THE FIGHT IN THE DARK
The next instant the boys rushed from their hiding place and launched
themselves upon the rascals.
They were both tall and muscular, and had the advantage of the
surprise. Don knocked the flashlight from Tezra’s hand, and lashed
out at him with both fists. The blows staggered the Egyptian, and his
confusion was increased by tripping over the leg of Phalos, who was
rising from his seat to take part in the fracas.
Tezra went down full length on the floor, with Don on top of him. Teddy
had grappled with Nepahak and dragged him from the door.
The sound of voices and of hurrying feet outside indicated that the
uproar had been heard. The imminence of capture made the rascals
frantic, and with a desperate effort they freed themselves from their
opponents, tore open the door, and vanished.
A moment later several of the crew with one of the officers came into
the room. One of the men turned on the electric light, and the party
looked with exclamations of astonishment at the disordered room and the
panting and disheveled boys.
“What’s going on here?” asked the officer sharply.
Phalos stepped forward.
“Two men tried to rob me,” he explained. “They had bound and gagged me.
These boys learned of my plight and came to my help.”
“Who were the men that tried to rob you and where are they?” asked the
officer.
“They pulled away and ran out of the door just before you got here,”
was the reply. “Their names are Tezra and Nepahak. You will find their
names on the passenger list of the boat.”
The officer gave some hurried commands to his men and they went out.
Then he turned to Phalos.
“Are you hurt?” he asked solicitously.
“Not seriously,” answered the old Egyptian. “Somewhat bruised by the
rough handling they gave me and shaken up by the experience. Nothing
more than that.”
“I am glad to hear that,” was the reply. “This has been a most
deplorable occurrence. I assure you that we will make every effort to
arrest the rascals and hand them over to the authorities as soon as
we reach port. In the meantime, I would deem it a favor if you and
these boys--who, by the way, showed mighty good pluck in tackling the
thieves--would kindly keep this matter to yourselves. It doesn’t do the
ship or the line any good to have a thing of this kind noised about.
Then, too, it’s apt to make the other passengers nervous and spoil the
pleasure of their journey. Would you mind promising me that?”
“Not the least in the world,” answered Phalos promptly, and Don and
Teddy nodded in agreement.
“With the exception of my uncles,” qualified Don. “They’re my guardians
and have a right to know anything that happens to me while I’m
traveling in their charge. But I can promise that they won’t mention it
to any one else.”
“That’s all right,” replied the officer. “Now, Mr. Phalos, is there
anything I can do for you? Perhaps you would like to have me send the
ship’s doctor in to look you over.”
“Don’t take that trouble, thanks,” replied Phalos. “I was not injured.
A good night’s sleep will probably set me up again.”
“Did the thieves get anything?” asked the officer, casting a look
around as he prepared to leave.
“Nothing at all, thanks to the courage of those two brave boys.”
“I’ll have a guard set over this room, so that if those fellows should
come back he can nab them,” promised the officer. “But I guess they’ll
steer clear of it. Probably we’ll have them in custody before morning.”
He bade Phalos and the boys good-night and went out, closing the door
behind him.
“I guess we’d better be going too, Mr. Phalos,” said Don. “That is, if
there’s nothing more we can do for you.”
“I think you’ve done quite enough for me for one night,” replied
Phalos, with a grateful smile. “I can never thank you enough. You may
have saved my life. At any rate you’ve preserved me from physical pain
and permitted me to retain in my own keeping something that is very
precious to me. I shall see you again in the morning and will express
my thanks, I hope, a little more adequately.”
“We’re only too glad to have been of service,” answered Don.
“Good-night,” and with a last word of thanks echoing in their ears, he
and Teddy went out on the deck.
“Gee!” said Teddy, as he drew a long breath, “I feel like something
that the cat dragged in, and I guess I look it too.”
“Same here,” laughed Don, as he took in the torn collars and rumpled
clothes of himself and his friend. “It was some little fight those
rascals put up. I only hope they’re nabbed by this time. But say,
Brick, how about that little hunch of mine?” and he gave his comrade a
playful poke in the ribs.
“You win,” agreed Teddy. “Your hunches are there with the goods, all
right. But let’s get to our cabin and wash up and slip into some other
clothes.”
As they were opening the door of their stateroom, they met captain
Sturdy and Professor Bruce.
“Oh, there you are,” said the captain. “We were wondering what had
become of you. But what has happened?” he asked quickly, as he noticed
the state of the boys’ garments.
“Oh, we’ve had a little scrimmage,” replied Don, and went on to narrate
the exciting happenings of the last half hour.
His uncle listened with interest, not unmixed with some alarm,
interrupting him at times with questions.
“You did well, both of you,” Captain Sturdy said approvingly when Don
had finished. “Though it would perhaps, have been more prudent if you
had summoned help as soon as you had discovered the state of things
before you climbed through the transom. You ran a big chance of having
one or both of those rascals stick a knife into you.”
“I suppose so,” answered Don. “But I didn’t think of that. All I saw
was that helpless old man in the power of those villains. If they’d
only been a minute or two later in getting back, we’d have had the old
man out on the deck, and they wouldn’t have dared to attack him there.”
“It’s curious that the thieves should have attempted so bold a thing
right here on the ship,” remarked the professor. “They must have been
desperately anxious to get what he had. Had they searched his baggage?”
“No,” replied Don. “And that’s the funny thing about it. They hadn’t
broken into his bags or trunk, and it didn’t seem that they intended to
do so.”
“But you say that they were there to rob him?” said the professor, in
some perplexity.
“Yes,” replied Don. “But the thing they wanted to get wasn’t in his
baggage. It was in his mind.”
“You mean they wanted to extort a secret from him?” put in the captain.
“That was it,” Don affirmed. “The old Egyptian told us that himself.
They were going to torture him to get it out of him.”
“It must have been very valuable if they were prepared to go to such
lengths as that,” remarked the professor. “Did he tell you what it was?”
“He didn’t,” replied Don. “But Tezra let it out when he told Mr. Phalos
that he was going to make him tell the secret of the Tombs of Gold.”
“The Tombs of Gold!” exclaimed Professor Bruce, with a start.
“Ever hear of them, Amos?” asked his brother-in-law, casting a keen
glance at him.
“Many times,” replied the professor. “But I never knew how much faith
to put in their existence. There have been persistent rumors that there
are such tombs in the Egyptian desert, and more than one expedition
has been organized to search for them. But they’ve always had their
troubles for their pains.”
“Then you think they’re myths?” asked the captain.
“I wouldn’t say that,” was the reply. “There are so many wonderful
things in that mysterious country that I’d hesitate to say offhand that
anything was impossible. And our own experience in connection with the
city of Brass and Cave of Emeralds in the Sahara have taught us how
much truth there may often be concealed in tradition.”
“True enough,” agreed the captain. “I’m beginning to think we may find
this old Egyptian a very interesting person.”
“He promised to look us up to-morrow morning,” said Don. “If he does,
I’ll introduce him to you.”
The boys were eager the next morning to learn whether the rascals had
been apprehended. Don sought out the officer whom he had seen the night
before, a Mr. Maitland.
“Anything doing, Mr. Maitland?” he inquired.
“Not a thing,” was the disappointed reply. “We haven’t found hide or
hair of them. They seem to have vanished into thin air. But I’m having
a quiet hunt going on for them, and sooner or later we’ll get our hands
on them. They must be somewhere on the ship.”
“Unless they jumped overboard,” suggested Don.
The officer laughed.
“Not a chance,” he replied. “Rascals like that think too much of their
precious skins. We’ll catch them some time skulking around the ship.
For the present, they’ve probably slipped down a hatchway into a hold.
There are plenty of hiding places there, and for a time they may elude
us. But not for long.”
Phalos had not appeared at the breakfast table, but had been served
in his room. About the middle of the forenoon, however, he made his
appearance, and, catching sight of Don and his party, came up to them
with a smile.
“I was too agitated last night to thank you properly,” he said,
addressing himself to Don and Teddy. “But I want to do it now. In my
confusion, I didn’t even learn your names.”
“This is my friend, Teddy Allison,” said Don, indicating his comrade.
“These are my uncles, Professor Bruce and Captain Sturdy. My own name
is Don Sturdy.”
“Sturdy!” exclaimed the Egyptian, as he acknowledged the introductions.
“I had a very dear friend of that name once, a Mr. Richard Sturdy. Is
he, by any chance, related to you?”
“Related!” cried Don, as an electric shock seemed to pass through him.
“He’s my father! Oh, tell me, what do you know about him?”
Phalos looked at him, a little surprised at his vehemence.
“It’s some years since I saw or heard of him,” he replied. “But why do
you ask? Surely you must know more about his whereabouts than I do.”
Don’s new-found hope died almost as soon as it was born, and his face
was clouded with disappointment.
“Mr. Richard Sturdy is my brother,” explained the captain. “He went
away some time ago on an exploring expedition. The ship he sailed on
was wrecked, and my brother received an injury to his head that we fear
has affected his mind. We are now going to Egypt to look for him.”
Then, while the old Egyptian listened with the keenest interest and
sympathy, Don’s uncle told briefly of the happenings that had brought
the party on the present voyage.
“I am very sorry to hear this,” Phalos observed, when the story was
finished. “I sincerely hope your search will be crowned with success.
It may be that I can help you, for I know my native country as no
foreigner can. And, if I can, you may command my services. I may be
able to repay in some small measure the debt I owe to this brave nephew
of yours and his friend.”
“We appreciate your offer, and we shall certainly avail ourselves of
it,” said the professor warmly. “Perhaps you can help us even now by
telling us something about your acquaintance with my brother-in-law.”
“Mr. Sturdy and I were drawn together by many common interests while
he was in my country,” explained Zeta Phalos. “He was an enthusiast
about the monuments and wonders of old Egypt, and that, of course, was
pleasing to me. He was especially interested in the tombs of former
Egyptian rulers, and spent weeks and months in studying those that had
been opened and in looking for others that still remained untouched.
I was able to help him in this, for all my life has been practically
devoted to the same thing. So we grew to be very close friends.”
“Was there any particular tomb or tombs that he was searching for?”
asked Don eagerly.
The old Egyptian shot a quick look at his questioner.
“Perhaps he was,” he answered evasively. “But he was rather a reticent
man and kept his plans pretty closely to himself.”
“We thought perhaps he was looking for the Tombs of Gold,” remarked the
professor casually, polishing his glasses.
Phalos gave a perceptible start.
“You’ve heard of the Tombs of Gold?” he asked, in a tone that he
evidently tried to make careless.
“Oh, I know there’s a tradition that such tombs exist somewhere in
Egypt,” replied Professor Bruce. “I don’t know whether there’s any
truth in it or not.”
“Egypt is rich in treasure,” observed Phalos noncommittally. “In
ancient days it stretched from the Euphrates to the headwaters of
the Nile. Gold was brought in tribute to her kings from all parts of
Africa and Asia. In the time of the Pharaohs her wealth was almost
incalculable. Centuries have elapsed since then, but who shall say that
some of that wealth does not remain either above or below her soil?”
“Then you believe that the Tombs of Gold really exist?” asked Don, his
eyes shining.
“I did not say so,” replied Phalos. “It is possible that Mr. Sturdy
thought so. He was certainly intent upon some definite object he had in
mind. He was not going about at random. Especially was he interested
in the Valley of the Kings. There he spent most of his time, working
sometimes till far into the night.”
“It is reasonable to conclude, then, that he has now gone to the Valley
of the Kings, do you think?” asked the captain.
“That is certainly where I would look for him first,” replied Phalos.
“You will have to pass through Cairo to get there. My home is in that
city, and I hope you will make it your headquarters during your stay.”
The friendship between Zeta Phalos and the members of the Sturdy party
grew deeper as the voyage progressed. It soon became evident that the
old Egyptian would prove invaluable to them when once they had landed
and started on their search.
One night as the vessel was nearing the Mediterranean, Don found it
impossible to sleep. His mind was full of thoughts of his parents,
joyous when he thought of the coming reunion with his dear mother, sad
when he dwelt on the plight of his equally dear father.
What had become of the latter? Was he wandering about aimlessly in the
foreign land, exposed perhaps to hunger and thirst, to poverty and
hardship? Perhaps at that moment he was dead! At the thought Don’s
heart was wrung with anguish. Or perhaps--and the thought was equally
terrible--his mind, that splendid scientific mind, was gone forever.
Tortured by these possibilities, Don at last rose, slipped on some
clothes, and went out on the deck.
It was about two o’clock in the morning, and there was no one in sight
except occasional members of the crew intent on some duty and shadowy
figures of officers making their round of the ship.
The vessel was passing through the Straits of Gibraltar, and Don sat
down in a chair near the stern, trying to divert his somber thoughts
by gazing at the formidable frowning Rock that stood as the symbol of
Great Britain’s power in the Mediterranean.
A slight splash in the water attracted his attention. He turned his
eyes in the direction of the sound, but could see nothing.
Then came a second splash, and with his eyes somewhat adjusted to the
darkness, he could faintly detect a human head above the surface of the
water. Almost instantly the head was lost in the gloom, but a faint
trail of foam traced the course of a man swimming toward the shore.
At first Don jumped to the conclusion that a man had fallen overboard.
But with the second splash he came to the conclusion that two were
hardly likely to have fallen over so nearly at the same time. Besides,
there was no call for help. And instead of swimming toward the ship,
one, at least, was certainly making for the shore, which at that place
was not more than a quarter of a mile distant, and probably the other
man was following his example.
Just as Don was wondering what he ought to do, Mr. Maitland, who
happened to be on watch, came along. He peered at Don and recognized
him.
“Keeping pretty late hours, aren’t you?” he asked, with a smile.
“What’s the matter? Too hot to sleep?”
“Not that exactly,” replied Don. “I was restless, and thought that a
change might make me drowsy enough to make it worth while to go back to
bed. I’m glad you came along, Mr. Maitland. Did you hear those splashes
in the water?”
“Splashes!” exclaimed the officer, alert on the instant. “No. Where
were they?”
“Rather close to the stern,” replied Don. “One followed close upon
another. I know that one was made by a man, for I saw him, and I
suppose the other one was too.”
The officer unslung his night glasses and looked in the direction of
the shore, but could make out nothing.
“What do you suppose they were?” inquired Don. “Could they have been
deserters, do you think?”
“That’s possible, I suppose,” replied Mr. Maitland, with a perplexed
air, as he put up his glasses. “Though I don’t know of any
dissatisfaction among the crew. And, anyway, sailors usually wait until
they reach some port before they take French leave. By Jove! I have
it,” he cried. “It’s those scoundrels that tried to rob the Egyptian.”
Don jumped to his feet.
“Do you think so?” he cried.
“That’s it, for a thousand dollars!” declared the officer emphatically.
“They’ve managed somehow to find a hiding place in a hold, though I
don’t see for the life of me how they did it. They probably knew that
we’d pass close to the shore when we got to the Straits, and they
decided to make a swim for it.”
“Couldn’t you get out a boat and capture them?” asked Don, chagrined at
the thought of the rascals’ escape.
Mr. Maitland shook his head.
“No use,” he replied. “By the time we rounded to and lowered a boat
they’d have reached the shore. Probably they’re there now. Oh, they’ve
put one over on us, all right. It’s a rotten shame, too, for they
richly deserved to be put behind the bars.”
There was no use, however, of crying over spilt milk, and after a few
minutes more of conversation Don went again to his room.
His story of the night’s events to the members of his party and the
old Egyptian the next morning created a stir. Phalos especially looked
grave.
“Of course,” said Don, to cheer him up, “we’re not dead sure it was
those fellows at all. Though Mr. Maitland told me this morning that the
crew had been checked up and none was missing.”
“I’m afraid it’s only too true that Tezra and Nepahak have made their
escape,” mourned Phalos. “And if they have, I shall hear from them
again.”
“Perhaps they’ve had such a scare thrown into them that they’ll let you
alone for the future,” ventured Teddy.
Phalos shook his head.
“I know them too well,” he asserted. “Tezra is persistent and
relentless. Nepahak is only his tool. They may bide their time, but
soon or late they will renew their attempt to get possession of--”
“Of what?” asked the captain, as Phalos hesitated.
“Oh, well,” returned Phalos, evading a reply. “I am not going to worry
about what may happen. Let us talk of something pleasanter,” and he
launched into a description of the Temple of Philae that he had been
discussing with the professor the night before.
They were now in the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean, almost
every foot of whose coast and islands was rich in historic associations
of the “glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome.”
Under other circumstances, Don would have found an endless fascination
in this storied sea and its surroundings, but now his mind was so taken
up with thoughts of his parents that he could pay little attention to
anything else. All that he wanted was Egypt, the Egypt where he would
find his mother, the Egypt where he hoped to find his father. This
filled his whole horizon. Nothing else mattered. When, oh, when would
Egypt loom up on the horizon?
And his heart gave such a leap that it almost seemed as though it would
leave his body when one morning a faint blur in the distance, rapidly
growing larger, revealed itself as the port of Alexandria, where he
would first step on Egyptian soil.