly interested in girls, although he was far from being
a misogynist, and to find himself thus thrown into the intimate
relationship of protector to two beautiful young women was somewhat
disconcerting. And the moon had revealed that they were beautiful.
Perhaps the sun might have a different story to tell. He had heard of
such things and he wondered. But sunlight could not alter the cool,
crisp, well bred voice of Lady Barbara Collis. He liked to hear her
talk. He had always enjoyed the accent and diction of cultured English
folk.
He tried to think of something to ask her that he might listen to her
voice again. That raised the question of just how he should address
her. His contacts with nobility had been few--in fact almost restricted
to a single Russian prince who had been a door man at a restaurant he
sometimes patronized, and he had never heard him addressed otherwise
than as Mike. He thought Lady Barbara would be the correct formula,
though that smacked a little of familiarity. Lady Collis seemed,
somehow, even less appropriate. He wished he were sure. Mike would
never do. Jezebel. What an archaic name! And then he fell asleep.
Lady Barbara looked down at him and raised a warning finger to her
lips lest Jezebel awaken him. Then she rose and walked away a short
distance, beckoning the golden one to follow.
"He is about done up," she whispered, as they seated themselves again.
"Poor chap, he has had a rough time of it. Imagine being chased by a
lion with only that little pop-gun with which to defend oneself."
"Is he from your country?" asked Jezebel.
"No, he's an American. I can tell by his accent."
"He is very beautiful," said Jezebel, with a sigh.
"After looking at Abraham, the son of Abraham, and Jobab, for all these
weeks I could agree with you if you insisted that St. Ghandi is an
Adonis," replied Lady Barbara.
"I do not know what you mean," said Jezebel; "but do you not think him
beautiful?"
"I am less interested in his pulchritude than in his marksmanship,
and that is positively beastly. He's got sand though, my word! no
end. He walked right into that village and took us out from under the
noses of hundreds of people with nothing but his little peashooter for
protection. That, Jezebel, was top hole."
The golden Jezebel sighed. "He is much more beautiful than the men of
the land of North Midian," she said.
Lady Barbara looked at her companion for a long minute; then she
sighed. "If I ever get you to civilization," she said, "I'm afraid you
are going to prove something of a problem." Wherewith she stretched
herself upon the ground and was soon asleep, for she, too, had had a
strenuous day.