One evening, on a day which had been almost too hot for even the
seller of liquorice-water to go by calling and clanging, Wassef the
camel-driver sat at the door of a malodorous cafe and listened to a
wandering welee chanting the Koran. Wassef was in an ill-humour: first,
because the day had been so hot; secondly, because he had sold his
ten-months’ camel at a price almost within the bounds of honesty; and
thirdly, because a score of railway contractors and subs. were camped
outside the town. Also, Soada had scarcely spoken to him for three days
past.
In spite of all, Soada had been the apple of his eye, although he had
sworn again and again that next to a firman of the Sultan, a ten-months’
camel was the most beautiful thing on earth. He was in a bitter humour.
This had been an intermittent disease with him almost since the day
Mahommed Selim had been swallowed up by the Soudan; for, like her mother
before her, Soada had no mind to be a mat for his feet. Was it not even
said that Soada’s mother was descended from an English slave with red
hair, who in the terrible disaster at Damietta in 1805 had been carried
away into captivity on the Nile, where he married a fellah woman and
died a good Mussulman?
Soada’s mother had had red-brown hair, and not black as becomes a fellah
woman; but Wassef was proud of this ancient heritage of red hair, which
belonged to a field-marshal of Great Britain--so he swore by the beard
of the Prophet. That is why he had not beaten Soada these months past
when she refused to answer him, when with cold stubbornness she gave him
his meals or withheld them at her will. He was even a little awed by her
silent force of will, and at last he had to ask her humbly for a savoury
dish which her mother had taught her to make--a dish he always ate upon
the birthday of Mahomet Ali, who had done him the honour to flog him
with his own kourbash for filching the rations of his Arab charger.
But this particular night Wassef was bitter, and watched with stolid
indifference the going down of the sun, the time when he usually said
his prayers. He was in so ill a humour that he would willingly have
met his old enemy, Yusef, the drunken ghaffir, and settled their
long-standing dispute for ever. But Yusef came not that way. He was
lying drunk with hashish outside the mosque El Hassan, with a letter
from Mahommed Selim in his green turban--for Yusef had been a pilgrimage
to Mecca and might wear the green turban.
But if Yusef came not by the cafe where Wassef sat glooming, some one
else came who quickly roused Wassef from his phlegm. It was Donovan
Pasha, the young English official, who had sat with him many a time at
the door of his but and asked him questions about Dongola and Berber and
the Soudanese. And because Dicky spoke Arabic, and was never known to
have aught to do with the women of Beni Souef, he had been welcome; and
none the less because he never frowned when an Arab told a lie.
“Nehar-ak koom said, Mahommed Wassef,” said Dicky; and sat upon a
bench and drew a narghileh to him, wiping the ivory mouthpiece with his
handkerchief.
“Nehar-ak said, saadat el Pasha,” answered Wassef, and touched lips,
breast, and forehead with his hand. Then they shook hands, thumbs up,
after the ancient custom. And once more, Wassef touched his breast, his
lips, and his forehead.
They sat silent too long for Wassef’s pleasure, for he took pride in
what he was pleased to call his friendship with Donovan Pasha, and he
could see his watchful neighbours gathering at a little distance. It did
not suit his book that they two should not talk together.
“May Allah take them to his mercy!--A regiment was cut to pieces by the
Dervishes at Dongola last quarter of the moon,” he said.
“It was not the regiment of Mahommed Selim,” Dicky answered slowly, with
a curious hard note in his voice.
“All blessings do not come at once--such is the will of God!” answered
Wassef with a sneer.
“You brother of asses,” said Dicky, showing his teeth a little, “you
brother of asses of Bagdad!”
“Saadat el basha!” exclaimed Wassef, angry and dumfounded.
“You had better have gone yourself, and left Mahommed Selim your camels
and your daughter,” continued Dicky, his eyes straight upon Wassef’s.
“God knows your meaning,” said Wassef in a sudden fright; for the
Englishman’s tongue was straight, as he well knew.
“They sneer at you behind your back, Mahommed Wassef. No man in the
village dare tell you, for you have no friends, but I tell you, that
you may save Soada before it is too late. Mahommed Selim lives; or
lived last quarter of the moon, so says Yusef the ghaffir. Sell your
ten-months’ camel, buy the lad out, and bring him back to Soada.”
“Saadat!” said Wassef, in a quick fear, and dropped the stem of the
narghileh, and got to his feet. “Saadat el basha!”
“Before the Nile falls and you may plant yonder field with onions,”
answered Dicky, jerking his head towards the flooded valley, “her time
will be come!”
Wassef’s lips were drawn, like shrivelled parchment over his red gums,
the fingers of his right hand fumbled in his robe.
“There’s no one to kill--keep quiet!” said Dicky, But Wassef saw near
by the faces of the villagers, and on every face he thought he read a
smile, a sneer; though in truth none sneered, for they were afraid of
his terrible anger. Mad with fury he snatched the turban from his head
and threw it on the ground. Then suddenly he gave one cry, “Allah!” a
vibrant clack like a pistol-shot, for he saw Yusef, the drunken ghaffir,
coming down the road.
Yusef heard that cry of “Allah!” and he knew that the hour had come for
settling old scores. The hashish clouds lifted from his brain, and he
gripped his naboot of the hard wood of the dom-palm, and, with a cry
like a wolf, came on.
It would have been well for Wassef the camel-driver if he had not taken
the turban from his head, for before he could reach Yusef with his
dagger, he went down, his skull cracking like the top of an egg under a
spoon.