Chapter 1: =Stas rose at once= replaced by =Saba rose at once=

[Transcriber's note: Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916), _In Desert and

Wilderness_ (1910), 1917 edition. The original title is: W pustyni

i w puszczy. There was also a French edition: Le gouffre noir.]

IN DESERT

AND WILDERNESS

BY

HENRYK SIENKIEWICZ

AUTHOR OF "WITH FIRE AND SWORD," "QUO VADIS," "WHIRLPOOLS," ETC.

_TRANSLATED FROM THE POLISH BY_

MAX A. DREZMAL

BOSTON

LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY

1917

_Copyright_, 1912,

BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.

_All rights reserved_

Printers

S. J. PARKBILL & Co., BOSTON, U.S.A.

PART FIRST

IN DESERT AND WILDERNESS

I

"Do you know, Nell," said Stas Tarkowski to his friend, a little

English girl, "that yesterday the police came and arrested the wife of

Smain, the overseer, and her three children,--that Fatma who several

times called at the office to see your father and mine."

And little Nell, resembling a beautiful picture, raised her greenish

eyes to Stas and asked with mingled surprise and fright:

"Did they take her to prison?"

"No, but they will not let her go to the Sudân and an official has

arrived who will see that she does not move a step out of Port Said."

"Why?"

Stas, who was fourteen years old and who loved his eight-year-old

companion very much, but looked upon her as a mere child, said with a

conceited air:

"When you reach my age, you will know everything which happens, not

only along the Canal from Port Said to Suez, but in all Egypt. Have you

ever heard of the Mahdi?"

"I heard that he is ugly and naughty."

The boy smiled compassionately.

"I do not know whether he is ugly. The Sudânese claim that he is

handsome. But the word 'naughty' about a man who has murdered so many

people, could be used only by a little girl, eight years old, in

dresses--oh--reaching the knees."

"Papa told me so and papa knows best."

"He told you so because otherwise you would not understand. He would

not express himself to me in that way. The Mahdi is worse than a whole

shoal of crocodiles. Do you understand? That is a nice expression for

me. 'Naughty!' They talk that way to babes."

But, observing the little girl's clouded face, he became silent and

afterwards said:

"Nell, you know I did not want to cause you any unpleasantness. The

time will come when you will be fourteen. I certainly promise you that."

"Aha!" she replied with a worried look, "but if before that time the

Mahdi should dash into Port Said and eat me."

"The Mahdi is not a cannibal, so he does not eat people. He only kills

them. He will not dash into Port Said, but even if he did and wanted to

murder you, he would first have to do with me."

This declaration with the sniff with which Stas inhaled the air through

his nose, did not bode any good for the Mahdi and considerably quieted

Nell as to her own person.

"I know," she answered, "you would not let him harm me. But why do they

not allow Fatma to leave Port Said?"

"Because Fatma is a cousin of the Mahdi. Her husband, Smain, made an

offer to the Egyptian Government at Cairo to go to the Sudân, where the

Mahdi is staying, and secure the liberty of all Europeans who have

fallen into his hands."

"Then Smain is a good man?"

"Wait! Your papa and my papa, who knew Smain thoroughly, did not have

any confidence in him and warned Nubar Pasha not to trust him. But the

Government agreed to send Smain and Smain remained over half a year

with the Mahdi. The prisoners not only did not return, but news has

come from Khartûm that the Mahdists are treating them more and more

cruelly, and that Smain, having taken money from the Government, has

become a traitor. He joined the Mahdi's army and has been appointed an

emir. The people say that in that terrible battle in which General

Hicks fell, Smain commanded the Mahdi's artillery and that he probably

taught the Mahdists how to handle the cannon, which before that time

they, as savage people, could not do. But now Smain is anxious to get

his wife and children out of Egypt. So when Fatma, who evidently knew

in advance what Smain was going to do, wanted secretly to leave Port

Said, the Government arrested her with the children."

"But what good are Fatma and her children to the Government?"

"The Government will say to the Mahdi,--'Give us the prisoners and we

will surrender Fatma'--"

For the time the conversation was interrupted because the attention of

Stas was attracted by birds flying from the direction of Echtum om

Farag towards Lake Menzaleh. They flew quite low and in the clear

atmosphere could be plainly seen some pelicans with curved napes,

slowly moving immense wings. Stas at once began to imitate their

flight. So with head upraised, he ran a score of paces along the dyke,

waving his outstretched arms.

"Look!" suddenly exclaimed Nell. "Flamingoes are also flying."

Stas stood still in a moment, as actually behind the pelicans, but

somewhat higher, could be seen, suspended in the sky, two great red and

purple flowers, as it were.

"Flamingoes! flamingoes! Before night they return to their haunts on

the little islands," the boy said. "Oh, if I only had a rifle!"

"Why should you want to shoot at them?"

"Girls don't understand such things. But let us go farther; we may see

more of them."

Saying this he took the girl's hand and together they strolled towards

the first wharf beyond Port Said. Dinah, a negress and at one time

nurse of little Nell, closely followed them. They walked on the

embankment which separated the waters of Lake Menzaleh from the Canal,

through which at that time a big English steamer, in charge of a pilot,

floated. The night was approaching. The sun still stood quite high but

was rolling in the direction of the lake. The salty waters of the

latter began to glitter with gold and throb with the reflection of

peacock feathers. On the Arabian bank as far as the eye could reach,

stretched a tawny, sandy desert--dull, portentous, lifeless. Between

the glassy, as if half-dead, heaven and the immense, wrinkled sands

there was not a trace of a living being. While on the Canal life

seethed, boats bustled about, the whistles of steamers resounded, and

above Menzaleh flocks of mews and wild ducks scintillated in the

sunlight, yonder, on the Arabian bank, it appeared as if it were the

region of death. Only in proportion as the sun, descending, became

ruddier and ruddier did the sands begin to assume that lily hue which

the heath in Polish forests has in autumn.

The children, walking towards the wharf, saw a few more flamingoes,

which pleased their eyes. After this Dinah announced that Nell must

return home. In Egypt, after days which even in winter are often

scorching, very cold nights follow, and as Nell's health demanded great

care, her father, Mr. Rawlinson, would not allow her to be near the

water after sunset. They, therefore, returned to the city, on the

outskirts of which, near the Canal, stood Mr. Rawlinson's villa, and by

the time the sun plunged into the sea they were in the house. Soon, the

engineer Tarkowski, Stas' father, who was invited to dinner arrived,

and the whole company, together with a French lady, Nell's teacher,

Madame Olivier, sat at the table.

Mr. Rawlinson, one of the directors of the Suez Canal Company, and

Ladislaus Tarkowski, senior engineer of the same company, lived for

many years upon terms of the closest intimacy. Both were widowers, but

Pani Tarkowski, by birth a French lady, died at the time Stas came into

the world, while Nell's mother died of consumption in Helwan when the

girl was three years old. Both widowers lived in neighboring houses in

Port Said, and owing to their duties met daily. A common misfortune

drew them still closer to each other and strengthened the ties of

friendship previously formed. Mr. Rawlinson loved Stas as his own son,

while Pan Tarkowski would have jumped into fire and water for little

Nell. After finishing their daily work the most agreeable recreation

for them was to talk about the children, their education and future.

During such conversations it frequently happened that Mr. Rawlinson

would praise the ability, energy, and bravery of Stas and Pan Tarkowski

would grow enthusiastic over the sweetness and angelic countenance of

Nell. And the one and the other spoke the truth. Stas was a trifle

conceited and a trifle boastful, but diligent in his lessons, and the

teachers in the English school in Port Said, which he attended,

credited him with uncommon abilities. As to courage and

resourcefulness, he inherited them from his father, for Pan Tarkowski

possessed these qualities in an eminent degree and in a large measure

owed to them his present position.

In the year 1863 he fought for eleven months without cessation.

Afterwards, wounded, taken into captivity, and condemned to Siberia, he

escaped from the interior of Russia and made his way to foreign lands.

Before he entered into the insurrection he was a qualified engineer;

nevertheless he devoted a year to the study of hydraulics. Later he

secured a position at the Canal and in the course of a few years, when

his expert knowledge, energy, and industry became known, he assumed the

important position of senior engineer.

Stas was born, bred, and reached his fourteenth year in Port Said on

the Canal; in consequence of which the engineers called him the child

of the desert. At a later period, when he was attending school, he

sometimes, during the vacation season and holidays, accompanied his

father or Mr. Rawlinson on trips, which their duty required them to

make from Port Said to Suez to inspect the work on the embankment or

the dredging of the channel of the Canal. He knew everybody--the

engineers and custom-house officials as well as the laborers, Arabs and

negroes. He bustled about and insinuated himself everywhere, appearing

where least expected; he made long excursions on the embankment, rowed

in a boat over Menzaleh, venturing at times far and wide. He crossed

over to the Arabian bank and mounting the first horse he met, or in the

absence of a horse, a camel, or even a donkey, he would imitate Farys*

[* Farys, the hero of Adam Mickiewicz's Oriental poem of the same

name.--_Translator's note_.] on the desert; in a word, as Pan Tarkowski

expressed it, "he was always popping up somewhere," and every moment

free from his studies he passed on the water.

His father did not oppose this, as he knew that rowing, horseback

riding, and continual life in the fresh air strengthened his health and

developed resourcefulness within him. In fact, Stas was taller and

stronger than most boys of his age. It was enough to glance at his eyes

to surmise that in case of any adventure he would sin more from too

much audacity than from timidity. In his fourteenth year, he was one of

the best swimmers in Port Said, which meant not a little, for the

Arabs and negroes swim like fishes. Shooting from carbines of a small

caliber, and only with cartridges, for wild ducks and Egyptian geese,

he acquired an unerring eye and steady hand. His dream was to hunt the

big animals sometime in Central Africa. He therefore eagerly listened

to the narratives of the Sudânese working on the Canal, who in their

native land had encountered big, thick-skinned, and rapacious beasts.

This also had its advantage, for at the same time he learned their

languages. It was not enough to excavate the Suez Canal; it was

necessary also to maintain it, as otherwise the sands of the deserts,

lying on both banks, would fill it up in the course of a year. The

grand work of De Lesseps demands continual labor and vigilance. So,

too, at the present day, powerful machines, under the supervision of

skilled engineers, and thousands of laborers are at work, dredging the

channel. At the excavation of the Canal, twenty-five thousand men

labored. To-day, owing to the completion of the work and improved new

machinery, considerably less are required. Nevertheless, the number is

great. Among them the natives of the locality predominate. There is

not, however, a lack of Nubians, Sudânese, Somalis, and various negroes

coming from the White and Blue Niles, that is, from the region which

previous to the Mahdi's insurrection was occupied by the Egyptian

Government. Stas lived with all on intimate terms and having, as is

usual with Poles, an extraordinary aptitude for languages he became, he

himself not knowing how and when, acquainted with many of their

dialects. Born in Egypt, he spoke Arabian like an Arab. From the

natives of Zanzibar, many of whom worked as firemen on the steam

dredges, he learned Kiswahili, a language widely prevalent all over

Central Africa. He could even converse with the negroes of the Dinka

and Shilluk tribes, residing on the Nile below Fashoda. Besides this,

he spoke fluently English, French, and also Polish, for his father, an

ardent patriot, was greatly concerned that his son should know the

language of his forefathers. Stas in reality regarded this language as

the most beautiful in the world and taught it, not without some

success, to little Nell. One thing only he could not accomplish, that

she should pronounce his name Stas, and not "Stes." Sometimes, on

account of this, a misunderstanding arose between them, which continued

until small tears began to glisten in the eyes of the girl. Then "Stes"

would beg her pardon and became angry at himself.

He had, however, an annoying habit of speaking slightingly of her eight

years and citing by way of contrast his own grave age and experience.

He contended that a boy who is finishing his fourteenth year, if he is

not fully matured, at least is not a mere child, but on the contrary,

is capable of performing all kinds of heroic deeds, especially if he

has Polish and French blood. He craved most ardently that sometime an

opportunity would occur for such deeds, particularly in defense of

Nell. Both invented various dangers and Stas was compelled to answer

her questions as to what he would do if, for instance, a crocodile, ten

yards long, or a scorpion as big as a dog, should crawl through the

window of her home. To both it never occurred for a moment that

impending reality would surpass all their fantastic suppositions.

II

In the meantime, in the house, good news awaited them during the

dinner. Messrs. Rawlinson and Tarkowski, as skilled engineers, had been

invited a few weeks before, to examine and appraise the work carried on

in connection with the whole net-work of canals in the Province of

El-Fayûm, in the vicinity of the city of Medinet near Lake Karûn, as

well as along the Yûsuf and Nile rivers. They were to stay there for

about a month and secured furloughs from their company. As the

Christmas holidays were approaching, both gentlemen, not desiring to be

separated from the children, decided that Stas and Nell should also go

to Medinet. Hearing this news the children almost leaped out of their

skins from joy. They had already visited the cities lying along the

Canal, particularly Ismailia and Suez, and while outside the Canal,

Alexandria and Cairo, near which they viewed the great pyramids and the

Sphinx. But these were short trips, while the expedition to Medinet

el-Fayûm required a whole day's travel by railway, southward along the

Nile and then westward from El-Wasta towards the Libyan Desert. Stas

knew Medinet from the narratives of younger engineers and tourists who

went there to hunt for various kinds of water-fowls as well as desert

wolves and hyenas. He knew that it was a separate, great oasis lying

off the west bank of the Nile but not dependent upon its inundations

and having its water system formed by Lake Karûn through Bahr Yûsuf and

a whole chain of small canals. Those who had seen this oasis said that

although that region belonged to Egypt, nevertheless, being separated

from it by a desert, it formed a distinct whole. Only the Yûsuf River

connects, one might say with a thin blue thread, that locality with the

valley of the Nile. The great abundance of water, fertility of soil,

and luxuriant vegetation made an earthly paradise of it, while the

extensive ruins of the city of Crocodilopolis drew thither hundreds of

curious tourists. Stas, however, was attracted mainly by the shores of

Lake Karûn, with its swarms of birds and its wolf-hunts on the desert

hills of Gebel el-Sedment.

But his vacation began a few days later, and as the inspection of the

work on the canals was an urgent matter and the gentlemen could not

lose any time, it was arranged that they should leave without delay,

while the children, with Madame Olivier, were to depart a week later.

Nell and Stas had a desire to leave at once, but Stas did not dare to

make the request. Instead they began to ask questions about various

matters relative to the journey, and with new outbursts of joy received

the news that they would not live in uncomfortable hotels kept by

Greeks, but in tents furnished by the Cook Tourists' Agency. This is

the customary arrangement of tourists who leave Cairo for a lengthy

stay at Medinet. Cook furnishes tents, servants, cooks, supplies of

provisions, horses, donkeys, camels, and guides; so the tourist does

not have to bother about anything. This, indeed, is quite an expensive

mode of traveling; but Messrs. Tarkowski and Rawlinson did not have to

take that into account as all expenses were borne by the Egyptian

Government, which invited them, as experts, to inspect and appraise the

work on the canals. Nell, who, above everything in the world, loved

riding on a camel, obtained a promise from her father that she should

have a separate "hump-backed saddle horse" on which, together with

Madame Olivier, or Dinah, and sometimes with Stas, she could

participate in the excursions to the nearer localities of the desert

and to Karun. Pan Tarkowski promised Stas that he would allow him some

nights to go after wolves, and if he brought a good report from school

he would get a genuine English short rifle and the necessary equipment

for a hunter. As Stas was confident that he would succeed, he at once

began to regard himself as the owner of a short rifle and promised

himself to perform various astonishing and immortal feats with it.

On such projects and conversation the dinner passed for the overjoyed

children. But somewhat less eagerness for the contemplated journey was

displayed by Madame Olivier who was loath to leave the comfortable

villa in Port Said and who was frightened at the thought of living for

several weeks in a tent, and particularly at the plan of excursions on

camel-back. It happened that she had already tried this mode of riding

several times and these attempts ended unfortunately. Once the camel

rose too soon, before she was well seated in the saddle, and as a

result she rolled off his back onto the ground. Another time, the

dromedary, not belonging to the light-footed variety, jolted her so

that two days elapsed before she recovered; in a word, although Nell,

after two or three pleasure-rides which Mr. Rawlinson permitted her to

take, declared that there was nothing more delightful in the world, in

the same measure only painful recollections remained for Madame

Olivier. She said that this was good enough for Arabs or for a chit

like Nell, who could not be jolted any more than a fly which should

alight upon a camel's hump, but not for persons dignified, and not too

light, and having at the same time a certain proneness to unbearable

sea-sickness.

But as to Medinet el-Fayûm she had other fears. Now in Port Said as

well as in Alexandria, Cairo, and in the whole of Egypt nothing was the

subject of more discussion than the Mahdi's insurrection and the

cruelties of the dervishes. Madame Olivier, not knowing exactly where

Medinet was situated, became alarmed as to whether it was not too near

the Mahdists, and finally began to question Mr. Rawlinson about it.

But he only smiled and said:

"The Mahdi at this moment is besieging Khartûm in which General Gordon

is defending himself. Does Madame know how far it is from Medinet to

Khartûm?"

"I have no idea."

"About as far as from here to Sicily," explained Pan Tarkowski.

"Just about," corroborated Stas. "Khartûm lies where the White and Blue

Niles meet and form one river. We are separated from it by the immense

expanse of Egypt and the whole of Nubia."

Afterwards he wanted to add that even if Medinet should be closer to

the regions overrun by the insurgents, he, of course, would be there

with his short rifle; but recalling that for similar bragging he

sometimes received a sharp reproof from his father, he became silent.

The older members of the party, however, began to talk of the Mahdi and

the insurrection, for this was the most important matter affecting

Egypt. The news from Khartûm was bad. The wild hordes already had been

besieging the city for a month and a half and the Egyptian and English

governments were acting slowly. The relief expedition had barely

started and it was generally feared that notwithstanding the fame,

bravery, and ability of Gordon this important city would fall into the

hands of the barbarians. This was the opinion of Pan Tarkowski, who

suspected that England in her soul desired that the Mahdi should wrest

it from Egypt in order to retake it later from him and make this vast

region an English possession. He did not, however, share this suspicion

with Mr. Rawlinson as he did not want to offend his patriotic feelings.

Towards the close of the dinner Stas began to ask why the Egyptian

Government had annexed all the country lying south of Nubia,

particularly Kordofân, Darfur, and the Sudân as far as Lake Albert

Nyanza and deprived the natives there of their liberty. Mr. Rawlinson

explained that whatever was done by the Egyptian Government was done at

the request of England which extended a protectorate over Egypt and in

reality ruled her as Egypt herself desired.

"The Egyptian Government did not deprive anybody of his liberty," he

said, "but restored it to hundreds of thousands and perhaps to millions

of people. In Kordofân, in Darfur and in the Sudân there were not

during the past years any independent States. Only here and there some

petty ruler laid claim to some lands and took possession of them by

force in spite of the will of the residents. They were mainly inhabited

by independent Arab-negro tribes, that is, by people having the blood

of both races. These tribes lived in a state of incessant warfare. They

attacked each other and seized horses, camels, cattle, and, above all,

slaves; besides, they perpetrated numerous atrocities. But the worst

were the ivory and slave hunters. They formed a separate class, to

which belonged nearly all the chiefs of the tribes and the richer

traders. They made armed expeditions into the interior of Africa,

appropriating everywhere ivory tusks, and carried away thousands of

people: men, women, and children. In addition they destroyed villages

and settlements, devastated fields, shed streams of blood, and

slaughtered without pity all who resisted. In the southern portion of

the Sudân, Darfur, and Kordofân, as well as the region beyond the Upper

Nile as far as the lake they depopulated some localities entirely. But

the Arabian bands made their incursions farther and farther so that

Central Africa became a land of tears and blood. Now England which, as

you know, pursues slave-dealers all over the world, consented that the

Egyptian Government should annex Kordofân, Darfur, and the Sudân. This

was the only method to compel these pillagers to abandon their

abominable trade and the only way to hold them in restraint. The

unfortunate negroes breathed more freely; the depredations ceased and

the people began to live under tolerable laws. But such a state of

affairs did not please the traders, so when Mohammed Ahmed, known

to-day as 'the Mahdi,' appeared among them and proclaimed a holy war on

the pretext that the true faith of Mahomet was perishing, all rushed

like one man to arms; and so that terrible war has been kindled in

which thus far the Egyptians have met with such poor success. The Mahdi

has defeated the forces of the Government in every battle. He has

occupied Kordofân, Darfur, and the Sudân; his hordes at present are

laying a siege to Khartûm and are advancing to the north as far as the

frontiers of Nubia."

"Can they advance as far as Egypt?" asked Stas.

"No," answered Mr. Rawlinson. "The Mahdi announces, indeed, that he

will conquer the whole world, but he is a wild man who has no

conception of anything. He never will take Egypt, as England would not

permit it."

"If, however, the Egyptian troops are completely routed?"

"Then would appear the English armies which no one has ever overcome."

"And why did England permit the Mahdi to occupy so much territory?"

"How do you know that she has permitted it?" replied Mr. Rawlinson.

"England is never in a hurry because she is eternal."

Further conversation was interrupted by a negro servant, who announced

that Fatma Smain had arrived and begged for an audience.

Women in the East are occupied exclusively with household affairs and

seldom leave the harems. Only the poorer ones go to the market or work

in the fields, as the wives of the fellahs, the Egyptian peasants, do;

but these at such times veil their faces. Though in the Sudân, from

which region Fatma came, this custom was not observed, and though she

had come to Mr. Rawlinson's office previously, nevertheless, her

arrival, particularly at such a late hour and at a private house,

evoked surprise.

"We shall learn something new about Smain," said Pan Tarkowski.

"Yes," answered Mr. Rawlinson, giving at the same time a signal to the

servant to usher Fatma in.

Accordingly, after a while there entered a tall, young Sudânese woman

with countenance entirely unveiled, complexion very dark, and eyes

beautiful but wild, and a trifle ominous. Entering, she at once

prostrated herself, and when Mr. Rawlinson ordered her to rise, she

raised herself but remained on her knees.

"Sidi," she said, "May Allah bless thee, thy posterity, thy home, and

thy flocks!"

"What do you want?" asked the engineer.

"Mercy, help, and succor in misfortune, oh, sir! I am imprisoned in

Port Said and destruction hangs over me and my children."

"You say that you are imprisoned, and yet you could come here, and in

the night-time at that."

"I have been escorted by the police who day and night watch my house,

and I know that they have an order to cut off our heads soon!"

"Speak like a rational woman," answered Mr. Rawlinson, shrugging his

shoulders. "You are not in the Sudân, but in Egypt where no one is

executed without a trial. So you may be certain that not a hair will

fall from your head or the heads of your children."

But she began to implore him to intercede for her yet once more with

the Government, to procure permission for her to go to Smain.

"Englishmen as great as you are, sir," she said, "can do everything.

The Government in Cairo thinks that Smain is a traitor, but that is

false. There visited me yesterday Arabian merchants, who arrived from

Suâkin, and before that they bought gums and ivory in the Sudân, and

they informed me that Smain is lying sick at El-Fasher and is calling

for me and the children to bless them--"

"All this is your fabrication, Fatma," interrupted Mr. Rawlinson.

But she began to swear by Allah that she spoke the truth, and

afterwards said that if Smain got well, he undoubtedly would ransom all

the Christian captives; and if he should die, she, as a relative of the

leader of the dervishes, could obtain access to him easily and would

secure whatever she wished. Let them only allow her to leave, for her

heart will leap out of her bosom from longing for her husband. In what

had she, ill-fated woman, offended the Government or the Khedive? Was

it her fault or could she be held accountable because she was the

relative of the dervish, Mohammed Ahmed?

Fatma did not dare in the presence of the "English people" to call her

relative "the Mahdi," as that meant the Redeemer of the world. She knew

that the Egyptian Government regarded him as a rebel and an imposter.

But continually striking her forehead and invoking heaven to witness

her innocence and unhappy plight, she began to weep and at the same

time wail mournfully as women in the East do after losing husbands or

sons. Afterwards she again flung herself with face on the ground, or

rather on the carpet with which the inlaid floor was covered, and

waited in silence.

Nell, who towards the close of the dinner felt a little sleepy, became

thoroughly aroused and, having an upright little heart, seized her

father's hand, and kissing it again and again, began to beg for Fatma.

"Let papa help her! Do please, papa!"

Fatma, evidently understanding English, exclaimed amidst her sobs, not

removing her face from the carpet:

"May Allah bless thee, bird of paradise, with the joys of Omayya, oh,

star without a blemish!"

However implacable Stas in his soul was towards the Mahdists, he was

moved by Fatma's entreaties and grief. Besides, Nell interceded for her

and he in the end always wanted that which Nell wished. So after a

while he spoke out, as if to himself but so that all could hear him:

"If I were the Government, I would allow Fatma to go."

"But as you are not the Government," Pan Tarkowski said to him, "you

would do better not to interfere in that which does not concern you."

Mr. Rawlinson also had a compassionate soul and was sensible of Fatma's

situation, but certain statements which she made struck him as being

downright falsehoods. Having almost daily relations with the

custom-house at Ismailia, he well knew that no new cargoes of gums or

ivory were being transported lately through the Canal. The trade in

those wares had ceased almost entirely. Arabian traders, moreover,

could not return from the city of El-Fasher which lay in the Sudân, as

the Mahdists, as a rule, barred all traders from their territories, and

those whom they captured were despoiled and kept in captivity. And it

was almost a certainty that the statement about Smain's sickness was a

falsehood.

But as Nell's little eyes were still looking at her papa appealingly,

he, not desiring to sadden the little girl, after a while said to Fatma:

"Fatma, I already have written at your request to the Government, but

without result. And now listen. To-morrow, with this mehendis

(engineer) whom you see here, I leave for Medinet el-Fayûm; on the way

we shall stop one day in Cairo, for the Khedive desires to confer with

us about the canals leading from Bahr Yûsuf and give us a commission as

to the same. During the conference I shall take care to present your

case and try to secure for you his favor. But I can do nothing more,

nor shall I promise more."

Fatma rose and, extending both hands in sign of gratitude, exclaimed:

"And so I am safe."

"No, Fatma," answered Mr. Rawlinson, "do not speak of safety for I

already told you that death threatens neither you nor your children.

But that the Khedive will consent to your departure I do not guarantee,

for Smain is not sick but is a traitor, who, having taken money from

the Government, does not at all think of ransoming the captives from

Mohammed Ahmed."

"Smain is innocent, sir, and lies in El-Fasher," reiterated Fatma, "but

if even he broke his faith with the Government, I swear before you, my

benefactor, that if I am allowed to depart I will entreat Mohammed

Ahmed until I secure the deliverance of your captives."

"Very well. I promise you once more that I will intercede for you with

the Khedive."

Fatma began to prostrate herself.

"Thank you, Sidi! You are not only powerful, but just. And now I

entreat that you permit me to serve you as a slave."

"In Egypt no one can be a slave," answered Mr. Rawlinson with a smile.

"I have enough servants and cannot avail myself of your services; for,

as I told you, we all are leaving for Medinet and perhaps will remain

there until Ramazan."

"I know, sir, for the overseer, Chadigi, told me about that. I, when I

heard of it, came not only to implore you for help, but also to tell

you that two men of my Dongola tribe, Idris and Gebhr, are camel

drivers in Medinet and will prostrate themselves before you when you

arrive, submitting to your commands themselves and their camels."

"Good, good," answered the director, "but that is the affair of the

Cook Agency, not mine."

Fatma, having kissed the hands of the two engineers and the children,

departed blessing Nell particularly. Both gentlemen remained silent for

a while, after which Mr. Rawlinson said:

"Poor woman! But she lies as only in the East they know how to lie, and

even in her declaration of gratitude there is a sound of some false

note."

"Undoubtedly," answered Pan Tarkowski; "but to tell the truth, whether

Smain betrayed or did not, the Government has no right to detain her in

Egypt, as she cannot be held responsible for her husband."

"The Government does not now allow any Sudânese to leave for Suâkin or

Nubia without a special permit; so the prohibition does not affect

Fatma alone. Many of them are found in Egypt for they come here for

gain. Among them are some who belong to the Dongolese tribe; that is

the one from which the Mahdi comes. There are, for instance, besides

Fatma, Chadigi and those two camel drivers in Medinet. The Mahdists

call the Egyptians Turks and are carrying on a war with them, but among

the local Arabs can be found a considerable number of adherents of the

Mahdi, who would willingly join him. We must number among them all the

fanatics, all the partisans of Arabi Pasha, and many among the poorer

classes. They hold it ill of the Government that it yielded entirely to

English influence and claim that the religion suffers by it. God knows

how many already have escaped across the desert, avoiding the customary

sea route to Suâkin. So the Government, having learned that Fatma also

wanted to run away, ordered her to be put under surveillance. For her

and her children only, as relatives of the Mahdi himself, can an

exchange of the captives be effected."

"Do the lower classes in Egypt really favor the Mahdi?"

"The Mahdi has followers even in the army, which perhaps for that

reason fights so poorly."

"But how can the Sudânese fly across the desert? Why, that is a

thousand miles."

"Nevertheless, by that route slaves were brought into Egypt."

"I should judge that Fatma's children could not endure such a journey."

"That is why she wants to shorten it and ride by way of the sea to

Suâkin."

"In any case, she is a poor woman."

With this the conversation concluded.

Twelve hours later "the poor woman," having carefully closeted herself

in her house with the son of the overseer Chadigi, whispered to him

with knitted brows and a grim glance of her beautiful eyes:

"Chamis, son of Chadigi, here is the money. Go even to-day to Medinet

and give to Idris this writing, which the devout dervish Bellali, at my

request, wrote to him. The children of the mehendes are good, but if I

do not obtain a permit, then there is no other alternative. I know you

will not betray me. Remember that you and your father too come from the

Dongolese tribe in which was born the great Mahdi."

III

Both engineers left the following night for Cairo where they were to

visit the British minister plenipotentiary and hold an audience with

the viceroy. Stas calculated that this would require two days, and his

calculation appeared accurate, for on the third day at night he

received from his father, who was already at Medinet, the following

message: "The tents are ready. You are to leave the moment your

vacation begins. Inform Fatma through Chadigi that we could not

accomplish anything for her." A similar message was also received by

Madame Olivier who at once, with the assistance of the negress Dinah,

began to make preparations for the journey.

The sight of these preparations gladdened the hearts of the children.

But suddenly an accident occurred which deranged their plans and seemed

likely to prevent their journey. On the day on which Stas' winter

vacation began and on the eve of their departure a scorpion stung

Madame Olivier during her afternoon nap in the garden. These venomous

creatures in Egypt are not usually very dangerous, but in this case the

sting might become exceptionally baleful. The scorpion had crawled onto

the head-rest of the linen chair and stung Madame Olivier in the neck

at a moment when she leaned her head against the rest. As she had

suffered lately from erysipelas in the face, fear was entertained that

the sickness might recur. A physician was summoned at once, but he

arrived two hours later as he had engagements elsewhere. The neck and

even the face were already swollen, after which fever appeared, with

the usual symptoms of poisoning. The physician announced that under the

circumstances there could not be any talk of a journey and ordered the

patient to bed. In view of this it seemed highly probable that the

children would be compelled to pass the Christmas holidays at home. In

justice to Nell it must be stated that in the first moments

particularly she thought more of the sufferings of her teacher than of

the lost pleasures in Medinet. She only wept in corners at the thought

of not seeing her father for a few weeks. Stas did not accept the

accident with the same resignation. He first forwarded a dispatch and

afterwards mailed a letter with an inquiry as to what they were to do.

The reply came in two days. Mr. Rawlinson first communicated with the

physician; having learned from him that immediate danger was removed

and that only a fear of the recurrence of erysipelas prevented Madame

Olivier's departure from Port Said, he, above all, took precaution that

she should have proper care and nursing, and afterwards sent the

children permission to travel with Dinah. But as Dinah, notwithstanding

her extreme attachment for Nell, was not able to take care of herself

on the railways and in the hotels, the duties of guide and paymaster

during this trip devolved upon Stas. It can easily be understood how

proud he was of this role and with what chivalrous spirit he assured

little Nell that not a hair would fall from her head, as if in reality

the road to Cairo and to Medinet presented any difficulties or dangers.

All preparations having been completed, the children started that very

day for Ismailia by way of the Canal. From Ismailia they were to travel

by rail to Cairo, where they were to pass the night. On the following

day they were to ride to Medinet. Leaving Ismailia they saw Lake Timsâh

which Stas already knew, as Pan Tarkowski, being an ardent sportsman,

in moments free from his duties had taken Stas along with him to hunt

for aquatic birds. Afterwards the road ran along Wâdi Tûmilât close to

the fresh-water canal leading from the Nile to Ismailia and Suez. This

canal had been dug before the Suez Canal, so that the workingmen

working on De Lesseps' grand achievement would not be deprived entirely

of water fit for drinking purposes. But its excavation had yet another

fortunate result, for this region, which before was a sterile desert,

bloomed anew when through it coursed a strong and life-bringing stream

of fresh water. The children could observe on the left side from the

windows of the coach a wide belt of verdure composed of meadows on

which were pastured horses, camels, and sheep, and of tilled fields,

diversified with maize, millet, alfalfa, and other varieties of plants

used for fodder. On the bank of the canal could be seen all kinds of

wells in the shape of large wheels with buckets attached, or in the

usual form of well-sweeps, drawing water, which fellahs laboriously

carried to the garden-beds or conveyed in barrels, on wagons drawn by

buffaloes. Over the sprouting grain pigeons soared, and at times a

whole covey of quails sprang up. On the canal banks, storks and cranes

gravely stalked. In the distance, above the mud hovels of the fellahs

towered, like plumes of feathers, the crowns of date palms.

On the other hand, on the north side of the railway there stretched a

stark desert, but unlike the one which lay on the other side of the

Suez Canal. That one looked as level as would the bottom of the sea,

from which the water had disappeared and only wrinkled sand remained,

while here the sand was more yellowish, heaped up as if in great

knolls, covered on the sides with tufts of gray vegetation. Between

those knolls, which here and there changed into high hills, lay wide

valleys in which from time to time caravans could be seen moving.

From the windows of the car the children could catch sight of heavily

loaded camels, walking in a long string, one after another, over the

sandy expanse. In front of each camel was an Arab in a black mantle,

with a white turban on his head. Little Nell was reminded of the

pictures in the Bible, which she had seen at home, representing the

Israelites entering Egypt during the times of Joseph. They were exactly

the same. Unfortunately she could not see the caravans very well as at

the windows on that side of the car sat two English officers, who

obstructed her view.

But she had scarcely told this to Stas, when he turned to the officers

with a very grave mien and, touching his hat with his finger, said:

"Gentlemen, could you kindly make room for this little Miss who wishes

to look at the camels?"

Both officers accepted the suggestion with the same gravity, and one of

them not only surrendered his place to the curious Miss but lifted her

and placed her in a seat near the window.

And Stas began his lecture:

"This is the ancient land of Goshen, which Pharaoh gave to Joseph for

his brother Israelites. At one time in far antiquity a canal of fresh

water ran here so that this new one is but a reconstruction of the old.

But later it fell into ruin and the country became a desert. Now the

soil again is fertile."

"How does the gentleman know this?" asked one of the officers.

"At my age, we know such things," answered Stas; "and besides, not long

ago Professor Sterling gave us a lecture on Wâdi Tûmilât."

Though Stas spoke English quite fluently, his slightly different accent

attracted the attention of the other officer, who asked:

"Is the little gentleman an Englishman?"

"Miss Nell, whose father entrusted her to my care on this journey, is

little. I am not an Englishman but a Pole and the son of an engineer at

the Canal."

The officer, hearing the answer of the pert boy, smiled and said:

"I esteem the Poles. I belong to a regiment of cavalry, which during

the times of Napoleon several times fought with the Polish Uhlans, and

that tradition until the present day forms its glory and honor."* [*

Those regiments of English cavalry which during the times of Napoleon

met the Polish cavalry actually pride themselves with that fact at the

present time, and every officer speaking of his regiment never fails to

say, "We fought with the Poles." See Chevrillon, "Aux Indes."]

"I am pleased to form your acquaintance," answered Stas.

The conversation easily proceeded farther, for the officers were

evidently amused. It appeared that both were also riding from Port Said

to Cairo to see the British minister plenipotentiary and to receive

final instructions for a long journey which soon awaited them. The

younger one was an army surgeon, while the one who spoke to Stas,

Captain Glenn, had an order from his government to proceed from Cairo,

via Suez, to Mombasa and assume the government of the entire region

adjoining that port and extending as far as the unknown Samburu country.

Stas, who with deep interest read about travels in Africa, knew that

Mombasa was situated a few degrees beyond the equator and that the

adjoining country, though already conceded to be within the sphere of

English interests, was yet in truth little known; it was utterly wild,

full of elephants, giraffes, rhinoceroses, buffaloes, and all kinds of

antelopes, which the military, missionary, and trading expeditions

always encountered. He also envied Captain Glenn with his whole soul

and promised to visit him in Mombasa and go hunting with him for lions

and buffaloes.

"Good, but I shall invite you to make the visit with that little Miss,"

replied Captain Glenn, laughing and pointing at Nell who at that moment

left the window and sat beside him.

"Miss Rawlinson has a father," answered Stas, "and I am only her

guardian during this journey."

At this the other officer turned quickly around and asked:

"Rawlinson? Is he not one of the directors of the Canal and has he not

a brother in Bombay?"

"My uncle lives in Bombay," answered Nell, raising her little finger

upwards.

"Then your uncle, darling, is married to my sister. My name is Clary.

We are related, and I am really delighted that I met and became

acquainted with you, my little dear."

And the surgeon was really delighted. He said that immediately after

his arrival at Port Said he inquired for Mr. Rawlinson, but in the

offices of the directory he was informed that he had left for the

holidays. He expressed also his regret that the steamer which he with

Captain Glenn was to take for Mombasa left Suez in a few days, in

consequence of which he could not make a hurried visit to Medinet.

He therefore requested Nell to convey his compliments to her father,

and promised to write to her from Mombasa. Both officers now engaged

mainly in a conversation with Nell, so that Stas remained a little on

the side. At all stations they had a plentiful supply of mandarin

oranges, dates, and exquisite sherbet, and, besides by Stas and Nell,

these dainties were shared by Dinah, who with all her good qualities

was known for her uncommon gluttony.

In this manner the trip to Cairo passed quickly for the children. At

the leave-taking the officers kissed Nell's little hands and face, and

squeezed Stas' right hand, and at the same time, Captain Glenn, whom

the resolute boy pleased very much, said half-jokingly and

half-seriously:

"Listen, my boy! Who knows where, when, and under what circumstances we

may yet meet in life. Remember, however, that you can always rely upon

my good will and assistance."

"And you may likewise rely upon me," Stas answered with a bow full of

dignity.

IV

Pan Tarkowski, as well as Mr. Rawlinson, who loved Nell better than his

life, was delighted at the arrival of the children. The young pair

greeted their parents joyfully, and at once began to look about the

tents, which internally were completely fitted up and were ready for

the reception of the beloved guests. The tents appeared superb to them;

they were double, one was lined with blue and the other with red

flannel, overlaid at the bottom with saddle-cloths, and they were as

spacious as large rooms. The agency which was concerned about the

opinion of the high officials of the Canal Company had spared no effort

for their comfort. At first Mr. Rawlinson feared that a lengthy stay

under tents might prove injurious to Nell's health, and if he agreed to

the arrangement, it was because they could always move to a hotel in

case of bad weather. Now, however, having fully investigated everything

on the place, he came to the conclusion that days and nights passed in

the fresh air would be a hundredfold more beneficial for his only child

than a stay in the musty rooms of the small local hotels. Beautiful

weather favored this. Medinet, or rather El-Medineh, surrounded by the

sandy hills of the Libyan Desert, has a much better climate than Cairo

and is not in vain called "the land of roses." Owing to its sheltered

position and the plentiful moisture in the air, nights there are not so

cold as in other parts of Egypt, even those lying further south. Winter

is simply delightful, and from November the greatest development of the

vegetation begins. Date palms, olive-trees, which on the whole are

scarce in Egypt, fig, orange, mandarin trees, giant castor-oil plants,

pomegranate and various other southern plants cover this delightful

oasis as with a forest. The gardens are overflowing, as it were, with a

gigantic wave of acacias, elders, and roses, so that at night every

breeze carries their intoxicating scent. Here one breathes with full

breast and "does not wish to die," as the residents of the place say.

A similar climate is possessed only by Helwan lying on the other side

of the Nile and considerably farther north, but Helwan lacks such

luxuriant vegetation.

But Helwan awoke sad recollections for Mr. Rawlinson, for there Nell's

mother had died. For this reason he preferred Medinet, and gazing at

present at the glowing countenance of the little girl, he promised to

himself in his soul soon to purchase here land with a garden; to erect

upon it a comfortable English house and spend in these blissful parts

all vacations which he could secure, and after finishing his service on

the Canal, perhaps even to reside here permanently.

But these were plans of the distant future and not yet wholly matured.

In the meantime the children from the moment of their arrival moved

about everywhere like flies, desiring even before dinner to see all the

tents as well as the donkeys and camels hired at the place by the Cook

Agency. It appeared that the animals were on a distant pasture and that

they could not see them until the morrow. However, near Mr. Rawlinson's

tent they observed with pleasure Chamis, the son of Chadigi, their good

acquaintance in Port Said. He was not in the employ of Cook, and Mr.

Rawlinson was somewhat surprised to meet him in Medinet, but as he had

previously employed him to carry his implements, he engaged him at

present to run errands and perform all other small services.

The evening dinner was excellent, as the old Copt, who for many years

was a cook in the employment of the Cook Agency, was anxious to display

his culinary skill. The children told about the acquaintance they made

with the two officers on the way, which was particularly interesting to

Mr. Rawlinson, whose brother Richard was married to Dr. Clary's sister

and had resided in India for many years. As it was a childless

marriage, this uncle greatly loved his little niece, whom he knew only

from photographs, and he had inquired about her in all his letters.

Both fathers were also amused at the invitation which Stas had received

from Captain Glenn to visit Mombasa. The boy took it seriously and

positively promised himself that sometime he must pay a visit to his

new friend beyond the equator. Pan Tarkowski then had to explain to him

that English officials never remain long in the same locality on

account of the deadly climate of Africa, and that before Stas grew up

the captain already would hold his tenth position in rotation or would

not be on earth at all.

After dinner the whole company went out in front of the tents, where

the servants placed the cloth folding-chairs, and for the older

gentlemen brought a siphon of soda-water with brandy. It was already

night but unusually warm; as there happened to be full moon it was as

bright as in daytime. The white walls of the city buildings opposite

the tents shone greenly; the stars glowed in the sky, and in the air

was diffused the scent of roses, acacias, and heliotropes. The city

already was asleep. In the silence of the night at times could be heard

only the loud cries of cranes, herons, and flamingoes flying from

beyond the Nile in the direction of Lake Karûn. Suddenly, however,

there resounded the deep bass bark of a dog which astonished Stas and

Nell, for it appeared to come from a tent which they had not visited

and which was assigned for saddles, implements, and various traveling

paraphernalia.

"That must be an awfully big dog. Let us go and see him," said Stas.

Pan Tarkowski began to laugh and Mr. Rawlinson shook off the ashes of

his cigar and said, also laughing:

"Well, it did not do any good to lock him up."

After which he addressed the children:

"Remember, to-morrow is Christmas Eve, and that dog was intended by Pan

Tarkowski to be a surprise for Nell, but as the surprise has started to

bark, I am compelled to announce it to-day."

Hearing this, Nell climbed in a trice on Pan Tarkowski's knees and

embraced his neck and afterwards jumped onto her father's lap.

"Papa, how happy I am! how happy I am!"

Of hugs and kisses there was no end. Finally Nell, finding herself on

her own feet, began to gaze in Pan Tarkowski's eyes:

"Pan Tarkowski--"

"What is it, Nell?"

"--As I already know that he is there, can I see him to-night?"

"I knew," exclaimed Mr. Rawlinson, feigning indignation, "that this

little fly would not be content with the news itself."

And Pan Tarkowski, turning to the son of Chadigi, said:

"Chamis, bring the dog."

The young Sudânese disappeared behind the kitchen tent and after a

while reappeared, leading a big dog by the collar.

Nell retreated.

"Oh," she exclaimed, seizing her father's hand.

On the other hand, Stas grew enthusiastic.

"But that is a lion, not a dog," he said.

"He is called Saba (lion)," answered Pan Tarkowski. "He belongs to the

breed of mastiffs; these are the biggest dogs in the world. This one is

only two years old but really is exceedingly large. Don't be afraid,

Nell, as he is as gentle as a lamb. Only be brave. Let him go, Chamis."

Chamis let go of the collar with which he had restrained the dog, and

the latter, feeling that he was free, began to wag his tail, fawn

before Pan Tarkowski with whom he was already well acquainted, and bark

joyfully.

The children gazed in the moonlight with admiration on his large round

head with hanging lips, on his bulky paws, on his powerful frame,

reminding one, in truth, of a lion with the tawny-yellowish color of

his body.

"With such a dog one could safely go through Africa," exclaimed Stas.

"Ask him whether he could retrieve a rhinoceros," said Pan Tarkowski.

Saba could not, indeed, answer that question, but instead wagged his

tail more and more joyfully and drew near to the group so

ingratiatingly that Nell at once ceased to fear him and began to pat

him on his head.

"Saba, nice, dear Saba."

Mr. Rawlinson leaned over him, raised his head towards the face of the

little girl, and said:

"Saba, look at this little lady. She is your mistress. You must obey

and guard her. Do you understand?"

"Wow!" was the basso response of Saba, as if he actually understood

what was wanted.

And he understood even better than might have been expected, for taking

advantage of the fact that his head was on a level with the little

girl's face, as a mark of homage he licked her little nose and cheeks

with his broad tongue.

This provoked a general outburst of laughter. Nell had to go to the

tent to wash herself. Returning after a quarter of an hour she saw Saba

with paws upon the shoulders of Stas, who bent under the weight; the

dog was higher by a head.

The time for sleep was approaching, but the little one asked for yet

half an hour of play in order to get better acquainted with her new

friend. In fact, the acquaintance proceeded so easily that Pan

Tarkowski soon placed her in lady fashion on Saba's back and, holding

her from fear that she might fall, ordered Stas to lead the dog by the

collar. She rode thus a score of paces, after which Stas tried to mount

this peculiar "saddle-horse," but the dog sat on his hind legs so that

Stas unexpectedly found himself on the sand near the tail.

The children were about to retire when in the distance on the market

place, illumined by the moon, appeared two white figures walking

towards the tents.

The hitherto gentle Saba began to growl hollowly and threateningly so

that Chamis, at Mr. Rawlinson's order, again had to take hold of the

collar, and in the meantime two men dressed in white burnooses stood

before the tent.

"Who is there?" asked Pan Tarkowski.

"Camel drivers," answered one of the arrivals.

"Ah, Idris and Gebhr? What do you want?"

"We come to ask whether you will need us to-morrow."

"No. To-morrow and the day after are great holidays, during which it is

not proper to make excursions. Come on the morning of the third day."

"Thank you, effendi."

"Have you good camels?" asked Mr. Rawlinson.

"Bismillah!" answered Idris; "real saddle-horses with fat humps and as

gentle as ha'-ga (lambs). Otherwise Cook would not have employed us."

"Do they jolt much?"

"Gentlemen, you can place a handful of kidney-beans on their backs and

not a grain will fall during the fullest speed."

"If one is to exaggerate, then exaggerate after the Arabian fashion,"

said Pan Tarkowski, laughing.

"Or after the Sudânese," added Mr. Rawlinson.

In the meantime Idris and Gebhr continued to stand like two white

columns, gazing attentively at Stas and Nell. The moon illumined their

very dark faces, and in its luster they looked as if cast of bronze.

The whites of their eyes glittered greenishly from under the turbans.

"Good night to you," said Mr. Rawlinson.

"May Allah watch over you, effendi, in night and in day."

Saying this, they bowed and went away. They were accompanied by a

hollow growl, similar to distant thunder, from Saba, whom the two

Sudânese apparently did not please.

V

During the following days there were no excursions. Instead, on

Christmas Eve, when the first star appeared in heaven, a little tree in

Mr. Rawlinson's tent, intended for Nell, was illuminated with hundreds

of candles. To serve as a Christmas tree there had been taken an arbor

vitae, cut in one of the gardens in Medinet; nevertheless, among its

branchlets Nell found a profusion of dainties and a splendid doll,

which her father had brought from Cairo for her, and Stas, his much

desired English short rifle. In addition he received from his father

packages containing various hunters' supplies, and a saddle for

horseback riding. Nell could not contain herself for joy, while Stas,

although he thought that whoever owned a genuine short rifle ought to

possess a corresponding dignity, could not restrain himself, and

selecting the time when no one was about, walked around the tent on his

hands. This knack, taught to him at the Port Said school, he possessed

to a surprising degree and with it often amused Nell, who, besides,

sincerely envied it in him.

Christmas Eve and the first day of the holidays were passed by the

children partly in church services, partly in inspecting the gifts they

had received, and in training Saba. The new friend appeared to possess

intelligence beyond all expectations. On the very first day he learned

to give his paw, retrieve handkerchiefs, which, however, he would not

surrender without some resistance, and he understood that cleaning

Nell's face with his tongue was an act unworthy of a gentlemanly dog.

Nell, holding her fingers at her little nose, gave him various

instructions, while he, concurring with motions of his tail, gave her

in this manner to understand that he heard with becoming attention and

took her lessons to heart. During their strolls over the sandy city

square the fame of Saba in Medinet grew with each hour and, even as all

fame, began to have its disagreeable side, for it drew a whole swarm of

Arabian children. In the beginning they kept at a distance; afterwards,

however, emboldened by the gentleness of the "monster," they approached

more and more closely, and in the end sat around the tent so that no

one could move about with any freedom. Besides, as every Arabian child

sucks sugar-cane from morning to night, the children always attract

after them legions of flies, which besides being loathsome are noxious,

for they spread the Egyptian infection of inflammation of the eyes. For

this reason the servants attempted to disperse the children, but Nell

stood in their defense and, what is more, distributed among the

youngest "helou," that is, sweetmeats, which gained for her their great

love but also increased their number.

After three days the joint excursions began; partly on the narrow-gauge

railways of which the English had built quite a number in Medinet

el-Fayûm, partly on donkeys, and sometimes on camels. It appeared that

in the praises bestowed on those animals by Idris there was indeed a

great deal of exaggeration, for not merely kidney-beans but even people

could not easily keep on the saddles; but there was also some truth.

The camels in reality belonged to the variety known as "hegin," that

is, for carrying passengers, and were fed with good durra (the local or

Syrian maize) so that the humps were fat and they appeared so willing

to speed that it was necessary to check them. The Sudânese, Idris and

Gebhr, gained, notwithstanding the wild glitter of their eyes, the

confidence and hearts of the company, and this through their great

willingness to serve and their extraordinary care over Nell. Gebhr

always had a cruel and a trifle bestial expression of face, but Idris,

quickly perceiving that that little personage was the eye in the head

of the whole company, declared at every opportunity that he cared more

for her than for his own soul. Mr. Rawlinson conjectured indeed, that,

through Nell, Idris wanted to reach his pocket, but believing at the

same time that there was not in the world a person who could not but

love his only child, he was grateful to him and did not stint himself

in giving "bakshish."

In the course of five days the party visited the near by ruins of the

ancient city of Crocodilopolis, where at one time the Egyptians

worshipped a deity called Sobk, which had a human form with the head of

a crocodile. Afterwards an excursion was made to the Hanar pyramids and

the remains of the Labyrinth. The longest trip was on camel-back to

Lake Karûn. Its northern shore was a stark desert, on which there were

ruins of former Egyptian cities, but no trace of life. On the other

hand, on the southern shore stretched a fertile country, magnificent,

with shores overgrown by heather and reeds and teeming with pelicans,

flamingoes, herons, wild geese, and ducks. Only here did Stas find an

opportunity for displaying his marksmanship. The shooting from a common

rifle as well as from the short rifle was so extraordinary that after

every shot could be heard the astonished smacking of the lips of Idris

and the Arabian rowers, and the falling of the birds into the water was

accompanied by exclamations of "Bismillah" and "Mashallah."

The Arabians assured them that on the opposite desert-shore were many

wolves and hyenas, and that by tossing amid the sand dunes the carcass

of a sheep one might get within shooting range. In consequence of these

assurances Pan Tarkowski and Stas passed two nights on the desert near

the ruins of Dima. But the first sheep was stolen by Bedouins as soon

as the hunters left it; while the second lured only a lame jackal,

which Stas brought down. Further hunting had to be postponed as the

time had arrived for both engineers to inspect the works conducted at

Bahr Yûsuf near El-Lahûn, southeast from Medinet.

Mr. Rawlinson waited only for the arrival of Madame Olivier.

Unfortunately, in place of her, came a letter from the physician

informing them that the former erysipelas in the face had recurred

after the bite, and that the patient for a long time would be unable to

leave Port Said. The situation actually became distressing. It was

impossible to take with them the children, old Dinah, the tents, and

all the servants, if only for the reason that the engineers were to be

one day here, another there, and might receive requests to go as far as

the great canal of Ibrâhimiyeh. In view of this, after a short

consultation Mr. Rawlinson decided to leave Nell under the care of old

Dinah and Stas, together with the Italian consular agent and the local

"Mudir" (governor) with whom he had previously become acquainted. He

promised also to Nell, who grieved to part from her father, that from

all the nearer localities he would with Pan Tarkowski rush to Medinet,

or if they found some noteworthy sight, would summon the children to

them.

"We shall take with us, Chamis," he said, "whom in a certain case we

shall send for you. Let Dinah always keep Nell's company, but as Nell

does with her whatever she pleases, do you, Stas, watch over both."

"You may be sure, sir," answered Stas, "that I shall watch over Nell,

as over my own sister. She has Saba, and I a short rifle, so let any

one try to harm her--"

"It is not about that that I am concerned," said Mr. Rawlinson. "Saba

and the short rifle will certainly not be necessary for you. You will

be so good as to protect her from fatigue and at the same time take

care she does not catch cold. I have asked the consul in case she feels

unwell to summon a doctor from Cairo immediately. We shall send Chamis

here for news as frequently as possible. The Mudir will also visit you.

I expect, besides, that our absence will never be very long."

Pan Tarkowski also was not sparing in his admonitions to Stas. He told

him that Nell did not require his defense as there was not in Medinet

nor in the whole province of El-Fayûm any savage people or wild

animals. To think of such things would be ridiculous and unworthy of a

boy who had begun his fourteenth year. So he was to be solicitous and

heedful only that they did not undertake anything on their own account,

and more particularly excursions with Nell on camels, on which a ride

was fatiguing.

But Nell, hearing this, made such a sad face that Pan Tarkowski had to

placate her.

"Certainly," he said, stroking her hair, "you will ride camels, but

with us or towards us, if we send Chamis for you."

"But when alone are we not allowed to make an excursion, even though

such a tiny bit of a one?" asked the girl.

And she began to show on her finger about how little an excursion she

was concerned. The parents in the end agreed that they could ride on

donkeys, not on camels, and not to ruins, where they might easily fall

into some hole, but over roads of adjacent fields and towards the

gardens beyond the city. The dragoman, together with other Cook

servants, was always to accompany the children.

After this both gentlemen departed, but they left for a place near by,

Hanaret el-Matka, so that after ten hours they returned to pass the

night in Medinet. This was repeated the succeeding few days until they

had inspected all the nearest work. Afterwards, when their employment

required their presence at more distant places, Chamis arrived in the

night time, and early in the following morning took Stas and Nell to

those little cities, in which their parents wanted to show them

something of interest. The children spent the greater part of the day

with their parents and before sunset returned to the camp at Medinet.

There were, however, days on which Chamis did not come, and then Nell,

notwithstanding the society of Stas, and Saba in whom she continually

discovered some new traits, looked with longing for a messenger. In

this manner the time passed until Twelfth Night, on the day of which

festival both engineers returned to Medinet.

Two days later they went away again, announcing that they left this

time for a longer period and in all probability would reach as far as

Benisueif, and from there to El-Fachn, where a canal of the same name

begins, going far south alongside of the Nile.

Great, therefore, was the astonishment of the children, when on the

third day at eleven o'clock in the morning Chamis appeared in Medinet.

Stas met him first as he went to the pasturage to look at the camels.

Chamis conversed with Idris, and only told Stas that he came for him

and Nell and that he would come immediately to the camp to inform them

where they, at the request of the older gentlemen, were to go. Stas ran

at once with the good news to Nell, whom he found playing with Saba

before the tent.

"Do you know--Chamis is here!" he cried from a distance.

And Nell began at once to hop, holding both feet together, as little

girls do when skipping the rope.

"We shall go! We shall go!"

"Yes. We shall go, and far."

"Where?" she asked, brushing aside with her little hands a tuft of hair

which fell over her eyes.

"I don't know. Chamis said that in a moment he would come here and tell

us."

"How do you know it is far?"

"Because I heard Idris say that he and Gebhr would start at once with

the camels. That means that we shall go by rail and shall find the

camels at the place where our parents will be, and from there we shall

make some kind of an excursion."

The tuft of hair, owing to the continual hops, covered again not only

Nell's eyes but her whole face, her feet bounding as if they were made

of India rubber.

A quarter of an hour later, Chamis came and bowed to both.

"Khanage (young master)," he said, "we leave after three hours by the

first train."

"Where are we going?"

"To Gharak el-Sultani, and from there with the older gentlemen on

camel-back to Wâdi Rayân."

Stas' heart beat with joy, but at the same time Chamis' words surprised

him. He knew that Wâdi Rayân was a great valley among sandy hills

rising on the Libyan Desert on the south and southwest of Medinet,

while on the other hand Pan Tarkowski and Mr. Rawlinson announced on

their departure that they were going in a directly opposite direction,

towards the Nile.

"What has happened?" asked Stas. "Then my father and Mr. Rawlinson are

not in Benisueif but in El-Gharak?"

"It happened thus," replied Chamis.

"But they ordered us to write to them at El-Fachn."

"In a letter the senior effendi explains why they are in El-Gharak."

And for a while he searched on his person for the letter, after which

he exclaimed:

"Oh, Nabi! (prophet) I left the letter in a pouch with the camels. I

will run at once before Idris and Gebhr depart."

And he ran towards the camels. In the meantime the children, with

Dinah, began to prepare for the journey. As it looked as if the

excursion would be a long one, Dinah packed several dresses, some

linen, and warmer clothing for Nell. Stas thought of himself, and

especially did not forget about the short rifle and cartridges, hoping

that among the sand dunes of Wâdi Rayân he might encounter wolves and

hyenas.

Chamis did not return until an hour later; he was covered with

perspiration and so fatigued that for a while he could not catch his

breath.

"I did not find the camels," he said. "I chased after them, but in

vain. But that does not matter as we shall find the letter and the

effendis themselves in El-Gharak. Is Dinah to go with you?"

"Why not?"

"Perhaps it would be better if she remained. The older gentlemen said

nothing about her."

"But they announced on leaving that Dinah was always to accompany the

little lady. So she shall ride now."

Chamis bowed, placing his hand on his heart and said:

"Let us hasten, sir, for otherwise the katr (train) will set off."

The baggage was ready, so they were at the station on time. The

distance between Medinet and Gharak is not more than nineteen miles,

but the trains on the branch line which connects those localities move

slowly and the stops were uncommonly frequent. If Stas had been alone

he undoubtedly would have preferred to ride camel-back as he calculated

that Idris and Gebhr, having started two hours before the train, would

be earlier in El-Gharak. But for Nell such a ride would be too long;

and the little guardian, who took very much to heart the warnings of

both parents, did not want to expose the little girl to fatigue. After

all the time passed for both so quickly that they scarcely noticed when

they stopped in Gharak.

The little station, from which Englishmen usually make excursions to

Wâdi Rayân, was almost entirely deserted. They found only a few veiled

women, with baskets of mandarin oranges, two unknown Bedouin camel

drivers, together with Idris and Gebhr, with seven camels, one of which

was heavily packed. Of Pan Tarkowski and Mr. Rawlinson there was no

trace.

But Idris in this manner explained their absence.

"The older gentlemen went into the desert to pitch the tents which they

brought with them from Etsah, and ordered us to follow them."

"And how shall we find them among the sand-hills?" asked Stas.

"They sent guides who will lead us to them."

Saying this he pointed to the Bedouins. The older of them bowed, rubbed

with his finger the one eye which he possessed, and said:

"Our camels are not so fat but are not less speedy than yours. After an

hour we shall be there."

Stas was glad that he would pass the night on the desert, but Nell felt

a certain disappointment, for she had been certain that she would meet

her papa in Gharak.

In the meantime the station-master, a sleepy Egyptian with a red fez

and dark spectacles, approached them, and, not having anything else to

do, began to stare at the European children.

"These are the children of those Englishmen who rode this morning with

rifles to the desert," said Idris, placing Nell on the saddle.

Stas, handing his short rifle to Chamis, sat beside her, for the saddle

was wide and had the shape of a palanquin without a roof. Dinah sat

behind Chamis, the others took separate camels, and the party started.

If the station-master had stared at them longer he might perhaps have

wondered that those Englishmen, of whom Idris spoke, rode directly to

the ruins on the south, while this party at once directed its movements

towards Talei, in a different direction. But the station-master before

that time had returned home as no other train arrived that day at

Gharak.

The hour was five in the afternoon. The weather was splendid. The sun

had already passed on that side of the Nile and declined over the

desert, sinking into the golden and purple twilight glowing on the

western side of the sky. The atmosphere was so permeated with the

roseate luster that the eyes blinked from its superfluity. The fields

assumed a lily tint, while the distant sand-hills, strongly relieved

against the background of the twilight, had a hue of pure amethyst. The

world lost the traits of reality and appeared to be one play of

supernal lights.

While they rode over a verdant and cultivated region, the guide, a

Bedouin, conducted the caravan with a moderate pace. But with the

moment that the hard sand creaked under the feet of the camels,

everything changed.

"Yalla! Yalla!" suddenly yelled wild voices.

And simultaneously could be heard the swish of whips and the camels,

having changed from an ambling pace into a full gallop, began to speed

like the whirlwind, throwing up with their feet the sand and gravel of

the desert.

"Yalla! Yalla!"

The ambling pace of a camel jolts more, while the gallop with which

this animal seldom runs, swings more; so the children enjoyed this mad

ride. But it is known that even in a swing, too much rapid movement

causes dizziness. Accordingly, after a certain time, when the speed did

not cease, Nell began to get dizzy and her eyes grew dim.

"Stas, why are we flying so?" she exclaimed, turning to her companion.

"I think that they allowed them to get into too much of a gallop and

now cannot check them," answered Stas.

But observing that the little girl's face was becoming pale, he shouted

at the Bedouins, running ahead, to slacken their pace. His calls,

however, had only this result: that again resounded the cries of

"Yalla," and the animals increased their speed.

The boy thought at first that the Bedouins did not hear him, but when

on his repeated orders there was no response and when Gebhr, who was

riding behind him, did not cease lashing the camel on which he sat with

Nell, he thought it was not the camels that were so spirited but that

the men for some reason unknown to him were in a great hurry.

It occurred to him that they might have taken the wrong road and that,

desiring to make up for lost time, they now were speeding from fear

that the older gentlemen might scold them because of a late arrival.

But after a while he understood that such could not be the case, as Mr.

Rawlinson would have been more angered for unnecessarily fatiguing

Nell. Then what did it mean? And why did they not obey his commands? In

the heart of the boy anger and fear for Nell began to rise.

"Stop!" he shouted with his whole strength, addressing Gebhr.

"Ouskout! (be silent)!" the Sudânese yelled in reply; and they sped on.

In Egypt night falls about six o'clock, so the twilight soon became

extinct and after a certain time the great moon, ruddy from the

reflection of the twilight, rolled on and illuminated the desert with a

gentle light.

In the silence could be heard only the heavy breathing of the camels,

the rapid hoof-beats on the sand, and at times the swish of whips. Nell

was so tired that Stas had to hold her on the saddle. Every little

while she asked how soon they would reach then destination, and

evidently was buoyed up only by the hope of an early meeting with her

father. But in vain both children gazed around. One hour passed, then

another; neither tents nor camp-fires could be seen.

Then the hair rose on Stas' head, for he realized that they were

kidnapped.

VI

Messrs. Rawlinson and Tarkowski actually expected the children, not

amidst the sand-hills of Wâdi Rayân, where they had no need or desire

to ride, but in an entirely different direction, in the city of

El-Fachn on a canal of the same name at which they were examining the

work finished before the end of the year. The distance between El-Fachn

and Medinet in a straight line is almost twenty-eight miles. As,

however, there is no direct connection and it is necessary to ride to

El-Wasta, which doubles the distance, Mr. Rawlinson, after looking over

the railway guide, made the following calculations.

"Chamis left the night before last," he said to Pan Tarkowski, "and in

El-Wasta he caught the train from Cairo; he was therefore in Medinet

yesterday. It would take an hour to pack up. Leaving at noon they

would have to wait for the night train running along the Nile, and

as I do not permit Nell to ride at night, they would leave this

morning and will be here immediately after sunset."

"Yes," said Pan Tarkowski, "Chamis must rest a little, and though Stas

is indeed impulsive, nevertheless, where Nell is concerned you may

always depend upon him. Moreover, I sent him a postal card not to ride

during the night."

"A brave lad, and I trust him," answered Mr. Rawlinson.

"To tell the truth, so do I. Stas with his various faults has an

upright character and never lies, for he is brave, and only a coward

lies. He also does not lack energy and if in time he acquires a calm

judgment, I think he will be able to take care of himself in this

world."

"Certainly. As to judgment, were you judicious at his age?"

"I must confess that I was not," replied Pan Tarkowski, laughing, "but

I was not so self-confident as he."

"That will pass. Meanwhile, be happy that you have such a boy."

"And you that you have such a sweet and dear creature as Nell."

"May God bless her!" answered Mr. Rawlinson with emotion.

The two friends warmly shook hands, after which they sat down to

examine the plans and the report of expenditures connected with the

work. At this occupation the time passed until evening.

About six o'clock, when night fell, they were at the station, strolling

along the walk, and resumed their conversation about the children.

"Superb weather, but cool," said Mr. Rawlinson. "I wonder if Nell took

some warm clothing with her."

"Stas will think of that, and Dinah also."

"I regret, nevertheless, that instead of bringing them here, we did not

go to Medinet."

"You will recollect that that is just what I advised."

"I know, and if it were not that we are to go from here farther south,

I would have agreed. I calculated, however, that the trip would take

too much time and on the whole it would be best to have the children

here. Finally, I will confess to you that Chamis suggested the idea to

me. He announced that he prodigiously yearned for them and would be

happy if I sent for both. I am not surprised that he should be so

attached to them."

Further conversation was interrupted by signals announcing the approach

of the train. After an interval the fiery eyes of the locomotive

appeared in the darkness, and at the same time could be heard its puffs

and whistle.

A row of lighted coaches drew alongside the platform, quivered, and

stood still.

"I did not see them in any window," said Mr. Rawlinson.

"Perhaps they are seated further inside and surely will come out

immediately."

The passengers began to alight, but they were mainly Arabs, as El-Fachn

has nothing interesting to see except beautiful groves of palms and

acacias. The children did not arrive.

"Chamis either did not make connections in El-Wasta," declared Pan

Tarkowski, with a shade of ill-humor, "or after a night of travel

overslept himself, and they will not arrive until to-morrow."

"That may be," answered Mr. Rawlinson, with uneasiness, "but it also

may be possible that one of them is sick."

"In that case Stas would have telegraphed."

"Who knows but that we may find a despatch in the hotel?"

"Let us go."

But in the hotel no news awaited them. Mr. Rawlinson became more and

more uneasy.

"What do you think could have happened?" said Pan Tarkowski. "If Chamis

overslept himself, he would not admit it to the children and would come

to them to-day and tell them that they are to leave to-morrow. To us he

will excuse himself by claiming that he misunderstood our orders. In

any event, I shall telegraph to Stas."

"And I to the Mudir of Fayûm."

After a while the despatches were sent. There was indeed no cause for

uneasiness; nevertheless, in waiting for an answer the engineers passed

a bad night, and early morning found them on their feet.

The answer from the Mudir came about ten o'clock and was as follows:

"Verified at station. Children left yesterday for Gharak el-Sultani."

It can easily be understood what amazement and anger possessed the

parents at this unexpected intelligence. For some time they gazed at

each other, as if they did not understand the words of the despatch;

after which Pan Tarkowski, who was an impulsive person, struck the

table with his hand and said:

"That was Stas' whim, but I will cure him of such whims."

"I did not expect that of him," answered Nell's father.

But after a moment he asked:

"But what of Chamis?"

"He either did not find them and does not know what to do or else rode

after them."

"Yes, I think so."

An hour later they started for Medinet. In camp they ascertained that

the camels were gone, and at the station it was confirmed that Chamis

left with the children for El-Gharak. The affair became darker and

darker and it could be cleared up only in El-Gharak.

In fact, only at that station did the dreadful truth begin to dawn.

The station-master, the same sleepy one with dark spectacles and red

fez, told them that he saw a boy about fourteen years old and an

eight-year-old girl with an old negress, who rode towards the desert.

He did not remember whether there were eight or nine camels altogether,

but observed that one was heavily packed as if for a long journey, and

the two Bedouins also had big pack-saddles. He recollected also that

when he stared at the caravan one of the camel drivers, a Sudânese,

said to him that those were the children of the Englishmen who before

that had gone to Wâdi Rayân.

"Did those Englishmen return?" asked Pan Tarkowski.

"Yes. They returned yesterday with two slain wolves," answered the

station-master; "and I was astonished that they did not return with the

children. But I did not ask the reason as that was not my affair."

Saying this he left to attend to his duties.

During this narrative Mr. Rawlinson's face became white as paper.

Gazing at his friend with a wild look, he took off his hat, pressed his

hand to his forehead, covered with perspiration, and staggered as if he

were about to fall.

"Be a man, Rawlinson!" exclaimed Pan Tarkowski. "Our children are

kidnapped. It is necessary to rescue them."

"Nell! Nell!" repeated the unhappy Englishman.

"Nell and Stas! It was not Stas' fault. Both were enticed by trickery

and kidnapped. Who knows why? Perhaps for a ransom. Chamis undoubtedly

is in the plot, and Idris and Gebhr also."

Here he recalled what Fatma had said about both Sudânese belonging to

the Dongolese tribe, in which the Mahdi was born, and that Chadigi, the

father of Chamis, came from the same tribe. At this recollection his

heart for a moment became inert in his breast for he understood that

the children were abducted not for a ransom but as an exchange for

Smain's family.

"But what will the tribesmen of the ill-omened prophet do with them?

They cannot hide them on the desert or anywhere on the banks of the

Nile, for they all would die of hunger and thirst on the desert, and

they certainly would be apprehended on the Nile. Perhaps they will try

to join the Mahdi."

And this thought filled Pan Tarkowski with dismay, but the energetic

ex-soldier soon recovered and began in his mind to review all that

happened and at the same time seek means of rescue.

"Fatma," he reasoned, "had no cause to revenge herself either upon us

or our children. If they have been kidnapped it was evidently for the

purpose of placing them in the hands of Smain. In no case does death

threaten them. And this is a fortune in misfortune; still a terrible

journey awaits them which might be disastrous for them."

And at once he shared these thoughts with his friend, after which he

spoke thus:

"Idris and Gebhr, like savage and foolish men, imagine that followers

of the Mahdi are not far, while Khartûm, which the Mahdi reached, is

about one thousand two hundred and forty miles from here. This journey

they must make along the Nile and not keep at a distance from it as

otherwise the camels and people would perish from thirst. Ride at once

to Cairo and demand of the Khedive that despatches be sent to all the

military outposts and that a pursuit be organized right and left along

the river. Offer a large reward to the sheiks near the banks for the

capture of the fugitives. In the villages let all be detained who

approach for water. In this manner Idris and Gebhr must fall into the

hands of the authorities and we shall recover the children."

Mr. Rawlinson had already recovered his composure.

"I shall go," he said. "Those miscreants forgot that Wolseley's English

army, hurrying to Gordon's relief, is already on the way and will cut

them off from the Mahdi. They will not escape. They cannot escape. I

shall send a despatch to our minister in a moment, and afterwards go

myself. What do you intend to do?"

"I shall telegraph for a furlough, and not waiting for an answer, shall

follow then trail by way of the Nile to Nubia, to attend to the

pursuit."

"Then we shall meet, as from Cairo I shall do the same."

"Good! And now to work!"

"With God's help!" answered Mr. Rawlinson.

VII

In the meantime the camels swept like a hurricane over the sands

glistening in the moonlight. A deep night fell. The moon, at the

beginning as big as a wheel and ruddy, became pale and rolled on high.

The distant desert hills were enveloped with silvery vapors like muslin

which, not veiling their view, transformed them as if into luminous

phenomena. From time to time from beyond the rocks scattered here and

there came the piteous whining of jackals.

Another hour passed. Stas held Nell in his arms and supported her,

endeavoring in this way to allay the fatiguing jolts of the mad ride.

The little girl began more and more frequently to ask him why they were

speeding so and why they did not see the tents and their papas. Stas

finally determined to tell her the truth, which sooner or later he

would have to disclose.

"Nell," he said, "pull off a glove and drop it, unobserved, on the

ground."

"Why, Stas?"

And he pressed her to himself and answered with a kind of tenderness

unusual to him:

"Do what I tell you."

Nell held Stas with one hand and feared to let him go, but she overcame

the difficulty in this manner: she began to pull the glove with her

teeth, each finger separately, and, finally taking it off entirely, she

dropped it on the ground.

"After a time, throw the other," again spoke Stas. "I already have

dropped mine, but yours will be easier to observe for they are bright."

And observing that the little girl gazed at him with an inquiring look,

he continued:

"Don't get frightened, Nell. It may be that we will not meet your or my

father at all--and that these foul people have kidnapped us. But don't

fear--for if it is so, then pursuers will follow them. They will

overtake them and surely rescue us. I told you to drop the gloves so

that the pursuers may find clews. In the meanwhile we can do nothing,

but later I shall contrive something--Surely, I shall contrive

something; only do not fear, and trust me."

But Nell, learning that she should not see her papa and that they are

flying somewhere, far in the desert, began to tremble from fright and

cry, clinging at the same time close to Stas and asking him amid her

sobs why they kidnapped them and where they were taking them. He

comforted her as well as he could--almost in the same words with which

his father comforted Mr. Rawlinson. He said that their parents

themselves would follow in pursuit and would notify all the garrisons

along the Nile. In the end he assured her that whatever might happen,

he would never abandon her and would always defend her.

But her grief and longing for her father were stronger even than fear;

so for a long time she did not cease to weep--and thus they flew, both

sad, on a bright night, over the pale sands of the desert.

Sorrow and fear not only oppressed Stas' heart, but also shame. He was

not indeed to blame for what had happened, yet he recalled the former

boastfulness for which his father so often had rebuked him. Formerly he

was convinced that there was no situation to which he was not equal; he

considered himself a kind of unvanquished swashbuckler, and was ready

to challenge the whole world. Now he understood that he was a small

boy, with whom everybody could do as he pleased, and that he was

speeding in spite, of his will on a camel merely because that camel was

driven from behind by a half-savage Sudânese. He felt terribly

humiliated and did not see any way of resisting. He had to admit to

himself that he plainly feared those men and the desert, and what he

and Nell might meet.

He promised sincerely not only to her but to himself that he would

watch over and defend her even at the cost of his own life.

Nell, weary with weeping and the mad ride, which had lasted already six

hours, finally began to doze, and at times fell asleep. Stas, knowing

that whoever fell from a galloping camel might be killed on the spot,

tied her to himself with a rope which he found on the saddle. But after

some time it seemed to him that the speed of the camels became less

rapid, though now they flew over smooth and soft sands. In the distance

could be seen only the shifting hills, while on the plain began the

nocturnal illusions common to the desert. The moon shone in the heaven

more and more palely and in the meantime there appeared before them,

creeping low, strange rosy clouds, entirely transparent, woven only

from light. They formed mysteriously and moved ahead as if pushed by

the light breeze. Stas saw how the burnooses of the Bedouins and the

camels became roseate when they rode into that illuminated space, and

afterwards the whole caravan was enveloped in a delicate, rosy luster.

At times the clouds assumed an azure hue and thus it continued until

the hills were reached.

Near the hills the speed of the camels slackened yet more. All about

could be seen rocks protruding from sandy knolls or strewn in wild

disorder amidst the sand dunes. The ground became stony. They crossed a

few hollows, sown with stone and resembling the dried-up beds of

rivers. At times their road was barred by ravines about which they had

to make a detour. The animals began to step carefully, moving their

legs with precision as if in a dance, among the dry and hard bushes

formed by roses of Jericho with which the dunes and rocks were

abundantly covered. Time and again some of the camels would stumble and

it was apparent that it was due to them to give them rest.

Accordingly the Bedouins stopped in a sunken pass, and dismounting from

the saddles, proceeded to untie the packs. Idris and Gebhr followed

their example. They began to attend to the camels, to loosen the

saddle-girths, remove the supplies of provisions, and seek flat stones

on which to build a fire. There was no wood or dried dung, which Arabs

use, but Chamis, son of Chadigi, plucked roses of Jericho and built of

them a big pile to which he set fire. For some time, while the Sudânese

were engaged with the camels, Stas and Nell and her nurse, old Dinah,

found themselves together, somewhat apart. But Dinah was more

frightened than the children and could not say a word. She only wrapped

Nell in a warm plaid and sitting close to her began with a moan to kiss

her little hands. Stas at once asked Chamis the meaning of what had

happened, but he, laughing, only displayed his white teeth, and went to

gather more roses of Jericho. Idris, questioned afterwards, answered

with these words: "You will see!" and threatened him with his finger.

When the fire of roses, which smoldered more than blazed, finally

glowed they all surrounded it in a circle, except Gebhr who remained

with the camels, and they began to eat cakes of maize, and dried mutton

and goats' meat. The children, famished by the long journey, also ate,

though at the same time Nell's eyes were closed by sleepiness. But in

the meantime, in the faint light of the fire, appeared dark-skinned

Gebhr and with glittering eyes he held up two bright little gloves and

asked:

"Whose are these?"

"Mine," answered Nell with a sleepy and tired voice.

"Yours, little viper?" the Sudânese hissed through set teeth. "Then you

mark the road so that your father can know where to pursue us."

Saying this, he struck her with a courbash, a terrible Arabian whip,

which cuts even the hide of a camel. Nell, though she was wrapped in a

thick plaid, shrieked from pain and fright, but Gebhr was unable to

strike her a second time, for at that moment Stas leaped like a

wildcat, butted Gebhr's breast with his head, and afterwards clutched

him by the throat.

It happened so unexpectedly that the Sudânese fell upon his back and

Stas on top of him, and both began to roll on the ground. The boy was

exceptionally strong for his age, nevertheless Gebhr soon overcame him.

He first pulled his hands from his throat, after which he turned him

over with face to the ground and, pressing heavily on his neck with his

fist, he began to lash his back with the courbash.

The shrieks and tears of Nell, who seizing the hand of the savage at

the same time begged him "to forgive" Stas, would not have availed if

Idris had not unexpectedly come to the boy's assistance. He was older

than Gebhr and from the beginning of the flight from Gharak el-Sultani

all complied with his orders. Now he snatched the courbash from his

brother's hand and, pushing him away, exclaimed:

"Away, you fool!"

"I'll flog that scorpion!" answered Gebhr, gnashing his teeth.

But at this, Idris seized his cloak at the breast and gazing into his

eyes began to say in a threatening though quiet voice:

"The noble* [* All relatives of the Mahdi were termed "noble."] Fatma

forbade us to do any harm to those children, for they interceded for

her--"

"I'll flog him!" iterated Gebhr.

"And I tell you that you shall not raise the courbash at either of

them. If you do, for every blow, I shall give you ten."

And he began to shake him like a bough of a palm, after which he thus

continued:

"Those children are the property of Smain and if either of them does

not reach him alive, the Mahdi himself (May God prolong his days

infinitely!) would command you to be hung. Do you understand, you fool?"

The name of the Mahdi created such a great impression upon all his

believers that Gebhr drooped his head at once and began to repeat as if

with fear:

"Allah akbar! Allah akbar!"* [* This cry means, "God is great"; but

Arabs utter it in moments of fear, summoning aid.]

Stas rose, panting and whipped, but felt that if his father could have

seen and heard him at that moment he would have been proud of him, for

he had not only leaped to save Nell, without thinking, but now, though

the blows of the courbash burnt him like fire, he did not think of his

own pain but instead began to console and ask the little girl whether

the blow had injured her.

And afterwards he said:

"Whatever I got, I got, but he will never attack you. Oh, if I only had

some weapon!"

The little woman entwined his neck with her arms and dampening his

cheeks with tears began to assure him that it did not pain her very

much and that she was crying not from pain but from sorrow for him. At

this Stas put his lips to her ear and whispered:

"Nell, I swear that, not because he whipped me, but because he struck

you, I shall not forgive him." With that the incident closed.

After a certain time Gebhr and Idris, becoming reconciled, spread out

their cloaks upon the ground and lay upon them, and Chamis soon

followed their example. The Bedouins poured out durra for the camels,

after which, having mounted two unengaged camels, they rode in the

direction of the Nile. Nell, supporting her head on old Dinah's knee,

fell asleep. The fire was dying out and soon could be heard only the

grinding of the durra in the camels' teeth. On high rolled small clouds

which at times veiled the moon, but the night was clear. Beyond the

rocks resounded the mournful whining of jackals.

After two hours the Bedouins returned with the camels bearing leather

bags filled with water. Having fed the fire, they sat on the sand and

commenced to eat. Their arrival awoke Stas, who previously had been

dozing, as well as Chamis, son of Chadigi, and the two Sudânese. Then

at the camp-fire began the following conversation:

"Can we start?" Idris asked.

"No, because we must rest;--we and our camels."

"Did any one see you?"

"Nobody. We reached the river between two villages. In the distance

dogs barked."

"It will be necessary always to go for water at midnight and draw it at

deserted places. Only let us get past the first 'challa' (cataract);

beyond that the villages are farther apart and they are more friendly

to the prophet. A pursuing party will undoubtedly follow us."

At this Chamis turned over, with his back up, and resting his face on

his hands said:

"The Mehendes will first wait for the children in El-Fachn during the

whole night and until the following train; later they will go to Fayûm

and from there to Gharak. Only there will they understand what has

happened and then they will have to return to Medinet to send words

flying over the copper wire to cities on the Nile and to the

camel-corps which will pursue us. All that will take at least three

days. Therefore we do not need to tire our camels and can peacefully

'drink smoke' from pipe-stems."

Saying this, he pulled out a sprig of a rose of Jericho and lit his

pipe with it, while Idris began, according to the Arabian habit, to

smack his lips with satisfaction.

"You arranged it well, son of Chadigi," he said, "but it is necessary

for us to take advantage of the time and to drive during those three

days and nights as far as possible southward. I shall breathe freely

only when we shall cross the desert between the Nile and Kharga (a

great oasis west of the Nile). God grant that the camels hold out."

"They will hold out," declared one of the Bedouins.

"People also say," interposed Chamis, "that the army of the Mahdi--may

God prolong his life--has already reached Assuan."

Here Stas, who did not lose a word of this conversation and remembered

also what Idris had said to Gebhr, rose and said:

"The army of the Mahdi is below Khartûm."

"La! La! (no! no!)" Chamis contradicted.

"Don't pay any attention to his words," Stas replied, "for he not only

has a dark skin but also a dark brain. Although you bought fresh camels

every three days and rushed as you have done this day, you would not

reach Khartûm for a month. And perhaps you do not know that an English,

not an Egyptian, army bars the road to you."

These words created a certain impression and Stas, observing this,

continued:

"Before you find yourselves between the Nile and the great oasis all

the roads on the desert will be picketed by a line of army sentinels.

Words over the copper wire speed quicker than camels. How will you be

able to slip through?"

"The desert is wide," answered one of the Bedouins.

"But you must keep close to the Nile."

"We can cross over, and when they seek us on this side we shall be on

the other."

"Words speeding over the copper wire will reach cities and villages on

both banks of the river."

"The Mahdi will send us an angel, who will place a finger on the eyes

of the Englishmen and the Turks (Egyptians) and will screen us with his

wings."

"Idris," said Stas, "I do not address Chamis whose head is like an

empty gourd, nor Gebhr who is a vile jackal, but you. I already know

that you want to carry us to the Mahdi and deliver us to Smain. But if

you are doing this for money, then know that the father of this little

'bint' (girl) is richer than all the Sudânese put together."

"And what of it?" interrupted Idris.

"What of it? Return voluntarily and the great Mehendi will not spare

money for you, nor will my father either."

"But they will give us up to the Government, which will order us to be

hung."

"No, Idris. You undoubtedly will hang, but only in case they capture

you in the flight; and that surely will happen. But if you return, no

punishment will be meted out to you, and besides you will be wealthy to

the end of your life. You know that the white people of Europe always

keep their word. Now I give you the word for both Mehendes that it will

be as I say."

And Stas in reality was confident that his father and Mr. Rawlinson

would prefer to fulfil the promise made by him than expose both of

them, and especially Nell, to the terrible journey and yet more

terrible life among the savage and maddened hordes of the Mahdi.

So with palpitating heart, he waited for the reply of Idris who was

plunged in silence and only after a long interval said:

"You say that the father of the little 'bint' and yours will give us a

great deal of money?"

"Yes."

"But can all their money open for us the gates of paradise which only

the blessing of the Mahdi can do?"

"Bismillah!" shouted both Bedouins together with Chamis and Gebhr.

Stas at once lost all hope, for he knew that howsoever much the people

in the East are greedy and venal, nevertheless when a true Mohammedan

views any matter from the standpoint of faith, there are not any

treasures in the world with which he can be tempted.

Idris, encouraged by the shouts, continued, and evidently not for the

purpose of replying to Stas, but with a view of gaining greater esteem

and praise from his companions.

"We have the good fortune not only to belong to that tribe which gave

the holy prophet, but the noble Fatma and her children are his

relatives and the great Mahdi loves them. If we deliver you and the

little 'bint' to him, he will exchange you for Fatma and her sons and

will bless us. Know that even the water, in which every morning

according to the precepts of the Koran he makes his ablutions, heals

the sick and eliminates sins; and think what his blessing can

accomplish!"

"Bismillah!" reiterated the Sudânese and Bedouins.

But Stas, clutching at the last plank for help, said:

"Then take me and let the Bedouins return with the little 'bint' For me

they will surrender Fatma and her sons."

"It is yet more certain that they will surrender her for you two."

At this the boy addressed Chamis:

"Your father shall answer for your conduct."

"My father is already in the desert, on his way to the prophet,"

retorted Chamis.

"Then they will capture and hang him."

Here, however, Idris deemed it proper to give encouragement to his

companions.

"Those vultures," he said, "which will pick the flesh from our bones

may not yet be hatched. We know what threatens us, but we are not

children, and we know the desert of old. These men (here he pointed at

the Bedouins) were many times in Berber and are acquainted with roads

over which only gazelles roam. There nobody will find us and nobody

will seek us. We must indeed turn for water to the Bahr Yûsuf and later

to the Nile, but will do that in the night. Besides, do you think that

on the river there are no secret friends of the Mahdi? And I tell you

that the farther south we go the more of them we will find. There,

tribes and their sheiks are only waiting for the favorable moment to

seize the sword in defense of the true faith. These alone will supply

water, food, and camels, and lead astray the pursuit. In truth, we know

that it is far to the Mahdi, but we know also that every day brings us

nearer to the sheep's hide on which the holy prophet kneels to pray."

"Bismillah!" shouted his companions for the third tune.

It was apparent that Idris' importance grew among them considerably.

Stas understood that all was lost; so, desiring at least to protect

Nell from the malice of the Sudânese, he said:

"After six hours the little lady reached here barely alive. How can you

think that she can endure such a journey? If she should die, I also

will die, and then with what will you come to the Mahdi?"

Now Idris could not find an answer. Stas, perceiving this, continued

thus:

"And how will the Mahdi and Smain receive you when they learn that for

your folly Fatma and her children must pay with their lives?"

But the Sudânese had recovered himself and replied:

"I saw how you grasped Gebhr's throat. By Allah! you are a lion's whelp

and will not die and she--"

Here he gazed at the little head of the sleeping girl resting on the

knees of old Dinah and finished in a kind of strangely gentle voice:

"For her we will weave on the camel's hump a nest, as for a bird, that

she may not at all feel fatigue and that she may sleep on the road as

peacefully as she is sleeping now."

Saying this he walked towards the camels and with the Bedouins began to

make a seat for the little girl on the back of the best dromedary. At

this they chattered a great deal and quarrelled among themselves but

finally, with the aid of ropes, shaggy coverlets, and short bamboo

poles they made something in the shape of a deep, immovable basket in

which Nell could sit or lie down, but from which she could not fall.

Above this seat, so broad that Dinah also could be accommodated in it,

they stretched a linen awning.

"You see," said Idris to Stas, "quail's eggs could not crack in those

housings. The old woman will ride with the little lady to serve her day

and night.--You will sit with me, but can ride near her and watch over

her."

Stas was glad that he had secured even this much. Pondering over the

situation, he came to the conclusion that in all probability they would

be captured before they reached the first cataract, and this thought

gave him hope. In the meantime he wanted above all things to sleep; so

he promised himself that he would tie himself with some kind of rope to

the saddle, and, as he would not have to hold Nell, he could take a nap

for a few hours.

The night already became paler and the jackals ceased their whining

amid the passes. The caravan was to start immediately, but the

Sudânese, observing the dawn, went to a rock, a few paces away, and

there, conformably with the precepts of the Koran, began their morning

ablutions, using, however, sand instead of water, which they desired to

save. Afterwards resounded voices, saying the "soubhg," or morning

prayer. Amidst the deep silence plainly could be heard their words: "In

the name of the compassionate and merciful God. Glory to the Lord, the

sovereign of the world, compassionate and merciful on the day of

judgment. Thee we worship and profess. Thee we implore for aid. Lead us

over the road of those to whom thou dost not spare benefactions and

grace and not over the paths of sinners who have incurred Thy wrath and

who err. Amen."

And Stas, hearing these voices, raised his eyes upwards and in that

distant region, amidst tawny, gloomy sands, began the prayer:

"We fly to Thy patronage, O Holy Mother of God."

VIII

The night faded. The men already had the saddles on the camels, when

suddenly they observed a desert wolf, which, with tail curled beneath

it, rushed across the pass, about a hundred paces from the caravan, and

reaching the opposite table-land, dashed ahead showing signs of fright

as if it fled before some enemy. On the Egyptian deserts there are no

wild animals before which wolves could feel any fear and for that

reason this sight greatly alarmed the Sudânese Arabs. What could this

be? Was the pursuing party already approaching? One of the Bedouins

quickly climbed on a rock, but he had barely glanced when he slipped

down yet more quickly.

"By the prophet!" he exclaimed, confused and frightened, "a lion is

rushing towards us and is already close by!"

And then from beyond the rocks came a bass "wow" after which Stas and

Nell shouted together:

"Saba! Saba!"

As in the Arabian language this means a lion, the Bedouins became

frightened yet more, but Chamis burst out laughing and said:

"I know that lion."

Saying this he whistled drawlingly and in a moment the gigantic mastiff

dashed among the camels. Seeing the children he leaped towards them.

From joy he overturned Nell who extended her hands to him; he reared

himself on Stas; afterwards whining and barking he ran round both a few

times, again overturned Nell, again reared himself on Stas, and finally

lying down at their feet began to pant.

His sides were sunken, from his lolling tongue fell clots of froth;

nevertheless he wagged his tail and raised his eyes full of love at

Nell as if he wanted to say: "Your father ordered me to watch over you,

so here I am."

The children sat close to him, one on each side, and began to pat him.

The two Bedouins, who never before saw a creature like this, gazed at

him with astonishment, repeating: "On Allah! o kelb kebir!" ("By God!

that is a big dog!") while he for some time lay quietly. Afterwards he

raised his head, inhaled the air through his black nose resembling a

big truffle, scented, and jumped towards the extinct camp-fire, near

which lay the remnants of food.

In the same moment goat's and lamb's bones began to crack and crumble

as straw in his powerful teeth. After eight people, counting old Dinah

and Nell, there was enough for such "kelb kebir."

But the Sudânese were worried by his arrival and the two camel drivers,

calling Chamis to one side, began to speak to him with uneasiness and

even with indignation.

"Iblis* [* Iblis, one of the names of the devil in the

Koran.--_Translator's note_.] brought that dog here," exclaimed Gebhr,

"but in what manner did he find the children, since they came to Gharak

by rail?"

"Surely by the camel tracks," answered Chamis.

"It happened badly. Everybody who sees him with us will remember our

caravan and will point out where we went. We positively must get rid of

him."

"But how?" asked Chamis.

"We have a rifle, so take it and shoot him in the head."

In a case of urgency, Chamis might be able, for Stas had several times

opened and closed his weapon before him, but he was sorry for the dog

of whom he was fond, having taken care of him before the arrival of the

children at Medinet. He knew perfectly that the Sudânese had no idea

how to handle a weapon of the latest model and would be at a loss what

to do with it.

"If you don't know how," he said, with a crafty smile, "that little

'nouzrani' (Christian) could kill the dog, but that rifle can fire

several times in succession; so I do not advise you to put it in his

hands."

"God forbid!" replied Idris; "he would shoot us like quails."

"We have knives," observed Gebhr.

"Try it, but remember that you have a throat which the dog will pull to

pieces before you stab him."

"Then what is to be done?"

Chamis shrugged his shoulder.

"Why do you want to kill the dog? If you should afterwards bury him in

the sand, the hyenas will dig him out; the pursuers will find his bones

and will know that we did not cross the Nile but made off in this

direction. Let him follow us. As often as the Bedouins go for water and

we hide in the passes, you may be sure that the dog will stay with the

children. Allah! It is better that he came now, for otherwise he would

lead the pursuing party on our tracks as far as Berber. You do not need

to feed him, for if our leavings are not sufficient it will not be

difficult for him to get a hyena or jackal. Leave him in peace, I tell

you, and do not lose any time in idle talk."

"Perhaps you are right," said Idris.

"If I am right, then I will give him water, so that he shall not run to

the Nile and show himself in the villages."

In this manner was decided the fate of Saba who, having somewhat rested

himself and eaten his fill, in the twinkling of an eye lapped up a bowl

of water and started with renewed strength after the caravan.

They now rode on high, level ground, on which the wind wrinkled the

sand and from which could be seen on both sides the immense expanse of

the desert. Heaven assumed the tint of a pearl shell. Light little

clouds gathered in the east and changed like opals, after which they

suddenly became dyed with gold. One ray darted, afterwards another, and

the sun--as is usual in southern countries, in which there are scarcely

any twilight and dawn--did not ascend, but burst from behind the clouds

like a pillar of fire and flooded the horizon with a bright light. It

enlivened heaven, it enlivened the earth, and the immeasurable sandy

expanse was unveiled to the eyes of men.

"We must hasten," said Idris, "for here we can be seen from a distance."

Accordingly the rested and satiated camels sped on with the celerity of

gazelles. Saba remained behind, but there was no fear that he would get

lost and not appear at the first short halt for refreshments. The

dromedary on which Idris rode with Stas ran close to the one on which

Nell was mounted, so that the children could easily converse with each

other. The seat which the Sudânese had made appeared splendid and the

little girl really looked like a bird in a nest. She could not fall,

even sleeping, and the ride fatigued her far less than during the

night. The bright daylight gave courage to both children. In Stas'

heart the hope entered that since Saba had overtaken them, the pursuers

might do the same. This hope he at once shared with Nell, who smiled at

him for the first time since their abduction.

"When will they overtake us?" she asked in French in order that Idris

should not understand them.

"I do not know. It may be to-day; perhaps to-morrow; perhaps after two

or three days."

"But we will not ride back on camels?"

"No. We will ride only as far as the Nile, and afterwards go by way of

the Nile to El-Wasta."

"That is good! oh, good!"

Poor Nell, who had previously loved these rides, had evidently now had

enough of them.

"By way of the Nile--to El-Wasta and to papa!" she began to repeat in a

sleepy voice.

As at the previous stop she did not enjoy a full sound sleep, she now

fell into that deep sleep which after fatigue comes towards morning. In

the meantime the Bedouins drove the camels without a rest and Stas

observed that they were making their way towards the interior of the

desert.

So, desiring to shake Idris' confidence that he would be able to elude

the pursuit, and at the same time to show him that he himself relied

upon it as a dead certainty, he said:

"You are driving away from the Nile and from Bahr Yûsuf, but that won't

help you, for of course they will not seek you on the banks where

villages lie side by side, but in the interior of the desert."

And Idris asked:

"How do you know that we are driving away from the Nile, since the

banks cannot be seen from here?"

"Because the sun, which is in the eastern part of heaven, is warming

our backs; that means we have turned to the west."

"You are a wise boy," said Idris with esteem.

After a while he added:

"But the pursuing party will not overtake us nor will you escape."

"No," answered Stas, "I shall not escape--unless with her."

And he pointed to the sleeping girl.

Until noon they sped almost without pausing for breath, but when the

sun rose high in the sky and began to scorch, the camels, which by

nature perspire but little, were covered with sweat, and their pace

slackened considerably. The caravan again was surrounded by rocks and

dunes. The ravines, which during the rainy season are changed into

channels of streams, or so-called "khors," came to view more and more

frequently. The Bedouins finally halted in one of them which was

entirely concealed amid the rocks. But they had barely dismounted from

the camels when they raised a cry and dashed ahead, bending over every

little while and throwing stones ahead of them. Stas, who had not yet

alighted from the saddle, beheld a strange sight. From among the dry

bushes overgrowing the bed of the "khor," a big snake emerged and,

gliding sinuously with the rapidity of lightning among the fragments of

rocks, escaped to some hiding-place known to itself. The Bedouins

chased it furiously and Gebhr rushed to their aid with a knife. But

owing to the unevenness of the ground it was difficult either to hit

the snake with a stone or to pin it with a knife. Soon all three

returned with terror visible on their faces.

And the cries, customary with Arabs, resounded:

"Allah!"

"Bismillah!"

"Mashallah!"

Afterwards both Sudânese began to look with a kind of strange and, at

the same time, searching and inquiring gaze at Stas who could not

understand what was the matter.

In the meantime Nell also dismounted from her camel, and though she was

less tired than during the night, Stas spread for her a saddle-cloth in

the shade on a level spot and told her to lie down, in order, as he

said, that she might straighten out her little feet. The Arabs prepared

their noon meal, which consisted of biscuits and dates, together with a

gulp of water. The camels were not watered for they had drank during

the night. The faces of Idris, Gebhr and the Bedouins were still

dejected, and the stop was made in silence. Finally Idris called Stas

aside, and began to question him with a countenance at once mysterious

and perturbed.

"Did you see the snake?"

"I did."

"Did you conjure it to appear before us?"

"No."

"Some ill-luck awaits us as those fools did not succeed in killing it."

"The gallows awaits you."

"Be silent! Is your father a sorcerer?"

"He is," answered Stas without any hesitation, for he understood in a

moment that those savage and superstitious men regarded the appearance

of a reptile as an evil omen and an announcement that the flight would

not succeed.

"So then your father sent it to us," answered Idris, "but he ought to

understand that we can avenge ourselves for his charms upon you."

"You will not do anything to me as the sons of Fatma would have to

suffer for any injury to me."

"And you already understand this? But remember that if it was not for

me, your blood would have flowed under Gebhr's courbash--yours and that

little 'bint's' also."

"I therefore shall intercede for you only; but Gebhr shall swing on the

rope."

At this Idris gazed at him for a while as if with astonishment and said:

"Our lives are not yet in your hands and you already talk to us as our

lord--"

After a while he added:

"You are a strange 'uled' (boy), and such a one I have not yet seen.

Thus far I have been kind to you, but take heed and do not threaten."

"God punishes treachery," answered Stas.

It was apparent, however, that the assurance with which the boy spoke

in connection with the evil omen in the form of a snake which succeeded

in escaping, disquieted Idris in a high degree. Having already mounted

the camel he repeated several times: "Yes, I was kind to you," as if in

any event he wished to impress this upon Stas' memory, and afterwards

he began to finger the beads of a rosary made of the shells of "dum"

nuts, and pray.

About two o'clock, though it was in the winter season, the heat became

unusual. In the sky there was not a cloudlet, but the horizon's border

was disfigured.

Above the caravan hovered a few vultures whose widely outstretched

wings cast moving, black shadows on the tawny sands. In the heated air

could be smelt an odor like the gas exhaled from burning charcoal. The

camels, not ceasing to run, began to grunt strangely. One of the

Bedouins approached Idris.

"Some evil is brewing?"

"What, do you think?" asked the Sudânese.

"Wicked spirits awoke the wind slumbering on the western desert, and he

rose from the sands and is rushing upon us."

Idris raised himself on the saddle, gazed into the distance, and

replied:

"That is so. He is coming from the west and south but is not as furious

as a Khamsin."* [* A southwest wind which blows in the spring.]

"Three years ago near Abu-Hamed he buried a whole caravan and did not

sweep the sand away until last winter. Ualla! He may have enough

strength to stuff the nostrils of the camels and dry up the water in

the bags."

"It is necessary that we speed so that he strike us only with a wing."

"We are flying in his eyes and are not able to avoid him."

"The quicker he comes, the quicker he will pass away."

Saying this, Idris struck his camel with a courbash and his example was

followed by the others. For some time could be heard the dull blows of

the thick whips, resembling the clapping of hands, and the cries of

"Yalla." On the southwest the horizon, previously whitish, darkened.

The heat continued and the sun scorched the heads of the riders. The

vultures soared very high evidently, for their shadows grew smaller and

smaller, and they finally vanished entirely.

It became sultry.

The Arabs yelled at the camels until their throats became parched,

after which they were silent and a funereal quiet ensued, interrupted

only by the groaning of the animals.

Two very small foxes* [* An animal smaller than our foxes, called

"fennec."] with big ears stole by the caravan, running in an opposite

direction.

The same Bedouin, who had previously conversed with Idris, spoke out

again in a strange and as if not his own voice:

"This will not be a usual wind. Evil charms are pursuing us. The snake

is to blame for all--"

"I know," answered Idris.

"Look! the air quivers. That does not happen in winter."

In fact the heated air began to quiver, and in consequence of an

illusion of the eyes it seemed to the riders that the sands quivered.

The Bedouin took his sweaty cowl from his head and said:

"The heart of the desert beats with terror."

And at this the other Bedouin, riding in the lead as a guide of the

camels, turned around and began to shout:

"He is already coming!--He is coming!"

And in truth the wind came up. In the distance appeared as it were dark

clouds which in their eyes grew higher and higher and approached the

caravan. The nearest waves of air all around became agitated and sudden

gusts of wind began to spin the sand. Here and there funnels were

formed as if someone had drilled the surface of the desert with a cane.

At places rose swift whirlpools resembling pillars, thin at the bottom

and outspread on top like plumes of feathers. All this lasted but the

twinkling of an eye. The cloud which the camel-guide first espied came

flying towards them with an inconceivable velocity. It struck the

people and beasts like the wing of a gigantic bird. In one moment the

eyes and mouths of the riders were filled with sand. Clouds of dust hid

the sky, hid the sun, and the earth became dusky. The men began to lose

sight of one another and even the nearest camel appeared indistinctly

as if in a fog. Not the rustle--for on the desert there are no

trees--but the roar of the whirlwind drowned the calls of the guide and

the bellowing of the animals. In the atmosphere could be smelt an odor

such as coal smoke gives. The camels stood still and, turning away from

the wind, they stretched their long necks downward so that their

nostrils almost touched the sand.

The Sudânese, however, did not wish to allow a stop, as caravans which

halt during a hurricane are often buried in sand. At such times it is

best to speed with the whirlwind, but Idris and Gebhr could not do

this, for in thus doing they would return to Fayûm from where they

expected a pursuit. So when the first gale passed they again drove the

camels.

A momentary stillness ensued but the ruddy dusk dissipated very slowly

for the sun could not pierce through the clouds of dust suspended in

the air. The thicker and heavier particles of sand began to fall. Sand

filled all the cracks and punctures in the saddles and clung to the

folds of the clothes. The people with each breath inhaled dust which

irritated their lungs and grated their teeth.

Besides, the whirlwind might break out again and hide the whole world.

It occurred to Stas that if at the time of such darkness he was with

Nell on the same camel, he might turn around and escape with the wind

northward. Who knows whether they would be observed amidst the dusk and

confusion of the elements, and, if they succeeded in reaching any

village on Bahr Yûsuf near the Nile, Idris and Gebhr would not dare to

pursue them for they would at once fall into the hands of the local

"police."

Stas, weighing all this, jostled Idris' shoulder and said:

"Give me the gourd with water."

Idris did not refuse for howsoever much that morning they had turned

into the interior of the desert and quite far from the river, they had

enough of water, and the camels drank copiously during the time of

their night stop. Besides this, as a man acquainted with the desert, he

knew that after a hurricane, rain usually follows and the dried-up

"khors" change temporarily into streams.

Stas in reality was thirsty, so he took a good drink, after which, not

returning the gourd, he again jostled Idris' arm.

"Halt the caravan."

"Why?" asked the Sudânese.

"Because I want to sit on the camel with the little 'bint' and give her

water."

"Dinah has a bigger gourd than mine."

"But she is greedy and surely has emptied it. A great deal of sand must

have fallen into her saddle which you made like a basket. Dinah will be

helpless."

"The wind will break out after a while and will refill it."

"That is the more reason why she will require help."

Idris lashed the camel with his whip and for a while they rode in

silence.

"Why don't you answer?" Stas asked.

"Because I am considering whether it would be better to tie you to the

saddle or tie your hands behind."

"You have become insane."

"No. I have guessed what you intended to do."

"The pursuers will overtake us anyway; so I would not have to do it."

"The desert is in the hands of God."

They became silent again. The thicker sand fell entirely; there

remained in the air a subtile red dust, something of the nature of

pollen, through which the sun shone like a copper plate. But already

they could see ahead. Before the caravan stretched level ground at the

borders of which the keen eyes of the Arabs again espied a cloud. It

was higher than the previous one and, besides this, there shot from it

what seemed like pillars, or gigantic chimneys expanding at the top. At

this sight the hearts of the Arabs and Bedouins quailed for they

recognized the great sandy whirlpools. Idris raised his hands and

drawing his palms towards his ears began to prostrate himself to the

approaching whirlwind. His faith in one God evidently did not prevent

his worship and fear of others for Stas distinctly heard him say:

"Lord! We are thy children; therefore do not devour us."

But the "lord" just dashed at them and assailed the camels with a force

so terrible that they almost fell to the ground. The animals now formed

a compact pack with heads turned to the center towards each other.

Whole masses of sand were stirred. The caravan was enveloped by a dusk

deeper than before and in that dusk there flew beside the riders dark

and indistinct objects, as though gigantic birds or camels were

dispersed with the hurricane. Fear seized the Arabs, to whom it seemed

that these were the spirits of animals and men who had perished under

the sands. Amid the roar and howling could be heard strange voices

similar to sobs, to laughter, to cries for help. But these were

delusions. The caravan was threatened by real danger, a hundredfold

greater. The Sudânese well knew that if any one of the great

whirlpools, forming incessantly in the bosom of the hurricane, should

catch them in its whirls, it would hurl the riders to the ground and

disperse the camels, and if it should break and fall upon them then in

the twinkling of an eye an immense sandy mound would cover them in

which they would remain until the next hurricane, blowing away the

sand, should reveal their skeletons.

Stas' head swam, his lungs seemed choked, and the sand blinded him. But

at times it seemed to him that he heard Nell crying and calling; so he

thought only of her. Taking advantage of the fact that the camels stood

in a close pack and that Idris might not observe him, he determined to

creep over quietly to the girl's camel, not for the purpose of

escaping, but to give her assistance and encouragement. But he had

barely extended his limbs from under him and stretched out his hands to

grasp the edge of Nell's saddle, when the giant hand of Idris grabbed

him. The Sudânese snatched him like a feather, laid him before him and

began to tie him with a palm rope, and after binding his hands, placed

him across the saddle. Stas pressed his teeth and resisted as well as

he could, but in vain. Having a parched throat and a mouth filled with

sand he could not convince Idris that he desired only to go to the

girl's assistance and did not want to escape.

After a while, however, feeling that he was suffocating, he began to

shout in a stifled voice:

"Save the little 'bint'! Save the little 'bint'!"

But the Arabs preferred to think of their own lives. The blasts became

so terrible that they could not sit on the camels nor could the camels

stand in their places. The two Bedouins with Chamis and Gebhr leaped to

the ground, in order to hold the animals by cords attached to the

mouthpieces under their lower jaws. Idris, shoving Stas to the rear of

the saddle, did the same. The animals spread out their legs as widely

as possible in order to resist the furious whirlwind, but they lacked

strength, and the caravan, scourged by gravel which cut like hundreds

of whips and the sand which pricked like pins, began now slowly, then

hurriedly, to turn about and retreat under the pressure. At times the

whirlwind tore holes under their feet, then again the sand and gravel

bounding from the sides of the camels would form, in the twinkling of

an eye, mounds reaching to their knees and higher. In this manner hour

passed after hour. The danger became more and more terrible. Idris

finally understood that the only salvation was to remount the camels

and fly with the whirlwind. But this would be returning in the

direction of Fayûm, where Egyptian Courts and the gallows were waiting

for them.

"Ha! it cannot be helped," thought Idris. "The hurricane will also stop

the pursuit and when it ceases, we will again proceed southward."

And he began to shout that they should resume their seats on the camels.

But at this moment something happened which entirely changed the

situation.

Suddenly, the dusky, almost black, clouds of sand were illumined with a

livid light. The darkness then became still deeper, but at the same

time there arose, slumbering on high and awakened by the whirlwind,

thunder; it began to roll between the Arabian and Libyan

deserts,--powerful, threatening, one might say, angry. It seemed as if

from the heavens, mountains and rocks were tumbling down. The deafening

peal intensified, grew, shook the world, began to roam all over the

whole horizon; in places it burst with a force as terrible as if the

shattered vault of heaven had fallen upon earth and afterwards it again

rolled with a hollow, continual rumble; again it burst forth, again

broke, it blinded with lightning, and struck with thunderbolts,

descended, rose, and pealed continuously.* [* The author heard in the

vicinity of Aden thunder which lasted without intermission for half an

hour. See "Letters from Africa."]

The wind subsided as if overawed, and when after a long time somewhere

in the immeasurable distance the chain-bolt of heaven rattled, a deadly

stillness followed the thunder.

But after a while in that silence the voice of the guide resounded.

"God is above the whirlwind and the storm. We are saved."

They started. But they were enveloped by a night so impenetrable that

though the camels ran close together, the men could not see each other

and had to shout aloud every little while in order not to lose one

another. From time to time glaring lightning, livid or red, illuminated

the sandy expanse, but afterwards fell a darkness so thick as to be

almost palpable. Notwithstanding the hope, which the voice of the guide

poured into the hearts of the Sudânese, uneasiness did not yet leave

them, because they moved blindly, not knowing in truth in which

direction they were going;--whether they were moving around in a circle

or were returning northward. The animals stumbled against each other

every little while and could not run swiftly, and besides they panted

strangely, and so loudly that it seemed to the riders that the whole

desert panted from fear. Finally fell the first drops of rain, which

almost always follows a hurricane, and at the same time the voice of

the guide broke out amidst the darkness:

"Khor!"

They were above a ravine. The camels paused at the brink; after which

they began to step carefully towards the bottom.

IX

The khor was wide, covered on the bottom with stones among which grew

dwarfish, thorny shrubs. A high rock full of crevices and fissures

formed its southern wall. The Arabs discerned all this by the light of

quiet but more and more frequent lightning flashes. Soon they also

discovered in the rocky wall a kind of shallow cave or, rather, a broad

niche, in which people could easily be harbored and, in case of a great

downpour, could find shelter. The camels also could be comfortably

lodged upon a slight elevation close by the niche. The Bedouins and two

Sudânese removed from them their burdens and saddles, so that they

might rest well, and Chamis, son of Chadigi, occupied himself in the

meantime with pulling thorny shrubs for a fire. Big single drops fell

continually but the downpour began only when the party lay down to

sleep. At first it was like strings of water, afterwards ropes, and in

the end it seemed as if whole rivers were flowing from invisible

clouds. Such rains, which occur only once in several years, swell, even

in winter time, the water of the canals and the Nile, and in Aden fill

immense cisterns, without which the city could not exist at all. Stas

never in his life had seen anything like it. At the bottom of the khor

the stream began to rumble; the entrance to the niche was veiled as if

by a curtain of water; around could be heard only splashing and

spluttering.

The camels stood on an elevation and the downpour at most would give

them a bath; nevertheless the Arabs peered out every little while to

see if any danger threatened the animals. To the others it was

agreeable to sit in the cave, safe from danger, by the bright fire of

brushwood, which was not yet soaked. On their faces joy was depicted.

Idris, who immediately after their arrival had untied Stas' hands so

that he could eat, now turned to him and smiling contemptuously said:

"The Mahdi is greater than all white sorcerers. He subdued the

hurricane and sent rain."

Stas did not reply for he was occupied with Nell, who was barely alive.

First he shook the sand from her hair, afterwards directed old Dinah to

unpack the things which she, in the belief that the children were going

to their parents, brought with her from Fayûm. He took a towel, wet it,

and wiped the little girl's eyes and face with it. Dinah could not do

this as seeing but poorly with one eye only, she lost her sight almost

entirely during the hurricane and washing her heated eyelids did not

bring her any relief. Nell submitted passively to all of Stas' efforts;

she only gazed at him like an exhausted bird, and only when he removed

her shoes to spill out the sand and afterwards when he smoothed out the

saddle-cloths did she throw her arms around his neck.

His heart overflowed with great pity. He felt that he was a guardian,

an older brother, and at that time Nell's only protector, and he felt

at the same time that he loved this little sister immensely, far more

than ever before. He loved her indeed in Port Said, but he regarded her

as a "baby"; so, for instance, it never even occurred to him to kiss

her hand in bidding her good night. If any one had suggested such an

idea to him he would have thought that a bachelor, who had finished his

thirteenth year, could not without derogation to his dignity and age do

anything like that. But, at present, a common distress awoke in him

dormant tenderness; so he kissed not one but both hands of the little

girl.

Lying down, he continued to think of her and determined to perform some

extraordinary deed to snatch her from captivity. He was prepared for

everything, even for wounds and death; only with this little

reservation secreted in his heart, that the wounds should not be too

painful, and that the death should not be an inevitable and real death,

as in such case he could not witness the happiness of Nell when

liberated. Afterwards he began to ponder upon the most heroic manner of

saving her, but his thoughts became confused. For a while it seemed to

him that whole clouds of sand were burying him; afterwards that all the

camels were piling on his head,--and he fell asleep.

The Arabs, exhausted by the battle with the hurricane, after attending

to the camels, also fell into a sound sleep. The fire became extinct

and a dusk prevailed in the niche. Soon the snores of the men

resounded, and from outside came the splash of the downpour and the

roar of the waters clashing over the stones on the bottom of the khor.

In this manner the night passed.

But before dawn Stas was awakened from a heavy sleep by a feeling of

cold. It appeared that water which accumulated in the fissures on the

top of the rock slowly passed through some cleft in the vault of the

cave and began finally to trickle onto his head. The boy sat up on the

saddle-cloth and for some time struggled with sleep; he did not realize

where he was and what had happened to him.

After a while, however, consciousness returned to him.

"Aha!" he thought, "yesterday there was a hurricane and we are

kidnapped, and this is a cave in which we sought shelter from the rain."

And he began to gaze around. At first he observed with astonishment

that the rain had passed away and that it was not at all dark in the

cave, as it was illuminated by the moon which was about to set. In its

pale beams could be seen the whole interior of that wide but shallow

niche. Stas saw distinctly the Arabs lying beside each other, and under

the other wall of the cave the white dress of Nell who was sleeping

close to Dinah.

And again great tenderness possessed his heart.

"Sleep, Nell--sleep," he said to himself; "but I do not sleep, and must

save her."

After this, glancing at the Arabs, he added in his soul:

"Ah! I do want to have all these rogues--"

Suddenly he trembled.

His gaze fell upon the leather case containing the short rifle

presented to him as a Christmas gift, and the cartridge boxes lying

between him and Chamis, so near that it would suffice for him to

stretch out his hand.

And his heart began to beat like a hammer. If he could secure the rifle

and boxes he would certainly be the master of the situation. It would

be enough in that case to slip noiselessly out of the niche, hide about

fifty paces away, among the rocks, and from there watch the exit of the

Sudânese and Bedouins. He thought that if they awakened and observed

his absence they would rush out of the cave together but at that time

he could with two bullets shoot down the first two and, before the

others could reach him, the rifle could be reloaded. Chamis would

remain but he could take care of him.

Here he pictured to himself four corpses lying in a pool of blood, and

fright and horror seized his breast. To kill four men! Indeed they were

knaves, but even so it was a horrifying affair. He recollected that at

one time he saw a laborer--a fellah--killed by the crank of a steam

dredge, and what a horrible impression his mortal remains, quivering in

a red puddle, made upon him! He shuddered at the recollection. And now

four would be necessary! four! The sin and the horror! No, no, he was

incapable of that.

He began to struggle with his thoughts. For himself, he would not do

that--No! But Nell was concerned; her protection, her salvation, and

her life were involved, for she could not endure all this, and

certainly would die either on the road or among the wild and brutalized

hordes of dervishes. What meant the blood of such wretches beside the

life of Nell, and could any one in such a situation hesitate?

"For Nell! For Nell!"

But suddenly a thought flew like a whirlwind through Stas' mind and

caused the hair to rise on his head. What would happen if any one of

the outlaws placed a knife at Nell's breast, and announced that he

would murder her if he--Stas--did not surrender and return the rifle to

them.

"Then," answered the boy to himself, "I should surrender at once."

And with a realization of his helplessness he again flung himself

impotently upon the saddle-cloth.

The moon now peered obliquely through the opening of the cave and it

became less dark. The Arabs snored continually. Some time passed and a

new idea began to dawn in Stas' head.

If, slipping out with the weapon and hiding among the rocks, he should

kill not the men but shoot the camels? It would be too bad and a sad

ending for the innocent animals;--that is true, but what was to be

done? Why, people kill animals not only to save life but for broth and

roast meat. Now it was a certainty that if he succeeded in killing

four, and better still five camels, further travel would be impossible.

No one in the caravan would dare to go to the villages near the banks

to purchase new camels. And in such a case Stas, in the name of his

father, would promise the men immunity from punishment and even a

pecuniary reward and--nothing else would remain to do but to return.

Yes, but if they should not give him time to make such a promise and

should kill him in the first transports of rage?

They must give him time and hear him for he would hold the rifle in his

hand; he would be able to hold them at bay until he stated everything.

When he had done, they would understand that their only salvation would

be to surrender. Then he would be in command of the caravan and lead it

directly to Bahr Yûsuf and the Nile. To be sure, at present they are

quite a distance from it, perhaps one or two days' journey, as the

Arabs through caution had turned considerably into the interior of the

desert. But that did not matter; there would remain, of course, a few

camels and on one of them Nell would ride.

Stas began to gaze attentively at the Arabs. They slept soundly, as

people exceedingly tired do, but as the night was waning, they might

soon awaken. It was necessary to act at once. The taking of the

cartridge boxes did not present any difficulties as they lay close by.

A more difficult matter was to get the rifle, which Chamis had placed

at his further side. Stas hoped that he would succeed in purloining it,

but he decided to draw it out of the case and put the stock and the

barrels together when he should be about fifty paces from the cave, as

he feared that the clank of the iron against iron would wake the

sleepers.

The moment arrived. The boy bent like an arch over Chamis and, seizing

the case by the handle, began to transfer it to his side. His heart and

pulse beat heavily, his eyes grew dim, his breathing became rapid, but

he shut his teeth and tried to control his emotions. Nevertheless when

the straps of the case creaked lightly, drops of cold perspiration

stood on his forehead. That second seemed to him an age. But Chamis did

not even stir. The case described an arch over him and rested silently

beside the box with cartridges.

Stas breathed freely. One-half of the work was done. Now it was

necessary to slip out of the cave noiselessly and run about fifty

paces; afterwards to hide in a fissure, open the case, put the rifle

together, load it, and fill his pockets with cartridges. The caravan

then would be actually at his mercy.

Stas' black silhouette was outlined on the brighter background of the

cave's entrance. A second more and he would be on the outside, and

would hide in the rocky fissure. And then, even though one of the

outlaws should wake, before he realized what had happened and before he

aroused the others it would be too late. The boy, from fear of knocking

down some stone, of which a large number lay at the threshold of the

niche, shoved out one foot and began to seek firm ground with his step.

And already his head leaned out of the opening and he was about to slip

out wholly when suddenly something happened which turned the blood in

his veins to ice.

Amid the profound stillness pealed like a thunderbolt the joyous bark

of Saba; it filled the whole ravine and awoke the echoes reposing in

it. The Arabs as one man were startled from their sleep, and the first

object which struck their eyes was the sight of Stas with the case in

one hand and the cartridge box in the other.

Ah, Saba! what have you done?

X

With cries of horror, all in a moment rushed at Stas; in the twinkling

of an eye they wrested the rifle and cartridges from him and threw him

on the ground, tied his hands and feet, striking and kicking him all

the time, until finally Idris, from fear of the boy's life, drove them

off. Afterwards they began to converse in disjointed words, as people

do over whom had impended a terrible danger and whom only an accident

had saved.

"That is Satan incarnate," exclaimed Idris, with face pallid with

fright and emotion.

"He would have shot us like wild geese for food," added Gebhr.

"Ah, if it was not for that dog."

"God sent him."

"And you wanted to kill him?" said Chamis.

"From this time no one shall touch him."

"He shall always have bones and water."

"Allah! Allah!" repeated Idris, not being able to compose himself.

"Death was upon us. Ugh!"

And they began to stare at Stas lying there, with hatred but with a

certain wonder that one small boy might have been the cause of their

calamity and destruction.

"By the prophet!" spoke out one of the Bedouins, "it is necessary to

prevent this son of Iblis from twisting our necks. We are taking a

viper to the Mahdi. What do you intend to do with him?"

"We must cut off his right hand!" exclaimed Gebhr.

The Bedouins did not answer, but Idris would not consent to this

proposition. It occurred to him that if the pursuers should capture

them, a more terrible punishment would be meted to them for the

mutilation of the boy. Finally, who could guarantee that Stas would not

die after such an operation? In such a case for the exchange of Fatma

and her children only Nell would remain. So when Gebhr pulled out his

knife with the intention of executing his threat, Idris seized him by

the wrist and held it.

"No!" he said. "It would be a disgrace for five of the Mahdi's warriors

to fear one Christian whelp so much as to cut off his fist; we will

bind him for the night, and for that which he wanted to do, he shall

receive ten lashes of the courbash."

Gebhr was ready to execute the sentence at once but Idris again pushed

him away and ordered the flogging to be done by one of the Bedouins, to

whom he whispered not to hit very hard. As Chamis, perhaps out of

regard for his former service with the engineers or perhaps from some

other reason, did not want to mix in the matter, the other Bedouin

turned Stas over with his back up and the punishment was about to take

place, when at that moment an unexpected obstacle came.

At the opening of the niche Nell appeared with Saba.

Occupied with her pet, who, dashing into the cave, threw himself at

once at her little feet, she had heard the shouts of the Arabs, but, as

in Egypt Arabs as well as Bedouins yell on every occasion as if they

are about to annihilate each other, she did not pay any attention to

them. Not until she called Stas and received no reply from him, did she

go out to see whether he was not already seated on the camels. With

terror she saw in the first luster of the morning Stas lying on the

ground and above him a Bedouin with a courbash in his hand. At the

sight of this she screamed with all her strength and stamped with her

little feet, and when the Bedouin, not paying any attention to this,

aimed the first blow, she flung herself forward and covered the boy

with her body.

The Bedouin hesitated, as he did not have an order to strike the little

girl, and in the meantime her voice resounded full of despair and

horror:

"Saba! Saba!"

And Saba understood what was the matter and in one leap was in the

niche. The hair bristled on his neck and back, his eyes flamed redly,

in his breast and powerful throat there was a rumble as if of thunder.

And afterwards, the lips of his wrinkled jaws rose slowly upward and

the teeth as well as the white fangs, an inch long, appeared as far as

the bloody gums. The giant mastiff now began to turn his head to the

right and to the left as if he wanted to display well his terrible

equipment to the Sudânese and Bedouins and tell them:

"Look! here is something with which I shall defend the children!"

They, on the other hand, retreated hurriedly for they knew in the first

place that Saba had saved their lives and again that it was a clear

thing that whoever approached Nell at that moment would have the fangs

of the infuriated mastiff sunk at once in his throat. So they stood

irresolute, staring with an uncertain gaze and as if asking one another

what in the present situation had better be done.

Their hesitation continued so long that Nell had sufficient time to

summon old Dinah and order her to cut Stas' bonds. Then the boy,

placing his hand on Saba's head, turned to his assailants:

"I did not want to kill you--only the camels," he said through his set

teeth.

But this information so startled the Arabs that they undoubtedly would

have again rushed at Stas were it not for Saba's flaming eyes and

bristling hair. Gebhr even started to dash towards him, but one hollow

growl riveted him to the spot.

A moment of silence followed, after which Idris' loud voice resounded:

"To the road! To the road!"

XI

A day passed, a night, and yet another day and they drove constantly

southward, halting only for a brief time in the khors in order not to

fatigue the camels too much, to water and feed them, and also to divide

their provisions and water. From fear of the pursuit they turned yet

farther to the west, for they did not have to concern themselves about

water for some time. The downpour had lasted indeed not more than seven

hours, but it was as tremendous as if a cloud-burst had occurred on the

desert. Idris and Gebhr as well as the Bedouins knew that on the beds

of the khors and in those places where the rocks formed natural

cavities and wells they would, for a few days, find enough water to

suffice not only for their and the camels' immediate wants but even for

replenishing their supplies. After the great rain, as usual, splendid

weather followed. The sky was cloudless, and the air so transparent

that the view reached over an immeasurable distance. At night the

heaven, studded with stars, twinkled and sparkled as if with thousands

of diamonds. From the desert sands came a refreshing coolness.

The camel-humps already grew smaller but the animals, being well-fed,

were, according to the Arabian expression, "harde," that is, they were

unimpaired in strength and ran so willingly that the caravan advanced

but little slower than on the first day after their departure from

Gharak el-Sultani. Stas with astonishment observed that in some of the

khors, in rocky fissures protected from rain, were supplies of durra

and dates. He inferred from this that, before their abduction, certain

preparations were made and everything was pre-arranged between Fatma,

Idris, and Gebhr on one side and the Bedouins on the other. It was also

easy to surmise that both the Bedouins were Mahdist adherents and

believers, who wanted to join their leader, and for that reason were

easily drawn into the plot by the Sudânese. In the neighborhood of

Fayûm and ground Gharak el-Sultani there were quite a number of

Bedouins who with their children and camels led a migratory life on the

desert and came to Medinet and the railway stations for gain.

Stas, however, had never seen these two before, and they also could not

have been in Medinet, for it appeared they did not know Saba.

The idea of attempting to bribe them occurred to the boy, but

recollecting their shouts, full of fervor, whenever the name of the

Mahdi was mentioned by them, he deemed this an impossibility.

Nevertheless, he did not submit passively to the events, for in that

boyish soul there was imbedded a really astonishing energy, which was

inflamed by the past failures.

"Everything which I have undertaken," he soliloquized, "ended in my

getting a whipping. But even if they flog me with that courbash every

day and even kill me, I will not stop thinking of rescuing Nell and

myself from the hands of these villains. If the pursuers capture them,

so much the better. I, however, will act as if I did not expect them."

And at the recollection of what he had met at the thought of those

treacherous and cruel people who, after snatching away the rifle, had

belabored him with fists and kicked him, his heart rebelled and rancor

grew. He felt not only vanquished but humiliated by them in his pride

as a white man. Above all, however, he felt Nell's wrong and this

feeling, with the bitterness which intensified within him after the

last failure, changed into an inexorable hatred of both Sudânese. He

had often heard, indeed, from his father that hatred blinds, and that

only such souls yield to it as are incapable of anything better; but

for the time being he could not subdue it within him, and did not know

how to conceal it.

He did not know to what extent Idris had observed it and had begun to

get uneasy, understanding that, in case the pursuing party should

capture them, he could not depend upon the boy's intercession. Idris

was always ready for the most audacious deed, but as a man not deprived

of reason, he thought that it was necessary to provide for everything

and in case of misfortune to leave some gate of salvation open. For

this reason, after the last occurrence he wanted in some manner to

conciliate Stas and, with this object, at the first stop, he began the

following conversation with him.

"After what you wanted to do," he said, "I had to punish you as

otherwise they would have killed you, but I ordered the Bedouin not to

strike you hard."

And when he received no reply, he, after a while, continued thus:

"Listen! you yourself have said that the white people always keep their

oath. So if you will swear by your God and by the head of that little

'bint' that you will do nothing against us, then I will not order you

to be bound for the night."

Stas did not answer a single word to this and only from the glitter of

his eyes did Idris perceive that he spoke in vain.

Nevertheless, notwithstanding the urging of Gebhr and the Bedouins, he

did not order him to be bound for the night, and when Gebhr did not

cease his importunities, he replied with anger:

"Instead of going to sleep, you will to-night stand on guard. I have

decided that from this time one of us shall watch during the sleep of

the others."

And in reality a change of guards was introduced permanently from that

day. This rendered more difficult and completely frustrated all plans

of Stas to whom every sentinel paid watchful attention.

But on the other hand the children were left in greater freedom so that

they could approach each other and converse without hindrance.

Immediately after the first stop Stas sat close to Nell for he was

anxious to thank her for her aid.

But though he felt great gratitude to her he did not know how to

express himself, either in a lofty style or tenderly; so he merely

began to shake both of her little hands.

"Nell!" he said, "you are very good and I thank you; and besides this I

frankly say that you acted like a person of at least thirteen years."

On Stas' lips words like these were the highest praise; so the heart of

the little woman was consumed with joy and pride. It seemed to her at

that moment that nothing was impossible. "Wait till I grow up, then

they will see!" she replied, throwing a belligerent glance in the

direction of the Sudânese.

But as she did not understand the cause of the trouble and why all the

Arabs rushed at Stas, the boy told her how he had determined to purloin

the rifle, kill the camels, and force all to return to the river.

"If I had succeeded," he said, "we would now be free."

"But they awoke?" asked the little girl with palpitating heart.

"They did. That was caused by Saba, who came running toward me, barking

loud enough to awaken the dead."

Then her indignation was directed against Saba.

"Nasty Saba! nasty! For this when he comes running up to me I won't

speak a word to him and will tell him that he is horrid."

At this Stas, though he was not in a laughing mood, laughed and asked:

"How will you be able not to say a word to him and at the same time

tell him he is horrid?"

Nell's eyebrows rose and her countenance reflected embarrassment, after

which she said:

"He will know that from my looks."

"Perhaps. But he is not to blame, for he could not know what was

happening. Remember also that afterwards he came to our rescue."

This recollection placated Nell's anger a little. She did not, however,

want to grant pardon to the culprit at once.

"That is very well," she said, "but a real gentleman ought not to bark

on greeting."

Stas burst out laughing again.

"Neither does a real gentleman bark on leave-taking unless he is a dog,

and Saba is one."

But after a while sorrow dimmed the boy's eyes; he sighed once, then

again; after which he rose from the stone on which they sat and said:

"The worst is that I could not free you."

And Nell raised herself on her little toes and threw her arms around

his neck. She wanted to cheer him; she wanted, with her little nose

close to his face, to whisper her gratitude, but, as she could not find

appropriate words, she only squeezed his neck yet more tightly and

kissed his ear. In the meantime Saba, always late--not so much because

he was unable to keep pace with the camels, but because he hunted for

jackals on the way, or drove away vultures perched on the crests of

rocks with his barking--came rushing up, making his customary noise.

The children at the sight of him forgot about everything, and

notwithstanding their hard situation began their usual caresses and

play until they were interrupted by the Arabs. Chamis gave the dog food

and water, after which all mounted the camels and started with the

greatest speed southward.

XII

It was their longest journey, for they rode with small interruption for

eighteen hours. Only real saddle-camels, having a good supply of water

in their stomachs, could endure such a drive. Idris did not spare them,

for he really feared the pursuit. He understood that it must have

started long ago, and he assumed that both engineers would be at its

head and would not lose any time. Danger threatened from the direction

of the river, for it was certain that immediately after the abduction

telegraphic orders were despatched to all settlements on the banks

directing the sheiks to start expeditions into the interior of the

desert on both sides of the Nile, and to detain all parties riding

southward. Chamis assured the others that the Government and engineers

must have offered a large reward for their capture and that in

consequence of this the desert was undoubtedly swarming with searching

parties. The only course to pursue would be to turn as far as possible

to the west; but on the west lay the great oasis of Kharga, to which

despatches also could reach, and besides, if they rode too far west

they would lack water after a few days, and death from thirst would

await them.

And the question of food became a vital one. The Bedouins in the course

of the two weeks preceding the abduction of the children had placed in

hiding-places, supplies of durra, biscuits, and dates, but only for a

distance of four days' journey from Medinet. Idris, with fear, thought

that when provisions should be lacking it would be imperatively

necessary to send men to purchase supplies at the villages on the river

banks, and then these men, in view of the aroused vigilance and reward

offered for the capture of the fugitives, might easily fall into the

hands of the local sheiks,--and betray the whole caravan. The situation

was indeed difficult, almost desperate, and Idris each day perceived

more plainly upon what an insane undertaking he had ventured.

"If we could only pass Assuan! If we could only pass Assuan!" he said

to himself with alarm and despair in his soul. He did not indeed

believe Chamis who claimed that the Mahdi's warriors had already

reached Assuan, as Stas denied this.

Idris long since perceived that the white "uled" knew more than all of

them. But he supposed that beyond the first cataract, where the people

were wilder and less susceptible to the influences of Englishmen and

the Egyptian Government, he would find more adherents of the prophet,

who in a case of emergency would give them succor, and would furnish

food and camels. But it was, as the Bedouins reckoned, about five days'

journey to Assuan over a road which became more and more desolate, and

every stop visibly diminished their supplies for man and beast.

Fortunately they could urge the camels and drive with the greatest

speed, for the heat did not exhaust their strength. During daytime, at

the noon hour, the sun, indeed, scorched strongly but the air was

continually invigorating and the nights so cool that Stas, with the

consent of Idris, changed his seat to Nell's camel, desiring to watch

over her and protect her from catching cold.

But his fears were vain, as Dinah, whose eyes, or rather, eye, improved

considerably, watched with great solicitude over her little lady. The

boy was even surprised that the little one's health thus far did not

suffer any impairment and that she bore the journey, with

everdecreasing stops, as well as himself. Grief, fear, and the tears

which she shed from longing for her papa evidently did not harm her

much. Perhaps her slightly emaciated and bright little countenance was

tanned by the wind, but in the later days of the journey she felt far

less fatigued than at the beginning. It is true that Idris gave her the

easiest carrying camel and had made an excellent saddle so that she

could sleep in it lying down; nevertheless the desert air, which she

breathed day and night, mainly gave her strength to endure the

hardships and irregular hours.

Stas not only watched over her but intentionally surrounded her with a

worship which, notwithstanding his immense attachment to his little

sister, he did not at all feel for her. He observed, however, that this

affected the Arabs and that they involuntarily were fortified in the

conviction that they were bearing something of unheard-of value, some

exceptionally important female captive, with whom it was necessary to

act with the greatest possible care. Idris had been accustomed to this

while at Medinet; so now all treated her well. They did not spare water

and dates for her. The cruel Gebhr would not now have dared to raise

his hand against her. Perhaps the extraordinarily fine stature of the

little girl contributed to this, and also that there was in her

something of the nature of a flower and of a bird, and this charm even

the savage and undeveloped souls of the Arabs could not resist. Often

also, when at a resting place she stood by the fire fed by the roses of

Jericho or thorns, rosy from the flame and silvery in the moonlight,

the Sudânese as well as the Bedouins could not tear their eyes from

her, smacking their lips from admiration, according to their habit, and

murmuring:

"Allah! Mashallah! Bismillah!"

The second day at noon after that long rest, Stas and Nell who rode

this time on the same camel, had a moment of joyful emotion.

Immediately after sunrise a light and transparent mist rose over the

desert, but it soon fell. Afterwards when the sun ascended higher, the

heat became greater than during the previous days. At moments when the

camels halted there could not be felt the slightest breeze, so that the

air as well as the sands seemed to slumber in the warmth, in the light,

and in the stillness. The caravan had just ridden upon a great

monotonous level ground, unbroken by khors, when suddenly a wonderful

spectacle presented itself to the eyes of the children. Groups of

slender palms and pepper trees, plantations of mandarins, white houses,

a small mosque with projecting minaret, and, lower, walls surrounding

gardens, all these appeared with such distinctness and at distance so

close that one might assume that after the lapse of half an hour the

caravan would be amid the trees of the oasis.

"What is this?" exclaimed Stas. "Nell, Nell! Look!"

Nell rose, and for a time was silent with astonishment, but after a

while began to cry with joy:

"Medinet! to papa! to papa!"

And Stas turned pale from emotion.

"Truly--Perhaps that is Kharga--But no! That is Medinet perhaps--I

recognize the minaret and even see the windmills above the wells--"

In fact, in the distance the highly elevated American windmills

resembling great white stars, actually glistened. On the verdant

background of the trees they could be seen so perfectly that Stas' keen

sight could distinguish the borders of the vanes painted red.

"That is Medinet!--"

Stas knew from books and narratives that there were on the desert

phantasms known as "fata morgana" and that sometimes travelers happen

to see oases, cities, tufts of trees and lakes, which are nothing more

than an illusion, a play of light, and a reflection of real distant

objects. But this time the phenomenon was so distinct, so well-nigh

palpable that he could not doubt that he saw the real Medinet. There

was the turret upon the Mudir's house, there the circular balcony near

the summit of the minaret from which the muezzin called to prayers,

there that familiar group of trees, and particularly those windmills.

No,--that must be the reality. It occurred to the boy that the

Sudânese, reflecting upon their situation, had come to the conclusion

that they could not escape and, without saying anything to him, had

turned back to Fayûm. But their calmness suggested to him the first

doubts. If that really was Fayûm, would they gaze upon it so

indifferently? They, of course, saw the phenomenon and pointed it out

to each other with their fingers, but on their faces could not be seen

the least perplexity or emotion. Stas gazed yet once more and perhaps

this indifference of the Arabs caused the picture to seem fainter to

him. He also thought that, if in truth they were returning, the caravan

would be grouped together, and the men, though only from fear, would

ride in a body. But, in the meanwhile, the Bedouins, who, by Idris'

order, for the past few days drove considerably in advance, could not

be seen at all; while Chamis, riding as a rear guard, appeared at a

distance not greater than the vulture lying on the ground.

"Fata Morgana," said Stas to himself.

In the meantime Idris approached him and shouted:

"Heigh! Speed your camel! You see Medinet!"

He evidently spoke jokingly and there was so much spite in his voice

that the last hope that the real Medinet was before him vanished in the

boy's heart.

And with sorrow in his heart he turned to Nell to dispel her delusion,

when unexpectedly an incident occurred which drew the attention of all

in another direction.

At first a Bedouin appeared, running towards them at full speed and

brandishing from afar a long Arabian rifle which no one in the caravan

possessed before that time. Reaching Idris, he exchanged a few hurried

words with him, after which the caravan turned precipitately into the

interior of the desert. But, after a time, the other Bedouin appeared

leading by a rope a fat she-camel, with a saddle on its hump and

leather bags hanging on its sides. A short conversation commenced, of

which Stas could not catch a word. The caravan in full speed made for

the west. It halted only when they chanced upon a narrow khor full of

rocks scattered in wild disorder, and of fissures and caverns. One of

these was so spacious that the Sudânese hid the people and camels in

it. Stas, although he conjectured more or less what had happened, lay

beside Idris and pretended to sleep, hoping that the Arabs, who thus

far had exchanged but a few words about the occurrence, would now begin

to speak about it. In fact, his hope was not disappointed, for

immediately after pouring out fodder for the camels, the Bedouins and

the Sudânese with Chamis sat down for a consultation.

"Henceforth we can ride only in the night; in the daytime we will have

to hide!" spoke out the one-eyed Bedouin. "There will be many khors now

and in each one of them we will find a safe hiding-place."

"Are you sure that he was a sentinel?" asked Idris.

"Allah! We spoke with him. Luckily there was only one. He stood hidden

by a rock, so that we could not see him, but we heard from a distance

the cry of his camel. Then we slackened our speed and rode up so

quietly that he saw us only when we were a few paces away. He became

very frightened and wanted to aim his rifle at us. If he had fired,

though he might not have killed any of us, the other sentinels would

have heard the shot; so, as hurriedly as possible, I yelled to him:

'Halt! we are pursuing men who kidnapped two white children, and soon

the whole pursuit will be here!' The boy was young and foolish, so he

believed us; only he ordered us to swear on the Koran that such was the

case. We got off our camels and swore--"

"The Mahdi will absolve us--"

"And bless you," said Idris. "Speak! what did you do afterwards?"

"Now," continued the Bedouin, "when we swore, I said to the boy: 'But

who can vouch that you yourself do not belong to the outlaws who are

running away with the white children, and whether they did not leave

you here to hold back the pursuit?' And I ordered him also to take an

oath. To this he assented and this caused him to believe us all the

more. We began to ask him whether any orders had come over the copper

wire to the sheiks and whether a pursuit was organized. He replied:

'Yes!' and told us that a great reward was offered, and that all khors

at a two days' distance from the river were guarded, and that the great

'baburs' (steamers), with Englishmen and troops are continually

floating over the river."

"Neither the 'baburs' nor the troops can avail against the might of

Allah and the prophet--"

"May it be as you say!"

"Tell us how you finished with the boy?"

The one-eyed Bedouin pointed at his companion.

"Abu-Anga," he said, "asked him whether there was not another sentinel

near-by, and the sentinel replied that there was not; then Abu-Anga

thrust his knife into the sentinel's throat so suddenly that he did not

utter a word. We threw him into a deep cleft and covered him with

stones and thorns. In the village they will think that he ran away to

the Mahdi, for he told us that this does happen."

"May God bless those who run away as he blessed you," answered Idris.

"Yes! He did bless us," retorted Abu-Anga, "for we now know that we

will have to keep at a three days' distance from the river, and besides

we captured a rifle which we needed and a milch she-camel."

"The gourds," added the one-eyed, "are filled with water and there is

considerable millet in the sacks; but we found but little powder."

"Chamis is carrying a few hundred cartridges for the white boy's rifle,

from which we cannot shoot. Powder is always the same and can be used

in ours."

Saying this, Idris nevertheless pondered, and heavy anxiety was

reflected in his dark face, for he understood that when once a corpse

had fallen to the ground, Stas' intercession would not secure immunity

for them from trial and punishment, if they should fall into the hands

of the Egyptian Government.

Stas listened with palpitating heart and strained attention. In that

conversation there were some comforting things, especially that a

pursuit was organized, that a reward was offered, and that the sheiks

of the tribes on the river banks had received orders to detain caravans

going southward. The boy was comforted also by the intelligence about

steamers filled with English troops plying on the upper river. The

dervishes of the Mahdi might cope with the Egyptian army and even

defeat it, but it was an entirely different matter with English people,

and Stas did not doubt for a moment that the first battle would result

in the total rout of the savage multitude. So, with comfort in his

soul, he soliloquized thus: "Even though they wish to bring us to the

Mahdi, it may happen that before we reach his camp there will not be

any Mahdi or his dervishes." But this solace was embittered by the

thought that in such case there awaited them whole weeks of travel,

which in the end must exhaust Nell's strength, and during all this time

they would be forced to remain in the company of knaves and murderers.

At the recollection of that young Arab, whom the Bedouins had butchered

like a lamb, fear and sorrow beset Stas. He decided not to speak of it

to Nell in order not to frighten her and augment the sorrow she felt

after the disappearance of the illusory picture of the oasis of Fayûm

and the city of Medinet. He saw before their arrival at the ravine that

tears were involuntarily surging to her eyes; therefore, when he had

learned everything which he wished to know from the Bedouins'

narratives, he pretended to awake and walked towards her. She sat in a

corner near Dinah, eating dates, moistened a little with her tears. But

seeing Stas, she recollected that not long before he declared that her

conduct was worthy of a person of at least thirteen years; so, not

desiring to appear again as a child, she bit the kernel of a date with

the full strength of her little teeth, so as to suppress her sobs.

"Nell," said the boy, "Medinet--that was an illusion, but I know for a

certainty that we are being pursued; so don't grieve, and don't cry."

At this the little girl raised towards him her tearful pupils and

replied in a broken voice:

"No, Stas--I do not want to cry--only my eyes--perspire so."

But at that moment her chin began to quiver; from under her closed

eyelashes big tears gushed and she wept in earnest.

However, as she was ashamed of her tears and expected a rebuke for them

from Stas, a little from shame and a little from fear she hid her head

on his bosom, wetting his clothes copiously.

But he at once consoled her.

"Nell, don't be a fountain. You saw that they took away from some Arab

a rifle and a she-camel. Do you know what that means? It means that the

desert is full of soldiers. Once these wretches succeeded in trapping a

sentinel, but the next time they themselves will get caught. A large

number of steamboats are plying over the Nile also--Why, of course,

Nell, we will return. We will return, and in a steamer to boot. Don't

be afraid."

And he would have comforted her further in this manner, were not his

attention attracted by a strange sound coming from the outside, from

the sand-drifts, which the hurricane blew onto the bottom of the

ravine. It was something resembling the thin, metallic notes of a reed

pipe. Stas broke off the conversation and began to listen. After a

while these very thin and mournful sounds came from many sides

simultaneously. Through the boy's mind the thought flashed that these

might be Arabian guards surrounding the ravine and summoning aid with

whistles. His heart began to beat. He glanced once and again at the

Sudânese, hoping that he would behold consternation on their faces; but

no! Idris, Gebhr and the two Bedouins calmly chewed biscuits, only

Chamis appeared a little surprised. The sounds continued. After a while

Idris rose and looked out of the cavern; returning, he stopped near the

children, and said:

"The sands are beginning to sing."

Stas' curiosity was so aroused that he forgot that he had determined

not to speak to Idris any more and asked:

"Sands? What does it mean?"

"It happens thus, and means that for a long time there will be no rain.

But the heat will not distress us, since as far as Assuan we will ride

only during the night."

And no more could be learned from him. Stas and Nell listened long to

these peculiar sounds which continued until the sun descended in the

west, after which night fell and the caravan started on its further

journey.

XIII

In the daytime they hid in places concealed and difficult of access,

amid rocks and chasms, and during the night they hurried, without

respite, until they passed the First Cataract. When finally the

Bedouins discerned from the situation and form of the khors that Assuan

was behind them, a great burden fell off Idris' breast. As they

suffered already from want of water they drew nearer to the river a

half day's distance. There Idris, concealing the caravan, sent all the

camels with the Bedouins to the Nile in order to water them well and

for a longer time. Beyond Assuan the fertile belt along the river was

narrower. In some places the desert reached the river; the villages lay

at a considerable distance from each other. The Bedouins, therefore,

returned successfully, unseen by any one, with a considerable supply of

water. It was necessary now to think of provisions. As the animals had

been fed sparingly during the past week they grew lean; their necks

lengthened, their humps sank, and their legs became weak. The durra and

the supplies for the people, with the greatest stint, would suffice for

two days more. Idris thought, however, that they might, if not during

daytime then at night, approach the pastures on the river banks and

perhaps buy biscuits and dates in some village. Saba already was given

nothing at all to eat or drink, and the children hid leavings of food

for him, but he somehow managed to take care of himself and came

running to the stopping places with bleeding jaws and marks of bites on

his neck and breast. Whether the victim of these fights was a jackal,

or a hyena, or perhaps a desert fox or a gazelle no one knew; it was

enough that there were no signs of great hunger on him. At times also

his black lips were moist as if he drank. The Bedouins surmised that he

must have dug deep holes at the bottom of the ravines, and in this

manner reached water which he scented under the ground. In this manner

travelers who get lost dig the bottoms of chasms and, if they do not

often find water, they almost always reach damp sand and, sucking it,

cheat in this way the pangs of thirst. In Saba, however, considerable

changes took place. He still had a powerful breast and neck, but his

sides were sunken, through which he appeared taller. In his eyes, about

the reddened whites, there was now something savage and threatening. To

Nell and to Stas he was as attached as previously and permitted them to

do with him whatever they pleased. He still at times wagged his tail at

Chamis, but he growled at the Bedouins and Sudânese or snapped with his

terrible teeth, which at such times clashed against each other like

steel nails. Idris and Gebhr plainly began to fear and hate him to the

extent that they would have killed him with the captured rifle, were it

not that they desired to bring this extraordinary animal to Smain, and

were it not also that they had already passed Assuan.

They had passed Assuan! Stas thought of this continually, and doubt

that the pursuit would ever overtake them stole gradually into his

soul. He knew, indeed, that not only Egypt proper, which ends at Wâdi

Haifa, that is, at the Second Cataract, but the whole of Nubia was up

to that time in the hands of the Egyptian Government, but he also

understood that beyond Assuan and particularly Wâdi Haifa the pursuit

would be more difficult and the commands of the Government would be

executed carelessly. His only hope was that his father with Mr.

Rawlinson, after making arrangements for the pursuit from Fayûm, would

go to Wâdi Haifa by steamer, and there securing troops of the

camel-corps, would endeavor to intercept the caravan from the south.

The boy reasoned that if he were in their place he would do just this,

and for that reason he assumed that his supposition was very probable.

He did not, however, abandon the thought of a rescue on his own

account. The Sudânese wanted to have powder for the captured rifle and

with this object decided to disjoin a score of the rifle cartridges, so

he told them that he alone was able to do that, and that if any one of

them should undertake the task unskilfully, the cartridge would explode

in his fingers and tear off his hands. Idris, fearing English

inventions and unknown things generally, determined finally to entrust

the boy with this undertaking. Stas went at it willingly, hoping in the

first place that the powerful English powder at the first shot would

burst the old Arabian rifle to pieces, and, again, that he might be

able to hide a few cartridges. In fact, he succeeded more easily than

he expected. Apparently they watched him at the work, but the Arabs

began at once to talk among themselves and soon they were more occupied

with their conversation than with their supervision. Finally this

loquacity and inbred carelessness permitted Stas to conceal in his

bosom seven cartridges. Now all that was necessary was to secure the

rifle.

The boy judged that beyond Wâdi Haifa, the Second Cataract, this would

not be a very difficult matter as he foresaw that as they drew nearer

to their destination the Arabs' vigilance would relax. The thought that

he would have to kill the Sudânese, the Bedouins, and even Chamis,

always caused him to shudder, but after the murder which the Bedouins

had committed, he did not have any scruples. He said to himself that

the defense, liberty, and life of Nell were involved, and in view of

this the lives of his adversaries did not deserve any consideration,

especially if they did not surrender and it came to a fight.

But he was anxious about the short rifle. Stas resolved to secure it by

stratagem, whenever the opportunity presented itself, and not to wait

until they reached Wâdi Haifa, but perform the deed as soon as possible.

Accordingly he did not wait.

Two days had elapsed since they passed Assuan, and Idris finally at the

dawn of the third day was forced to despatch the Bedouins for

provisions, which were totally lacking. In view of the diminished

number of adversaries Stas said to himself: "Now or never!" and

immediately turned to the Sudânese with the following question:

"Idris, do you know that the country which begins not far beyond Wâdi

Haifa is really Nubia?"

"I know. I was fifteen years old and Gebhr eight, when my father took

us from the Sudân to Fayûm, and I remember that we rode at that time on

camels over the whole of Nubia. But this country belongs still to the

Turks (Egyptians)."

"Yes. The Mahdi is only before Khartûm and you see how foolishly Chamis

chattered when he told you that the army of dervishes reached as far as

Assuan. However, I shall ask you something else. Now I have read that

in Nubia there are many wild animals and many brigands who do not serve

any one and who attack alike the Egyptians and the faithful Mahdists.

With what will you defend yourself, if wild animals or brigands attack

you?"

Stas purposely exaggerated in speaking of wild animals, but, on the

other hand, highway robberies in Nubia, from the time of the war,

occurred quite frequently, particularly in the southern part of the

country bordering upon the Sudân.

Idris pondered for a while over the question, which surprised him, as

heretofore he had not thought of these new dangers, and replied:

"We have knives and a rifle."

"Such a rifle is good for nothing."

"I know. Yours is better, but we do not know how to shoot from it, and

we will not place it in your hands."

"Even unloaded?"

"Yes, for it may be bewitched."

Stas shrugged his shoulders.

"Idris, if Gebhr said that, I would not be surprised, but I thought

that you had more sense. From an unloaded rifle even your Mahdi could

not fire--"

"Silence!" interrupted Idris sternly. "The Mahdi is able to fire even

from his finger."

"Then you also can fire in that way."

The Sudânese looked keenly into the boy's eyes.

"Why do you want me to give you the rifle?"

"I want to teach you how to fire from it."

"Why should that concern you?"

"A great deal, for if the brigands attack us they might kill us all.

But if you are afraid of the rifle and of me then it does not matter."

Idris was silent. In reality he was afraid, but did not want to admit

it. He was anxious, however, to get acquainted with the English weapon,

for its possession and skill in its use would increase his importance

in the Mahdists' camp, to say nothing of the fact that it would be

easier for him to defend himself in case of an attack.

So after a brief consideration he said:

"Good. Let Chamis hand you the rifle-case and you can take it out."

Chamis indifferently performed the order, which Gebhr could not oppose,

as he was occupied at some distance with the camels. Stas with

quivering hands took out the stock and afterwards the barrels, and

handed them to Idris.

"You see they are empty."

Idris took the barrels and peered upwards through them.

"Yes, there is nothing in them."

"Now observe," said Stas. "This is the way to put a rifle together"

(and saying this he united the barrel and stock). "This is the way to

open it. Do you see? I will take it apart again and you can put it

together."

The Sudânese, who watched Stas' motions with great attention, tried to

imitate him. At first it was not easy for him, but as Arabians are well

known for their skilfulness, the rifle, after a while, was put together.

"Open!" commanded Stas.

Idris opened the rifle easily.

"Close."

This was done yet more easily.

"Now give me two empty shells. I will teach you how to load the

cartridges."

The Arabs had kept the empty cartridges as they had a value for them as

brass; so Idris handed two of them to Stas and the instruction began

anew.

The Sudânese at first was frightened a little by the crack of the caps

of the shells, but finally became convinced that no one was able to

fire from empty barrels and empty shells. In addition, his trust in

Stas returned because the boy handed the weapon to him every little

while.

"Yes," said Stas, "you already know how to put a rifle together, you

know how to open, to close, and to pull the trigger. But now it is

necessary for you to learn to aim. That is the most difficult thing.

Take that empty water gourd and place it at a hundred paces--on those

stones, and afterwards return to me; I will show you how to aim."

Idris took the gourd and without the slightest hesitation walked to the

place by the stones which Stas had indicated. But before he made the

first hundred steps, Stas extracted the empty shells and substituted

loaded cartridges. Not only his heart but the arteries in his temples

began to throb with such a force that he thought that his head would

burst. The decisive moment arrived--the moment of freedom for Nell and

himself--the moment of victory--terrible and at the same time desirable.

Now Idris' life was in his hands. One pull of the trigger and the

traitor who had kidnapped Nell would fall a corpse. But Stas, who had

in his veins both Polish and French blood, suddenly felt that for

nothing in the world could he be capable of shooting a man in the back.

Let him at least turn around and face death in the eye. And after that,

what? After that, Gebhr would come rushing up, and before he ran ten

paces he also would bite the dust. Chamis would remain. But Chamis

would lose his head, and even though he should not lose it, there would

be time to insert new cartridges in the barrels. When the Bedouins

arrived, they would find three corpses, and meet a fate they richly

deserved. After that he would only have to guide the camels to the

river.

All these thoughts and pictures flew like a whirlwind through Stas'

brain. He felt that what was to happen after a few minutes was at the

same time horrible and imperative. The pride of a conqueror surged in

his breast with a feeling of aversion for the dreadful deed. There was

a moment when he hesitated, but he recalled the tortures which the

white prisoners endured; he recalled his father, Mr. Rawlinson, Nell,

also Gebhr, who struck the little girl with a courbash, and hatred

burst out in him with renewed force. "It is necessary!" he said through

his set teeth, and inflexible determination was reflected on his

countenance, which became as if carved out of stone.

In the meantime Idris placed the gourd on a stone about a hundred paces

distant and turned around. Stas saw his smiling face and his whole tall

form upon the plain. For the last time the thought flashed through his

mind that this living man would fall after a moment upon the ground,

clutching the sand with his fingers in the last convulsions of the

throes of death. But the hesitation of the boy ended, and when Idris

sauntered fifty paces toward him, he began slowly to raise the weapon

to his eye.

But before he touched the trigger with his finger, from beyond the

dunes, about a few hundred paces distant, could be heard tumultuous

cheers, and in the same minute about twenty riders on horses and camels

debouched on the plain. Idris became petrified at the sight. Stas was

amazed no less, but at once amazement gave way to insane joy. The

expected pursuit at last! Yes! That could not be anything else.

Evidently the Bedouins had been captured in a village and were showing

where the rest of the caravan was concealed! Idris thought the same.

When he collected himself he ran to Stas, with face ashen from terror,

and, kneeling at his feet, began to repeat in a voice out of breath:

"Sir, I was kind to you! I was kind to the little 'bint'! Remember

that!"

Stas mechanically extracted the cartridges from the barrels and gazed.

The riders drove horses and camels at the fullest speed, shouting from

joy and flinging upwards their long Arabian rifles, which they caught

while in full gallop with extraordinary dexterity. In the bright

transparent air they could be seen perfectly. In the middle, at the

van, ran the two Bedouins waving their hands and burnooses as if

possessed.

After a few minutes the whole band dashed to the caravan. Some of the

riders leaped off the horses and camels; some remained on their

saddles, yelling at the top of their voices. Amid these shouts only two

words could be distinguished.

"Khartûm! Gordon! Gordon! Khartûm!"

Finally one of the Bedouins--the one whom his companion called

Abu-Anga--ran up to Idris cringing at Stas' feet, and began to exclaim:

"Khartûm is taken! Gordon is killed! The Mahdi is victorious!"

Idris stood erect but did not yet believe his ears.

"And these men?" he asked with quivering lips.

"These men were to seize us, but now are going together with us to the

prophet."

Stas' head swam.

XIV

It was evident that the last hope of escaping during the journey had

become extinct. Stas now knew that his schemes would avail nothing;

that the pursuit would not overtake them, and that if they endured the

hardships of the journey they would reach the Mahdi and would be

surrendered to Smain. The only consolation now was the thought that

they were kidnapped so that Smain might exchange them for his children.

But when would that happen, and what would they encounter before that

time? What dreadful misfortune awaited them among the savage hordes

intoxicated with blood? Would Nell be able to endure all these fatigues

and privations?

This no one could answer. On the other hand, it was known that the

Mahdi and his dervishes hated Christians, and Europeans in general; so

in the soul of the boy there was bred a fear that the influence of

Smain might not be sufficient to shield them from indignities, from

rough treatment, from the cruelties and the rage of the Mahdist

believers, who even murdered Mohammedans loyal to the Government. For

the first time since the abduction deep despair beset the boy, and at

the same time some kind of vague notion that an untoward fate was

persecuting them. Why, the idea itself of abducting them from Fayûm and

conveying them to Khartûm was sheer madness which could be committed

only by such wild and foolish men as Idris and Gebhr, not understanding

that they would have to traverse thousands of kilometers over a country

subject to the Egyptian Government or, more properly, English people.

With proper methods they ought to have been caught on the second day,

and nevertheless everything combined so that now they were not far from

the Second Cataract and none of the preceding pursuing parties had

overtaken them, and the last one which could have detained them joined

the kidnappers and, from this time, would aid them. To Stas' despair,

to his fears about little Nell's fate, was linked a feeling of

humiliation that he was unequal to the situation and, what was more,

was unable now to devise anything, for even if they returned the rifle

and cartridges to him, he could not, of course, shoot all the Arabs

composing the caravan.

And he was gnawed all the more by these thoughts because deliverance

had been already so near. If Khartûm had not fallen, or if it had

fallen only a few days later, these same men, who went over to the side

of the Mahdi, would have seized their captors and delivered them to the

Government. Stas, sitting on the camel behind Idris and listening to

their conversation, became convinced that this undoubtedly would have

happened. For, immediately after they proceeded upon their further

journey, the leader of the pursuing party began to relate to Idris what

induced them to commit treason to the Khedive. They knew previously

that a great army--not an Egyptian now but an English one--had started

southward against the dervishes under the command of General Wolseley.

They saw a multitude of steamers, which carried formidable English

soldiers from Assuan to Wâdi Haifa, from whence a railroad was built

for them to Abu Hâmed. For a long time all the sheiks on the river

banks,--those who remained loyal to the Government as well as those who

in the depth of their souls favored the Mahdi,--were certain that the

destruction of the dervishes and their prophet was inevitable, for no

one had ever vanquished the Englishmen.

"Akbar Allah!" interrupted Idris, raising his hands upwards.

"Nevertheless, they have been vanquished."

"No," replied the leader of the pursuing party. "The Mahdi sent against

them the tribes of Jaalin, Barabra, and Janghey, nearly thirty thousand

in all of his best warriors, under the command of Musa, the son of

Helu. At Abu Klea a terrible battle took place in which God awarded the

victory to the unbelievers.--Yes, it is so. Musa, the son of Helu,

fell, and of his soldiers only a handful returned to the Mahdi. The

souls of the others are in Paradise, while their bodies lie upon the

sands, awaiting the day of resurrection. News of this spread rapidly

over the Nile. Then we thought that the English would go farther south

and relieve Khartûm. The people repeated, 'The end! the end!' And in

the meantime God disposed otherwise."

"How? What happened?" asked Idris feverishly.

"What happened?" said the leader with a brightened countenance. "Why,

in the meantime the Mahdi captured Khartûm, and during the assault

Gordon's head was cut off. And as the Englishmen were concerned only

about Gordon, learning of his death, they returned to the north. Allah!

We again saw the steamers with the stalwart soldiers floating down the

river, but did not understand what it meant. The English publish good

news immediately and suppress bad. Some of our people said that the

Mahdi had already perished. But finally the truth came to the surface.

This region belongs yet to the Government. In Wâdi Haifa and farther,

as far as the Third and perhaps the Fourth Cataract, the soldiers of

the Khedive can be found; nevertheless, after the retirement of the

English troops, we believe now that the Mahdi will subdue not only

Nubia and Egypt, not only Mecca and Medina, but the whole world. For

that reason instead of capturing you and delivering you to the hands of

the Government we are going together with you to the prophet."

"So orders came to capture us?"

"To all the villages, to all the sheiks, to the military garrisons.

Wherever the copper wire, over which fly the commands of the Khedive,

does not reach, there came the 'zabdis' (gendarmes) with the

announcement that whoever captures you will receive one thousand pounds

reward. Mashallah!--That is great wealth!--Great!"

Idris glanced suspiciously at the speaker.

"But you prefer the blessing of the Mahdi?"

"Yes. He captured such immense booty and so much money in Khartûm that

he measures the Egyptian pounds in fodder sacks and distributes them

among his faithful--"

"Nevertheless, if the Egyptian troops are yet in Wâdi Haifa, and

further, they may seize us on the way."

"No. It is necessary only to hurry before they recover their wits. Now

since the retreat of the Englishmen they have lost their heads

entirely--the sheiks, the loyal to the Government, as well as the

soldiers and 'zabdis.' All think that the Mahdi at any moment will

arrive; for that reason those of us who in our souls favored him are

now running to him boldly, and nobody is pursuing us, for in the first

moments no one is issuing orders and no one knows whom to obey."

"Yes," replied Idris, "you say truly that it is necessary to hurry,

before they recover their wits, since Khartûm is yet far--"

For an instant a faint gleam of hope glimmered again for Stas. If the

Egyptian soldiers up to that time occupied various localities on the

banks in Nubia, then in view of the fact that the English troops had

taken all the steamers, they would have to retreat before the Mahdi's

hordes by land. In such case it might happen that the caravan would

encounter some retreating detachment and might be surrounded. Stas

reckoned also that before the news of the capture of Khartûm circulated

among the Arabian tribes north of Wâdi Haifa, considerable time would

elapse; the more so as the Egyptian Government and the English people

suppressed it. He therefore assumed that the panic which must have

prevailed among the Egyptians in the first moment must have already

passed away. To the inexperienced boy it never occurred that in any

event the downfall of Khartûm and the death of Gordon would cause

people to forget about everything else, and that the sheiks loyal to

the Government as well as the local authorities would now have

something else to do than to think of rescuing two white children.

And in fact the Arabs who joined the caravan did not fear the pursuit

very much. They rode with great haste and did not spare the camels, but

they kept close to the Nile and often during the night turned to the

river to water the animals and to fill the leather bags with water. At

times they ventured to ride to villages even in daytime. For safety

they sent in advance for scouting a few men who, under the pretext of

buying provisions, inquired for news of the locality; whether there

were any Egyptian troops near-by and whether the inhabitants belonged

to "the loyal Turks." If they met residents secretly favoring the

Mahdi, then the entire caravan would visit the village, and often it

happened that it was increased by a few or even a dozen or more young

Arabs who also wanted to fly to the Mahdi.

Idris learned also that almost all the Egyptian detachments were

stationed on the side of the Nubian Desert, therefore on the right, the

eastern side of the Nile. In order to avoid an encounter with them it

was necessary only to keep to the left bank and to pass by the larger

cities and settlements. This indeed lengthened their route a great

deal, for the river, beginning at Wâdi Haifa, forms a gigantic arch

inclining far towards the south and afterwards again curving to the

northeast as far as Abu Hâmed, where it takes a direct southern course,

but on the other hand this left bank, particularly from the Oasis of

Selimeh, was left almost entirely unguarded. The journey passed merrily

for the Sudânese in an increased company with an abundance of water and

supplies. Passing the Third Cataract, they ceased even to hurry, and

rode only at night, hiding during the day among sandy hills and ravines

with which the whole desert was intersected. A cloudless sky now

extended over them, gray at the horizon's edges, bulging in the center

like a gigantic cupola, silent and calm. With each day, however, the

heat, in proportion to their southward advance, became more and more

terrible, and even in the ravines, in the deep shade, it distressed the

people and the beasts. On the other hand, the nights were very cool;

they scintillated with twinkling stars which formed, as it were,

greater and smaller clusters. Stas observed that they were not the same

constellations which shone at night over Port Said. At times he had

dreamed of seeing sometime in his life the Southern Cross, and finally

beheld it beyond El-Ordeh. But at present its luster proclaimed to him

his own misfortune. For a few nights there shone for him the pale,

scattered, and sad zodiacal light, which, after the waning of the

evening twilight, silvered until a late hour the western side of the

sky.

XV

In two weeks after starting from the neighborhood of Wâdi Haifa the

caravan entered upon the region subdued by the Mahdi. They speedily

crossed the hilly Jesira Desert, and near Shendi, where previously the

English forces had completely routed Musa, Uled of Helu, they rode into

a locality entirely unlike the desert. Neither sands nor dunes could be

seen here. As far as the eye could reach stretched a steppe overgrown

in part by green grass and in part by a jungle amid which grew clusters

of thorny acacias, yielding the well-known Sudânese gum; while here and

there stood solitary gigantic nabbuk trees, so expansive that under

their boughs a hundred people could find shelter from the sun. From

time to time the caravan passed by high, pillar-like hillocks of

termites or white ants, with which tropical Africa is strewn. The

verdure of the pasture and the acacias agreeably charmed the eyes after

the monotonous, tawny-hued sands of the desert.

In the places where the steppe was a meadow, herds of camels pastured,

guarded by the armed warriors of the Mahdi. At the sight of the caravan

they started up suddenly, like birds of prey; rushed towards it,

surrounded it from all sides; and shaking their spears and at the same

time yelling at the top of their voices they asked the men from whence

they came, why they were going southward, and whither they were bound?

At times they assumed such a threatening attitude that Idris was

compelled to reply to their questions in the greatest haste in order to

avoid attack.

Stas, who had imagined that the inhabitants of the Sudân differed from

other Arabs residing in Egypt only in this, that they believed in the

Mahdi and did not want to acknowledge the authority of the Khedive,

perceived that he was totally mistaken. The greater part of those who

every little while stopped the caravan had skins darker than even Idris

and Gebhr, and in comparison with the two Bedouins were almost black.

The negro blood in them predominated over the Arabian. Their faces and

breasts were tattooed and the prickings represented various designs, or

inscriptions from the Koran. Some were almost naked; others wore

"jubhas" or wrappers of cotton texture sewed out of patches of various

colors. A great many had twigs of coral or pieces of ivory in their

pierced nostrils, lips and ears. The heads of the leaders were covered

with caps of the same texture as the wrappers, and the heads of common

warriors were bare, but not shaven like those of the Arabs in Egypt. On

the contrary, they were covered with enormous twisted locks, often

singed red with lime, with which they rubbed their tufts of hair for

protection against vermin. Their weapons were mainly spears, terrible

in their hands; but they did not lack Remington carbines which they had

captured in their victorious battles with the Egyptian army and after

the fall of Khartûm. The sight of them was terrifying and their

behavior toward the caravan was hostile, for they suspected that it

consisted of Egyptian traders, whom the Mahdi, in the first moments

after the victory, prohibited from entering the Sudân.

Having surrounded the caravan, they pointed the spears with tumult and

menace at the breasts of the people, or aimed carbines at them. To this

hostile demonstration Idris answered with a shout that he and his

brother belonged to the Dongolese tribe, the same as that of the Mahdi,

and that they were conveying to the prophet two white children as

slaves; this alone restrained the savages from violence. In Stas, when

he came in contact with this dire reality, the spirit withered at the

thought of what awaited them on the ensuing days. Idris, also, who

previously had lived long years in a civilized community, had never

imagined anything like this. He was pleased when one night they were

surrounded by an armed detachment of the Emir Nur el-Tadhil and

conducted to Khartûm.

Nur el-Tadhil, before he ran away to the Mahdi, was an Egyptian officer

in a negro regiment of the Khedive: so he was not so savage as the

other Mahdists and Idris could more easily make himself understood. But

here disappointment awaited him. He imagined that his arrival at the

Mahdi's camp with the white children would excite admiration, if only

on account of the extraordinary hardships and dangers of the journey.

He expected that the Mahdists would receive him with ardor, with open

arms, and lead him in triumph to the prophet, who would lavish gold and

praises upon him as a man who had not hesitated to expose his head in

order to serve his relative Fatma. In the meantime the Mahdists placed

spears at the breasts of members of the caravan, and Nur el-Tadhil

heard quite indifferently his narrative of the journey, and finally to

the question, whether he knew Smain, the husband of Fatma, answered:

"No. In Omdurmân and Khartûm there are over one hundred thousand

warriors, so it is easy not to meet one another, and not all the

officers are acquainted with each other. The domain of the prophet is

immense; therefore many emirs rule in distant cities in Sennâr, in

Kordofân, and Darfur, and around Fashoda. It may be that this Smain, of

whom you speak, is not at present at the prophet's side."

Idris was nettled by the slighting tone with which Nur spoke of "this

Smain," so he replied with a shade of impatience:

"Smain is married to a first cousin of the Mahdi, and therefore Smain's

children are relatives of the prophet."

Nur el-Tadhil shrugged his shoulders.

"The Mahdi has many relatives and cannot remember all of them."

For some time they rode in silence; after which Idris again asked:

"How soon shall we arrive at Khartûm?"

"Before midnight," replied el-Tadhil, gazing at the stars which began

to appear in the eastern part of the heavens.

"Shall we at that late hour be able to obtain food and fodder? Since

our last rest at noon we have not eaten anything."

"You will pass this night with me and I shall feed you in my house, but

to-morrow in Omdurmân you will have to seek for food yourself, and I

warn you in advance that this will not be an easy matter."

"Why?"

"Because we have a war. The people for the past few years have not

tilled the fields and have lived solely upon meat; so when finally

cattle were lacking, famine came. There is famine in all the Sudân, and

a sack of durra today costs more than a slave."

"Allah akbar!" exclaimed Idris with surprise, "I saw nevertheless herds

of camels and cattle on the steppes."

"They belong to the prophet, to the 'Noble,'* [* The Noble brothers and

relatives of the Mahdi.] and to the caliphs.--Yes--The Dongolese, from

which tribe the Mahdi came and the Baggara, whose leader is the chief

caliph, Abdullahi, have still quite numerous herds, but for other

tribes it has become more and more difficult to live in the world."

Here Nur el-Tadhil patted his stomach, and said:

"In the service of the prophet I have a higher rank, more money, and a

greater authority, but I had a fuller stomach in the Khedive's service."

But, realizing that he might have said too much, after a while he added:

"But all this will change when the true faith conquers."

Idris, hearing these words, involuntarily thought that nevertheless in

Fayûm, in the service of the Englishmen, he had never suffered from

hunger, and gains could be more easily secured; so he was cast into a

deep gloom.

After which he began to ask further:

"Are you going to transport us to-morrow to Omdurmân?"

"Yes. Khartûm by command of the prophet is to be abandoned and very few

reside there. They are razing the large buildings and conveying the

bricks with the other booty to Omdurmân. The prophet does not wish to

live in a place polluted by unbelievers."

"I shall beat my forehead before him to-morrow, and he will command

that I be supplied with provisions and fodder."

"Ha! If in truth you belong to the Dongolese, then perhaps you might be

admitted to his presence. But know this, that his house is guarded day

and night by a hundred men equipped with courbashes, and these do not

spare blows to those who crave to see the Mahdi without permission.

Otherwise the swarm would not give the holy man a moment of

rest--Allah! I saw even Dongolese with bloody welts on their backs--"

Idris with each moment was possessed by greater disillusionment.

"So the faithful do not see the prophet?" he asked.

"The faithful see him daily at the place of prayer where, kneeling on

the sheep's hide, he raises his hands to God, or when he instructs the

swarm and strengthens them in the true faith. But it is difficult to

reach and speak with him, and whoever attains that happiness is envied

by all, for upon him flows the divine grace which wipes away his former

sins."

A deep night fell and with it came a piercing chill. In the ranks

resounded the snorting of horses; the sudden change from the daily heat

to cold was so strong that the hides of the steeds began to reek, and

the detachment rode as if in a mist. Stas, behind Idris, leaned towards

Nell and asked:

"Do you feel cold?"

"No," answered the little girl, "but no one will protect us now--"

And tears stifled her further words.

This time he did not find any comfort for her, for he himself was

convinced that there was no salvation for them. Now they rode over a

region of wretchedness, famine, bestial cruelties, and blood. They were

like two poor little leaves in a storm which bore death and

annihilation not only to the heads of individuals, but to whole towns

and entire tribes. What hand could snatch from it and save two small,

defenseless children?

The moon rolled high in the heaven and changed, as if into silvery

feathers, the mimosa and acacia twigs. In the dense jungles resounded

here and there the shrill and, at the same time, mockingly mirthful

laugh of the hyenas, which in that gory region found far too many

corpses. From time to time the detachment conducting the caravan

encountered other patrols and exchanged with them the agreed

countersign. They came to the hills on the river banks and through a

long pass reached the Nile. The people and the camels embarked upon

wide and flat "dahabeahs," and soon the heavy oars began with measured

movements to break and ruffle the smooth river's depth, strewn with

starry diamonds.

After the lapse of half an hour, on the southern side, on which

dahabeahs floated upon the water, flashed lights which, as crafts

approached them, changed into sheaves of red luster lying on the water.

Nur el-Tadhil shook Idris' arm, after which, stretching out his hand

before him, he said:

"Khartûm!"

XVI

They stopped at the city's limits in a house which formerly was the

property of a rich Italian merchant, and after his murder during the

assault upon the city, had fallen to Tadhil at the division of the

spoils. The wives of the emir in quite a humane manner took charge of

Nell who was barely alive after the rough treatment, and, though in all

Khartûm could be felt a want of provisions, they found for the little

"jan"* [* "Jan," an expression of endearment, like "little lamb."] a

few dried dates and a little rice with honey; after which they led her

upstairs and put her to bed. Stas, who passed the night among the

camels and horses in the courtyard, had to be content with one biscuit;

on the other hand, he did not lack water, for the fountain in the

garden, by a strange chance, was not wrecked. Notwithstanding great

weariness, he could not sleep; first on account of scorpions creeping

incessantly over the saddle-cloth on which he lay, and again on account

of a mortal dread that they would separate him from Nell, and that he

would not be able to watch over her personally. This uneasiness was

evidently shared by Saba, who scented about and from time to time

howled, all of which enraged the soldiers. Stas quieted him as well as

he could from fear that some injury might be done to him. Fortunately

the giant mastiff aroused such admiration in the emir himself and in

all the dervishes that no one lifted a hand against him.

Idris also did not sleep. From the previous day he had felt unwell and,

besides, after the conversation with Nur el-Tadhil he lost many of his

delusions, and gazed at the future as though through a thick veil. He

was glad that on the morrow they would be transported to Omdurmân,

which was separated from Khartûm only by the width of the White Nile;

he had a hope that he would find Smain there, but what further? During

the journey everything had presented itself to him somewhat more

distinctly and far more splendidly. He sincerely believed in the

prophet and his heart was drawn all the more to him because both came

from the same tribe. But in addition he was, like almost every Arab,

covetous and ambitious. He had dreamed that he would be loaded with

gold and made an emir at least; he had dreamed of military expeditions

against the "Turks," of captured cities and spoils. Now, after what he

had heard from el-Tadhil, he began to fear whether in the presence of

far greater events, all his acts would not fade into insignificance,

just as a drop of rain disappears in the sea. "Perhaps," he thought

with bitterness, "nobody will pay attention to what I have

accomplished, and Smain will not even be pleased that I have brought

those children to him;" and he was gnawed by this thought. The morrow

was to dispel or confirm those fears; so he awaited it with impatience.

The sun rose at six o'clock, and the bustle among the dervishes began.

Nur el-Tadhil soon appeared and ordered them to prepare for the

journey. He declared at the same time that they would go to the ferry

on foot, beside his horse. To Stas' great joy, Dinah led Nell from an

upper floor; after which they proceeded on the rampart, skirting the

whole city, as far as the place at which the ferry boats stopped. Nur

el-Tadhil rode ahead on horseback. Stas escorted Nell by the hand;

after them came Idris, Gebhr, and Chamis, with Dinah and Saba, as well

as thirty of the emir's soldiers. The rest of the caravan remained in

Khartûm.

Stas, gazing around, could not understand how a city so strongly

fortified, and lying in a fork formed by the White and Blue Niles, and

therefore surrounded on three sides by water and accessible only from

the south, could fall. Only later did he learn from a Christian slave

that the river at that time had subsided and left a wide sandy strip,

which facilitated access to the ramparts. The garrison, losing hope of

relief and reduced by hunger, could not repel the assault of the

infuriated savages, and the city was captured; after which a massacre

of the inhabitants took place. Traces of the battle, though a month had

already elapsed since the assault, could everywhere be seen along the

ramparts; on the inside protruded the ruins of razed buildings against

which the first impetus of the victors had been directed and on the

outside the moat was full of corpses, which no one thought of burying.

Before they reached the ferry Stas counted over four hundred. They did

not, however, infect the air as the Sudânese sun dried them up like

mummies; all had the hue of gray parchment, and were so much alike that

the bodies of the Europeans, Egyptians, and negroes could not be

distinguished from each other. Amid the corpses swarmed small gray

lizards, which, at the approach of men, quickly hid under those human

remains and often in the mouths or between the dried-up ribs.

Stas walked with Nell in such a manner as to hide this horrible sight

from her, and told her to look in the direction of the city.

But from the side of the city many things transpired which struck the

eyes and soul of the little girl with terror. The sight of the

"English" children, taken into captivity, and of Saba led with a leash

by Chamis attracted a throng, which as the procession proceeded to the

ferry increased with each moment. The throng after a certain time

became so great that it was necessary to halt. From all sides came

threatening outcries. Frightfully tattooed faces leaned over Stas and

over Nell. Some of the savages burst out into laughter at the sight of

them and from joy slapped their hips with the palms of their hands;

others cursed them; some roared like wild beasts, displaying their

white teeth and rolling their eyes; finally they began to threaten and

reach out towards them with knives. Nell, partly unconscious from

fright, clung to Stas, while he shielded her as well as he knew how, in

the conviction that their last hour was approaching. Fortunately this

persistent molestation of the brutal swarm at last disgusted even Nur

el-Tadhil. By his command between ten and twenty soldiers surrounded

the children, while the others began, without mercy, to scourge the

howling mob with courbashes. The concourse dispersed hurriedly, but on

the other hand a mob began to gather behind the detachment and amid

wild shrieks accompanied it to the boat.

The children breathed more freely during the passage over the river.

Stas comforted Nell with the statement that when the dervishes became

accustomed to the sight of them they would cease their threats, and he

assured her that Smain would protect and defend both of them, and

particularly her, for if any evil should befall them he would not have

any one to exchange for his children. This was the truth, but the

little girl was so terror-stricken by the previous assaults that,

having seized Stas' hand, she did not want to let go of it for a

moment, repeating continually, as if in a fever: "I am afraid! I am

afraid!" He with his whole soul wished to get as soon as possible into

the hands of Smain, who knew them of old, and who in Port Said had

displayed great friendship towards them, or at least had pretended to

display it. At any rate he was not so wild as the other Dongolese of

the Sudân, and captivity in his house would be more endurable.

The only concern now was whether they would find him in Omdurmân. Of

this Idris spoke with Nur el-Tadhil, who at last recollected that a

year before, while tarrying by the order of the caliph Abdullahi in

Kordofân, far from Khartûm, he had heard of a certain Smain, who taught

the dervishes how to fire from the cannons captured from the Egyptians,

and afterwards became a slave hunter. Nur suggested to Idris the

following method of finding him:

"At noon, when you hear the sounds of the umbajas,* [* Umbajas--big

trumpets of ivory tusk.] be with the children at the place of prayer,

to which the Mahdi repairs daily to edify the faithful with an example

of piety and to fortify them in the faith. There besides the sacred

person of the Mahdi you will behold all the 'Nobles' and also the three

caliphs as well as the pashas and emirs; among the emirs you may find

Smain."

"But what am I to do and where shall I stay until the time of the

afternoon prayer?"

"You will remain with my soldiers."

"And will you, Nur el-Tadhil, leave us?"

"I am going for orders to the caliph Abdullahi."

"Is he the greatest of caliphs? I come from far and though the names of

the commanders have reached my ears, nevertheless you may instruct me

more definitely about them."

"Abdullahi my commander is the Mahdi's sword."

"May Allah make him the son of victory."

For some time the boat floated in silence. There could be heard only

the grating of the oars on the boat's edges and once in a while a

splash of water by a crocodile struck in the tail. Many of these ugly

reptiles had swam down from the south to Khartûm, where they found an

abundance of food, for the river teemed with corpses, not only of the

people who were slaughtered after the capture of the city, but also of

those who died of diseases which raged amidst the Mahdists and

particularly among the slaves. The commands of the caliphs prohibited,

indeed, "the contamination of the water," but they were not heeded, and

the bodies which the crocodiles did not devour floated with the water,

face downward, to the Sixth Cataract and even as far as Beber.

But Idris thought of something else, and after a while said:

"This morning we did not get anything to eat. I do not know whether we

can hold out from hunger until the hour of prayer, and who will feed us

later?"

"You are not a slave," replied Tadhil, "and can go to the market-place

where merchants display their supplies. There you can obtain dried meat

and sometimes dochnu (millet), but for a high price; as I told you,

famine reigns in Omdurmân."

"But in the meantime wicked people will seize and kill those children."

"The soldiers will protect them, and if you give money to any one of

them, he will willingly go for provisions."

This advice did not please Idris who had a greater desire to take money

than to give it to any one, but before he was able to make reply the

boat touched the bank.

To the children Omdurmân appeared different from Khartûm. In the latter

place there were houses of several stories built of brick and stone;

there was a "mudirya," that is, a Governor's palace in which the heroic

Gordon had perished; there were a church, a hospital, missionary

buildings, an arsenal, great barracks for the troops and a large number

of greater and smaller gardens with magnificent tropical plants.

Omdurmân, on the other hand, seemed rather a great encampment of

savages. The fort which stood on the northern side of the settlement

had been razed by command of Gordon. As a whole, as far as the eye

could reach the city consisted of circular conical huts of dochnu

straw. Narrow, thorny little fences separated these huts from each

other and from the streets. Here and there could be seen tents,

evidently captured from the Egyptians. Elsewhere a few palm mats under

a piece of dirty linen stretched upon bamboo constituted the entire

residence. The population sought shelter under the roofs during rain or

exceptional heat; for the rest they passed their time, built fires,

cooked food, lived, and died out-of-doors. So the streets were so

crowded that in places the detachment with difficulty forced its way

through the multitude. Formerly Omdurmân was a wretched village; at

present, counting the ives, over two hundred thousand people were

huddled in it. Even the Mahdi and his caliphs were perturbed by this

vast concourse, which was threatened with famine and disease. They

continually despatched to the north expeditions to subjugate localities

and cities, loyal yet to the Egyptian Government.

At the sight of the white children here also resounded unfriendly

cries, but at least the rabble did not threaten with death. It may be

that they did not dare to, being so close to the prophet's side, and

perhaps because they were more accustomed to the sight of prisoners who

were all transported to Omdurmân immediately after the capture of

Khartûm. Stas and Nell, however, saw hell on earth. They saw Europeans

and Egyptians lashed with courbashes until they bled; hungry, thirsty,

bending under burdens which they were commanded to carry or under

buckets of water. They saw European women and children, who were reared

in affluence, at present begging for a handful of durra or a shred of

meat; covered with rags, emaciated, resembling specters, with faces

swarthy from want, on which dismay and despair had settled, and with a

bewildered stare. They saw how the savages burst into laughter at the

sight of these unfortunates; how they pushed and beat them. On all the

streets and alleyways there were not lacking sights from which the eyes

turned away with horror and aversion. In Omdurmân, dysentery and

typhoid fever, and, above all, small-pox raged in a virulent form. The

sick, covered with sores, lay at the entrances of the hovels, infecting

the air. The prisoners carried, wrapped in linen, the bodies of the

newly dead to bury them in the sand beyond the city, where the real

charge of the funeral was assumed by hyenas. Above the city hovered

flocks of vultures from whose wings fell melancholy shadows upon the

illuminated sand. Stas, witnessing all this, thought that the best for

him and Nell would be to die as soon as possible.

Nevertheless, in this sea of human wretchedness and malice there

bloomed at times compassion, as a pale flower blooms in a putrid marsh.

In Omdurmân there were a few Greeks and Copts whom the Mahdi had spared

because he needed them. These not only walked about freely, but engaged

in trade and various affairs, and some, especially those who pretended

to change their faith, were even officers of the Mahdi, and this gave

them considerable importance among the wild dervishes. One of these

Greeks stopped the detachment and began to question the children as to

how they happened to be there. Learning with amazement that they had

just arrived, and that they had been kidnapped from far-away Fayûm, he

promised to speak about them to the Mahdi and to inquire about them in

the future. In the meantime he nodded his head compassionately at Nell

and gave to each a few handfuls of dried wild figs and a silver dollar

with an image of Maria Theresa. After which he admonished the soldiers

not to dare to do any harm to the little girl, and he left, repeating

in English: "Poor little bird!"

XVII

Through tortuous little streets they finally arrived at the

market-place which was situated in the center of the city. On the way

they saw many men with a hand or foot cut off. They were thieves or

transgressors who had concealed booty. The punishment meted by the

caliphs for disobedience or violation of the laws promulgated by the

prophet was horrible, and even for a trivial offense, such as smoking

tobacco, the delinquent was whipped with courbashes until he bled or

became unconscious. But the caliphs themselves observed these commands

only seemingly; at home they indulged in everything, so that the

penalties fell upon the poor, who at one blow were despoiled of all

their goods. Afterwards there remained for them nothing to do but beg;

and as in Omdurmân there was a scarcity of provisions they died of

starvation.

A large number of beggars also swarmed around the provision stalls. The

first object, however, which attracted the attention of the children

was a human head fastened on a high bamboo set up in the center of the

market-place. The face of this head was dried up and almost black,

while the hair on the skull and the chin was as white as milk. One of

the soldiers explained to Idris that that was Gordon's head. Stas, when

he heard this, was seized by fathomless sorrow, indignation, and a

burning desire for revenge; at the same time terror froze the blood in

his veins. Thus had perished that hero, that knight without fear and

without reproach; a man, just and kind, who was loved even in the

Sudân. And the English people had not come in time to his aid, and

later retired, leaving his remains without a Christian burial, to be

thus dishonored! Stas at that moment lost his faith in the English

people. Heretofore he naïvely believed that England, for an injury to

one of her citizens, was always ready to declare war against the whole

world. At the bottom of his soul there had lain a hope that in behalf

of Rawlinson's daughter, after the unsuccessful pursuit, formidable

English hosts would be set in motion even as far as Khartûm and

farther. Now he became convinced that Khartûm and that whole region was

in the hands of the Mahdi, and that the Egyptian Government and England

were thinking rather of preserving Egypt from further conquests than of

delivering the European prisoners from captivity.

He understood that he and Nell had fallen into an abyss from which

there was no escape, and these thoughts, linked with the horrors which

he witnessed on the streets of Omdurmân, disheartened him completely.

His customary energy gave way to total passive submission to fate and a

dread of the future. In the meantime he began aimlessly to gaze about

the market-place and at the stalls at which Idris was bargaining for

provisions. The hucksters, mainly Sudânese women and negresses, sold

jubhas here, that is, white linen gowns, pieced together with many

colored patches, acacia gum, hollow gourds, glass beads, sulphur and

all kinds of mats. There were a few stalls with provisions and around

all of them the throng pressed. The Mahdists bought at high prices

principally dried strips of meat of domestic animals; likewise of

buffaloes, antelopes and giraffes. Dates, figs, manioc, and durra were

totally lacking. They sold here and there water and honey of wild bees,

and grains of dochnu soaked in a decoction of tamarind fruit. Idris

fell into despair, for it appeared that in view of the prevailing

market-prices he would soon exhaust all the money he had received from

Fatma Smain for living expenses and afterwards would, in all

probability, have to beg. His only hope now was in Smain, and strangely

enough Stas also relied solely upon Smain's assistance.

After a lapse of an hour Nur el-Tadhil returned from the caliph

Abdullahi. Evidently he had met with some kind of disagreeable mishap

there, for he returned in a bad humor. So when Idris asked him if he

had learned anything about Smain, he replied testily:

"Fool, do you think that the caliph and I have nothing better to do

than to seek Smain for you?"

"Well, what are you going to do with me?"

"Do what you please. I gave you a night's lodging in my house and a few

words of good advice, and now I do not want to know anything more about

you."

"That is well, but where shall I find shelter?"

"It is all the same to me."

Saying this he took the soldiers and went away. With great difficulty

Idris prevailed upon him to send to the market-place the camels and the

rest of the caravan, including those Arabs who had joined it between

Assuan and Wâdi Haifa. These people did not come until the afternoon,

and it appeared that none of them knew what they were going to do. The

two Bedouins began to quarrel with Idris and Gebhr, claiming that they

had promised them an entirely different reception and that they had

cheated them. After a long dispute and much deliberation they finally

decided to erect at the outskirts of the city huts of dochnu boughs and

reeds as shelter during the night, and for the rest to depend upon the

will of providence, and wait.

After the erection of the huts, which employment does not require much

time from Sudânese and negroes, all, excepting Chamis, who was to

prepare the supper, repaired to the place of public prayer. It was easy

for them to find it, as the swarm of all Omdurmân was bound thither.

The place was spacious, encircled partly by a thorny fence and partly

by a clay enclosure which was being built. In the center stood a wooden

platform. The prophet ascended it whenever he desired to instruct the

people. In front of the platform were spread upon the ground sheep

hides for the Mahdi, the caliphs, and eminent sheiks. Planted at the

sides were the flags of emirs, which fluttered in the air, displaying

all colors and looking like great flowers. The four sides were

surrounded by the compact ranks of dervishes. Around could be seen a

bold, numberless forest of spears, with which almost all the warriors

were armed.

It was real good fortune for Idris and Gebhr, and for the other members

of the caravan, that they were taken for a retinue of one of the emirs.

For that reason they could press forward to the first rows of the

assembled throng. The arrival of the Mahdi was announced by the

beautiful and solemn notes of umbajas, but when he appeared there

resounded the shrill notes of fifes, the beating of drums, the rattle

of stones shaken in empty gourds, and whistling on elephants' teeth,

all of which combined created an infernal din. The swarm was swept by

an indescribable fervor. Some threw themselves on their knees; others

shouted with all their strength:

"Oh! Messenger of God!" "Oh! Victorious!" "Oh! Merciful!" "Oh!

Gracious!" This continued until the Mahdi entered the pulpit. Then a

dead stillness fell while he raised his hands, placed his big fingers

to his ears, and for some time prayed.

The children did not stand far away, and could see him well. He was a

middle-aged man, prodigiously obese as though bloated, and almost

black. Stas, who had an unusually keen sight, perceived that his face

was tattooed. In one ear he wore a big ivory ring. He was dressed in a

white jubha and had a white cap on his head. His feet were bare, as on

mounting the platform he shook off red half-boots and left them on the

sheep's hide on which he was afterwards to pray. There was not the

least luxury in his clothing. Only at times the wind carried a strong

sandal* [* From sandal wood, from which in the East a fragrant oil is

derived.] scent which the faithful present inhaled eagerly through

their nostrils; at the same time they rolled their eyes from joy. On

the whole Stas had pictured differently this terrible prophet,

plunderer, and murderer of so many thousand people, and looking now at

the fat face with its mild look, with eyes suffused with tears, and

with a smile, as though grown to those lips, he could not overcome his

astonishment. He thought that such a man ought to bear on his shoulders

the head of a hyena or a crocodile, and instead he saw before him a

chubby-faced gourd, resembling drawings of a full moon.

But the prophet began his instruction. His deep and resonant voice

could be heard perfectly all over the place, so that his words reached

the ears of all the faithful. He first spoke of the punishments which

God meted out to those who disobey the commands of the Mahdi, and hide

booty, get intoxicated upon merissa, spare the enemy in battles, and

smoke tobacco. On account of these crimes Allah sends upon the sinners

famine and that disease which changes the face into a honey-comb

(small-pox). Temporal life is like a leaky leather bottle. Riches and

pleasure are absorbed in the sand which buries the dead. Only faith is

like a cow which gives sweet milk. But paradise will open only for the

victorious. Whoever vanquishes the enemy wins for himself salvation.

Whoever dies for the faith will rise from the dead for eternity. Happy,

a hundredfold more happy are those who already have fallen.

"We want to die for the faith!" answered the swarm in one tumultuous

shout.

And for a while an infernal uproar again prevailed. The umbajas and

drums sounded. The warriors struck sword against sword, spear against

spear. The martial ardor spread like a flame. Some cried: "The faith is

victorious!" Others: "To paradise through death!" Stas now understood

why the Egyptian army could not cope with this wild host.

When the hubbub had somewhat subsided, the prophet resumed his address.

He told them of his visions and of the mission which he had received

from God. Allah commanded him to purify the faith and spread it over

the entire world. Whoever does not acknowledge him as the Mahdi, the

Redeemer, is condemned to damnation. The end of the world is already

near, but before that time it is the duty of the faithful to conquer

Egypt, Mecca, and all those regions beyond the seas where the gentiles

dwell. Such is the divine will which nothing can change. A great deal

of blood will flow yet; many warriors will not return to their wives

and children under their tents, but the happiness of those who fall no

human tongue can describe.

After which he stretched out his arms towards the assembled throng and

concluded thus:

"Therefore I, the Redeemer and servant of God, bless this holy war and

you warriors. I bless your toils, wounds, death; I bless victory, and

weep over you like a father who has conceived an affection for you."

And he burst into a flood of tears. When he descended from the pulpit a

roar and a clamor resounded. Weeping became general. Below, the two

caliphs Abdullahi and Ali Uled Helu took the prophet under the arms and

escorted him to the sheep hide on which he knelt. During this brief

moment Idris asked Stas feverishly whether Smain was not among the

emirs.

"No!" replied the boy, who vainly sought the familiar face with his

eyes. "I do not see him anywhere. Perhaps he fell at the capture of

Khartûm."

The prayers lasted long. During these the Mahdi threw his arms and legs

about like a buffoon or raised his eyes in rapture, repeating "Lo! It

is he!" "Lo! It is he!" and the sun began to decline towards the west,

when he rose and left for his home. The children now could be convinced

with what reverence the dervishes surrounded their prophet, for crowds

eagerly followed him and scratched up the places which his feet

touched. They even quarreled and came to blows for they believed that

such earth protected the healthy and healed the sick.

The place of prayer was vacated gradually. Idris himself did not know

what to do and was about to return with the children and his whole

party to the huts and to Chamis for the night, when unexpectedly there

stood before them that same Greek who in the morning had given Stas and

Nell each a dollar and a handful of wild figs.

"I spoke with the Mahdi about you," he said in Arabian, "and the

prophet desires to see you."

"Thanks to Allah and to you, sir," exclaimed Idris. "Shall we find

Smain at the prophet's side."

"Smain is in Fashoda," answered the Greek.

After which he addressed Stas in the English language.

"It may be that the prophet will take you under his protection as I

endeavored to persuade him to do. I told him that the fame of his mercy

would then spread among all the white nations. Here terrible things are

taking place and without his protection you will perish from starvation

and want of comforts, from sickness or at the hands of madmen. But you

must reconcile him and that depends upon you."

"What am I to do?" Stas asked.

"In the first place, when you appear before him throw yourself upon

your knees, and if he should tender his hand, kiss it with reverence

and beseech him to take you two under his wings."

Here the Greek broke off and asked:

"Do any of these men understand English?"

"No. Idris and Gebhr understand only a few simple words and the others

not even that."

"That is well. So listen further, for it is necessary to anticipate

everything. Now the Mahdi will in all probability ask you whether you

are ready to accept his faith. Answer at once that you are and that at

the sight of him, from the first glance of the eye an unknown light of

grace flowed upon you. Remember, 'an unknown light of grace.' That will

flatter him and he will enroll you among his muzalems, that is, among

his personal servants. You will then enjoy plenty and all the comforts

which will shield you from sickness. If you should act otherwise you

would endanger yourself, that poor little creature, and even me, who

wishes your good. Do you understand?"

Stas set his teeth and did not reply, but his face was icy and his eyes

flashed up sullenly. Seeing which the Greek continued thus:

"I know, my boy, that this is a disagreeable matter, but it cannot be

helped. All of those who were saved after the massacre in Khartûm

accepted the Mahdi's doctrines. Only a few Catholic missionaries and

nuns did not assent to it, but that is a different matter. The Koran

prohibits the slaughter of priests, so though their fate is horrible,

they are not at least threatened with death. For the secular people,

however, there was no other salvation. I repeat, they all accepted

Mohammedism; the Germans, Italians, Englishmen, Copts, Greeks--I

myself."

And here, though Stas had assured him that no one in that crowd

understood English, he nevertheless lowered his voice.

"Besides, I need not tell you that this is no denial of faith, no

treason, no apostasy. In his soul every one remained what he was and

God saw it. Before superior force it is necessary to bend, though

seemingly. It is the duty of man to preserve life and it would be

madness, and even a sin, to jeopardize it--for what? For appearances,

for a few words, which at the same time you may disavow in your soul?

And remember that you hold in your hands not only your life but the

life of your little companion which it is not permissible for you to

dispose of. In truth, I can guarantee to you if ever God saves you from

these hands then you will not have anything to reproach yourself with,

nor will any one find fault with you, as this is the case with all of

us."

The Greek, speaking in this manner, perhaps deceived his own

conscience, but Stas' silence deceived him also for in the end he

mistook it for fear. He determined therefore to give the boy courage.

"These are the houses of the Mahdi," he said. "He prefers to live in

the wooden sheds of Omdurmân rather than in Khartûm, though there he

could occupy Gordon's palace. Well then, bravely! Don't lose your head!

To the question reply firmly. They prize courage here. Also do not

imagine that the Mahdi will at once roar at you like a lion! No! He

always smiles, even when contemplating nothing good."

And saying this he began to shout at the crowd standing in front of the

house to make way for the prophet's "guests."

XVIII

When they entered the room, the Mahdi lay on a soft cot, surrounded by

his wives, two of whom fanned him with great ostrich feathers and the

other two lightly scratched the soles of his feet. Besides his wives,

there were present only the caliph Abdullahi and the sheref caliph, as

the third, Ali Uled Helu, was despatching at that time troops to the

north, particularly to Beber and Abu Hâmed, which already had been

captured by the dervishes. At sight of the arrivals the prophet

dismissed his wives and sat up on the cot. Idris, Gebhr, and the two

Bedouins fell on their faces and afterwards knelt with hands crossed on

their breasts. The Greek beckoned to Stas to do the same, but the boy,

pretending not to see the gesture, only bowed and remained standing

erect. His face was pale, but his eyes shone strongly and from his

whole posture and head, haughtily upraised, from his tightly compressed

lips it could easily be seen that something had taken an ascendancy

over him, that uncertainty and fear had passed away, that he had

adopted an inflexible resolution from which he would not recede for

anything. The Greek evidently understood this, as great uneasiness was

reflected on his features. The Mahdi observed both children with a

fleeting glance, brightened his fat face with his customary smile,

after which he first addressed Idris and Gebhr:

"You came from the distant north," he said.

Idris struck the ground with his forehead.

"Yes, oh Mahdi! We belong to the tribe of Dongola; therefore we

abandoned our homes in Fayûm in order to kneel at your blessed feet."

"I beheld you in the desert. That was a terrible journey but I sent an

angel to guard and shield you from death at the hands of the infidels.

You did not see this, but he watched over you."

"Thanks to thee, Redeemer."

"And you brought those children to Smain to exchange them for his own,

that the Turks imprisoned together with Fatma in Port Said."

"Thee we desired to serve."

"Whoever serves me serves his own salvation; therefore you have opened

for yourselves the path to paradise. Fatma is my relative. But verily I

say unto you that when we subjugate the whole of Egypt, then my

relative and her posterity will anyway regain liberty."

"And therefore do with these children whatever thou desirest--oh

blessed one."

The Mahdi closed his eyelids, after which he opened them, smiling

kindly, and nodded at Stas.

"Approach, boy."

Stas advanced a few paces with an energetic, as if soldierly, stride;

he bowed a second time after which he straightened as a chord and,

looking straight into the Mahdi's eyes, waited.

"Are you delighted that you came to me?" the Mahdi asked.

"No, prophet. We were abducted in spite of our wills from our parents."

This plain answer created a certain sensation upon the ruler accustomed

to flattery, and upon those present. Caliph Abdullahi frowned, the

Greek gnawed his mustache, and began to wring his hands. The Mahdi,

however, did not cease to smile.

"But," he said, "you are at the fountain of truth. Do you want to drink

at that fountain?"

A moment of silence followed; so the Mahdi, thinking the boy did not

understand the question, repeated it more plainly.

"Do you desire to accept my doctrines?"

To this Stas imperceptibly made a sign of the holy cross with his hand

which he held at his breast, as though he was about to leap from a

sinking ship into a watery chaos.

"Prophet," he said, "your doctrines I do not know; therefore if I

accepted them, I would do it out of fear like a coward and a base man.

Are you anxious that your faith should be professed by cowards and base

people?"

And speaking thus he looked steadfastly in the eyes of the Mahdi. It

became so quiet that only the buzz of flies could be heard. But at the

same time something extraordinary had happened. The Mahdi became

confused, and for the nonce did not know what reply to make. The smile

vanished from his face, on which was reflected perplexity and

displeasure. He stretched out his hand, took hold of the gourd, filled

it with water and honey, and began to drink, but obviously only to gain

time and to conceal his confusion.

And the brave boy, a worthy descendant of the defenders of

Christianity, of the true blood of the victors at Khoczim and Vienna,

stood with upraised head, awaiting his doom. On his emaciated cheeks,

tanned by the desert winds, bloomed bright blushes, his eyes glittered,

and his body quivered with the thrill of ardor. "All others," he

soliloquized, "accepted his doctrines, but I have denied neither my

faith nor my soul." And fear before what might and was to follow at

that moment was subdued in his heart, and joy and pride overflowed it.

In the meantime the Mahdi replaced the gourd and asked:

"So, you reject my doctrines?"

"I am a Christian like my father."

"Whoever closes his eyes to the voice of God," said the Mahdi slowly in

a changed voice, "is only fuel for the flames."

At this the caliph Abdullahi, notorious for his ferocity and cruelty,

displayed his white teeth like a savage animal and spoke out:

"The speech of this boy is insolent; therefore punish him, lord, or

permit me to punish him."

"It has happened!" Stas thought.

But the Mahdi always desired that the fame of his mercy should spread

not only among the dervishes but over the whole world; therefore he

thought that a too severe sentence, particularly upon a small boy,

might injure that fame.

For a while he fingered the rosary beads and meditated, and afterwards

said:

"No. These children were abducted for Smain; so, though I do not want

to enter into any negotiations with the infidels, it is necessary to

send them to Smain. Such is my will."

"It shall be obeyed," answered the caliph.

But the Mahdi pointed to Idris, Gebhr, and the Bedouins and said:

"Reward these men for me, oh Abdullahi, for they made a long and

dangerous journey to serve God and me."

After which he nodded in sign that the audience was ended and at the

same time ordered the Greek to leave also. The latter, when they found

themselves in the darkness on the place of prayer, seized Stas' arm and

began to shake it with anger and despair.

"Accursed! You have sealed the doom of that innocent child," he said,

pointing at Nell. "You have ruined yourself and perhaps me."

"I could not do otherwise," answered Stas.

"You could not? Know that you are condemned to a journey a hundredfold

worse than the first. And that is death,--do you understand? In Fashoda

the fever will kill you in the course of a week. The Mahdi knew why he

sent you to Smain."

"In Omdurmân we also would perish."

"That is not true! You would not have perished in the house of the

Mahdi, in plenty and comfort. And he was ready to take you under his

wings. I know that he was. You also repaid me nicely for interceding

for you. But do what you wish, Abdullahi will despatch the camel-post

to Fashoda in about a week and during that time do whatever you please!

You will not see me any more!"

Saying this he went away, but after a while returned. He, like all

Greeks, was loquacious, and it was necessary for him to tell everything

he had to say. He wanted to pour upon Stas' head all the bile which had

accumulated within him. He was not cruel and did not possess a bad

heart; he desired, however, that the boy should understand more

thoroughly the awful responsibility which he had assumed in not heeding

his advice and warnings.

"Who would have prevented you from remaining a Christian in your soul?"

he said. "Do you think that I am not one? But I am not a fool. You on

the other hand preferred to make a parade of your false heroism.

Heretofore I have rendered great services to the white prisoners, but

now I shall not be able to aid them for the Mahdi has become incensed

at me. All will perish. And your little companion in misfortune also:

you have killed her! In Fashoda even adult Europeans die of the fever

like flies, and what of such a child? And if they order you to go on

foot beside the horses and camels, she will fall the first day. You did

all this. Enjoy yourself now--you Christian!"

And he left them while they turned from the place of prayer towards the

huts. They walked long, as the city was spread over an immense space.

Nell, worn out by fatigue, hunger, fright, and the horrible impressions

of the whole day, began to lag. Idris and Gebhr urged her to walk

faster. But after a time her limbs became entirely numb. Then Stas,

without reflection, took her in his arms and carried her. On the way he

wanted to speak to her; he wanted to justify himself, but ideas were

torpid, as if they were dead in his mind; so he only repeated in a

circle, "Nell! Nell! Nell!" and he clasped her to his bosom, not being

able to say anything more. After a few score paces Nell fell asleep in

his arms from exhaustion; so he walked in silence amid the quiet of the

slumbering little streets, interrupted only by the conversation of

Idris and Gebhr, whose hearts overflowed with joy. This was fortunate

for Stas, as otherwise they would have punished him for his insolent

reply to the Mahdi. They were, however, so occupied with what they had

seen that they could not think of anything else.

"I felt sick," said Idris, "but the sight of the prophet healed me."

"He is like a palm in the desert, and like cool water on a scorching

day, and his words are like ripe dates," answered Gebhr.

"Nur el-Tadhil lied when he said that he would not permit us to be

admitted to his presence. He admitted us, blessed us, and ordered

Abdullahi to lavish gifts upon us."

"Who will munificently enrich us, for the wish of the Mahdi is sacred."

"Bismillah! May it be as you say!" spoke out one of the Bedouins.

And Gebhr began to dream of whole herds of camels, horned cattle, and

bags full of piastres.

From these dreams he was awakened by Idris who, pointing at Stas

carrying the sleeping girl, asked:

"What shall we do with that hornet and that fly?"

"Ha! Smain ought to reward us for them, separately."

"Since the prophet says that he will not permit any negotiations with

the infidels, Smain will have no interest in them."

"In such case I regret that they did not get into the hands of the

caliph, who would have taught that whelp what it is to bark against the

truth and the elect of the Lord."

"The Mahdi is merciful," answered Idris.

After which he pondered for a while and said:

"Nevertheless, Smain having both in his hands will be certain that

neither the Turks nor the English people will kill his children and

Fatma."

"So he may reward us?"

"Yes. Let Abdullahi's post take them to Fashoda. A weight will fall off

our heads, and when Smain returns here we will demand recompense from

him."

"You say then that we will remain in Omdurmân?"

"Allah! Have you not had enough in the journey from Fayûm to Khartûm?

The time for rest has come."

The huts were now not far off. Stas, however, slackened his pace for

his strength began to wane. Nell, though light, seemed heavier and

heavier. The Sudânese, who were anxious to go to sleep, shouted at him

to hurry and afterwards drove him on, striking him on the head with

their fists. Gebhr even pricked him painfully in the shoulder with a

knife. The boy endured all this in silence, protecting above all his

little sister, and not until one of the Bedouins shoved him so that he

almost fell, did he say to them through his set teeth:

"We are to arrive at Fashoda alive."

And these words restrained the Arabs, for they feared to violate the

commands of the Mahdi. A yet more effective restraint, however, was the

fact that Idris suddenly became so dizzy that he had to lean on Gebhr's

arm. After an interval the dizziness passed away, but the Sudânese

became frightened and said:

"Allah! Something ails me. Has not some sickness taken hold of me?"

"You have seen the Mahdi, so you will not fall sick," answered Gebhr.

They finally reached the huts. Stas, hurrying with the remnants of his

strength, delivered sleeping Nell to the hands of old Dinah, who,

though unwell also, nevertheless made a comfortable bed for her little

lady. The Sudânese and the Bedouins, swallowing a few strips of raw

meat, flung themselves, like logs, on the saddle-cloth. Stas was not

given anything to eat, but old Dinah shoved into his hand a fistful of

soaked durra, a certain amount of which she had stolen from the camels.

But he was not in the mood for eating or sleeping, for the load which

weighed on his shoulders was in truth too heavy. He felt that in

rejecting the favor of the Mahdi, for which it was necessary to pay

with denial of faith and soul, he had acted as he should have done; he

felt that his father would have been proud and happy at his conduct,

but at the same time he thought that he had caused the destruction of

Nell, his companion in misfortune, his little beloved sister, for whom

he would willingly have sacrificed his last drop of blood.

So when all had fallen asleep he burst into a flood of tears, and,

lying on a piece of saddle-cloth, he wept long, like the child which,

after all, he still was.

XIX

The visit to the Mahdi and the interview with him evidently did not

heal Idris, as during the night he grew worse and in the morning became

unconscious. Chamis, Gebhr, and the two Bedouins were summoned to the

caliph who detained them some hours and praised their courage. But they

returned in the worst humor and with rage in their souls for they had

expected the Lord knows what rewards, and in the meantime Abdullahi

gave each one an Egyptian pound* [* About five dollars.--_Translator's

note_.] and a horse.

The Bedouins began a quarrel with Gebhr which almost resulted in a

fight; in the end they announced that they would ride together with the

camel-post to Fashoda to demand payment from Smain. They were joined by

Chamis who expected that the patronage of Smain would be more

beneficial to him than a sojourn in Omdurmân.

For the children a week of hunger and misery began, for Gebhr did not

think of feeding them. Fortunately Stas had the two dollars with the

effigy of Maria Theresa, which he got from the Greek; so he went to the

city to buy dates and rice. The Sudânese did not oppose this trip as

they knew that he could not escape from Omdurmân and that under no

circumstances would he desert the little "bint." This experience did

not pass without some adventures, however, for the sight of a boy in

European dress buying provisions at the market-place, again attracted a

crowd of semi-savage dervishes, who received him with laughter and

yells. Fortunately many knew that he had been at the Mahdi's the

previous day, and they restrained those who wanted to assault him. Only

children threw sand and stones at him, but he paid no attention to them.

At the market-place the prices were too high. Stas could not obtain any

dates at all and a considerable part of the rice was taken away from

him by Gebhr for "his sick brother." The boy resisted with all his

strength, in consequence of which a scuffle and fight ensued, in which

the really weaker one came out with numerous contusions and bruises. In

addition the cruelty of Chamis became manifest. The latter evinced an

attachment for Saba and fed him with raw meat; on the other hand, at

the distress of the children, whom he knew of old and who had always

been kind to him, he looked with the utmost indifference, and when Stas

addressed him with a request that he should at least give Nell a morsel

of food, he replied, laughing:

"Go and beg."

And it finally came to the pass that Stas during the following days,

desiring to save Nell from death by starvation, begged. Nor was he

always unsuccessful. At times some former soldier or officer of the

Egyptian Khedive gave him a few piastres or a few dried figs, and

promised to aid him on the following day. Once he happened to meet a

missionary and a sister of charity, who, hearing his story, bemoaned

the fate of both children, and though they themselves were wasted with

hunger, shared with him everything which they had. They also promised

to visit them in the huts and did actually come the next day in the

hope that they might succeed in taking the children with them until the

time of the departure of the post. But Gebhr with Chamis drove them

away with courbashes. On the following day Stas met them again and

received from them a little measure of rice together with two quinine

powders, which the missionary instructed him to save most carefully in

the expectation that in Fashoda fever inevitably awaited both.

"You will ride now," he said, "alongside of the dense floating masses

in the White Nile or the so-called 'sudds'. The river, not being able

to flow freely across the barriers composed of vegetation and weeds

which the current of the water carries and deposits in the more shallow

places, forms there extensive and infectious swamps, amid which the

fever does not spare even the negroes. Beware particularly of sleeping

on the bare ground without a fire."

"We already wish to die," answered Stas, almost with a moan.

At this the missionary raised his haggard face and for a while prayed;

after which he made the sign of the cross over the boy and said:

"Trust in God. You did not deny Him; so His mercy and care will be over

you."

Stas tried not only to beg, but to work. A certain day, seeing a crowd

of men laboring at the place of prayer, he joined them, and began to

carry clay for the palisade with which the place was to be surrounded.

They jeered at and jostled him, but at evening the old sheik, who

superintended the work, gave him twelve dates. Stas was immensely

overjoyed at this compensation, for dates with rice formed the only

wholesome nourishment for Nell and became more and more difficult to

obtain in Omdurmân.

So he brought them with pride to his little sister, to whom he gave

everything which he could secure; he sustained himself for a week

almost exclusively upon durra taken from the camels. Nell was greatly

delighted at the sight of her favorite fruit but wanted him to share it

with her. So, tiptoeing, she placed her hands on his shoulders, and

turning up her head, began to gaze into his eyes and plead:

"Stas! Eat a half, eat--"

To this he replied:

"I have already eaten. I have eaten. I have eaten my fill."

And he smiled, but immediately began to bite his lips in order not to

weep, as he really was hungry. He promised himself that the following

day he would go again and earn some more; but it happened otherwise. In

the morning a muzalem from Abdullahi came with the announcement that

the camel-post was to leave at night for Fashoda, and with the caliph's

command that Idris, Gebhr, Chamis, and the two Bedouins should prepare

to go with the children. This command amazed and aroused the

indignation of Gebhr; so he declared that he would not go as his

brother was sick and there was no one to attend to him, and even if he

were well, both had decided to remain in Omdurmân.

But the muzalem replied:

"The Mahdi has only one will, and Abdullahi, his caliph and my master,

never alters commands. Your brother can be attended by a slave, while

you will depart for Fashoda."

"Then I shall go and inform him that I will not depart."

"To the caliph are admitted only those whom he himself desires to see.

And if you without permission, and through violence, should force

yourself into his presence, I will lead you to the gallows."

"Allah akbar! Then tell me plainly that I am a slave!"

"Be silent and obey orders!" answered the muzalem.

The Sudânese had seen in Omdurmân gallows breaking under the weight of

hanging men. By order of the ferocious Abdullahi these gallows were

daily decorated with new bodies. Gebhr became terror-stricken. That

which the muzalem told him, that the Mahdi commanded but once, was

reiterated by all the dervishes. There was therefore no help; it was

necessary to ride.

"I shall see Idris no more!" thought Gebhr.

In his tigerish heart was concealed a sort of attachment for his older

brother, so that at the thought that he would have to leave him in

sickness he was seized by despair. In vain did Chamis and the Bedouins

represent to him that they might fare better in Fashoda than in

Omdurmân, and that Smain in all probability would reward them more

bountifully than the caliph had done. No words could assuage Gebhr's

grief and rage, and the rage rebounded mainly upon Stas.

It was indeed a day of martyrdom for the boy. He was not permitted to

go to the market-place, so he could not earn anything or beg, and was

compelled to work as a slave at the pack-saddles, which were being

prepared for the journey. This became a more difficult matter as from

hunger and torture he weakened very much. He was certain that he would

die on the road; if not under Gebhr's courbash, then from exhaustion.

Fortunately the Greek, who had a good heart, came in at the evening to

visit the children and to bid them farewell, and at the same time to

provide for them on the way. He brought a few quinine powders, and

besides these a few glass beads and a little food. Finally, learning of

Idris' sickness, he turned to Gebhr, Chamis, and the Bedouins.

"Know this," he said. "I come here by the Mahdi's command."

And when they heard this they smote with their foreheads and he

continued:

"You are to feed the children on the way and treat them well. They are

to render a report of your behavior to Smain. Smain shall write of this

to the prophet. If any complaint against you comes here, the next post

will carry a death sentence for you."

A new bow was the only reply to these words; in addition Gebhr and

Chamis had the miens of dogs on which muzzles are placed.

The Greek then ordered them away, after which he thus spoke to the

children in English:

"I fabricated all this, for the Mahdi did not issue any new orders. But

as he said that you were to go to Fashoda, it is necessary that you

should reach there alive. I also reckoned upon this, that none of them

will see either the Mahdi or the caliph before their departure."

After which to Stas:

"I took umbrage at you, boy, and feel it yet. Do you know that you

almost ruined me? The Mahdi was offended at me, and to secure his

forgiveness I was forced to surrender to Abdullahi a considerable

portion of my estate, and besides, I do not know for how long a time I

have saved myself. In any case I shall not be able to assist the

captives as I have heretofore done. But I felt sorry for you,

particularly for her (and here he pointed at Nell). I have a daughter

of the same age, whom I love more than my own life, and for her sake I

have done everything which I have done. Christ will judge me for

this--Up to this time she wears under her dress, on her breast, a

silver cross.--Her name is the same as yours, little one. Were it not

for her, I would have preferred to die rather than to live in this

hell."

He was deeply moved. For a while he was silent, after which he rubbed

his forehead with his hand and began to speak of something else.

"The Mahdi sends you to Fashoda with the idea that there you will die.

In this manner he will revenge himself upon you for your stubbornness,

boy, which touched him deeply, and he will not lose his fame for

'mercy.' He always acts thus. But who knows who is destined to die

first? Abdullahi suggested to him the idea that he should order the

dogs who kidnapped you, to go with you. He rewarded them miserably, and

now he fears that they may publish it. Besides, they both preferred

that the people should not be told that there are still in Egypt

troops, cannons, money, and Englishmen.--It will be a hard road and

distant. You will go into a country desolate and unhealthy. So guard,

as the eye in the head, those powders which I gave to you."

"Sir, order Gebhr once more not to dare to starve or hit Nell," said

Stas.

"Do not fear. I commended you to the old sheik who has charge of the

post. He is an old acquaintance of mine. I gave him a watch and with

that I gained his protection for you."

Saying this, he began to bid them farewell. Taking Nell in his arms, he

pressed her to his bosom and repeated:

"May God bless you, my child."

In the meantime the sun descended and the night became starry. In the

dusk resounded the snorting of horses and the groans of the heavily

loaded camels.

XX

The old sheik Hatim faithfully kept his promise given to the Greek and

watched over the children with great solicitude. The journey up the

White Nile was difficult. They rode through Keteineh, Ed-Dueim, and

Kawa; afterwards they passed Abba, a woody Nile island, on which before

the war the Mahdi dwelt, in a hollow tree as a dervish hermit. The

caravan often was compelled to make a detour around extensive floating

masses overgrown with pyrus, or so-called "sudds," from which the

breeze brought the poisoned odor of decomposed leaves carried by the

current of water. English engineers had previously cut through these

barriers, and formerly steamboats could ascend from Khartûm to Fashoda

and farther. At present the river was blocked again and, being unable

to run freely, overflowed on both sides. The right and left banks of

this region were covered by a high jungle amid which stood hillocks of

termites and solitary gigantic trees; here and there the forest reached

the river. In dry places grew groves of acacias. During the first week

they saw Arabian settlements and towns composed of houses with strange

conical roofs made of dochnu straw, but beyond Abba, from the

settlement of Gôz Abu Guma they rode in the country of the blacks. It

was nearly desolate, for the dervishes had almost totally carried away

the local negro population and sold it in the markets of Khartûm,

Omdurmân, Fasher, Dar, El-Obeid, and other cities in the Sudân, Darfur,

and Kordofân. Those inhabitants who succeeded in escaping slavery in

thickets in the forests were exterminated by starvation and small-pox,

which raged with unusual virulence along the White and Blue Niles. The

dervishes themselves said that whole nations had died of it. The former

plantations of sorghum, manioc, and bananas were covered by a jungle.

Only wild beasts, not pursued by any one, multiplied plentifully.

Sometimes before the evening twilight the children saw from a distance

great herds of elephants, resembling movable rocks, walking with slow

tread to watering places known only to themselves. At the sight of them

Hatim, a former ivory dealer, smacked his lips, sighed, and spoke thus

to Stas in confidence:

"Mashallah! How much wealth there is here! But now it is not worth

while to hunt, for the Mahdi has prohibited Egyptian traders from

coming to Khartûm, and there is no one to sell the tusks to, unless to

the emirs for umbajas."

They met also giraffes, which, seeing the caravan, escaped hurriedly

with heavy ambling pace, swinging their long necks as if they were

lame. Beyond Gôz Abu Guma appeared, more and more frequently, buffaloes

and whole herds of antelopes. The people of the caravan when they

lacked fresh meat hunted for them, but almost always in vain, for the

watchful and fleet animals would not allow themselves to be approached

or surrounded.

Provisions were generally scarce, as owing to the depopulation of the

region they could not obtain either millet or bananas, or fish, which

in former times were furnished by the Shilluk and Dinka tribes who

exchanged them willingly for glass beads and brass wire. Hatim,

however, did not permit the children to die of starvation, and what is

more he kept a strict control over Gebhr; and once, when the latter at

about bed-time struck Stas while removing saddles from the camels, he

ordered the Sudânese to be stretched upon the ground and whipped thirty

times on each heel with a bamboo. For two days the cruel Sudânese could

walk only on his toes and cursed the hour when he left Fayûm, and

revenged himself upon a young slave named Kali, who had been presented

to him.

Stas at the beginning was almost pleased that he had left infected

Omdurmân and that he saw a country of which he always had dreamed. His

strong constitution thus far endured perfectly the toils of the journey

and the abundant food restored his energy. Several times during the

journey and at the stops he whispered to his little sister that it was

possible to escape even from beyond the White Nile, and that he did not

at all abandon that design. But her health disquieted him. Three weeks

after the day of their departure from Omdurmân Nell had not indeed

succumbed to the fever, but her face grew thinner and instead of being

tanned it became more and more transparent, and her little hands looked

as if they were moulded of wax. She did not lack care and even such

comforts as Stas and Dinah with the aid of Hatim could provide, but she

lacked the salubrious desert air. The moist and torrid climate united

with the hardships of the journey more and more undermined the strength

of the child.

Stas, beginning at Gôz Abu Guma, gave her daily a half powder of

quinine and worried terribly at the thought that this remedy, which

could be obtained nowhere later, would not last him long. But it could

not be helped, for it was necessary above all things to prevent the

fever. At moments despair possessed him. He deluded himself, however,

with the hope that Smain, if he desired to exchange them for his own

children, would have to seek for them a more salubrious place than the

neighborhood of Fashoda.

But misfortune seemed continually to pursue its victims. On the day

before the arrival at Fashoda, Dinah, who while in Omdurmân felt weak,

fainted suddenly at the untying of the small luggage with Nell's things

taken from Fayûm, and fell from the camel. Stas and Chamis revived her

with the greatest difficulty. She did not, however, regain

consciousness, or rather she regained it at the evening only to bid a

tearful farewell to her beloved little lady, and to die. After her

death Gebhr insisted upon cutting off her ears in order to show them to

Smain as proof that she died during the journey, and to demand of him a

separate payment for her abduction. This was done with a slave who

expired during the journey. But Hatim, at the entreaties of Stas and

Nell, would not consent to this; so they buried her decently and her

mound was safeguarded against hyenas with the assistance of stones and

thorns. The children felt yet more lonely for they realized that in her

they had lost the only near and devoted soul. This was a terrible blow,

particularly for Nell, so Stas endeavored to comfort her throughout the

whole night and the following day.

The sixth week of the journey arrived. On the next day at noon the

caravan reached Fashoda, but they found only a pyre. The Mahdists

bivouacked under the bare heaven or in huts hurriedly built of grass

and boughs. Three days previously the settlement had been burnt down.

There remained only the clay walls of the round hovels, blackened with

smoke, and, standing close by the water, a great wooden shed, which

during the Egyptian times served as a storage-place for ivory; in it at

present lived the commander of the dervishes, Emir Seki Tamala. He was

a distinguished personage among the Mahdists, a secret enemy of

Abdullahi, but on the other hand a personal friend of Hatim. He

received the old sheik and the children hospitably, but immediately at

the introduction told them unfavorable news.

Smain was not in Fashoda. Two days before he had gone southeast from

the Nile on an expedition for slaves, and it was not known when he

would return, as the nearer localities were so depopulated that it was

necessary to seek for human chattels very far. Near Fashoda, indeed,

lay Abyssinia, with which the dervishes likewise waged war. But Smain

having only three hundred men did not dare to cross its borders,

guarded vigilantly, at present, by King John's warlike inhabitants and

soldiers.

In view of this Seki Tamala and Hatim began to deliberate as to what

was to be done with the children. The consultation was held mainly at

supper, to which the emir invited Stas and Nell.

"I," he said to Hatim, "must soon start with all the men upon a distant

expedition against Emin Pasha,* [* Emin Pasha, by birth a German Jew,

was after the occupation by Egypt of the region around Albert Nyanza,

Governor of the Equatorial Provinces. His headquarters were at Wadelai.

The Mahdists attacked it a number of times. He was rescued by Stanley,

who conducted him with a greater part of his troops to Bagamoyo, on the

Indian Ocean.] who is located at Lado, having steamers and troops

there. Such is the command which you, Hatim, brought me. Therefore you

must return to Omdurmân, for in Fashoda there will not remain a single

living soul. Here there is no place in which to live, there is nothing

to eat, and sickness is raging. I know, indeed, that the white people

do not catch small-pox, but fever will kill those children within a

month."

"I was ordered to bring them to Fashoda," replied Hatim, "so I brought

them, and need not trouble myself about them any more. But they were

recommended to me by my friend, the Greek Kaliopuli; for that reason I

would not want them to perish."

"And this will surely happen."

"Then what is to be done?"

"Instead of leaving them in desolate Fashoda, send them to Smain

together with those men who brought them to Omdurmân. Smain went to the

mountains, to a dry and high region where the fever does not kill the

people as on the river."

"How will they find Smain?"

"By the trail of fire. He will set fire to the jungle, first, in order

to drive the game to the rocky ravines in which it will be easy to

surround and slaughter it, and then in order to scare out of the

thickets the heathens, who hid in them before pursuit. Smain will not

be hard to find--"

"Will they, however, overtake him?"

"He will at times pass a week in one locality to cure meat. Even though

he rode away two or three days ago they surely will overtake him."

"But why should they chase after him? He will return to Fashoda anyway."

"No. If the slave-hunt is successful, he will take the slaves to the

cities to sell them--"

"What is to be done?"

"Remember that both of us must leave Fashoda. The children, even though

the fever does not kill them, will die of starvation."

"By the prophet! That is true."

And there really remained nothing else to do but to despatch the

children upon a new wandering life. Hatim, who appeared to be a very

good man, was only troubled about this: whether Gebhr, with whose cruel

disposition he had become acquainted during the journey, would not

treat them too harshly. But the stern Seki Tamala, who aroused fear

even in his own soldiers, commanded the Sudânese to be summoned, and

announced to him that he was to convey the children alive and in good

health to Smain, and at the same time to treat them kindly, as

otherwise he would be hung. The good Hatim entreated the emir to

present to little Nell a female slave, who would serve her and take

care of her during the journey and in Smain's camp. Nell was delighted

greatly with this gift as it appeared that the slave was a young Dinka

girl with pleasant features and a sweet facial expression.

Stas knew that Fashoda was death, so he did not at all beg Hatim that

he should not send them upon a new journey, the third in rotation. In

his soul, he thought also that riding in an easterly and southerly

direction, he must approach the Abyssinian boundaries and that he might

escape. He had a hope that upon the dry tableland Nell would be

safeguarded against the fever, and for these reasons he willingly and

zealously entered into the preparation for the journey.

Gebhr, Chamis, and the two Bedouins also were not opposed to the

expedition, reckoning that at Smain's side they would succeed in

capturing a considerable number of slaves, and afterwards sell them

profitably in the markets. They knew that slave-dealers in time amass

great fortunes; in any case they preferred to ride rather than to

remain at that place under the immediate control of Hatim and Seki

Tamala.

The preparations, however, consumed considerable time, particularly as

the children had to recuperate. The camels were unavailable now for

this journey, so the Arabs, and Stas and Nell were to ride on

horseback. Kali, Gebhr's slave, and Nell's maid, called Mea upon Stas'

suggestion, were to go on foot beside the horses. Hatim also procured a

donkey to carry a tent intended for the little girl and provisions for

three days for the children. More Seki Tamala could not give them. For

Nell, something in the nature of a ladies' saddle, made of

saddle-cloth, palm, and bamboo mats was constructed.

The children passed three days in Fashoda to rest, but the countless

number of mosquitoes above the river made their stay unendurable.

During the daytime appeared swarms of big blue flies, which did not

indeed bite, but were so vexing that they crept into the ears, filled

the eyes, and fell even into the mouths. Stas had heard while in Port

Said that the mosquitoes and flies spread fever and an infection of the

inflammation of the eyes. Finally he himself entreated Seki Tamala to

hurry the expedition, particularly as the rainy spring season was

approaching.

XXI

"Stas, why are we riding and speeding and have not yet reached Smain?"

"I do not know. He undoubtedly is moving rapidly ahead, in order to

reach as quickly as possible the region in which he can catch negroes.

Are you anxious that we should join his detachment?"

The little girl nodded her pale-yellow little head in sign that she was

very much concerned about it.

"Why should you be so anxious?" asked Stas.

"Because perhaps Gebhr will not dare in Smain's company to beat that

poor Kali so cruelly."

"Smain probably is no better. They all have no mercy for their slaves."

"Is that so?"

And two little tears coursed over her emaciated cheeks.

It was the ninth day of the journey. Gebhr, who was now the leader of

the caravan, in the beginning easily discovered traces of Smain's

march. His way was indicated by a trail of burnt jungle and camping

grounds strewn with picked bones and various remnants. But after the

lapse of five days they came upon a vast expanse of burnt steppe, on

which the wind had carried the fire in all directions. The trails

became deceptive and confusing, as, apparently, Smain had divided his

detachment into ten or more small divisions, in order to facilitate the

surrounding of the game and the capture of provisions. Gebhr did not

know in which direction to go, and often it happened that the caravan,

after moving long in a circle, returned to the same place from which it

started. Afterwards they chanced upon forests, and after passing

through them they entered upon a rocky country where the ground was

covered by smooth rocks or small stones, scattered over the immense

expanse so thickly that the children were reminded of city pavements.

The vegetation there was scant. Only here and there, in the crannies of

rocks, grew euphorbias, mimosas, and thorny and scrubby plants and,

more infrequently yet, a slender, light green tree, which Kali in the

Kiswahili language called "m'ti" and with the leaves of which the

horses were fed. In this locality little rivers and streams were

lacking, but fortunately from time to time the rain began to fall, so

they found water in the hollows and excavations of the rocks.

The game was driven away by Smain's detachment and the caravan would

have died of starvation, were it not for a multitude of guinea-fowls

which every little while started from under the horses' legs, and at

evening encumbered the trees so thickly that it was sufficient to shoot

in their direction to cause a few to fall to the ground. In addition

they were not timid and permitted a close approach, and they rose so

heavily and indolently that Saba, rushing ahead of the caravan, seized

and choked some of them almost every day.

Chamis killed about a score of them daily with an old shotgun which he

had bartered from one of the dervishes serving under Hatim during the

trip from Omdurmân to Fashoda. He did not, however, have shot for more

than twenty charges and he became uneasy at the thought of what would

happen when the supply was exhausted. Indeed, notwithstanding the

scaring away of the game, there appeared at times amidst the rocks

herds of ariels, beautiful antelopes common in all Central Africa, but

it was necessary to shoot at the ariels with the short rifle, while

they did not know how to use Stas' gun and Gebhr did not want to place

it in his hands.

The Sudânese likewise began to grow uneasy at the long journey. At

times it occurred to him to return to Fashoda, because in case he and

Smain should miss each other they might stray in wild regions in which,

not to speak of starvation, they were in danger of attacks of wild

animals, and savage negroes panting for revenge for the hunt which had

been despatched against them. But as he did not know that Seki Tamala

was preparing an expedition against Emin, for the conversation about

this was not held in his presence, he was seized with terror at the

thought of appearing before the face of the puissant emir, who had

commanded him to convey the children to Smain and had given him a

letter addressed to him and in addition had announced that if he did

not acquit himself properly of his duty, he would be hung. All of this

taken together filled his soul with bitterness and rage. He did not

dare, however, to revenge himself for his disappointments upon Stas and

Nell; instead the back of poor Kali was covered with blood under the

courbash. The young slave approached his cruel master always trembling

and in fear. In vain he embraced his feet and kissed his hands; in vain

he fell upon his face before him. The stony heart was not moved either

by humility or by groans, and the courbash gashed the body of the

unhappy boy upon the most trivial cause and often for none whatever. At

night his feet were placed in a wooden board with an opening to prevent

him from running away. During the day he walked tied with a rope

fastened to a horse; this amused Chamis very much. Nell shed tears over

Kali's plight. Stas' heart raged and a number of times he passionately

interceded for him, but when he perceived that this inflamed Gebhr

still more, he set his teeth and remained silent.

But Kali understood that those two interceded for him, and he began to

love them deeply with his afflicted heart.

For two days they rode in a stony ravine lined with high steep rocks.

From the stones heaped and scattered in disorder it was easy to

perceive that during the rainy season the ravine was filled with water,

but at present its bed was entirely dry. On the walls, on both sides,

grew small patches of grass, a great many thorns, and here and there

even a tree. Gebhr directed his way by this stony gullet because it

went continually upwards; so he thought that it would lead him to some

eminence from which he could descry smoke during the daytime and

Smain's camp-fires at night. In some places the ravine became so narrow

that only two horses could go side by side; in other places it widened

into small, round valleys, surrounded as if by high stone walls, on

which sat big baboons, playing with each other, barking, and displaying

their teeth at the caravan.

It was five o'clock in the afternoon. The sun already lowered towards

the west. Gebhr thought of a resting place; he wanted only to reach

some small valley in which he could construct a zareba, that is,

enclose the caravan and horses with a fence of thorny mimosa and

acacias, for protection against attacks of wild animals. Saba rushed

ahead, barking at the baboons which at sight of him shook uneasily, and

all of a sudden disappeared in the bend of the ravine. Echo repeated

loudly his barking.

Suddenly, however, he became silent and after a while he came rushing

to the horses with hair bristling on his back and tail curled under

him. The Bedouins and Gebhr understood that something must have

frightened him, but staring at each other and desiring to ascertain

what it could be, they proceeded farther.

But riding around a small bend, the horses shied and stood still in one

moment as if thunderstruck by the sight which met their eyes.

On a fair-sized rock situated in the middle of the ravine, which was

quite wide at that place, lay a lion.

At most, a hundred paces separated him from them. The powerful beast,

seeing the riders and horses, rose on his fore paws and began to gaze

at them. The sun, which now stood low, illumined his huge head and

shaggy breasts, and in that ruddy luster he was like one of those

sphinxes which ornament the entrances to ancient Egyptian temples.

The horses began to sit upon their haunches, to wince and draw back.

The amazed and frightened riders did not know what to do; so from mouth

to mouth there flowed only the fearsome and helpless words, "Allah!

Bismillah! Allah akbar!"

And the king of the wilderness gazed at them from above, motionless as

if cast of bronze.

Gebhr and Chamis had heard from traders, who came to Egypt from the

Sudân with ivory and gum, that lions sometimes lie down in the paths of

caravans, which, on account of this, must turn aside. But here there

was no place which they could turn to. It behoved them perhaps to turn

about and fly. Yes! But in such case it was a certainty that the

dreadful beast would rush after them in pursuit.

Again resounded the feverish interrogations:

"What is to be done?"

"Allah! Perhaps he will step aside."

"No, he will not."

And again a silence fell. Only the snorting of the horses and the

quickened breathing of the human breasts could be heard.

"Untie Kali!" Chamis suddenly exclaimed to Gebhr, "and we will escape

on the horses; the lion will first overtake him, and kill him only."

"Do that," repeated the Bedouins.

But Gebhr surmised that in such a case Kali, in the twinkling of an

eye, would climb on the rocky wall and the lion would chase after the

horses; therefore another horrible idea suggested itself to him. He

would kill the boy with his knife and fling his body ahead of him and

then the lion, dashing after them, would see on the ground the bleeding

corpse and stop to devour it.

So he dragged Kali by the rope to the saddle and had already raised his

knife, when in the same second Stas clutched the wide sleeve of his

jubha.

"Villain! What are you doing?"

Gebhr began to tug and, if the boy had seized him by the hand, he would

have freed it at once, but it was not so easy with the sleeve; so he

began to tug, and splutter with a voice stifled with fury.

"Dog! if he is not enough, I shall stab you both! Allah! I shall stab

you! I shall stab you!"

And Stas paled mortally, for like lightning the thought flashed through

his mind that the lion chasing after the horses above all might

actually overlook Kali, and in such case Gebhr with the greatest

certainty would stab them both in turn.

So pulling the sleeve with redoubled strength he shouted:

"Give me the short rifle! I will kill the lion!"

These words astonished the Bedouins, but Chamis, who had witnessed

Stas' shooting in Port Said, began at once to cry:

"Give him the rifle! He will kill the lion."

Gebhr recollected at once the shots on Lake Karûn and in view of the

horrible danger, assented. With great haste he gave the boy the short

rifle and Chamis, as quick as a thought, opened the cartridge box, from

which Stas took a large fistful of cartridges, after which he leaped

off his horse, inserted the cartridges in the barrels, and moved

forward.

For the first few steps he was as though stupefied and saw only himself

and Nell with throats cut by Gebhr's knife. But soon the nearer and

more horrible danger commanded him to forget about everything else. He

had a lion before him! At the sight of the animal his eyes grew dim. He

felt a chill on his cheeks and nose, he felt that he had feet as if

made of lead and he could scarcely breathe. Plainly he feared. In Port

Said he had read during the recitation time of lion-hunts, but it was

one thing to examine pictures in books and another to stand eye to eye

with the monster, who now gazed at him as if with amazement, wrinkling

his broad forehead which resembled a shield.

The Arabs held the breath in their breasts, for never in their lives

had they seen anything like this. On the one side was a small boy, who

amid the steep rocks appeared yet smaller, on the other a powerful

beast, golden in the sun's rays, magnificent, formidable--"The lord

with the great head," as the Sudânese say.

Stas overcame with the whole force of his will the inertness of his

limbs and advanced farther. For a while yet it seemed to him that his

heart had leaped up into his throat, and this feeling continued until

he raised the rifle to his face. Then it was necessary to think of

something else. Whether to approach nearer or to fire at once; where to

aim. The smaller the distance the surer the shot--therefore nearer and

nearer!--forty paces, too many yet;--thirty!--twenty! Already the

breeze carried the pungent animal odor.

The boy stood.

"A bullet between the eyes, or it will be all over with me," he

thought. "In the name of the Father and of the Son--!"

And the lion rose, stretched his body, and lowered his head. His lips

began to open, his brows to contract over his eyes. This mite of being

had dared to approach too closely--so he prepared for a leap, sitting

with haunches quivering on his hind legs.

But Stas, during the twinkling of an eye, perceived that the bead of

the rifle was in a direct line with the forehead of the animal--and

pulled the trigger.

The shot pealed. The lion reared so that for a while he straightened

out to his full height; after which he toppled over on his back with

his four paws up.

And in the final convulsions he rolled off the rock onto the ground.

Stas for several minutes covered him with his rifle, but seeing that

the quivering ceased and that the tawny body was stretched out inertly,

he opened the rifle and inserted another cartridge.

The stony walls reverberated yet with the thunderous echo. Gebhr,

Chamis, and the Bedouins could not at once descry what had happened, as

on the previous night rain had fallen, and owing to the dampness of the

weather the smoke veiled everything in the narrow ravine. Only when the

smoke abated, did they shout with joy, and wanted to rush towards the

boy, but in vain, as no power could force the horses to move ahead.

And Stas turned around, took in the four Arabs with his gaze and fixed

his eyes on Gebhr.

"Ah! There has been enough of this!" he said through his set teeth.

"You have exceeded the measure. You shall not torment Nell or any one

else any more."

And suddenly he felt that his nose and cheeks turned pale, but this was

a different chill, caused not by fright, but by a terrible and

inflexible resolution from which the heart in the bosom becomes, for

the time being, iron.

"Yes! It is imperative! These are mere villains, executioners,

murderers, and Nell is in their hands!"

"You shall not murder her!" he repeated.

He approached them--again stood, and suddenly with the rapidity of

lightning raised the rifle to his face.

Two shots, one after the other, jarred the ravine with an echo. Gebhr

tumbled upon the ground, and Chamis swayed in the saddle and struck his

horse's neck with his bleeding forehead.

The two Bedouins uttered a horrified cry of consternation and,

springing from the horses, dashed at Stas. A bend was not far behind

them, and if they had run in the other direction, which Stas in his

soul desired, they could have saved their lives. But blinded by terror

and fury they thought that they would reach the boy before he would be

able to change the cartridges, and cut him to pieces with their knives.

Fools! They ran barely a dozen paces when again the ill-omened rifle

cracked; the ravine resounded with the echo of new shots and both fell

with faces on the ground, flouncing about like fishes taken out of

water. One of them, who in the haste was hurt the least, raised himself

and propped himself on his hands, but at that moment Saba sunk his

fangs in his throat.

And mortal silence ensued.

It was broken only by the moans of Kali, who threw himself on his knees

and, stretching out his hands, exclaimed in the broken Kiswahili tongue:

"Bwana kubwa! (Great master!) Kill the lion! Kill bad people, but do

not kill Kali!"

Stas, however, paid no heed to his cries. For some time he stood as if

dazed; after which, observing Nell's pallid face and half-conscious

eyes, opened widely from terror, he ran towards her.

"Nell, do not fear!--Nell, we are free!"

In fact they actually were free, but astray in a wild, uninhabited

region, in the heart of the land of the Blacks.

PART SECOND

I

Before Stas and the young negro dragged the slain Arabs and the lion's

heavy body to the side of the ravine the sun had descended still more

and night was soon to fall. But it was impossible to sleep in the

vicinity of the corpses; so, though Kali stroked his stomach and

repeated, smacking with his tongue, "Msuri niama" (good meat), Stas did

not permit him to busy himself with the "niama," and instead ordered

him to catch the horses, which ran away after the shooting. The black

boy did this with extraordinary skill. Instead of running after them in

the ravine, in which case they would have sped away farther and

farther, he climbed to the top and, shortening his way by avoiding the

bends, he intercepted the startled steeds from the front. In this

manner he easily caught two; and two more he drove towards Stas. Only

Gebhr's and Chamis' horses could not be found, but at any rate four

remained, not counting the lap-eared creature, loaded with the tent and

things, who, in view of the tragic occurrences, displayed a true

philosophical calm. They found him beyond a bend, cropping closely and

without any haste the grass growing on the bottom of the ravine.

The medium-sized Sudânese horses are accustomed generally to the sight

of wild animals, but they fear lions, so it was with considerable

difficulty that they were led past the rock which was blackened with a

puddle of blood. The horses snorted, dilating their nostrils and

stretching their necks towards the blood-stained stones; nevertheless,

when the donkey, only pricking his ears a little, passed by calmly,

they also passed on. Night had already fallen; they nevertheless rode

over half a mile, and halted only in a place where the ravine widened

again into a small amphitheatrical vale, overgrown with dense thorns

and prickly mimosa trees.

"Master," said the young negro, "Kali will make a fire--a big fire."

And taking the broad Sudânese sword, which he had removed from Gebhr's

corpse, he began to cut with it thorns and even little trees. After

building the fire, he continued to cut until he secured a supply which

would suffice for the whole night, after which with Stas he pitched the

tent for Nell, under a steep perpendicular wall of the ravine, and

later they surrounded it with a semi-circular, broad and prickly fence,

or a so-called zareba.

Stas knew from descriptions of African travels that travelers in this

manner safeguarded themselves against the attacks of wild animals. The

horses could not be placed within the fence; so the boy, unsaddling

them and removing the tin utensils and bags, only hobbled them so that

they should not stray too far in seeking grass or water. Mea finally

found water near-by in a stony cavity, forming as it were a little

basin under the opposite rocks. There was so copious a supply that it

sufficed for the horses and the cooking of the guinea-fowls which were

shot that morning by Chamis. In the pack-saddles, which the donkey

bore, they also found about three pots of durra, a few fistfuls of

salt, and a bunch of dried manioc roots.

This sufficed for a bounteous supper. Kali and Mea mainly took

advantage of it. The young negro whom Gebhr had starved in a cruel

manner ate such an amount of food as would have sated two men. But for

this he was grateful with his whole heart to his new master and

mistress, and immediately after supper he fell on his face before Stas

and Nell in token that he desired to remain their slave to the end of

his life, and afterwards he also prostrated himself with due humility

before Stas' short rifle, understanding that it was the best policy to

conciliate so formidable a weapon. After this he announced that during

the slumber of the "great master" and the "bibi" he, alternately with

Mea, would watch that the fire should not go out, and squatted near it,

mumbling quietly something in the nature of a song, in which every

little while was repeated the refrain, "Simba kufa, simba kufa," which

in the Kiswahili language means, "The lion is killed."

But the "great master" and the little "bibi" were not inclined to

sleep. Nell, at Stas' urgent request, barely swallowed a few pieces of

guinea-fowl and a few grains of boiled durra. She said that she did not

care to eat or sleep but only to drink. A fear seized Stas that she

might be suffering from fever, but he soon became satisfied that her

hands were cool and even too cold. He persuaded her to enter the tent

where he prepared bedding for her, first searching carefully in the

grass for scorpions. He himself sat upon a stone with short rifle in

hand to defend her from attacks by wild beasts, if the fire did not

afford sufficient protection. He was beset by great fatigue and

exhaustion. In his soul he repeated to himself, "I killed Gebhr and

Chamis; I killed the Bedouins; I killed the lion, and we are free." But

it was as if those words were whispered to him by some one else and as

if he himself did not comprehend their full meaning. He had not a

feeling that they were free, but that something awful at the same time

had happened which filled him with uneasiness and weighed upon his

bosom like a heavy stone. Finally his thoughts began to grow blunt. For

a long time he gazed at the big moths hovering above the flame and in

the end he nodded and dozed. Kali also dozed, but awoke every little

while and threw twigs into the fire.

The night became dark and, what is a rare occurrence under the tropics,

very still. They could hear only the cracking of the burning thorns and

the hissing of flames which illumined the overhanging rocks forming a

semi-circle. The moon did not shine into the depths of the ravine, but

above twinkled a swarm of unknown stars. The air became so cool that

Stas shook off his drowsiness and began to worry whether the chill

would not incommode little Nell.

But he became reassured, when he recollected that he left her under the

tent upon the plaid cloth, which Dinah took with her from Fayûm. It

also occurred to him that riding continuously from the Nile upwards,

though imperceptibly, they must have ridden, through so many days,

quite high; therefore to a region which was not threatened with fever

as are the low river banks. The penetrating night chill appeared to

confirm this supposition.

And this thought encouraged him. He went for a moment to Nell's tent to

listen whether she slept peacefully; after which he returned, sat

nearer the fire, and again began to doze and even fell into a sound

slumber.

Suddenly he was awakened by the growling of Saba, who previously had

lain down to sleep close by his feet.

Kali awoke also and both began to look about uneasily at the mastiff,

who, stretching out like a chord, pricked his ears, and with quivering

nostrils scented in the direction from which they had come, gazed

fixedly at the same time into the darkness. The hair bristled on his

neck and back and his breasts heaved from air which during the growling

he inhaled into his lungs.

The young slave flung dry twigs into the fire as speedily as possible.

"Master," he whispered. "Take the rifle! Take the rifle!"

Stas took the rifle and moved before the fire to see better in the

dusky depth of the ravine. Saba's growls changed into barks. For a long

time nothing could be heard, after which, however, from the distance

there reached the ears of Kali and Stas a hollow, clattering sound as

if some great animals were rushing in the direction of the fire. This

sound reverberated in the stillness with an echo against the stony

walls, and became louder and louder.

Stas realized that a dire danger was drawing near. But what could it

be? Buffaloes, perhaps? Perhaps a pair of rhinoceroses seeking an

exit from the ravine? In such case if the report of the shot did

not scare them and turn them back, nothing could save the caravan,

for those animals, not less ferocious and aggressive than rapacious

beasts, do not fear fire and tread under foot everything in their way.

If, however, it should be a division of Smain's forces who, having

encountered the corpses in the ravine, are pursuing the murderers? Stas

did not know which would be better--a sudden death or new captivity? In

addition it flitted through his mind that if Smain himself was in the

division, he might spare them, but if he was not, then the dervishes

would at once kill them or, what is worse, torture them in a horrible

manner before their death. "Ah," he thought, "God grant that these are

animals, not men!"

In the meantime the clatter increased and changed into a thunder of

hoof-beats until finally there emerged out of the darkness glittering

eyes, dilated nostrils, and wind-tossed manes.

"Horses!" cried Kali.

In fact they were Gebhr's and Chamis' horses. They came running, driven

evidently by fright, but dashing into the circle of light and seeing

their fettered companions, they reared on their hind legs; after which,

snorting, they implanted their hoofs in the ground and remained for a

while motionless.

But Stas did not lower his rifle. He was certain that at any moment

after the horses a shaggy-haired lion or a flat-skulled panther would

appear. But he waited in vain. The horses quieted slowly, and what was

more, Saba after a certain time ceased to scent. Instead, he turned

about a few times on the spot as dogs usually do, lay down, rolled

himself into a ball and closed his eyes. Apparently, if any rapacious

animal had chased the horses, then, having smelt the smoke or seen the

reflection of the fire on the rocks, it had retreated into the distance.

"Something must have frightened them badly," Stas said to Kali, "since

they did not fear to rush by the body of the lion and the men's

corpses."

"Master," answered the boy, "Kali can guess what happened. Many, many

hyenas and jackals entered the ravine to get at the corpses. The horses

ran before them, but the hyenas are not chasing them, for they are

eating Gebhr and those others--"

"That may be, but do you now unsaddle the horses; remove the utensils

and bags and bring them here. Do not fear, for the rifle will protect

you."

"Kali does not fear," answered the boy.

And pushing aside the thorns close by the rocks, he slipped out of the

zareba. In the meantime Nell came out of the tent.

Saba rose at once and, pressing his nose close to her, claimed his

usual caress. But she, extending at first her hand, withdrew it at once

as if with aversion.

"Stas, what has happened?" she asked.

"Nothing. Those two horses came running up. Did their hoof-beats awaken

you?"

"I was awake before then and even wanted to come out of the tent, but--"

"But what?"

"I thought that you might get angry."

"I? At you?"

And Nell raised her eyes and began to gaze at him with a peculiar look

with which she had never eyed him before. Great astonishment stole over

Stas' face, for in her words and gaze he plainly read fear.

"She fears me," he thought.

And in the first moment he felt something like a gleam of satisfaction.

He was flattered by the thought that, after what he had accomplished,

even Nell regarded him not only as a man fully matured, but as a

formidable warrior spreading alarm about. But this lasted only a short

time, for misfortune had developed in him an observing mind and talent;

he discerned, therefore, that in those uneasy eyes of the little girl

could be seen, besides fright, abhorrence, as it were, of what had

happened, of the bloodshed and the horrors which she that day had

witnessed. He recalled how, a few moments before, she withdrew her

hand, not wishing to pat Saba, who had finished, by strangling, one of

the Bedouins. Yes! Stas himself felt an incubus on his breast. It was

one thing to read in Port Said about American trappers, killing in the

far west red-skinned Indians by the dozens, and another to accomplish

that personally and see men, alive a short while before, struggling in

their death-throes, in a pool of blood. Yes, Nell's heart undoubtedly

was full of fear and at the same time aversion which would always

remain with her. "She will fear me," Stas thought, "and in the depths

of her heart, involuntarily, she will not cease holding it ill of me,

and this will be my reward for all that I have done for her."

At this thought great bitterness swelled in his bosom, for it was

apparent to him that if it were not for Nell he would either have been

killed or would have escaped. For her he suffered all that he had

endured; and those tortures and that hunger resulted only in this, that

she now stood before him frightened, as if she was not the same little

sister, and lifted her eyes towards him not with former trustfulness,

but with a strange fear. Stas suddenly felt very unhappy. For the first

time in his life he understood what it was to be moved to tears. In

spite of his will tears flowed to his eyes and were it not for the fact

that it did not under any circumstances become "a formidable warrior"

to weep, he might perhaps have shed tears.

He restrained himself, however, and, turning to the little girl, asked:

"Do you fear, Nell?"

And she replied in a low voice:

"Somehow--it is so horrible!"

At this Stas ordered Kali to bring the saddle-cloths from a saddle and,

covering with one of them a rock on which he had previously dozed, he

spread the other upon the ground and said:

"Sit here beside me near the fire. How chilly the night is! If sleep

overcomes you, rest your head upon me and you will fall asleep."

But Nell repeated:

"Somehow--it is so horrible!"

Stas wrapped her carefully in plaids and for some time they sat in

silence, supporting each other and illuminated by a rosy luster which

crept over the rocks and sparkled on the mica plates with which the

stony fissures were bespangled.

Beyond the zareba could be heard the snorting of horses and the

crunching of grass in their teeth.

"Listen, Nell," Stas spoke out. "I had to do that--Gebhr threatened

that he would stab us both if the lion would not be content with Kali

and should continue to pursue them. Didn't you hear him? Think of it;

he threatened by that not only me, but you. And he would have done it.

I tell you sincerely that if it were not for that threat, though

formerly I already was thinking of it, I would not have shot at them. I

think I could not--But he exceeded the measure. You saw how cruelly

before that time he treated Kali. And Chamis? How vilely he betrayed

us. Besides, do you know what would have happened if they did not find

Smain? Gebhr would likewise have vented his anger upon us--upon you. It

is dreadful to think that he would have whipped you daily with the

courbash, and would have tortured us both to death, and after our death

he would return to Fashoda and say that we died of fever. Nell, I did

not do that from fiendishness, but I had to think of this, how to save

you--I was concerned only about you--"

And his face plainly reflected that affliction which overflowed in his

heart. Nell evidently understood this, as she pressed yet more closely

to him, while he, momentarily mastering his emotions, continued thus:

"I, of course, shall not change, and shall guard and watch over you as

before. As long as they lived there was no hope of rescue. Now we may

fly to Abyssinia. The Abyssinians are black and wild, but Christians

and foes of the dervishes. If you only retain your health, we shall

succeed, for it is not so very far to Abyssinia. And even though we do

not succeed, though we fall into Smain's hand, do not think that he

will revenge himself upon us. He never in his life saw either Gebhr or

the Bedouins; he knew only Chamis, but what was Chamis to him? Besides,

we need not tell Smain that Chamis was with us. If we succeed in

reaching Abyssinia, then we are saved, and if not, you will not fare

any worse, but better, for tyrants worse than those men probably cannot

be found in the world. Do not fear me, Nell."

And desiring to win her confidence and at the same time cheer her, he

began to stroke her little yellow head. The little maid listened,

raising timidly her eyes to him. Evidently she wanted to say something

but hesitated and feared. Finally she leaned her head so that her hair

entirely covered her face and asked in a yet lower and slightly

quivering voice:

"Stas--"

"What is it, dear?"

"They will not come here?"

"Who?" Stas asked with amazement.

"Those--killed."

"What are you talking about, Nell?"

"I am afraid! I am afraid!"

And her pallid lips began to quiver.

Silence ensued. Stas did not believe that the slain could rise from the

dead, but as it was night and their bodies lay not far away, he became

depressed in spirit; a chill passed over his back.

"What are you saying, Nell?" he repeated. "Then Dinah taught you to

fear ghosts--The dead do not--"

And he did not finish, for at that moment something awe-inspiring

occurred. Amid the stillness of the night, in the depths of the ravine,

from the direction in which the corpses lay suddenly resounded a kind

of inhuman, frightful laughter in which quivered despair, and joy, and

cruelty, and suffering, and pain, and sobbing, and derision; the

heart-rending and spasmodic laughter of the insane or condemned.

Nell screamed, and with her whole strength embraced Stas with her arms.

Stas' hair stood on end. Saba started up suddenly and began to growl.

But Kali, sitting at some distance, quietly raised his head and said

almost gleefully:

"Those are hyenas gloating over Gebhr and the lion--"

II

The great events of the preceding day and the sensations of the night

so tired out Stas and Nell that when finally slumber overcame them they

fell into a deep sleep, and the little girl did nor appear outside the

tent until about noon-time. Stas rose somewhat earlier from a

saddle-cloth spread near the camp-fire, and in expectation of his

little companion he ordered Kali to prepare a breakfast, which in view

of the late hour was to form at the same time their dinner.

The bright light of the day dispelled the terrors of the night; both

awoke not only well rested, but refreshed in spirit. Nell looked better

and felt stronger. As both wanted to ride away as far as possible from

the place where the slain Sudânese were lying, immediately after the

refreshments they mounted their horses and moved ahead.

At that time of the day all travelers in Africa stop for the noon rest,

and even caravans composed of negroes seek shelter under the shade of

great trees; for they are the so-called white hours, hours of heat and

silence, during which the sun broils unmercifully and, looking from

above, seems to seek whom to slay. Every beast at such times burrows

itself in the greatest thicket, the song of birds ceases, the buzz of

insects stops, and all nature falls into silence, secreting itself as

if desirous of guarding against the eye of a wicked divinity. But they

rode on in the ravine in which one of the walls cast a deep shadow,

enabling them to proceed without exposing themselves to the scorching

heat. Stas did not want to leave the ravine, firstly, because, above,

they might be espied from a distance by Smain's detachments, and then

it was easier to find, in rocky crevices, water, which in uncovered

places soaked into the ground or under the influence of the sun's rays

was transformed into steam.

The road continuously but imperceptibly led upwards. On the rocky walls

could be seen from time to time yellow traces of sulphur. The water in

the clefts was saturated with its odor, which reminded both children

unpleasantly of Omdurmân and the Mahdists, who smeared their heads with

fat mixed with sulphur powder. In some places muskcats could be smelt;

but there, where from high, overhanging rocks magnificent cascades of

lianas fell to the bottom of the ravine, came an intoxicating scent of

vanilla. The little wanderers willingly stopped in the shade of these

tapestries embroidered with purple flowers and lilies, which with the

leaves provided food for the horses.

Animals could not be seen; only from time to time on the crests of

rocks monkeys squatted, resembling on the blue background those

fantastic idols which in India adorn the borders of temples. Big males

with long manes displayed their teeth at Saba or stretched out their

jaws in sign of amazement and rage, and at the same time jumped about,

blinking with their eyes and scratching their sides. But Saba,

accustomed already to the sight of them, did not pay much heed to their

menaces.

They rode briskly. Joy at recovering liberty drove away from Stas'

breast that incubus which had throttled him during the night. His mind

was now occupied with the thought of what was to be done farther; how

to lead Nell and himself from a locality in which they were threatened

by new captivity with the dervishes; what measures to adopt during the

long journey through the wilderness in order not to die of hunger and

thirst, and finally, whither to go? He knew already from Hatim that the

Abyssinian boundary in a direct line from Fashoda was not more than

five days' journey, and he calculated that this would be about one

hundred English miles. Now from their departure from Fashoda almost two

weeks had elapsed; so it was clear that they had not gone by the

shortest route, but in seeking Smain must have turned considerably

towards the south. He recollected that on the sixth day they crossed a

river which was not the Nile, and that afterwards, before the country

began to rise, they rode around great swamps. At school in Port Said,

the geography of Africa was taught very thoroughly and in Stas' memory

remained the name of Ballor, designating an expansion of the

little-known river Sobat, a tributary of the Nile. He was not indeed

certain whether they had passed that expansion, but assumed that they

had. It occurred to him that Smain, desiring to capture slaves, could

not seek for them directly west of Fashoda, as that country was already

entirely depopulated by dervishes and small-pox; but that he would have

to go to localities which heretofore were not visited by an expedition.

Stas deduced from this that they were following Smain's trail, and the

thought frightened him in the first moments.

He therefore reflected whether it would not be better to abandon the

ravine which turned more and more plainly towards the south and go

directly eastward. But after a moment's consideration he relinquished

the plan. On the contrary, to follow the tracks of Smain's band at two

or three days' distance appeared to him to be the safest course as it

was very improbable that Smain would return with his human wares by way

of the same circuitous route instead of making his way directly for the

Nile. Stas understood also that Abyssinia could be reached only from

the southern side where that country borders on a great wilderness and

not from the eastern boundary which was carefully guarded by dervishes.

As a result of these thoughts he determined to venture as far as

possible towards the south. They might encounter negroes, either

refugees from the banks of the White Nile or natives. But of the two

evils Stas preferred to have dealings with the blacks rather than with

Mahdists. He reckoned too that in the event of meeting refugees or

natives Kali and Mea might prove useful. It was enough to glance at the

young negress to surmise that she belonged to the Dinka or Shilluk

tribe, for she had uncommonly long and thin limbs, so characteristic of

both of those tribes, dwelling on the banks of the Nile and wading like

cranes and storks, during its inundation. Kali, on the other hand,

though under Gebhr's hand he became like a skeleton, had an entirely

different stature. He was short and thick and strongly built; he had

powerful shoulders and his feet in comparison with Mea's feet were

relatively small.

As he did not speak Arabian at all and spoke poorly the Kiswahili

language with which one can converse almost anywhere in Africa and

which Stas had learned fairly well from the natives of Zanzibar,

working on the Canal, it was evident that he came from some distant

region.

Stas determined to sound him upon this point.

"Kali, what is the name of your people?" he asked.

"Wahima," answered the young negro.

"Is that a great nation?"

"Great, which is making war upon the bad Samburus and takes their

cattle."

"Is that country like this?"

"No. There are mountains and great water."

"How is that water called?"

"We call it 'The Dark Water.'"

Stas thought that the boy might come from the neighborhood of the

Albert Nyanza, which up to that time had been in the hands of Emin

Pasha; so, desiring to confirm this, he asked further:

"Does not a white chief live there who has black smoking boats and

troops?"

"No, the old men with us say that they saw white men, (here Kali parted

his fingers) one, two, three. Yes. There were three of them in long

white dresses. They were looking for tusks. Kali did not see them for

he was not in the world, but Kali's father received them and gave them

many cows."

"What is your father?"

"The king of Wahima."

Stas was flattered a little by the idea that he had a Prince Royal for

a servant.

"Would you like to see your father?"

"Kali wants to see his mother."

"What would you do if we met the Wahimas, and what would they do?"

"The Wahimas would fall on their faces before Kali."

"Lead us to them; then you shall remain with them and rule after your

father, and we will go farther to the sea."

"Kali cannot find the way to them, and cannot remain, for Kali loves

the great master and the daughter of the moon."

Stas turned merrily to his companion and said:

"Nell, you have become the daughter of the moon."

But, glancing at her, he saddened suddenly, for it occurred to him that

the emaciated girl actually looked with her pale and transparent

countenance more like a lunar than an earthly being.

The young negro became silent for a while; then he repeated:

"Kali loves Bwana kubwa, for Bwana kubwa did not kill Kali, only Gebhr,

and gives Kali a great deal to eat."

And he began to stroke his breast, repeating with evident delight:

"A great deal of meat! a great deal of meat!"

Stas wanted to ascertain how Kali became the slave of the dervishes; it

appeared that from the night when he was caught in a pit, dug for

zebras, he had gone through so many hands that Stas could not tell from

his statements what countries he had passed through and by what route

he had been conducted to Fashoda. Stas was much impressed by what he

said about the "dark water," for if he came from the region of Albert

Nyanza, Albert Edward Nyanza, or even Victoria Nyanza, near which lay

the kingdoms of the Unyoro and the Uganda, he would undoubtedly have

heard something about Emin Pasha, about his troops, and about the

steamers, which aroused the wonder and fear of the negroes. Tanganyika

was too far away; there remained only the supposition that Kali's

nation had its seat somewhere nearer. For this reason their meeting

with the Wahimas was not an utter improbability.

After a few hours' ride, the sun began to descend. The heat decreased

considerably. They chanced upon a wide valley in which they found water

and a score or more of wild fig trees. So they stopped to rest their

horses and partake of provisions. As the rocky walls at that place were

lower, Stas ordered Kali to climb to the top and ascertain whether

smoke could not be seen in the vicinity.

Kali complied with the order and in the twinkling of an eye reached the

edge of the rocks. Peering around carefully in all directions he slid

down a thick liana stalk and announced that there was no smoke, but

that there were "niama." It was easy to surmise that he was speaking

not of guinea-fowl but of some bulkier game, for he pointed at Stas'

short rifle and afterwards put his fingers on his head to indicate

horned game.

Stas in turn climbed up and, leaning his head carefully over the edge,

began to look ahead. Nothing obstructed his view of the expanse, as the

old, high jungle was burnt away and the new, which had already sprouted

from the blackened ground, was barely a few inches high. As far as the

eye could reach could be seen sparsely growing great trees, with trunks

singed by the fire. Under the shade of one of them grazed a flock of

antelopes which from the shape of their bodies resembled horses, and

from their heads buffaloes. The sun penetrating through the baobab

leaves cast quivering bright spots upon their brown backs. There were

ten of them. The distance was not more than one hundred paces, but the

wind blew from the animals towards the ravine, so they grazed quietly,

not suspecting any danger. Stas, desiring to replenish his supplies

with meat, shot at the nearest one, which tumbled on the ground as if

struck by lightning. The rest of the flock ran away, and with them a

great buffalo, which he did not perceive before, as he lay hidden

behind a stone. The boy, not from necessity, but from a sporting vein,

choosing the moment when the animal turned his side somewhat, sent a

bullet after him. The buffalo staggered greatly after the shot, drew in

his haunches, but rushed away, and before Stas was able to reload

disappeared in the unevenness of the ground.

Before the smoke blew away, Kali sat upon the antelope and cut open its

abdomen with Gebhr's knife. Stas walked towards him, desiring to

inspect more closely the animal, and great was his surprise when after

a while the young negro with blood-stained hands handed to him the

reeking liver of the antelope.

"Why are you giving me that?" he asked.

"Msuri, msuri! Bwana kubwa eat at once."

"Eat it yourself," replied Stas, indignant at the proposition.

Kali did not allow this command to be repeated, but immediately began

to tear the liver with his teeth, and greedily gulp down the raw

pieces; seeing that Stas gazed at him with loathing he did not cease

between one gulp and another to repeat: "Msuri! msuri!"

In this manner he ate over half of the liver; after which he started to

dress the antelope. He did this with uncommon quickness and skill, so

that soon the hide was flayed and the haunches were separated from the

backbone. Then Stas, somewhat surprised that Saba was not present at

this work, whistled for him to come to a bounteous feast of the fore

parts of the animal.

But Saba did not appear at all. Instead, Kali, who was bending over the

antelope, raised his head and said:

"The big dog ran after the buffalo."

"Did you see him?" Stas asked.

"Kali saw."

Saying this, he placed the loin of the antelope on his head and the two

haunches on his shoulders and started for the ravine. Stas whistled a

few times more and waited, but seeing that he was doing this in vain,

followed Kali. In the ravine Mea was already engaged in cutting the

thorns for a zareba, while Nell, picking with her little fingers the

last guinea-fowl, asked:

"Did you whistle for Saba? He ran after you."

"He ran after a buffalo which I wounded with a shot, and I am worried,"

Stas answered. "Those animals are terribly ferocious and so powerful

that even a lion fears to attack them. Saba may fare badly if he begins

a fight with such an adversary."

Hearing this Nell became alarmed and declared that she would not go to

sleep until Saba returned. Stas, seeing her grief, was angry at himself

because he had not concealed the danger from her and began to comfort

her:

"I would go after them with the rifle," he said, "but they must now be

very far away, and soon the night will fall and the tracks will be

invisible. The buffalo is badly wounded, and I have a hope that he will

fall. In any case he will weaken through loss of blood, and if he

should rush at Saba, Saba will be able to run away. Yes! he may return

during the night, but he surely will return."

Although he said this, he did not greatly believe his own words, for he

remembered what he had read of the extraordinarily revengeful nature of

the African buffalo, which, though heavily wounded, will run about in a

circuit and lie in ambush near a path over which the hunter goes and

afterwards attack him unexpectedly, pin him on its horns, and toss him

into the air. Something similar might happen to Saba; not to speak of

other dangers which threatened him on the return to the camp during the

night.

In fact night soon fell. Kali and Mea put up a zareba, built a fire,

and prepared supper. Saba did not return.

Nell became more and more worried and finally began to cry.

Stas with difficulty persuaded her to lie down, promising her that he

would wait for Saba, and as soon as the day should break, he himself

would search for the dog and bring him back. Nell indeed entered the

tent, but at intervals she put out her little head from under its

folds, asking whether the dog had not returned. Sleep overcame her only

after midnight, when Mea came out to relieve Kali, who watched the fire.

"Why does the daughter of the moon weep?" the young negro asked Stas,

when both lay down on the saddle-cloths. "Kali does not want that."

"She is sorry for Saba, whom the buffalo has surely killed."

"But perhaps he did not kill him," replied the black boy.

After this they became silent and Stas fell into a deep sleep. It was

still dark, however, when he awoke, for the chill began to incommode

him. The fire was partly extinct. Mea, who was to watch the fire, dozed

and after a time had ceased throwing fuel upon the flames.

The saddle-cloth on which Kali slept was unoccupied.

Stas himself threw brushwood onto the fire, after which he shook the

negress and asked:

"Where is Kali?"

For a time she stared at him unconsciously; afterwards coming to her

senses, she said:

"Kali took Gebhr's sword and went beyond the zareba. I thought he

wanted to cut more brushwood, but he did not return at all."

"Did he go long ago?"

"Long."

Stas waited for some time, but as the negro did not return, he

involuntarily propounded to himself the question:

"Did he run away?"

And his heart was oppressed by the disagreeable feeling which human

ingratitude always arouses. Why! he had interceded for this Kali and

defended him when Gebhr vented his rage upon him for whole days, and

afterwards he had saved the slave's life. Nell was always kind to him

and had wept over his unhappy lot, and both treated him in the best

possible manner. Now he ran away! He himself had said that he did not

know in which direction the Wahima settlements were situated, and

though he would be unable to find them, he nevertheless ran away. Stas

again recollected those "African Travels" in Port Said, and the

narratives of travelers about the stupidity of negroes, who, throwing

away packages, run away although in their escape they are threatened by

inevitable death. In fact, Kali, having as his only weapon Gebhr's

Sudânese sword, must die of starvation, or if he did not fall again

into the captivity of the dervishes would become the prey of wild

animals.

Ah! Ingrate and fool!

Stas then began to meditate over this;--how far more difficult and

vexatious the journey without Kali would be for them, and how much

heavier the work. To water the horses and fetter them for the night, to

pitch the tent, build zarebas, watch during the journey that none of

the supplies and packets with things were lost, to flay and dress the

slain animals, all this for want of the young negro was to fall upon

him and he admitted in his soul that as to some of these employments,

flaying the hides of animals, for instance, he did not have the

slightest knowledge.

"Ha! it will be hard," he said, "but necessary."

In the meantime the sun emerged from beyond the horizon and, as usually

happens in the tropics, in a moment it was day. Somewhat later the

water for bathing, which Mea had prepared during the night for the

little lady, began to splash, which meant that Nell had risen and was

dressing herself. In fact, she soon appeared, already dressed, with a

comb in her hand and her hair still unkempt.

"And Saba?" she asked.

"He has not come yet."

The lips of the little girl at once began to quiver.

"He may yet return," said Stas. "You remember that on the desert

sometimes he was not seen for two days, and afterwards he always

overtook us."

"You said that you would go and search for him."

"I cannot."

"Why, Stas?"

"I cannot leave you in the ravine alone with Mea."

"And Kali?"

"Kali is not here."

Stas was silent, not knowing whether to tell her the whole truth; but

as the matter could not be concealed he thought it best to divulge it

at once.

"Kali took Gebhr's sword," he said, "and in the night went away; I do

not know where. Who knows whether he has not run away? The negroes

often do that, even to their own destruction. I am sorry for him--But

he may understand that he has acted like a fool and--"

Further words were interrupted by Saba's joyful barking which filled

the whole ravine. Nell threw the comb on the ground and wanted to rush

out to meet him. She was prevented, however, by the thorns of the

zareba.

Stas, with the greatest haste, began to scatter them about, but before

he had opened a passage Saba appeared and after him Kali, as shiny and

wet from the dew as if after the greatest rain.

Immense joy possessed both children, and when Kali, out of breath from

fatigue, came inside the enclosure, Nell flung her white hands around

his black neck and hugged him with all her strength.

And he said:

"Kali did not want to see the 'bibi' cry, so Kali found the dog."

"Good boy, Kali!" answered Stas, slapping him on the shoulders. "Did

you not fear in the night that you would meet a lion or a panther?"

"Kali feared, but Kali went," answered the boy.

These words gained still more the hearts of the children. Stas, at

Nell's request, took out from one of the small pieces of luggage a

string of glass beads with which they had been provided by the Greek,

Kaliopuli, on their departure from Omdurmân; with it he decorated

Kali's splendid throat; while the latter, overjoyed with the gift,

glanced at once with pride at Mea and said:

"Mea has no beads and Kali has, for Kali is 'the great world.'"

In this manner was the devotion of the black boy rewarded. On the other

hand Saba received a sharp rebuke, from which, for the second time in

Nell's service, he learned that he was perfectly horrid, and that if he

once more did anything like that he would be led by a string like a

puppy. He heard this, wagging his tail in quite an equivocal manner.

Nell, however, claimed that it could be seen from his eyes that he was

ashamed and that he certainly blushed; only this could not be seen

because his mouth was covered with hair.

After this followed breakfast, consisting of excellent wild figs and a

rump of venison. During the breakfast Kali related his adventures,

while Stas interpreted them in English for Nell who did not understand

the Kiswahili language. The buffalo, as it appeared, fled far. It was

difficult for Kali to find the tracks as it was a moonless night.

Fortunately, rain had fallen two days before and the ground was not too

hard; in consequence of this the heavy animal's hoofs left deep

imprints upon it. Kali sought them with the aid of his toes and walked

a long distance. The buffalo finally fell and must have dropped dead as

there was no sign of a fight between him and Saba. When Kali found them

Saba already had devoured the greater part of the fore quarter of the

buffalo, and although he was fully sated he would not permit the

approach of two hyenas and about a dozen of jackals, which stood

waiting until the more powerful rapacious creature finished his feast

and left. The boy complained that the dog also growled at him, but he

then threatened him with the anger of the "great master" and the

"bibi," after which he grabbed him by the collar and dragged him from

the buffalo, and did not let go of him until they reached the ravine.

With this ended the narrative of Kali's nocturnal adventures, after

which all in good humor mounted their horses and proceeded on their

journey.

One alone, long-limbed Mea, though quiet and meek, gazed with envy at

the young negro's necklace and Saba's collar, and with sorrow in her

heart thought:

"Both of them are 'the great world,' and I have only a brass ring on

one leg."

III

During the following three days they rode continuously in the ravine

and always upwards. The days were as a rule scorching, the nights

alternately cool or sultry; the rainy season was approaching. From

beyond the horizon here and there emerged clouds, white as milk but

deep and heavy. At the sides could already be seen stripes of rain and

distant rainbows. Towards the morning of the third day one of these

clouds burst above their heads like a barrel from which the hoops had

flown off and sprinkled them with a warm and copious rain which

fortunately was of brief duration. Afterwards the weather became fine

and they could ride farther. Guinea-fowls again appeared in such

numbers that Stas shot at them without dismounting from his horse, and

in this manner got five, which more than sufficed for one meal, even

counting Saba. Travel in the refreshed air was not burdensome, and the

abundance of game and water removed fears of hunger and thirst. On the

whole everything passed more easily than they had anticipated. So then

good humor did not desert Stas, and, riding beside the little girl, he

chattered merrily with her and at times even joked.

"Do you know, Nell," he said, when for a while he stopped the horses

under a great bread-fruit tree from which Kali and Mea cut off fruit

resembling huge melons, "at times it seems to me that I am a

knight-errant."

"And what is a knight-errant?" asked Nell, turning her pretty head

towards him.

"Long, long ago in the mediaeval days there were knights who rode over

the world, looking for adventure. They fought with giants and dragons,

and do you know that each one had his lady, whom he protected and

defended?"

"And am I such a lady?"

Stas pondered for a while, after which he replied:

"No, you are too small. All those others were grown up."

And it never occurred to him that probably no knight-errant had ever

performed as much for his lady as he had done for his little sister.

Plainly it appeared to him that whatever he had done was done as a

matter of course.

But Nell felt aggrieved at his words; so with a pout she said:

"And you once said in the desert that I acted like a person of

thirteen. Aha!"

"Well, that was once. But you are eight."

"Then after ten years I shall be eighteen."

"A great thing! And I shall be twenty-four! At such age a man does not

think of any ladies for he has something else to do; that is

self-evident."

"And what will you do?"

"I shall be an engineer or a sailor or, if there is a war in Poland, I

shall go to fight, just as my father did."

While she asked uneasily:

"But you will return to Port Said?"

"We both must return there first."

"To papa!" the little girl replied.

And her eyes were dimmed with sorrow and longing. Fortunately there

flew at that moment a small flock of wonderfully fine parrots, gray,

with rosy heads, and a rosy lining under their wings. The children at

once forgot about their previous conversation and began to follow the

flight with their eyes.

The little flock circled about a group of euphorbias and lighted upon

sycamores, growing at some distance, amidst the branches of which

resounded voices similar to a wordy conference or a quarrel.

"Those are parrots which are very easily taught to talk," Stas said.

"When we stop at a place for a length of time, I will try to catch one

for you."

"Oh, Stas, thank you!" answered Nell gleefully. "I will call it Daisy."

In the meantime Mea and Kali, having cut off fruit from the bread-fruit

tree, loaded the horses with it, and the little caravan proceeded. In

the afternoon it began to cloud and at times brief showers occurred,

filling the crevices and the depressions in the earth. Kali predicted a

great downpour, so it occurred to Stas that the ravine, which was

becoming narrower and narrower, would not be a safe shelter for the

night, for it could change into a torrent. For this reason he

determined to pass the night above, and this decision delighted Nell,

particularly when Kali, who was sent to reconnoitre, returned and

announced that not far away was a small grove composed of various

trees, and in it many monkeys, not as ugly as the baboons which up to

that time they had met.

Chancing thereafter upon a place at which the rocky walls were low and

sloped gradually, he led the horses out, and before it grew dark they

built a barricade for the night. Nell's tent stood on a high and dry

spot close to a big white-ant hillock, which barred the access from one

side and for that reason lessened the labor of building the zareba.

Near-by stood a large tree with widely spread boughs which, covered by

dense foliage, furnished shelter against rain. In front of the zareba

grew single clumps of trees and further a thick forest entangled with

climbing plants, beyond which loftily shot out crowns of strange palm

trees resembling gigantic fans or outspread peacock tails.

Stas learned from Kali that before the second rainy season, that is, in

autumn, it was dangerous to pass the night under these palm trees, for

the huge-fruit, at that time ripe, breaks off unexpectedly and falls

from a considerable distance with such force that it can kill a person

or even a horse. At present, however, the fruit was in bud, and in the

distance before the sun set there could be seen, under the crowns,

agile little monkeys, which, leaping gaily, chased each other.

Stas, with Kali, prepared a great supply of wood, sufficient for the

whole night, and, as at times strong blasts of hot air broke out, they

reinforced the zareba with pickets which the young negro whittled with

Gebhr's sword and stuck in the ground. This precaution was not at all

superfluous, as a powerful whirlwind could scatter the thorny boughs

with which the zareba was constructed and facilitate an attack by

beasts of prey.

However, immediately after sunset the wind ceased, and instead, the air

became sultry and heavy. Through the rifts in the clouds the stars

glittered here and there, but afterwards the night became so utterly

dark that one could not see a step ahead. The little wanderers grouped

about the fire, while their ears were assailed by the loud cries and

shrieks of monkeys who in the adjacent forest created a veritable

bedlam. This was accompanied by the whining of jackals and by various

other voices in which could be recognized uneasiness and fright before

something which under the cover of darkness threatened every living

being in the wilderness.

Suddenly the voices subsided for in the dusky depths resounded the

groans of a lion. The horses, which were pastured at some distance on

the young jungle, began to approach the fire, starting up suddenly on

their fettered fore legs, while the hair on Saba, who usually was so

brave, bristled, and with tail curled under him, he nestled close to

the people, evidently seeking their protection.

The groaning again resounded, as though it came from under the ground;

deep, heavy, strained, as if the beast with difficulty drew it from its

powerful lungs. It proceeded lowly over the ground, alternately

increased and subsided, passing at times into a hollow, prodigiously

mournful moan.

"Kali, throw fuel into the fire," commanded Stas.

The negro threw upon the camp-fire an armful of boughs so hastily that

at first whole sheaves of sparks burst out, after which a high flame

shot up.

"Stas, the lion will not attack us, will he?" whispered Nell, pulling

the boy by the sleeve.

"No, he will not attack us. See how high the zareba is."

And speaking thus, he actually believed that danger did not threaten

them, but he was alarmed about the horses, which pressed more and more

closely to the fence and might trample it down.

In the meantime the groans changed into the protracted, thunderous roar

by which all living creatures are struck with terror, and the nerves of

people, who do not know what fear is, shake, just as the window-panes

rattle from distant cannonading.

Stas cast a fleeting glance at Nell, and seeing her quivering chin and

moist eyes, said:

"Do not fear; don't cry."

And she answered as if with difficulty:

"I do not want to cry--only my eyes perspire--oh!"

The last ejaculation burst from her lips because at that moment from

the direction of the forest thundered a second roar even stronger than

the first for it was nearer. The horses began to push upon the zareba

and were it not for the long and hard-as-steel thorns of the acacia

branches, they would have demolished it. Saba growled and at the same

time trembled like a leaf, while Kali began to repeat with a broken

voice:

"Master, two! two! two!"

And the lions, aware of each other's presence, did not cease roaring,

and the horrible concert continued in the darkness incessantly, for

when one beast became silent the other began again. Stas soon could not

distinguish from where the sounds came, as the echoes repeated them in

the ravine; rock sent them back to rock, they ascended and descended,

filling the forest and the jungle, and the entire darkness with thunder

and fear.

To the boy one thing seemed certain, and that was that they approached

nearer and nearer. Kali perceived likewise that the lions ran about the

encampment making a smaller circle each moment, and that, prevented

from making an attack only by the glare of the flames, they were

expressing their dissatisfaction and fear by their roar.

Evidently, however, he thought that danger threatened only the horses,

as, spreading his fingers, he said:

"The lions will kill one, two, not all! not all!"

"Throw wood into the fire," repeated Stas.

A livelier flame burst forth; the roars suddenly ceased. But Kali,

raising his head and gazing upwards, began to listen.

"What is it?" Stas asked.

"Rain," replied the negro.

Stas in turn listened. The branches of the tree mantled the tent and

the whole zareba so that not a drop of rain fell upon the ground, but

above could be heard the rustle of leaves. As the sultry air was not

stirred by the slightest breeze, it was easy to surmise that it was the

rain which began to murmur in the jungle.

The rustle increased with each moment and after a time the children saw

drops flowing from the leaves, similar in the luster of the fire to

ruddy pearls. As Kali had forecast, a downpour began. The rustle

changed into a roar. Ever-increasing drops fell, and finally through

the dense foliage whole streams of water began to penetrate.

The camp-fire darkened. In vain Kali threw whole armfuls into it. On

the surface the wet boughs smoked only, and below, the burning wood

began to hiss and the flame, however much it was replenished, began to

be extinguished.

"When the downpour quenches the fire, the zareba will defend us," Stas

said to pacify Nell.

After which he conducted the little girl into the tent and wrapped her

in plaids, but he himself went out as quickly as possible as the

briefly interrupted roars had broken out again. This time they sounded

considerably nearer and as if they were gleeful.

The downpour intensified with each moment. The rain pattered on the

hard leaves and splashed. If the camp-fire had not been under the

shelter of the boughs, it would have been quenched at once, but as it

was there hovered over it mainly smoke, amid which narrow, blue little

flames glittered. Kali gave up the task and did not add any more

deadwood. Instead he flung a rope around the tree and with its aid

climbed higher and higher on the trunk.

"What are you doing?" Stas asked.

"Kali climbs the tree."

"What for?" shouted the boy, indignant at the negro's selfishness.

Bright, dreadful flashes of lightning rent the darkness and Kali's

reply was drowned by a peal of thunder which shook heaven and the

wilderness. Simultaneously a whirlwind broke out, tugged the boughs of

the tree, swept away in the twinkling of an eye the camp-fire, seized

the embers, still burning under the ashes, and carried them with

sheaves of sparks into the jungle.

Impenetrable darkness temporarily encompassed the camp. A terrible

tropical storm raged on earth and in the sky. Thunder followed thunder,

lightning, lightning. The gory zigzags of thunderbolts rent the sky,

black as a pall. On the neighboring rocks appeared strange blue balls,

which sometimes rolled along the ravine and then burst with a blinding

light and broke out with a peal so terrible that it seemed as if the

rocks would be reduced to powder from the shock.

Afterwards darkness again followed.

Stas became alarmed about Nell and went groping in the darkness to the

tent. The tent, protected by the white-ant hillock and the giant

tree-trunk, stood yet, but the first strong buffet of the whirlwind

might pull out the ropes and carry it the Lord knows where. And the

whirlwind subsided, then broke out again with a fury, carrying waves of

rain, and clouds of leaves, and branches broken off in the adjacent

forest. Stas was beset with despair. He did not know whether to leave

Nell in the tent or lead her out of it. In the first case she might get

entangled in the ropes and be seized with the linen folds, and in the

other she would get a thorough drenching and also would be carried

away, as Stas, though beyond comparison stronger, with the greatest

difficulty could keep on his feet.

The problem was solved by the whirlwind which a moment later carried

away the top of the tent. The linen walls now did not afford any

shelter. Nothing else remained to do but to wait in the darkness in

which the lions lurked, until the storm passed away.

Stas conjectured that probably the lions had sought shelter from the

tempest in the neighboring forest, but he was certain that after the

storm they would return. The danger of the situation increased because

the wind had totally swept away the zareba.

Everything was threatened with destruction. The rifle could not avail

for anything, nor could his energy. In the presence of the storm,

thunderbolts, hurricane, rain, darkness, and the lions, which might be

concealed but a few paces away, he felt disarmed and helpless. The

linen walls tugged by the wind splashed them with water from all sides,

so, enclosing Nell in his arms, he led her from the tent; after which

both nestled close to the trunk of the tree, awaiting death or divine

mercy.

At this moment, between one blow of the wind and another, Kali's voice

reached them, barely audible amidst the splashing of the rain.

"Great master! Up the tree! up the tree!"

And simultaneously the end of a wet rope, lowered from above, touched

the boy's shoulder.

"Tie the 'bibi,' and Kali will pull her up!" the negro continued to

shout.

Stas did not hesitate a moment. Wrapping Nell in a saddle-cloth in

order that the rope should not cut her body, he tied a girdle around

her; after which he lifted her and shouted:

"Pull!"

The first boughs of the tree were quite low so Nell's aerial journey

was brief. Kali soon seized her with his powerful arms and placed her

between the trunk and a giant bough, where there was sufficient room

for half a dozen of such diminutive beings. No wind could blow her away

from there and in addition, even although water flowed all over the

tree, the trunk, about fifteen feet thick, shielded her at least from

new waves of rain borne obliquely by the wind.

Having attended to the safety of the little "bibi," the negro again

lowered the rope for Stas, but he, like a captain who is the last to

leave a sinking ship, ordered Mea to go ahead of him.

Kali did not at all need to pull her as in a moment she climbed the

rope with skill and agility as if she were the full sister of a

chimpanzee. For Stas it was considerably more difficult, but he was too

well-trained an athlete not to overcome the weight of his own body

together with the rifle and a score of cartridges with which he filled

his pockets.

In this manner all four found themselves in the tree. Stas was so

accustomed to think of Nell in every situation that now he was

occupied, above all, in ascertaining whether she was not in danger of

falling, whether she had sufficient room and whether she could lie down

comfortably. Satisfied in this respect, he began to wrack his brains as

to how to protect her from the rain. But for this there was no help. It

would have been easy to construct during the daytime some kind of roof

over her head, but now they were enveloped in such darkness that they

could not see each other at all. If the storm at last passed away and

if they succeeded in starting the fire again, they might dry Nell's

dress! Stas, with despair, thought that the little girl, soaked to the

skin, would undoubtedly on the following day suffer from the first

attack of fever.

He feared that towards the morning, after the storm, it would be as

cool as it was on the previous night. Thus far the wind was rather warm

and the rain as though heated. Stas was surprised at its persistence as

he knew that the more strongly a storm raged the shorter was its

duration.

After a long time the thunder abated and the buffets of the wind

weakened, but the rain continued to fall, less copious, indeed, than

before, but so heavy and thick that the leaves did not afford any

protection against it. From below came the murmur of water as if the

whole jungle were transformed into a lake. Stas thought that in the

ravine certain death would have awaited them. Immense sorrow possessed

him at the thought of what might have become of Saba, and he did not

dare to speak of him to Nell. He, nevertheless, had a slight hope that

the intelligent dog would find a safe haven among the rocks projecting

above the ravine. There was not, however, a possibility of going to him

with any aid.

They sat, therefore, one beside the other amid the expanding boughs,

drenched and waiting for the day. After the lapse of a few more hours

the air began to cool and the rain finally ceased. The water too flowed

down the slope to a lower place as they could not hear a splash or a

murmur. Stas had observed on the previous days that Kali understood how

to stir up a fire with wet twigs, so it occurred to him to order the

negro to descend and try whether he would not succeed this time. But at

the moment in which he turned to him something happened which froze the

blood in the veins of all four.

The deep silence of the night was rent suddenly by the squeaking of

horses, horrible, shrill, full of pain, fears, and mortal dismay. Some

mischief was afoot in the darkness; there resounded short rattlings in

the throat, afterwards hollow groans, a snorting, a second squeak yet

more penetrating, after which all was quiet.

"Lions, great Master! Lions killing horses!" whispered Kali.

There was something so horrible in this night attack, in the superior

force of the monsters, and in the sudden slaughter of the defenseless

animals that Stas for a time was struck with consternation, and forgot

about the rifle. What, after all, would it have availed him to shoot in

such darkness? Unless for this, that those midnight assassins, if the

flash and report should frighten them, would abandon the horses already

killed, and start after those which were scared away and had run from

the camp as far as their fettered legs would permit them.

Stas' flesh began to creep at the thought of what would have happened

if they had remained below. Nell, nestling close to him, shook as if

she already were suffering the first attack of fever, but the tree at

least protected them from an attack of lions. Kali plainly had saved

their lives.

It was, however, a horrible night--the most horrible in the entire

journey.

They sat like drenched birds on a twig, listening to what was happening

below. And there for some time a deep silence continued, but soon came

a peculiar sound as though of lapping, smacking of torn-off pieces of

flesh, together with the horses' heavy breathing and the groans of the

monsters.

The odor of the raw meat and blood reached up to the tree, as the lions

feasted not farther than twenty paces from the zareba.

And they feasted so long that in the end anger seized Stas. He seized

the rifle and fired in the direction of the sounds.

But he was answered only by a broken, irritated roar, after which

resounded the cracking of bones, rattling in powerful jaws. In the

depths glared the blue and red eyes of hyenas and jackals waiting for

their turn.

And thus the long hours of the night passed away.

IV

The sun finally rose and illuminated the jungle, groups of trees, and

the forest. The lions had disappeared before the first ray began to

gleam on the horizon. Stas commanded Kali to build a fire. Mea was

ordered to take Nell's clothes out of the leather bag in which they

were packed, to dry them, and to dress anew the little girl as soon as

possible; while Stas himself, taking his rifle, proceeded to visit the

camp and at the same time to view the devastation wrought by the storm

and the two midnight assassins.

Immediately beyond the zareba, of which only the pickets remained, lay

the first horse almost half devoured; about a hundred paces farther the

second, barely touched, and immediately behind him the third,

disemboweled, and with crushed head. All presented a horrible sight;

their eyes were open, full of settled terror, and their teeth were

bared. The ground was trampled upon; in the depressions were whole

puddles of blood. Stas was seized with such rage that at the moment he

almost wished that the shaggy head of a marauder, sluggish after the

nocturnal feast, would emerge from some cluster of trees that he might

put a bullet in him. But he had to postpone his revenge to a later time

for at present he had something else to do. It was necessary to find

and capture the remaining horses. The boy assumed that they must have

sought shelter in the forest, and that the same was true of Saba, whose

body was nowhere to be seen. The hope that the faithful companion in

misfortune had not fallen a victim to the predaceous beasts pleased

Stas so much that he gained more courage. His happiness was yet

augmented by the discovery of the donkey. It appeared that the

sagacious, long-eared creature did not wish to fatigue himself by a too

distant flight. He had ensconced himself outside of the zareba in a

corner formed by the white-ant hillock and the tree and there, having

his head and sides protected, had awaited developments, prepared in an

emergency to repel an attack by kicking heroically with his heels. But

the lions, apparently, did not perceive him at all, so when the sun

rose and danger passed away he deemed it proper to lie down and rest

after the dramatic sensations of the night.

Stas, strolling about the camp, finally discovered upon the softened

ground the imprint of horses' hoofs. The tracks led in the direction of

the forest and afterwards turned towards the ravine. This was a

favorable circumstance for the capture of the horses in the ravine did

not present any great difficulties. Between ten and twenty paces

farther he found in the grass the fetters which one of the horses had

broken in his escape. This one must have run away so far that for the

time being he must be regarded as lost. On the other hand, the two

espied by Stas were behind a low rock, not in the hollow itself, but on

the brink. One of them was rolling about, while the other was cropping

the new light-green grass. Both looked unusually exhausted, as if after

a long journey. But the daylight had banished fear from their hearts,

so they greeted Stas with a short, friendly neigh. The horse which was

rolling about started to his feet. The boy observed that this one also

had freed himself from his fetters, but fortunately he apparently

preferred to remain with his companion instead of running away wherever

his eyes should lead him.

Stas left both horses near the rock and went to the brink of the ravine

to ascertain whether a farther journey by way of it was feasible. And

he saw that owing to the great declivity the water had flowed away and

the bottom was almost dry.

After a while his attention was attracted to a white object entangled

in the climbing plants in the recess of the opposite rocky wall. It

appeared that it was the top of the tent which the wind had carried as

far as that and driven into the thicket so that the water could not

carry it away. The tent, at any rate, assured Nell of a better

protection than a hut hurriedly constructed of boughs; so its recovery

greatly delighted Stas.

But his joy increased still more when from a lower recess partly hidden

by lianas Saba sprang out, holding in his teeth some kind of animal

whose head and tail hung from his jaws. The powerful dog, in the

twinkling of an eye, reached the top, and laid at Stas' feet a striped

hyena with broken back and gnawed foot. After which he began to wag his

tail and bark joyfully as if he wanted to say:

"I admit that I behaved like a coward before the lions, but to tell the

truth, you sat perched on the tree like guinea-fowls. Look, however! I

did not waste the night altogether."

And he was so proud of himself that Stas was barely able to induce him

to leave the bad-smelling animal on the spot and not to carry it as a

gift to Nell.

When they both returned a good fire was burning in the camp; water was

bubbling in the utensils in which boiled durra grain, two guinea-fowls,

and smoked strips of venison. Nell was already attired in a dry dress

but looked so wretched and pale that Stas became alarmed about her,

and, taking her hand to ascertain whether she had a fever, asked:

"Nell, what ails you?"

"Nothing, Stas; only I do want to sleep so much."

"I believe you! After such a night! Thank God, your hands are cool. Ah,

what a night it was! No wonder you want to sleep. I do also. But don't

you feel sick?"

"My head aches a little."

Stas placed his palm on her head. Her little head was as cold as her

hands; this, however, only proved great exhaustion and weakness, so the

boy sighed and said:

"Eat something warm and immediately afterwards lie down to sleep and

you will sleep until the evening. To-day, at least, the weather is fine

and it will not be as it was yesterday."

And Nell glanced at him with fear.

"But we will not pass the night here."

"No, not here, for there lie the gnawed remains of the horses; we will

select some other tree, or will go to the ravine and there will build a

zareba such as the world has not seen. You will sleep as peacefully as

in Port Said."

But she folded her little hands and began to beg him with tears that

they should ride farther, as in that horrible place she would not be

able to close her eyes and surely would become ill. And in this way she

begged him, in this way she repeated, gazing into his eyes, "What,

Stas? Well?" so that he agreed to everything.

"Then we shall ride by way of the ravine," he said, "for there is shade

there. Only promise me that if you feel weak or sick, you will tell me."

"I am strong enough. Tie me to the saddle and I will sleep easily on

the road."

"No. I shall place you on my horse and I shall hold you. Kali and Mea

will ride on the other and the donkey will carry the tent and things."

"Very well! very well!"

"Immediately after breakfast you must take a nap. We cannot start

anyway before noon. It is necessary to catch the horses, to fold the

tent, to rearrange the packs. Part of the things we shall leave here

for now we have but two horses altogether. This will require a few

hours and in the meantime you will sleep and refresh yourself. To-day

will be hot, but shade will not be lacking under the tree."

"And you--and Mea and Kali? I am so sorry that I alone shall sleep

while you will be tiring yourselves--"

"On the contrary, we shall have time to nap. Don't worry about me. In

Port Said during examination time I often did not sleep whole nights;

of which my father knew nothing. My classmates also did not sleep. But

a man is not a little fly like you. You have no idea how you look

to-day--just like glass. There remain only eyes and tufts of hair;

there is no face at all."

He said this jestingly, but in his soul he feared, as by the strong

daylight Nell plainly had a sickly countenance and for the first time

he clearly understood that if it continued thus the poor child not only

might, but must, die. At this thought his legs trembled for he suddenly

felt that in case of her death he would not have anything to live for,

or a reason for returning to Port Said.

"For what would I then have to do?" he thought.

For a while he turned away in order that Nell might not observe the

grief and fear in his eyes, and afterwards went to the things deposited

under the tree. He threw aside the saddle-cloth with which the

cartridge box was covered, opened it, and began to search for something.

He had hidden there in a small glass bottle the last of the quinine

powders and had guarded it like an "eye in the head" for "the black

hour," that is, for the emergency when Nell should be fever-stricken.

But now he was almost certain that after such a night the first attack

would come, so he determined to prevent it. He did this with a heavy

heart, thinking of what would happen later, and were it not that it did

not become a man and the leader of a caravan to weep, he would have

burst into tears over this last powder.

So, desiring to conceal his emotion, he assumed a very stern mien and,

addressing the little girl, said:

"Nell, before you eat, take the rest of the quinine."

She, on the other hand, asked:

"But if you catch the fever?"

"Then I will shiver. Take it, I tell you."

She took it without further resistance, for from the time he killed the

Sudânese she feared him a little, notwithstanding all his efforts for

her comfort and the kindness he evinced towards her. Afterwards they

sat down to breakfast, and after the fatigue of the night, the hot

broth of guinea-fowl tasted delicious. Nell fell asleep immediately

after the refreshment and slept for several hours. Stas, Kali, and Mea

during that time put the caravan in order. They brought from the ravine

the top of the tent, saddled the horses, and put the packages on the

donkey and buried under the roots of the tree those things which they

could not take with them. Drowsiness terribly assailed them at the

work, and Stas, from fear that they should fall asleep, permitted

himself and them to take short naps in turn.

It was perhaps two o'clock when they started on their further journey.

Stas held Nell before him; Kali rode with Mea on the other horse. They

did not ride at once down the ravine, but proceeded between its brink

and the forest. The young jungle had grown considerably during the

rainy night; the soil under it, however, was black and bore traces of

fire. It was easy to surmise that Smain had passed that way with his

division, or that the fire driven from far by a strong gale had swept

over the dry jungle and, finally encountering a damp forest, had passed

on by a not very wide track between it and the ravine. Stas wanted to

ascertain whether traces of Smain's camp or imprints of hoofs could not

be found on this track; and with pleasure he became convinced that

nothing resembling them could be seen. Kali, who was well versed in

such matters, claimed positively that the fire must have been borne by

the wind and that since that time at least a fortnight must have

elapsed.

"This proves," observed Stas, "that Smain, with his Mahdists, is

already the Lord knows where, and in no case shall we fall into his

hands."

Afterwards he and Nell began to gaze curiously at the vegetation, as

thus far they had not ridden so close to a tropical forest. They rode

now along its very edge in order to have the shade over their heads.

The soil here was moist and soft, overgrown with dark-green grass,

moss, and ferns. Here and there lay decomposed trunks, covered as

though with a carpet of most beautiful orchids, with flowers brightly

colored like butterflies and brightly colored cups in the center of the

crown. Wherever the sun reached, the ground was gilded by other odd

orchids, small and yellow, in which two petals protruding on the sides

of a third petal created a resemblance to the head of a little animal

with big ears ending abruptly. In some places the forest was lined with

bushes of wild jasmine draped in garlands with thin, climbing plants,

blooming rose-colored. The shallow hollows and depressions were

overgrown with ferns, compressed into one impenetrable thicket, here

low and expansive, there high, entwined with climbing plants, as though

distaffs, reaching up to the first boughs of the trees and spreading

under them in delicate green lace. In the depths there was a great

variety of trees; date, raffia, fan-palm, sycamore, bread-fruit,

euphorbia, immense varieties of senna, acacia; trees with foliage dark

and glittering and light or red as blood grew side by side, trunk by

trunk, with entangled branches from which shot yellow and purple

flowers resembling candlesticks. In some groups the tree-tops could not

be seen as the climbing plants covered them from top to bottom, and

leaping from trunk to trunk formed the letters W and M and hung in form

of festoons, portières, and whole curtains. Caoutchouc lianas just

strangled the trees with thousands of serpentine tendrils and

transformed them into pyramids, buried with white flowers like snow.

About the greater lianas the smaller entwined and the medley became so

thick that it formed a wall through which neither man nor animal could

penetrate. Only in places where the elephants, whose strength nothing

can resist, forced their way, were there beaten down in the thicket

deep and winding passageways, as it were.

The song of birds which so pleasantly enlivens the European forest

could not be heard at all; instead, on the tree-tops resounded the

strangest calls, similar to the sound of a saw, to the beating of a

drum, to the clatter of a stork, to the squeaking of old doors, to the

clapping of hands, to caterwauling, or even to the loud, excited talk

of men. From time to time soared above the trees flocks of parrots,

gray, green, white, or a small bevy of gaudily plumaged toucans in a

quiet, wavy flight. On the snowy background of the rubber climbing

plants glimmered like sylvan sprites, little monkey-mourners, entirely

black with the exception of white tails, a white girdle on the sides,

and white whiskers enveloping faces of the hue of coal.

The children gazed with admiration at this virgin forest which the eyes

of a white man perhaps had never beheld. Saba every little while

plunged into the thicket from which came his happy barks. The quinine,

breakfast, and sleep had revived little Nell. Her face was animated and

assumed bright colors, her eyes sparkled. Every moment she asked Stas

the names of various trees and birds and he answered as well as he

could. Finally she announced that she wanted to dismount from the horse

and pluck a bunch of flowers.

But the boy smiled and said:

"The siafu would eat you at once."

"What is a siafu? Is it worse than a lion?"

"Worse and not worse. They are ants which bite terribly. There are a

great many of them on the branches from which they fall on people's

backs like a rain of fire. But they also walk on the ground. Dismount

from the horse and try merely to walk a little in the forest and at

once you will begin to jump and whine like a monkey. It is easier to

defend one's self against a lion. At times they move in immense ranks

and then everything gives way to them."

"And would you be able to cope with them?"

"I? Of course. With the help of fire or boiling water."

"You always know how to take care of yourself," she said with deep

conviction.

These words flattered Stas greatly; so he replied conceitedly and at

the same time merrily:

"If you were only well, then as to the rest depend upon me."

"My head does not even ache now."

"Thank God! Thank God!"

Speaking thus they passed the forest, but one flank of which reached

the hollow way. The sun was still high in the heaven and broiled

intensely, as the weather cleared and in the sky not a cloud could be

seen. The horses were covered with sweat and Nell began to complain of

the heat. For this reason Stas, having selected a suitable place,

turned to the ravine in which the western wall cast a deep shadow. It

was cool there, and the water remaining in the depressions after the

downpour was also comparatively cool. Over the little travelers' heads

continually flew from one brink of the ravine to the other toucans with

purple heads, blue breasts and yellow wings; so the boy began to tell

Nell what he knew from books about their habits.

"Do you know," he said, "there are certain toucans which during the

breeding season seek hollows in trees; there the female lays eggs and

sits upon them, while the male pastes the opening with clay so that

only her head is visible, and not until the young are hatched does the

male begin to peck with his long beak and free the mother."

"And what does she eat during that time?"

"The male feeds her. He continually flies about and brings her all kind

of berries."

"And does he permit her to sleep?" she asked in a sleepy voice. Stas

smiled.

"If Mrs. Toucan has the same desire that you have at this moment, then

he permits her."

In fact, in the cold ravine an unconquerable drowsiness oppressed the

little girl, as from morning until early in the afternoon she had

rested but little. Stas had a sincere desire to follow her example, but

could not as he had to hold her, fearing that she might fall; besides,

it was immensely uncomfortable for him to sit man-fashion on the flat

and wide saddle which Hatim and Seki Tamala had provided for the little

one in Fashoda. He did not dare to move and rode the horse as slowly as

possible in order not to awaken her.

She, in the meantime, leaning backwards, supported her little head upon

his shoulder and slept soundly.

But she breathed so regularly and calmly that Stas ceased to regret the

last quinine powder. He felt that danger of fever was removed and

commenced to reason thus:

"The ravine continually leads upwards and even now is quite steep. We

are higher and the country is drier and drier. It is necessary only to

find some sort of elevation, well shaded, near some swift stream, and

there establish quarters and give the little one a few weeks' rest, and

perhaps wait through the whole massica (the spring rainy season). Not

every girl could endure even one tenth of these hardships, but it is

necessary that she should rest! After such a night another girl would

have been stricken with fever and she--how soundly she sleeps!--Thank

God!"

And these thoughts brought him into a good humor; so looking down at

Nell's little head resting on his bosom, he said to himself merrily and

at the same time with certain surprise:

"It is odd, however, how fond I am of this little fly! To tell the

truth, I always liked her, but now more and more."

And not knowing how to explain such a strange symptom he came to the

following conclusion:

"It is because we have passed together through so much and because she

is under my protection."

In the meantime he held that "fly" very carefully with his right hand

around her waist in order that she should not slip from the saddle and

bruise her little nose. They advanced slowly in silence; only Kali

hummed under his nose--a song in praise of Stas.

"Great master kills Gebhr, kills a lion and a buffalo! Yah! Yah! Much

meat! Much meat! Yah! Yah!"

"Kali," Stas asked in a low tone, "do the Wahimas hunt lions?"

"The Wahimas fear lions but the Wahimas dig pits and if in the night

time the lion falls in, then the Wahimas laugh."

"What do you then do?"

"The Wahimas hurl lot of spears until lion is like a hedgehog. Then

they pull him out of the pit and eat him. Lion is good." And according

to his habit, he stroked his stomach.

Stas did not like this method of hunting; so he began to ask what other

game there was in the Wahima country and they conversed further about

antelopes, ostriches, giraffes, and rhinoceroses until the roar of a

waterfall reached them.

"What is that?" Stas exclaimed. "Are there a river and waterfall ahead

of us?"

Kali nodded his head in sign that obviously such was the fact.

And for some time they rode more quickly, listening to the roar which

each moment became more and more distinct.

"A waterfall!" repeated Stas, whose curiosity was aroused.

But they had barely passed one or two bends when their way was barred

by an impassable obstruction.

Nell, whom the motion of the horse had lulled to sleep, awoke at once.

"Are we already stopping for the night?" she asked.

"No, but look! A rock closes the ravine."

"Then what shall we do?"

"It is impossible to slip beside it for it is too close there; so it

will be necessary that we turn back a little, get on top, and ride

around the obstruction; but it is yet two hours to night; therefore we

have plenty of time. Let us rest the horses a little. Do you hear the

waterfall?"

"I do."

"We will stop near it for the night."

After which he turned to Kali, ordered him to climb to the brink of the

ridge and see whether, beyond, the ravine was not filled with similar

obstructions; he himself began to examine the rock carefully, and after

a while he exclaimed:

"It broke off and tumbled down not long ago. Nell, do you see that

fragment? Look how fresh it is. There is no moss on it, nor vegetation.

I already understand, I understand!"

And with his hand he pointed at a baobab tree growing on the brink of

the ravine whose huge roots hung over the wall and were parallel with

the fragment.

"That root grew in a crevice between the wall and the rock, and growing

stronger, it finally split the rock. That is a singular matter for

stone is harder than wood; I know, however, that in mountains this

often happens. After that anything can shake such a stone which barely

keeps its place, and the stone falls off."

"But what could shake it?"

"It is hard to say. Maybe some former storm, perhaps yesterday's."

At this moment Saba, who previously had remained behind the caravan,

came running up; he suddenly stood still as if pulled from behind by

the tail, scented; afterwards squeezed into the narrow passage between

the wall and the detached rock, but immediately began to retreat with

bristling hair.

Stas dismounted from the horse to see what could have scared the dog.

"Stas, don't go there," Nell begged; "a lion might be there."

The boy, who was something of a swashbuckler and who from the previous

day had taken extraordinary offense at lions, replied:

"A great thing. A lion in daylight!"

However, before he approached the passageway, Kali's voice resounded

from above:

"Bwana kubwa! Bwana kubwa!"

"What is it?" Stas asked.

The negro slid down the stalk of the climbing plant in the twinkling of

an eye. From his face it was easy to perceive that he brought some

important news.

"An elephant!" he shouted.

"An elephant?"

"Yes," answered the young negro, waving his hands; "there thundering

water, here a rock. The elephant cannot get out. Great master kill the

elephant and Kali will eat him. Oh, eat, eat!"

And at this thought he was possessed by such joy that he began to leap,

slapping his knees with his palms and laughing as if insane, in

addition rolling his eyes and displaying his white teeth.

Stas at first did not understand why Kali said that the elephant could

not get out of the ravine. So, desiring to see what had happened, he

mounted his horse and entrusting Nell to Mea in order to have his hands

free in an emergency, he ordered Kali to sit behind him; after which

they all turned back and began to seek a place by which they could

reach the top. On the way Stas questioned him how the elephant got into

such a place and from Kali's replies he ascertained more or less what

had happened.

The elephant evidently ran before the fire by way of the ravine during

the burning of the jungle; on the way he forcibly bumped against a

loosened rock, which tumbled down and cut off his retreat. After that,

having reached the end of the hollow, he found himself on the edge of a

precipice below which a river ran, and in this manner was imprisoned.

After a while they discovered an outlet but so steep that it was

necessary to dismount from the horses and lead them after. As the negro

assured them that the river was very near they proceeded on foot. They

finally reached a promontory, bounded on one side by a river, on the

other by the hollow, and glancing downward they beheld on the bottom of

a dell an elephant.

The huge beast was lying on its stomach and to Stas' great surprise did

not start up at the sight of them. Only when Saba came running to the

brink of the dell and began to bark furiously did he for a moment move

his enormous ears and raise his trunk, but he dropped it at once.

The children, holding hands, gazed long at him in silence, which

finally was broken by Kali.

"He is dying of hunger," he exclaimed.

The elephant was really so emaciated that his spine protruded, his

sides were shrunken, his ribs were distinctly outlined notwithstanding

the thickness of his hide, and it was easy to conjecture that he did

not rise because he did not now have sufficient strength.

The ravine, which was quite wide at its opening, changed into a dell,

locked in on two sides by perpendicular rocks, and on its bottom a few

trees grew. These trees were broken; their bark was peeled and on the

branches there was not a leaf. The climbing plants hanging from the

rocks were torn to pieces and gnawed, and the grass in the dell was

cropped to the last blade.

Stas, examining the situation thoroughly, began to share his

observations with Nell, but being impressed with the inevitable death

of the huge beast he spoke in a low tone as if he feared to disturb the

last moments of its life.

"Yes, he really is dying of starvation. He certainly has been confined

here at least two weeks, that is, from the time when the old jungle was

burnt. He ate everything that there was to eat and now is enduring

torments; particularly as, here above, bread-fruit trees and acacias

with great pods are growing, and he sees them but cannot reach them."

And for a while they again gazed in silence. The elephant from time to

time turned towards them his small, languid eyes and something in the

nature of a gurgle escaped from his throat.

"Indeed," the boy declared, "it is best to cut short his pangs."

Saying this, he raised the rifle to his face, but Nell clutched his

jacket and, braced upon both of her little feet, began to pull him with

all her strength away from the brink of the hollow.

"Stas! Don't do that! Stas, let us give him something to eat! He is so

wretched! I don't want you to kill him! I don't want it! I don't!"

And stamping with her little feet, she did not cease pulling him, and

he looked at her with great astonishment and, seeing her eyes filled

with tears, said:

"But, Nell!--"

"I don't want it. I won't let him be killed! I shall get the fever if

you kill him."

For Stas this threat was sufficient to make him forego his murderous

design in regard to the elephant before them and in regard to anything

else in the world. For a time he was silent, not knowing what reply to

make to the little one, after which he said:

"Very well! very well! I tell you it is all right! Nell, let go of me!"

And Nell at once hugged him and through her tear-dimmed eyes a smile

gleamed. Now she was concerned only about giving the elephant something

to eat as quickly as possible. Kali and Mea were greatly astonished

when they learned that the Bwana kubwa not only would not kill the

elephant, but that they were to pluck at once as many melons from the

bread-fruit trees, as many acacia pods, and as much of all kinds of

weeds as they were able. Gebhr's two-edged Sudânese sword was of great

use to Kali at this labor, and were it not for that the work would not

have proceeded so easily. Nell, however, did not want to wait for its

completion and when the first melon fell from the tree she seized it

with both her hands and, carrying it to the ravine, she repeated

rapidly as if from fear that some one else might want to supplant her:

"I! I! I!"

But Stas did not in the least think of depriving her of this pleasure,

but from fear that through too much zeal she might fall over with the

melon, he seized her by the belt and shouted:

"Throw!"

The huge fruit rolled over the steep declivity and fell close to the

elephant's feet, while the latter in the twinkling of an eye stretched

out his trunk and seized it; afterwards he bent his trunk as if he

wanted to place the melon under his throat and this much the children

saw of him.

"He ate it!" exclaimed the happy girl.

"I suppose so," answered Stas, laughing.

And the elephant stretched out his trunk towards them as if he wanted

to beg for more and emitted in a powerful tone:

"Hruumf!"

"He wants more!"

"I suppose so!" repeated Stas.

The second melon followed in the track of the first and in the same

manner afterwards disappeared in a moment a third, fourth, tenth; later

acacia pods and whole bundles of grass and great leaves began to fly

down. Nell did not allow any one to take her place, and when her little

hands grew tired from the work, she shoved new supplies with her little

feet; while the elephant ate and, raising his trunk, from time to time

trumpeted his thunderous "hruumf" as a sign that he wanted to eat still

more, but Nell claimed that it was a sign of gratitude.

But Kali and Mea finally were fatigued with the work which they

performed with great alacrity under the impression that Bwana kubwa

wanted first to fatten the elephant and afterwards to kill him. At

last, however, Bwana kubwa ordered them to stop, as the sun was setting

and it was time to start the construction of the zareba. Fortunately

this was not a difficult matter, for two sides of the triangular

promontory were utterly inaccessible, so that it was necessary only to

fence in the third. Acacias with big thorns also were not lacking.

Nell did not retire a step from the ravine and, squatting upon its

brink, announced from a distance to Stas what the elephant was doing.

At frequent intervals her thin little voice resounded:

"He is searching about with his trunk!"

Or: "He is moving his ears. What big ears he has!"

"Stas! Stas! He is getting up! Oh!"

Stas approached hurriedly and seized Nell's hand.

The elephant actually rose, and now the children could observe his

immense size. They had previously seen huge elephants which were

carried on vessels through the Suez Canal bound from India to Europe,

but not one of them could compare with this colossus, who actually

looked like a huge slate-colored rock walking on four feet. He differed

from the others in the size of his tusks which reached five or more

feet and, as Nell already observed, his ears, which were of fabulous

proportions. His fore legs were high but comparatively thin, which was

undoubtedly due to the fast of many days.

"Oh, that is a Lilliputian!" laughed Stas. "If he should rear himself

and stretch out his trunk, he might catch you by the feet."

But the colossus did not think of rearing or catching any one by the

feet. With an unsteady gait he approached the egress of the ravine,

gazed for a while over the precipice, at the bottom of which water was

seething; afterwards he turned to the wall close to the waterfall,

directed his trunk towards it, and, having immersed it as best he

could, began to drink.

"It is his good fortune," Stas said, "that he can reach the water with

his trunk. Otherwise he would have died."

The elephant drank so long that finally the little girl became alarmed.

"Stas, won't he harm himself?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied, laughing, "but since you have taken him

under your care, warn him now."

So Nell leaned over the edge and cried:

"Enough, dear elephant, enough!"

And the dear elephant, as if he understood what was the matter, stopped

drinking at once, and instead, began to splash water over himself.

First he splashed water on his feet, then on his back, and afterwards

on both sides.

But in the meantime it grew dark; so Stas conducted the little girl to

the zareba where supper already awaited them.

Both were in excellent humor--Nell because she had saved the elephant's

life and Stas because he saw her eyes sparkling like two stars and her

gladdened face which was ruddier and healthier than it had been at any

time since their departure from Khartûm. A promise of a quiet and

perfect night also conduced to the boy's contentment. The two

inaccessible sides of the promontory absolutely secured them from

attacks from those directions, and on the third side Kali and Mea

reared so high a wall of thorny branches of acacias and of passion

flowers that there could be no thought of any predacious beasts being

able to surmount such a barrier. In addition the weather was fine and

the heavens immediately after sunset were studded with countless stars.

The air, which was cool, owing to the proximity of the waterfall, and

which was saturated with the odor of the jungle and newly broken

branches, was agreeable to breathe.

"This fly will not get the fever here," Stas thought joyfully.

Afterwards they commenced to converse about the elephant, as Nell was

incapable of talking of anything else and did not cease going into

transports over his stature, trunk, and tusks, which in reality were

prodigious. Finally she asked:

"Honestly, Stas, isn't he wise?"

"As Solomon," answered Stas. "But what makes you think so?"

"Because when I asked him not to drink any more, he obeyed me at once."

"If before that time he had not taken any lessons in English and

nevertheless understands it, that really is miraculous."

Nell perceived that Stas was making merry with her, so she gave him a

scolding; after which she said:

"Say what you wish, but I am sure that he is very intelligent and will

become tame at once."

"Whether at once I don't know, but he may be tamed. The African

elephants are indeed more savage than the Asiatic; nevertheless, I

think that Hannibal, for instance, used African elephants."

"And who was Hannibal?"

Stas glanced at her indulgently and with pity.

"Really," he said, "at your age, you are not supposed to know such

things. Hannibal was a great Carthaginian commander, who used elephants

in his war with the Romans, and as Carthage was in Africa, he must have

used African--"

Further conversation was interrupted by the resounding roar of the

elephant, who, having eaten and drunk his fill, began to trumpet; it

could not be known whether from joy or from longing for complete

freedom. Saba started up and began to bark, while Stas said:

"There you have it! Now he is calling companions. We will be in a nice

predicament if he attracts a whole herd here."

"He will tell them that we were kind to him," Nell responded hastily.

But Stas, who indeed was not alarmed, as he reckoned that even if a

herd should rush towards them, the glare of the fire would frighten

them away, smiled spitefully and said:

"Very well! very well! But if the elephants appear, you won't cry, oh

no! Your eyes will only perspire as they did twice before."

And he began to tease her:

"I do not cry, only my eyes perspire--"

Nell, however, seeing his happy mien, conjectured that no immediate

danger threatened them.

"When he gets tame," she said, "my eyes will not perspire, though ten

lions should roar."

"Why?"

"For he will defend us."

Stas quieted Saba, who would not stop replying to the elephant; after

which he deliberated somewhat and spoke thus:

"You did not think of one thing, Nell. Of course, we will not stay here

for ages but will proceed farther; I do not say at once. On the

contrary, the place is good and healthy; I have decided to stop here--a

week, perhaps,--perhaps two, for you, and all of us as well, are

entitled to a rest. Well, very good! As long as we stay here we will

feed the elephant, though that will be a big task for us all. But he is

locked up and we cannot take him with us. Well then, what later? We

shall go and he will remain here and again will endure the pangs of

hunger until he dies. Then we shall be all the more sorry for him."

Nell saddened very much and for some time sat in silence, evidently not

knowing what reply to make to these just remarks, but after a while she

raised her head and, brushing aside the tufts of hair which fell over

her eyes, turned her gaze, full of confidence, on the boy.

"I know," she said, "that if you want to, you will get him out of the

ravine."

"I?"

And she stretched out her little finger, touched Stas' hand with it,

and repeated:

"You."

The sly little woman understood that her confidence would flatter the

boy and from that moment he would ponder on how to free the elephant.

V

The night passed quietly and though, on the southern side of the sky,

big clouds gathered, the morning was beautiful. By Stas' orders, Kali

and Mea, immediately after breakfast, began to gather melons and acacia

pods as well as fresh leaves and all kinds of fodder, which they

deposited upon the brink of the ravine.

As Nell firmly insisted upon feeding her new friend herself, Stas cut

for her from a young bifurcated fig tree something in the shape of a

pitchfork in order to make it easier for her to shove down the supplies

to the bottom of the ravine. The elephant trumpeted from morn,

evidently calling for his refreshments, and when afterwards he beheld

on the brink that same little white being who had fed him the previous

day, he greeted her with a joyful gurgle and at once stretched out his

trunk towards her. In the morning light he appeared to the children

still more prodigious than on the preceding day. He was lean but

already looked brisker and turned his small eyes almost joyfully on

Nell. Nell even claimed that his fore legs had grown thicker during the

night, and began to shove fodder with such zeal that Stas had to

restrain her and in the end when she got out of breath too much, take

her place at the work. Both enjoyed themselves immensely; the

elephant's "whims" amused them especially. In the beginning he ate

everything which fell at his feet, but soon, having satisfied the first

cravings of hunger, he began to grow fastidious. Chancing upon a plant

which was not to his taste, he beat it over his fore leg and afterwards

tossed it upwards with his trunk, as if he wanted to say, "Eat this

dainty yourselves;" finally, after having appeased his hunger and

thirst, he began to fan with his prodigious ears with evident

contentment.

"I am sure," said Nell, "that if we went down to him he would not hurt

us."

And she began to call to him:

"Elephant, dear elephant, isn't it true you would not do any harm to

us?"

And when the elephant nodded his trunk in reply she turned to Stas:

"There, you see he says 'Yes.'"

"That may be," Stas replied. "Elephants are very intelligent animals

and this one undoubtedly understands that we both are necessary to him.

Who knows whether he does not feel a little gratitude towards us? But

it would be better not to try yet, and particularly not to let Saba

try, as the elephant surely would kill him. But with time they become

even friendly."

Further transports over the elephant were interrupted by Kali who,

foreseeing that he should have to work every day to feed the gigantic

beast, approached Stas with an ingratiating smile and said:

"Great master, kill the elephant, and Kali will eat him instead of

gathering grass and branches."

But the "great master" was now a hundred miles from a desire to kill

the elephant and, as in addition he was impulsive, he retorted:

"You are a donkey."

Unfortunately he forgot the Kiswahili word for donkey and said it in

English. Kali, not understanding English, evidently took it for some

kind of compliment or praise for himself, as a moment later the

children heard how he, addressing Mea, boastfully said:

"Mea has a dark skin and dark brain, but Kali is a donkey."

After which he added with pride:

"The great master himself said that Kali is a donkey."

In the meantime Stas, ordering both to tend the little lady as the eye

in the head and in case of any accident to summon him at once, took the

rifle and went to the detached rock which blocked the ravine. Arriving

at the place he inspected if attentively, examined all its cracks,

inserted a stick into a crevice which he found near the bottom, and

carefully measured its depths; afterwards he returned slowly to the

camp and, opening the cartridge box, began to count the cartridges.

He had barely counted three hundred when from a baobab tree growing

about fifty paces from the tent Mea's voice resounded.

"Master! Master!"

Stas approached the giant tree, whose trunk, hollowed through decay

near the ground, looked like a tower, and asked:

"What do you want?"

"Not far away can be seen zebras, and further on antelopes are feeding."

"Good! I will take a rifle and go, for it is necessary to cure meat.

But why did you climb the tree, and what are you doing there?"

The girl answered in her sad, melodious voice:

"Mea saw a nest of gray parrots and wanted to bring a young one to the

little lady, but the nest is empty, so Mea will not get any beads for

her neck."

"You will get them because you love the little lady."

The young negress came down the rugged bark as quickly as possible, and

with eyes glistening with joy began to repeat:

"Oh! Yes! Yes! Mea loves her very much--and beads also."

Stas gently stroked her head, after which he took the rifle, closed the

cartridge box, and started in the direction in which the zebras were

pastured. After a half hour the report of a shot reached the camp, and

an hour later the young hunter returned with the good news that he had

killed a young zebra and that the locality was full of game; that he

saw from a height besides zebras, a numerous herd of ariel antelopes as

well as a group of water-bucks pasturing in the vicinity of the river.

Afterwards he ordered Kali to take a horse, and despatched him for the

slaughtered game, while he himself began to inspect carefully the

gigantic baobab trunk, walk around it, and knock the rugged bark with

the barrel of his rifle.

"What are you doing?" Nell asked him. He replied:

"Look what a giant! Fifteen men holding each other's hands could not

encircle that tree, which perhaps remembers the times of the Pharaohs.

But the trunk at the bottom is decayed and hollow. Do you see that

opening? Through it one can easily reach the middle. We can there

arrange a room in which we all can live. This occurred to me when I saw

Mea among the branches, and afterwards when I stalked the zebra I was

continually thinking of it."

"Why, we are to escape to Abyssinia."

"Yes. Nevertheless it is necessary to recuperate, and I told you

yesterday that I had decided to remain here a week, or even two. You do

not want to leave your elephant, and I fear for you during the rainy

season, which has already commenced and during which fever is certain.

To-day the weather is fine; you see, however, that the clouds are

gathering thicker and thicker and who knows whether it will not pour

before night? The tent will not protect you sufficiently and in the

baobab tree if it is not rotten to the top, we can laugh at the

greatest downpour. It will be also safer in it than in the tent for if

in the evening we protect this opening with thorns and make a little

window to afford us light, then as many lions as want to may roar and

hover around. The spring rainy season does not last longer than a month

and I am more and more inclined to think that it will be necessary to

wait through it. And if so, it is better here than elsewhere, and

better still in that gigantic tree than under the tent."

Nell always agreed to everything that Stas wanted; so she agreed now;

the more so, as the thought of remaining near the elephant and dwelling

in a baobab tree pleased her immensely. She began now to think of how

she would arrange the rooms, how she would furnish them, and how they

would invite each other to "five o'clocks" and dinners. In the end they

both were amused greatly and Nell wanted at once to inspect her new

dwelling, but Stas, who with each day acquired more experience and

prudence, restrained her from too sudden housekeeping.

"Before we live there," he said, "it is first necessary to bid the

present tenants to move out, if any such are found there."

Saying this, he ordered Mea to throw into the interior of the baobab

tree a few lighted boughs, which smoked profusely because the branches

were fresh.

In fact, it appeared that he did well as the gigantic tree was occupied

by housekeepers upon whose hospitality no reliance could be placed.

VI

There were two apertures in the tree, one large, about a half a yard

from the ground; the other smaller, and about as high as the first

story of a city residence. Mea had scarcely thrown the lighted, smoking

branches into the lower one when immediately out of the upper one big

bats began to fly; squeaking and blinded by the luster of the sun, they

flew aimlessly about the tree. But after a while from the lower opening

there stole out, like lightning, a real tenant, in the person of a

monstrous boa, who evidently, digesting the remnants of the last feast

in a semi-somnolent state, had not become aroused and did not think of

safety until the smoke curled in his nostrils. At the sight of the

strong body, which, like a monstrous spring, darted out of the smoking

interior of the tree, Stas grabbed Nell in his arms and began to run

with her in the direction of the open jungle. But the reptile, itself

terror-stricken, did not think of pursuing them; instead, winding in

the grass and among the scattered packages, it slid away with

unheard-of speed in the direction of the ravine, seeking to hide amid

the rocky fissures and crannies. The children recovered their

composure. Stas placed Nell on the ground and rushed for his rifle, and

afterwards pursued the snake in the direction of the ravine, Nell

following him. But after going a score of paces such an extraordinary

spectacle struck their eyes that they stood still as if thunderstruck.

Now high above the ravine appeared in the twinkling of an eye the body

of the snake, and, describing a zigzag in the air, it fell again to the

bottom. After a while it appeared a second time and again fell. The

children, reaching the brink, saw with amazement that their new friend,

the elephant, was amusing himself in this manner, for having first

despatched the snake twice upon an aerial journey, at present he was

crushing its head with his prodigious foot which resembled a log.

Having finished this operation, he again lifted the still quivering

body with his trunk; this time, however, he did not toss it upwards,

but directly into the waterfall. After this, nodding both ways and

fanning himself with his ears, he began to gaze keenly at Nell, and

finally stretched out his trunk towards her as if claiming a reward for

his heroic and, at the same time, sensible deed.

Nell ran at once to the tent and returning with a box full of wild

figs, began to throw a few at a time to him, while he searched for them

in the grass and placed one after another in his mouth. Those which

fell in deeper crevices, he blew out with such force that, with the

figs, stones the size of a man's fist flew up. The children received

this exhibition with applause and laughter. Nell went back several

times for new supplies, not ceasing to contend with each fig that the

elephant was entirely tamed and that they could even at that moment go

down to him.

"You see, Stas; we now shall have a defender. For he is afraid of

nobody in the desert--neither lion, nor snake, nor crocodile. And he is

very good and surely loves us."

"If he is tamed," said Stas, "and if I can leave you under his care,

then really I can go hunting in perfect peace, for a better defender

for you I could not find in all Africa."

After a while he added:

"The elephants of this place are wild, but I have read that Asiatic

elephants, for instance, have a strange weakness for children. It has

never occurred in India that an elephant has harmed a child, and if one

falls in a rage, as sometimes happens, the native keepers send children

to pacify him."

"Ah, you see! You see!"

"In any case you did well in not allowing me to kill him."

At this Nell's pupils flashed with joy like two little greenish flames.

Standing on tiptoe, she placed both her hands on Stas' shoulders and,

tilting her head backward, asked, gazing into his eyes:

"I acted as if I had how many years? Tell me! As if I had how many

years?"

And he replied:

"At least seventy."

"You are always joking."

"Get angry, get angry, but who will free the elephant?"

Hearing this, Nell began at once to fawn like a little kitten.

"You--and I shall love you very much and he will also."

"I am thinking of that," Stas said, "but it will be hard work and I

shall not do it at once, but only when we are ready to start upon a

farther journey."

"Why?"

"Because if we should free him before he is entirely tame and becomes

attached to us, he would go away at once."

"Oh! He won't go away from me."

"You think that he already is like me," retorted Stas with impatience.

Further conversation was checked by the arrival of Kali, who brought

with him the slain zebra and its colt, which had been partly devoured

by Saba. It was the good fortune of the mastiff that he rushed after

Kali, and was not present at the encounter with the python for he would

have chased after him and, overtaking him, would have perished in his

murderous coils before Stas could come to his aid. For eating the zebra

he received, however, from Nell a tongue-lashing which after all he did

not take too much to heart as he did not even hide his lolling tongue,

with which he came running in from the hunt.

Stas announced in the meantime to Kali that he intended to arrange a

dwelling in the interior of the tree and related to him what had

occurred during the smoking out of the trunk, as well as how the

elephant had handled the snake. The idea of living in the baobab tree,

which would afford a protection not only against the rain but also

against the wild animals, pleased the negro very much; but on the other

hand the conduct of the elephant did not meet his approval.

"The elephant is foolish," he said, "so he threw the nioka (snake) into

the thundering water, but Kali knows that nioka is good; so he will

search for it in the thundering waters, and bake it as Kali is

wise--and is a donkey."

"It is agreed that you are a donkey," Stas answered, "but of course you

will not eat the snake."

"Nioka is good," repeated Kali. And pointing at the slain zebra, he

added:

"Better than that niama."

After which both went into the baobab tree and occupied themselves in

arranging the dwelling. Kali, having found on the river-side a flat

stone the size of a sieve, placed it in the trunk, heaped burning coals

upon it, and afterwards continually added more fuel, watching only that

the decayed wood on the inside did not ignite and cause the

conflagration of the whole tree. He said that he did this in order that

"nothing should bite the great master and the bibi." In fact it

appeared that this was not a useless precaution, for as soon as smoke

filled the interior of the tree and spread even on the outside there

began to creep out of the cracks in the bark a great variety of

creatures; scarabees, black and cherry-colored, shaggy spiders big as

plums, caterpillars of the thickness of a finger, covered as though

with thorns, and loathsome and at the same time venomous scolopendras

whose bite may even cause death. In view of what was occurring on the

outside of the trunk it was easy to surmise how many similar creatures

must have perished from the fumes of the smoke on the inside. Those

which fell from the bark and lower branches upon the grass were crushed

unmercifully with a stone by Kali, who was continually gazing at the

upper and lower openings as if he feared that at any moment something

strange might appear in either of them.

"Why are you looking so?" Stas asked. "Do you think that another snake

is hiding in the tree?"

"No, Kali fears Mzimu!"

"What is a Mzimu?"

"An evil spirit."

"Did you ever in your life see a Mzimu?"

"No, but Kali has heard the horrible noise which Mzimu makes in the

huts of fetish-men."

"Nevertheless your fetish-men do not fear him."

"The fetish-men know how to exorcise him, and afterwards go to the huts

and say that Mzimu is angry; so the negroes bring them bananas, honey,

pombe (beer made of sorghum plant), eggs, and meat in order to

propitiate the Mzimu."

Stas shrugged his shoulders.

"I see that it is a good thing to be a fetish-man among your people.

Perhaps that snake was Mzimu?"

Kali shook his head.

"In such case the elephant could not kill the Mzimu, but the Mzimu

would kill the elephant. Mzimu is death."

Some kind of strange crash and rumble within the tree suddenly

interrupted his reply. From the lower aperture there burst out a

strange ruddy dust, after which there resounded a second crash, louder

than the former one.

Kali threw himself in the twinkling of an eye upon his face and began

to cry shrilly:

"Aka! Mzimu! Aka! Aka! Aka!"

Stas at first stepped back, but soon recovered his composure, and when

Nell with Mea came running up he began to explain what might have

happened.

"In all probability," he said, "a whole mass of decayed wood in the

interior of the trunk, expanding from the heat, finally tumbled down

and buried the burning wood. And he thinks that it was Mzimu. Let Mea,

however, pour water a few times through the opening; if the live embers

are not extinct for want of air and the decayed wood is kindled, the

tree might be consumed by fire."

After which, seeing that Kali continued lying down and did not cease

repeating with terror, "Aka! Aka!" he took the rifle with which he

usually shot at guinea-fowl and, firing into the opening, said, shoving

the boy with the barrel:

"Your Mzimu is killed. Do not fear."

And Kali raised his body, but remained on his knees.

"Oh, great master! great! You do not even fear Mzimu!"

"Aka! Aka!" exclaimed Stas, mimicking the negro.

And he began to laugh.

The negro became calm after a time and when he sat down to partake of

the food prepared by Mea, it appeared that the temporary fright had not

at all deprived him of his appetite, for besides a portion of smoked

meat he consumed the raw liver of the zebra colt, not counting the wild

figs, which a sycamore growing in the neighborhood furnished in great

abundance. Afterwards with Stas they returned to the tree, about which

there was yet a good deal of work to do. The removal of the decayed

wood and the ashes, with hundreds of broiled scarabees and centipedes,

together with a score of baked bats occupied over two hours' time. Stas

was also surprised that the bats could live in the immediate

neighborhood of the snake. He surmised, however, that the gigantic

python either despised such trifling game or, not being able to wind

himself around anything in the interior of the trunk, could not reach

them. The glowing coals, having caused the fall of layers of decayed

wood, cleaned out the interior splendidly, and its appearance delighted

Stas, for it was as wide as a large room and could have given shelter

not merely to four persons, but to ten men. The lower opening formed a

doorway and the upper a window, thanks to which in the huge trunk it

was neither dark nor stifling. Stas thought of dividing the whole, by

means of the tent canvas, into two rooms, of which one was to be

assigned to Nell and Mea and the other to himself, Kali, and Saba. The

tree was not decayed to the top of the trunk; the rain, therefore,

could not leak to the center, but in order to be protected completely,

it was sufficient to raise and prop bark above both openings in such

manner that it should form two eaves. The bottom of the interior he

determined to strew with sand from the river bank which had been

grilled by the sun, and to carpet its surface with dry moss.

The work was really hard, especially for Kali, for he had, in addition,

to cure the meat, water the horses, and think of fodder for the

elephant who was incessantly trumpeting for it. But the young negro

proceeded to work about the new abode with great willingness and even

ardor; the reason for this he explained the same day to Stas in the

following manner:

"When the great master and the 'bibi,'" he said, holding his arms

akimbo, "live in the tree, Kali will not have to build big zarebas for

the night and he can be idle every night."

"Then you like to be idle?" Stas asked.

"Kali is a man, so Kali loves to be idle, as only women ought to work."

"But you see, however, that I work for the 'bibi.'"

"But because when the 'bibi' grows up she will have to work for the

great master, and, if she does not want to, the great master will whip

her."

But Stas, at the very thought of whipping the "bibi," jumped as if

scalded and shouted in anger:

"Fool, do you know who the 'bibi' is?"

"I do not," replied the black boy with fear.

"Bibi--is--is--a good Mzimu."

And Kali cowered.

After finishing his work he approached Nell bashfully; then he fell on

his face and began to repeat, not indeed in a terror-stricken, but in

an entreating voice:

"Aka! Aka! Aka!"

And the "Good Mzimu" stared at him, with her beautiful, sea-green eyes

wide open, not understanding what had happened nor what was the matter

with Kali.

VII

The new abode, which Stas named "Cracow," was completed in the course

of three days. But before that time the principal luggage was deposited

in the "men's quarters" and during great downpours the young quartette

staid in the gigantic trunk, perfectly sheltered. The rainy season

began in earnest but it was not one of our long autumn rains during

which the heavens are heavy with dark clouds and the tedious, vexatious

bad weather lasts for weeks. There, about a dozen times during the day,

the wind drives over the sky the swollen clouds, which water the earth

copiously, after which the sun shines brightly, as if freshly bathed,

and floods with a golden luster the rocks, the river, the trees, and

the entire jungle. The grass grew almost before their eyes. The trees

were clad with more abundant leaves, and, before the old fruit fell,

buds of the new germinated. The air, owing to the tiny drops of water

suspended in it, grew so transparent that even distant objects became

entirely distinct and the view extended into the immeasurably far

expanse. On the sky hung charming, seven-colored rainbows and the

waterfall was almost continually attired with them. The brief dawn and

twilight played with thousands of lights of such brilliance that the

children had not seen anything like it, even on the Libyan Desert. The

lower clouds, those nearest the earth, were dyed cherry-colored, the

upper, better illuminated, overflowed in the shape of a lake of purple

and gold, and the tiny woolly cloudlets changed colors like rubies,

amethysts, and opals. During the night time, between one downpour of

rain and another, the moon transformed into diamonds the drops of dew

which clung on the mimosa and acacia leaves, and the zodiacal light

shone in the refreshed transparent air more brightly than at any other

season of the year.

From the overflow which the river formed below the waterfall came the

uneasy croaking of frogs and the doleful piping of toads, and

fireflies, resembling shooting stars, flew from bank to bank amid the

clumps of bamboo and arum.

But when clouds covered the starry heaven and the rain began to fall it

became very dusky and the interior of the baobab tree was as dark as in

a cellar. Desiring to avoid this, Stas ordered Mea to melt the fat of

the killed game and make a lamp of a small plate, which he placed

beneath the upper opening, which was called a window by the children.

The light from this window, visible from a distance in the darkness,

drove away the wild animals, but on the other hand attracted bats and

even birds so much that Kali finally was compelled to construct in the

opening something in the nature of a screen of thorns similar to the

one with which he closed the lower opening for the night.

However, in daytime, during fair weather, the children left "Cracow"

and strolled over the promontory. Stas started after antelope-ariels

and ostriches, of which numerous flocks appeared near the river below,

while Nell went to her elephant, who in the beginning trumpeted only

for food and later trumpeted when he felt lonesome without his little

friend. He always greeted her with sheer delight and pricked his

enormous ears as soon as he heard from the distance her voice or her

footsteps.

Once, when Stas went hunting and Kali angled for fish beyond the

waterfall, Nell decided to go to the rock which closed the ravine, to

see whether Stas had done anything about its removal. Mea, occupied

with preparations for dinner, did not observe her departure; while on

the way, the little maid, gathering flowers, particularly begonia which

grew abundantly in the rocky clefts, approached the declivity by which

they at one time left the ravine and descending found herself near the

rock. The great stone, detached from its native walls, obstructed the

ravine as it had previously done. Nell, however, noticed that between

the rock and the wall there was a passage so wide that even a grown-up

person could pass through it with ease. For a while she hesitated, then

she went in and found herself on the other side. But there was a bend

there, which it was necessary to pass in order to reach the wide egress

of the locked-in waterfall. Nell began to meditate. "I will go yet a

little farther. I will peer from behind the rocks; I will take just one

look at the elephant who will not see me at all, and I will return."

Thus meditating, she advanced step by step farther and farther, until

finally she reached a place where the ravine widened suddenly into a

small dell and she saw the elephant. He stood with his back turned

towards her, with trunk immersed in the waterfall, and drank. This

emboldened her, so pressing closely to the wall, she advanced a few

steps, and a few more yet, and then the huge beast, desiring to splash

his sides, turned his head, saw the little maid, and, beholding her,

moved at once towards her.

Nell became very much frightened, but as there was no time now for

retreat, pressing knee to knee, she curtsied to the elephant as best

she could; after which she stretched out her little hand with the

begonias and spoke in a slightly quivering voice.

"Good day, dear elephant. I know you won't harm me; so I came to say

good day--and I have only these flowers--"

And the colossus approached, stretched out his trunk, and picked the

bunch of begonias out of Nell's little fingers, and putting them into

his mouth he dropped them at once as evidently neither the rough leaves

nor the flowers were to his taste. Nell now saw above her the trunk

like a huge black snake which stretched and bent; it touched one of her

little hands and then the other; afterwards both shoulders and finally

descending it began to swing gently to and fro.

"I knew that you would not harm me," the little girl repeated, though

fear did not leave her.

Meanwhile the elephant drew back his fabulous ears, winding and

unwinding alternately his trunk and gurgling joyfully as he always

gurgled when the little girl approached the brink of the ravine.

And as at one time Stas and the lion, so now these two stood opposite

each other--he, an enormity, resembling a house or a rock, and she a

mite whom he could crush with one motion, not indeed in rage but

through inadvertence.

But the good and prudent animal did not make angry or inadvertent

motions, but evidently was pleased and happy at the arrival of the

little guest.

Nell gained courage gradually and finally raised her eyes upwards and,

looking as though onto a high roof she asked timidly, raising her

little hand:

"May I stroke your trunk?"

The elephant did not, indeed, understand English, but from the motion

of her hand discerned at once what she wanted and shoved under her palm

the end of his trunk, which was over two yards in length.

Nell began to stroke the trunk; at first carefully with one hand,

afterwards with both, and finally embraced it with both arms and hugged

it with perfectly childish trust.

The elephant stepped from one foot to the other and continually gurgled

from joy.

After a while he wound the diminutive body of the girl with his trunk

and, lifting her up, began to swing her lightly right and left.

"More! More!" cried Nell, intensely amused.

And the play lasted quite a long time and afterwards the little girl,

now entirely bold, invented a new one.

Finding herself on the ground, she tried to climb on the elephant's

fore legs, as on a tree, or, hiding behind them, she asked whether he

could find her. But at these frolics she observed one thing, namely,

that numerous thorns were stuck in his hind legs; from these the

powerful beast could not free himself, first because he could not

conveniently reach his hind legs with his trunk, and again because he

evidently feared to wound the finger with which the trunk ended and

without which he would lose his skill and cleverness. Nell was not at

all aware that such thorns in the feet are a real plague to elephants

in India and still more in the African jungles composed mainly of

thorny plants. As, however, she felt sorry for the honest giant,

without any thought, having squatted near his foot, she began to

extract delicately at first the bigger splinters and afterwards the

smaller, at which work she did not cease to babble and assure the

elephant that she would not leave a single one. He understood

excellently what she was concerned with, and bending his legs at the

knee showed in this manner that on the soles between the hoofs covering

his toes there were also thorns which caused him still greater pain.

In the meantime Stas came from the hunt and at once asked Mea where the

little lady was. Receiving a reply that she undoubtedly was in the

tree, he was about to enter the interior of the baobab tree when at

that moment it seemed to him that he heard Nell's voice in the depth of

the ravine. Not believing his own ears, he rushed at once to the edge

and, glancing down, was astounded. The little girl sat near the foot of

the colossus which stood so quietly that if he did not move the trunk

and ears, one would think that he was hewed out of stone.

"Nell!" Stas shouted.

And she, engaged with her work, answered merrily:

"At once! At once!"

To this the boy, who was not accustomed to hesitate in the presence of

danger, lifted his rifle with one hand in the air and with the other

grabbed a dry liana stalk, which was stripped of its bark, and, winding

his legs about it, slid to the bottom of the ravine.

The elephant moved his ears uneasily, but at that moment Nell rose and,

hugging his trunk, cried hurriedly:

"Don't be afraid, elephant! That is Stas."

Stas perceived at once that she was in no danger, but his legs yet

trembled under him, his heart palpitated violently, and before he

recovered from the sensation, he began to speak in a choking voice,

full of grief and anger:

"Nell! Nell! How could you do this?"

And she began to explain that she did not do anything wrong, for the

elephant was good and was already entirely tamed; that she wanted to

take only one look at him and return, but he stopped her and began to

play with her, that he swung her very carefully, and if Stas wanted he

would swing him also.

Saying this, she took hold of the end of the trunk with one hand and

drew it to Stas, while she waved the other hand right and left, saying

at the same time to the elephant:

"Elephant! Swing Stas also."

The wise animal surmised from her gesture what she wanted of him, and

Stas, caught by the belt of his trousers, in one moment found himself

in mid-air. In this there was such a strange and amusing contrast

between his still angry mien and this rocking above the earth that the

little "Mzimu" began to laugh until the tears came, clapping all the

time her hands and shouting as before:

"More! More!"

And as it is impossible to preserve an appropriate dignity and deliver

a lecture on deportment at a time when one is suspended from the end of

an elephant's trunk and involuntarily goes through the motions of a

pendulum, the boy in the end began to laugh also. But after a certain

time, noticing that the motions of the trunk were slackening and the

elephant intended to deposit him on the ground, a new idea unexpectedly

occurred to him, and, taking advantage of the moment at which he found

himself close to the prodigious ear, he grabbed it with both hands and

in the twinkling of an eye climbed over it onto the head and sat on the

elephant's neck.

"Aha!" he exclaimed from above to Nell; "let him understand that he

must obey me."

And he began to stroke the elephant's head with his palm with the mien

of a ruler and master.

"Good!" cried Nell from below, "but how will you get down now?"

"That is small trouble," Stas answered.

And slinging his legs over the elephant's forehead, he entwined the

trunk with them and slid over it as if down a tree.

"That is how I come down."

After which both began to pick out the rest of the thorns from the legs

of the elephant who submitted with the greatest patience.

In the meantime the first drops of rain fell; so Stas decided to escort

Nell to "Cracow"; but here an unexpected obstacle presented itself. The

elephant did not want to part from her and every time she attempted to

go away he turned her about with his trunk and drew her towards him.

The situation became disagreeable, and the merry play in view of the

stubbornness of the elephant might have ended unfortunately. The boy

did not know what to do as the rain became each moment heavier and a

downpour threatened them. Both withdrew, indeed, somewhat towards the

egress, but gradually, and the elephant followed them.

Finally Stas stood between him and Nell. He fixed his gaze upon the

elephant's eyes and at the same time said to Nell in an undertone:

"Don't run, but continually draw back to the narrow passageway."

"And you, Stas?" the little maid asked.

"Draw back!" repeated Stas with emphasis, "otherwise I shall have to

shoot the elephant."

The little maid, under the influence of this threat, obeyed the

command; the more so as, having already unbounded confidence in the

elephant, she was sure that under no circumstances would he do any harm

to Stas.

But the boy stood about four paces from the giant, not removing his

eyes from him for a moment.

In this manner a few minutes passed; a moment full of danger followed.

The ears of the elephant moved a score of times, his little eyes

glittered strangely, and suddenly his trunk was raised.

Stas felt that he was turning pale.

"Death!" he thought.

But the colossus turned his trunk unexpectedly toward the brink where

he was accustomed to see Nell and began to trumpet more mournfully than

he had ever done before.

Stas went peacefully to the passageway and behind the rock found Nell,

who did not want to return to the tree without him.

The boy had an uncontrollable desire to say to her: "See what you have

done! On account of you I might have been killed." But there was no

time for reproof as the rain changed into a downpour and it was

necessary to return as quickly as possible. Nell was drenched to the

skin though Stas wrapped her in his clothing.

In the interior of the tree he ordered the negress to change Nell's

dress while he himself unleashed Saba, whom previously he had tied from

fear that in following his tracks he might scare away the game;

afterwards he began to ransack all the clothing and luggage in the hope

that he might find some overlooked pinch of quinine.

But he did not find anything. Only at the bottom of the small gallipot

which the missionary had given him in Khartûm there lay a little white

powder which would scarcely suffice for whitening the tip of a finger.

He nevertheless determined to fill the gallipot with hot water and give

this gargle to Nell to drink.

Then when the downpour had passed away and the sun began to shine

again, he left the tree to look at the fish which Kali had brought. The

negro had caught about twenty upon a line of thin wire. Most of them

were small, but there were three about a foot long, silver speckled and

surprisingly light. Mea, who was bred upon the banks of the Blue Nile,

was conversant with these fishes; she said that they were good to eat

and towards evening they leap very high above the water. In fact, at

the scaling and cleaning of the first it appeared that they were so

light because they had big air bladders. Stas took one of them about

the size of an apple and brought it to show to Nell.

"Look!" he said. "This was in the fish. We could make a pane for our

window from about a dozen of these."

And he pointed at the upper opening in the tree.

But reflecting for a time he added:

"And even something more."

"What is it?" asked Nell.

"A kite."

"Such as you used to send up in Port Said? Oh good! Do."

"I will. With thin, cut pieces of bamboo I will make a frame and I will

use these membranes instead of paper for they are lighter and the rain

will not soak them. Such a kite will go away up in the air and with a

powerful wind will fly the Lord knows where--"

Here he suddenly struck his forehead.

"I have an idea."

"What is it?"

"You shall see. As soon as I figure it out better, I will tell you. Now

that elephant of yours is making such a racket that one cannot even

talk."

Indeed, the elephant, from longing for Nell, and perhaps for both

children, trumpeted so that the whole ravine shook, together with the

adjacent trees.

"We must show ourselves to him," Nell said. "That will quiet him."

And they strolled to the ravine. But Stas, entirely absorbed in his

thoughts, began in an undertone to say:

"'Nelly Rawlinson and Stanislas Tarkowski of Port Said, having escaped

from the dervishes in Fashoda, are at--'"

And stopping abruptly, he asked:

"How to designate the place?"

"What, Stas?"

"Nothing, nothing. I already know,--'are about a month's journey west

of the Blue Nile and beg for immediate aid.' When the wind blows to the

north or to the west I will send twenty, fifty, a hundred of such kites

and you, Nell, shall help me to paste them."

"Kites?"

"Yes, and I tell you that they can be of greater service to us than ten

elephants."

In the meantime they reached the brink. And now began the shuffling of

the elephant's feet, the nodding, the movements of the ears, the

gurgling, and again the mournful trumpeting when Nell attempted to

retire even for a moment. In the end the little maid began to explain

to the "dear elephant" that she could not be with him all the time,

for, of course, she had to sleep, eat, work, and keep house in

"Cracow." But he became quiet only when she shoved down to him with a

pitchfork provisions prepared by Kali; at night he again began to

trumpet.

The children that same evening named him "The King," as Nell was sure

that before he got caught in the ravine he undoubtedly was the king of

all the elephants in Africa.

VIII

During the few days following Nell passed all the moments during which

the rain did not fall with the King, who did not oppose her departure,

having understood that the little maiden would return a few times

daily. Kali, who as a rule feared elephants, gazed at this one with

amazement but in the end came to the conclusion that the mighty, "Good

Mzimu" had bewitched the giant, so he began to visit him also.

The King was well disposed in his behavior towards Kali as well as

towards Mea, but Nell alone could do with him whatever she pleased, so

that after a week she ventured even to bring Saba to him. For Stas this

was a great relief as he could with perfect peace leave Nell under the

protection, or, as he expressed it, "under the trunk of the elephant,"

and without any fear he went hunting and even at times took Kali with

him. He was certain now that the noble animal would not desert them

under any circumstances and began to consider how to free him from his

confinement.

And to speak properly, he long ago had discovered a way, but it

required such sacrifices that he wrestled with his thoughts as to

whether he would use it and afterwards postponed doing it from day to

day. As he had no one to speak to about this, he finally decided to

acquaint Nell with his intentions, though he regarded her as a mere

child.

"The rock can be blasted with powder, but for that it is necessary to

spoil a great number of cartridges; that is, to extract the bullets,

pour out the powder, and make one big charge out of it all. Such a

charge I will insert in the deepest fissure which I can find in the

middle; afterwards I will plug it and light a fire. Then the rock will

burst into a few or even a score of pieces and we can lead the King

out."

"But if there is a great explosion, will he not get scared?"

"Let him get scared," answered Stas quickly. "That bothers me the

least. Really, it is not worth while to talk to you seriously."

Nevertheless he continued, or rather thought aloud:

"But if I do not use enough cartridges the rock will not burst and I

shall waste them in vain; if I use a sufficient number, then not many

will remain. And if I should be in want of them before the end of the

journey, death clearly threatens us. For with what will I hunt, with

what will I defend you in case of an attack? You well know, of course,

that if it were not for this rifle and the cartridges we would have

perished long ago, either at Gebhr's hands or from starvation. And it

is very fortunate too that we have horses for without them we could not

have carried all these things and the cartridges."

At this Nell raised her finger and declared with great positiveness:

"When I tell the King, he will carry everything."

"How will he carry the cartridges, if very few of them remain?"

"As to that, he will defend us."

"But he won't fire from his trunk as I do from the rifle."

"Then we can eat figs and big gourds which grow on the trees, and Kali

will catch fish."

"That is, as long as we stay near the river. We still have to pass the

rainy season here, as these continual downpours would surely prostrate

you with the fever. Remember, however, that later we shall start upon a

further journey and we might chance upon a desert."

"Such as Sahara?" Nell asked in alarm.

"No; one where there are neither rivers, nor fruit-trees, and only low

acacias and mimosas grow. There one can live only upon what is secured

by hunting. The King will find grass there and I antelopes, but if I do

not have anything to shoot them with, then the King will not catch

them."

And Stas, in reality, had something to worry about, as by that time,

when the elephant was already tamed and had become friendly it was

impossible to abandon him and doom him to death by starvation; and to

liberate him meant the loss of a greater portion of the ammunition and

exposing themselves to unavoidable destruction.

So Stas postponed the work from day to day, repeating to himself in his

soul each evening:

"Perhaps to-morrow I may devise some other scheme".

In the meantime to this trouble others were added. At first Kali was

stung at the river below by wild bees to which he was led by a small

gray-greenish bird, well-known in Africa and called bee-guide. The

black boy, through indolence, did not smoke out the bees sufficiently

and returned with honey, but so badly stung and swollen that an hour

later he lost all consciousness. The "Good Mzimu," with Mea's aid,

extracted stings from him until night and afterwards plastered him with

earth upon which Stas poured water. Nevertheless, towards morning it

seemed as if the poor negro were dying. Fortunately, the nursing and

his strong constitution overcame the danger; he did not, however,

recover his health until the lapse of ten days.

The second mishap was met by the horses. Stas, who during Kali's

sickness had to fetter the horses and lead them to water, observed that

they began to grow terribly lean. This could not be explained by a lack

of fodder as in consequence of the rains grass shot up high and there

was excellent pasturage near the ford. And yet the horses wasted away.

After a few days their hair bristled, their eyes became languid, and

from their nostrils a thick slime flowed. In the end they ceased to eat

and instead drank eagerly, as if fever consumed them. When Kali

regained his health they were merely two skeletons. But he only glanced

at them and understood at once what had happened.

"Tsetse!" he said, addressing Stas. "They must die."

Stas also understood, for while in Port Said he had often heard of the

African fly, called "tsetse," which is such a terrible plague in some

regions that wherever it has its permanent habitat the negroes do not

possess any cattle at all, and wherever, as a result of temporary

favorable conditions it multiplies unexpectedly, cattle perish. A

horse, ox, or donkey bitten by a tsetse wastes and dies in the course

of a fortnight or even in a few days. The local animals understand the

danger which threatens them, for it happens that whole herds of oxen,

when they hear its hum near a waterfall, are thrown into a wild

stampede and scamper in all directions.

Stas' horses were bitten; these horses and the donkey Kali now rubbed

daily with some kind of plant, the odor of which resembled that of

onions and which he found in the jungles. He said that the odor would

drive away the tsetse, but notwithstanding this preventative remedy the

horses grew thinner. Stas, with dread, thought of what might happen if

all the animals should succumb; how then could he convey Nell, the

saddle-cloth, the tent, the cartridges and the utensils? There was so

much of them that only the King could carry them all. But to liberate

the King it was necessary to sacrifice at least two-thirds of the

cartridges.

Ever-increasing troubles gathered over Stas' head like the clouds which

did not cease to water the jungle with rain. Finally came the greatest

calamity, in the presence of which all the others dwindled--fever!

IX

One night at supper Nell, having raised a piece of smoked meat to her

lips, suddenly pushed it away, as if with loathing, and said:

"I cannot eat to-day."

Stas, who had learned from Kali where the bees were and had smoked them

out daily in order to get their honey, was certain that the little one

had eaten during the day too much honey, and for that reason he did not

pay any attention to her lack of appetite. But she after a while rose

and began to walk hurriedly about the camp-fire describing an ever

larger circle.

"Do not get away too far, for something might seize you," the boy

shouted at her.

He really, however, did not fear anything, for the elephant's presence,

which the wild animals scented, and his trumpeting, which reached their

vigilant ears, held them at a respectable distance. It assured safety

alike to the people and to the horses, for the most ferocious beasts of

prey in the jungle, the lion, the panther, and the leopard, prefer to

have nothing to do with an elephant and not to approach too near his

tusks and trunk.

Nevertheless, when the little maid continued to run around, more and

more hurriedly, Stas followed her and asked:

"Say, little moth! Why are you flying like that about the fire?"

He asked still jestingly, but really was uneasy and his uneasiness

increased when Nell answered:

"I don't know. I can't sit down in any place."

"What is the matter with you?"

"I feel so strangely--"

And then suddenly she rested her head on his bosom and as though

confessing a fault, exclaimed in a meek voice, broken by sobs:

"Stas, perhaps I am sick--"

"Nell!"

Then he placed his palm upon her forehead which was dry and icy. So he

took her in his arms and carried her to the camp-fire.

"Are you cold?" he asked on the way.

"Cold and hot, but more cold--"

In fact her little teeth chattered and chills continually shook her

body. Stas now did not have the slightest doubt that she had a fever.

He at once ordered Mea to conduct her to the tree, undress her and

place her on the ground, and afterwards to cover her with whatever she

could find, for he had seen in Khartûm and Fashoda that fever-stricken

people were covered with sheeps' hide in order to perspire freely. He

determined to sit at Nell's side the whole night and give her hot water

with honey to drink. But she in the beginning did not want to drink. By

the light of the little lamp hung in the interior of the tree he

observed her glittering eyes. After a while she began to complain of

the heat and at the same time shook under the saddle-cloth and plaids.

Her hands and forehead continued cold, but had Stas known anything

about febrile disorders, he would have seen by her extraordinary

restlessness that she must have a terrible fever. With fear he observed

that when Mea entered with hot water the little girl gazed at her as

though with a certain amazement and even fear and did not seem to

recognize her. With him she spoke consciously. She said to him that she

could not lie down and begged him to permit her to rise and run about;

then again she asked whether he was not angry at her because she was

sick, and when he assured her that he was not, her eyelashes were

suffused with the tears which surged to her eyes, and she assured him

that on the morrow she would be entirely well.

That evening, or that night, the elephant was somehow strangely

disturbed and continually trumpeted so as to awake Saba and cause him

to bark. Stas observed that this irritated the patient; so he left the

tree to quiet them. He silenced Saba easily, but as it was a harder

matter to bid the elephant to be silent, he took with him a few melons

to throw to him, and stuff his trunk at least for a time. Returning, he

observed, by the light of the camp-fire, Kali who, with a piece of

smoked meat on his shoulders, was going in the direction of the river.

"What are you doing there, and where are you going?" he asked the negro.

And the black boy stopped, and when Stas drew near to him said with a

mysterious countenance:

"Kali is going to another tree to place meat for the wicked Mzimu."

"Why?"

"That the wicked Mzimu should not kill the 'Good Mzimu.'"

Stas wanted to say something in reply, but suddenly grief seized his

bosom; so he only set his teeth and walked away in silence.

When he returned to the tree Nell's eyes were closed, her hands, lying

on the saddle-cloth, quivered indeed strongly, but it seemed that she

was slumbering. Stas sat down near her, and from fear of waking her he

sat motionless. Mea, sitting on the other side, readjusted every little

while pieces of ivory protruding out of her ears, in order to defend

herself in this manner from drowsiness. It became still; only from the

river below, from the direction of the overflow, came the croaking of

frogs and the melancholy piping of toads.

Suddenly Nell sat up on the bedding.

"Stas!"

"I am here, Nell."

And she, shaking like a leaf in the breeze, began to seek his hands and

repeat hurriedly:

"I am afraid! I am afraid! Give me your hand!"

"Don't fear. I am with you."

And he grasped her palm which this time was heated as if on fire; not

knowing what to do he began to cover that poor, emaciated hand with

kisses.

"Don't be afraid, Nell! don't be afraid!"

After which he gave her water with honey to drink, which by that time

had cooled. This time Nell drank eagerly and clung to the hand with the

utensil when he tried to take it away from her lips. The cool drink

seemed to soothe her.

Silence ensued. But after the lapse of half an hour Nell again sat up

on the bedding and in her wide-open eyes could be seen terrible fright.

"Stas!"

"What is it, dear?"

"Why," she asked in a broken voice, "do Gebhr and Chamis walk around

the tree and peer at me?"

To Stas in an instant it seemed as if thousands of ants were crawling

over him.

"What are you saying, Nell?" he said. "There is nobody here. That is

Kali walking around the tree."

But she, staring at the dark opening, cried with chattering teeth:

"And the Bedouins too! Why did you kill them?"

Stas clasped her with his arms and pressed her to his bosom.

"You know why! Don't look there! Don't think of that! That happened

long ago!"

"To-day! to-day!"

"No, Nell, long ago."

In fact it was long ago, but it had returned like a wave beaten back

from the shore and again filled with terror the thoughts of the sick

child.

All words of reassurance appeared in vain. Nell's eyes widened more and

more. Her heart palpitated so violently that it seemed that it would

burst at any moment. She began to throw herself about like a fish taken

out of the water, and this continued almost until morning. Only towards

the morning was her strength exhausted and her head dropped upon the

bedding.

"I am weak, weak," she repeated. "Stas, I am flying somewhere down

below."

After which she closed her eyes.

Stas at first became terribly alarmed for he thought that she had died.

But this was only the end of the first paroxysm of the dreadful African

fever, termed deadly, two attacks of which strong and healthy people

can resist, but the third no one thus far had been able to withstand.

Travelers had often related this in Port Said in Mr. Rawlinson's home,

and yet more frequently Catholic missionaries returning to Europe, whom

Pan Tarkowski received hospitably. The second attack comes after a few

days or a fortnight, while if the third does not come within two weeks

it is not fatal as it is reckoned as the first in the recurrence of the

sickness. Stas knew that the only medicine which could break or keep

off the attack was quinine in big doses, but now he did not have an

atom of it.

For the time being, however, seeing that Nell was breathing, he became

somewhat calm and began to pray for her. But in the meantime the sun

leaped from beyond the rocks of the ravine and it was day. The elephant

already demanded his breakfast and from the direction of the overflow

which the river made resounded the cries of aquatic birds. Desiring to

kill a brace of guinea-fowl for broth for Nell, the boy took his gun

and strolled along the river towards a clump of shrubs on which these

birds usually perched for the night. But he felt the effect of lack of

sleep so much and his thoughts were so occupied with the little girl's

illness that a whole flock of guinea-fowl passed close by him in a

trot, one after another, bound for the watering place, and he did not

observe them at all. This happened also because he was continually

praying. He thought of the slaying of Gebhr, Chamis, and the Bedouins,

and lifting his eyes upwards he said with a voice choking with tears:

"I did this for Nell, oh Lord, for Nell! For I could not free her

otherwise; but if it is a sin, punish me, but let her regain her

health."

On the way he met Kali, who had gone to see whether the wicked Mzimu

ate the meat offered to him the previous night. The young negro, loving

the little "bibi," prayed also for her, but he prayed in an entirely

different fashion. He particularly told the wicked Mzimu that if the

"bibi" recovered her health he would bring him a piece of meat every

day, but if she died, though he feared him and though he might

afterwards perish, he would first so flay his hide that the wicked

Mzimu would remember it for ages. He felt greatly encouraged when the

meat deposited the previous night disappeared. It might indeed have

been carried away by some jackal, but the Mzimu might assume the shape

of a jackal.

Kali informed Stas of this propitious incident; the latter, however,

stared at him as if he did not understand him at all and went on

further. Passing a clump of shrubs in which he did not find any

guinea-fowl, he drew nearer the river. Its banks were overgrown with

tall trees from which were suspended like long stockings the nests of

titmice, beautiful little yellow birds with black wings, and also

wasps' nests resembling big roses, but colored like gray

blotting-paper. In one place the river formed an expansion a few score

paces wide, overgrown in part by papyrus. On this expansion aquatic

birds always swarmed. There were storks just like our European storks,

and storks with thick bills ending with a hook, and birds black as

velvet, with legs red as blood, and flamingoes and ibises, and white

spoon-bills with bills like spoons, and cranes with crowns on their

heads, and a multitude of curlews, variegated and gray as mice, flying

quickly back and forth as if they were tiny sylvan sprites on long,

thin, snipe-like legs.

Stas killed two large ducks, beautiful, cinnamon colored, and treading

upon dead butterflies, of which thousands strewed the bank, he first

looked around carefully to see whether there were any crocodiles in the

shallows, after which he waded into the water and lifted his quarry.

The shots had dispersed the birds; there remained only two marabous,

standing between ten and twenty paces away and plunged in reverie. They

were like two old men with bald heads pressed between the shoulders.

They did not move at all. The boy gazed for a while at the loathsome

fleshy pouches hanging from their breasts, and afterwards, observing

that the wasps were beginning to circle around him more and more

frequently, he returned to the camping place.

Nell still slept; so handing the ducks to Mea, he flung himself upon a

saddle-cloth and fell into a sound sleep. They did not wake until the

afternoon--he first and Nell later. The little girl felt somewhat

stronger and the strong broth revived her strength still more; she rose

and left the tree, desiring to look at the King and at the sun.

But only now in the daylight could be seen what havoc that one night's

fever had wrought in her. Her complexion was yellow and transparent;

her lips were black; there were circles furrowed under her eyes, and

her face was as though it had aged. Even the pupils of her eyes

appeared paler than usual. It appeared also, despite her assurances to

Stas that she felt quite strong and notwithstanding the large cup of

broth which she drank immediately after awakening, that she could

barely reach the ravine unaided. Stas thought with despair of the

second attack and that he had neither medicine nor any remedy by which

he could prevent it.

In the meantime the rain poured a dozen or more times a day, increasing

the humidity of the air.

X

Days of suspense, heavy and full of fear, began. The second attack did

not come until a week after and was not so strong as the first, but

after it Nell felt still weaker. She wasted and grew so thin that she

no longer was a little girl, but the shadow of a little girl. The flame

of her life flickered so faintly that it appeared sufficient to blow at

it to extinguish it. Stas understood that death did not have to wait

for a third attack to take her and he expected it any day or any hour.

He himself became emaciated and black, for misfortune exceeded his

strength and his reason. So, gazing on her waxen countenance, he said

to himself each day: "For this I guarded her like the eye in the head;

in order to bury her here in the jungle." And he did not understand why

it should be so. At times he reproached himself that he had not guarded

her enough, that he had not been sufficiently kind to her, and at such

moments such sorrow seized his heart that he wanted to gnaw his own

fingers. Clearly there was too much of woe.

And Nell now slept almost continuously and it may be that this kept her

alive. Stas woke her a few times a day to give her nourishment. Then,

as often as it did not rain, she begged him to carry her into the open

air for now she could not stand on her own feet. It happened, moreover,

that she fell asleep in his arms. She knew now that she was very sick

and might at any moment die. In moments of greater animation she spoke

of this to Stas, and always with tears, for she feared death.

Once she said: "I shall not now return to papa, but tell him that I was

very, very sorry--and beg him to come to me."

"You will return," Stas answered.

And he could not say anything more as he wanted to wail.

And Nell continued in a scarcely audible, dreamy voice:

"And papa will come and you will come sometime, will you not?"

At this thought a smile brightened the little wan face, but after a

while she said in a still lower tone:

"But I am so sorry!"

Saying this she rested her little head upon his shoulder and began to

weep. He mastered his pain, pressed her to his bosom, and replied with

animation:

"Nell, I will not return without you--and I do not at all know what I

would do in this world without you."

Silence followed, during which Nell again fell asleep.

Stas carried her to the tree, but he had barely gone outside when from

the summit of the promontory Kali came running and waving his hands; he

began to shout, with an agitated and frightened face:

"Great master! Great master!"

"What do you want?" Stas asked.

And the negro, stretching out his hand and pointing to the south, said:

"Smoke!"

Stas shaded his eyes with his palm and straining his sight in the

direction indicated really saw in the ruddy luster of the sun, which

now stood low, a streak of smoke rising far in the jungle, amid the top

of two still more distant hills which were quite high.

Kali trembled all over, for he well remembered his horrible slavery

with the dervishes; he was certain that this was their camping place.

To Stas, also, it seemed that this could not be any one else than

Smain, and at first he too became terribly frightened. Only this was

wanting! Besides Nell's fatal disease, the dervishes! And again

slavery, and again a return to Fashoda or to Khartûm, under the hand of

the Mahdi or the lash of Abdullahi. If they caught them Nell would die

at once, while he would remain a slave the rest of the days of his

life; and if he did escape of what use was liberty to him without Nell?

How could he look into the eyes of his father or Mr. Rawlinson, if the

dervishes after her death should fling her to the hyenas. He himself

would not even be able to say where her grave was.

Such thoughts flitted through his head like lightning. Suddenly he felt

an insurmountable desire to look at Nell, and directed his steps

towards the tree. On the way he instructed Kali to extinguish the fire

and not to dare to light it during the night, after which he entered

the tree.

Nell was not sleeping and felt better. She at once communicated this

news to Stas. Saba lay close to her and warmed her with his huge body,

while she stroked his head lightly, smiling when he caught with his

jaws the subtile dust of the decayed wood floating in the streak of

light which the last rays of the setting sun formed in the tree. She

apparently was in a better frame of mind, as after a while she

addressed Stas with quite a lively mien.

"And perhaps I may not die."

"You surely will not die," Stas replied; "since after the second attack

you feel stronger, the third will not come at all."

But she began to blink with her eyelids as if she were meditating over

something and said:

"If I had bitter powders like that which made me feel so well after the

night with the lions--do you remember?--then I would not think the

least bit of dying not even so much!"

And she indicated upon her little finger just how little in that case

she would be prepared to die.

"Ah!" Stas declared, "I do not know what I would not give for a pinch

of quinine."

And he thought that if he had enough of it, he would at once treat Nell

with two powders, even, and then he would wrap her in plaids, seat her

before him on a horse, and start immediately in a direction opposite to

the one in which the camp of the dervishes was located.

In the meantime the sun set and the jungle was suddenly plunged in

darkness.

The little girl chattered yet for half an hour, after which she fell

asleep and Stas meditated further about the dervishes and quinine. His

distressed but resourceful mind began to labor and form plans, each one

bolder and more audacious than the other. First he began to ponder over

whether that smoke in the southern direction necessarily came from

Smain's camp. It might indeed be dervishes, but it also might be Arabs

from the ocean coast, who made great expeditions into the interior for

ivory and slaves. These had nothing in common with the dervishes who

injured their trade. The smoke might also be from a camp of Abyssinians

or from some negro village at the foot-hills which the slave hunters

had not yet reached. Would it not be proper for him to satisfy himself

upon this point?

The Arabs from Zanzibar, from the vicinity of Bagamoyo, from Witu and

from Mombasa, and in general from the territory bordering on the ocean,

were people who continuously came in contact with white men; so who

knows whether for a great reward they would not conduct them to the

nearest port? Stas knew perfectly well that he could promise such a

reward and that they would believe his promise. There occurred to him

another idea which touched him to the depth. In Khartûm he saw that

many of the dervishes, particularly those from Nubia, suffered fever

almost as badly as the white people and that they cured themselves with

quinine which they stole from the Europeans, and if it were hidden by

renegade Greeks or Copts they purchased it for its weight in gold. So

it might be expected that the Arabs from the coast would be certain to

have it.

"I shall go," Stas said to himself, "I shall go, for Nell."

And pondering more and more strongly upon the situation he, in the end,

came to the conclusion that even if that was Smain's division, it was

incumbent for him to go. He recollected that on account of the complete

rupture of relations between Egypt and the Sudân, Smain in all

probability knew nothing about their abduction from Fayûm.

Fatma could not have had an understanding with him; therefore that

abduction was her individual scheme, executed with the aid of Chamis,

son of Chadigi, together with Idris, Gebhr, and the two Bedouins. Now

these men did not concern Smain for the simple reason that among them

he knew only Chamis, and the others he never saw in his life. He was

concerned only about his own children and Fatma. But he might long for

them now, and might be glad to return to them, particularly if in the

service of the Mahdi he apparently did not meet with great fortune,

since instead of commanding powerful troops or governing some vast

region he was compelled to catch slaves the Lord knew where--far beyond

Fashoda. "I will say to him," Stas thought, "that if you will lead us

to any seaport on the Indian Ocean and return with us to Egypt, the

government will pardon all your offenses; you will rejoin Fatma and the

children, and besides, Mr. Rawlinson will make you rich; if not you

will never again see your children and Fatma in your life."

And he was certain that Smain would consider well before he rejected

such an arrangement.

Of course this was not altogether safe; it might even prove disastrous,

but it might become a plank of rescue from that African whirlpool. Stas

in the end began to wonder why the possibility of meeting with Smain

should have frightened him at first and, as he was anxious for quick

relief for Nell, he determined to go, even that night.

It was easier, however, to say than to do it; it is one thing to sit at

night in the jungle near a good fire behind a thorny zareba, and

another to set forth amid darkness, in high grass, in which at such a

time the lion, panther, and leopard, not to speak of hyenas and

jackals, are seeking their prey. The boy, however, recollected the

words of the young negro at the time when he went during the night to

search for Saba and, having returned, said to him, "Kali feared but

Kali went." And he repeated to himself, "I shall fear, but I will go."

He waited, however, until the moon rose, as the night was

extraordinarily dark, and only when the jungle was silvered by her

luster did he call Kali and say:

"Kali, take Saba into the tree, close the entrance with thorns, and

guard the little lady with Mea as the eye in your head, while I go and

see what kind of people are in that camp."

"Great master, take Kali with you and the rifle which kills bad

animals. Kali does not want to stay."

"You shall stay!" Stas said firmly. "And I forbid you to go with me."

After which he became silent, but presently said in a somewhat hollow

voice:

"Kali, you are faithful and prudent, so I am confident that you will do

what I tell you. If I should not return and the little lady should die,

you will leave her in the tree, but around the tree you will build a

high zareba and on the bark you will carve a great sign like this."

And taking two bamboos, he formed them into a cross, after which he

continued thus:

"If, however, I do not return and the 'bibi' does not die you shall

honor her and serve her faithfully, and afterwards you shall conduct

her to your people, and tell the Wahima warriors that they should go

continually to the east until they reach the great sea. There you will

find white men who will give you many rifles, much powder, beads, and

wire, and as much cloth as you are able to carry. Do you understand?"

And the young negro threw himself on his knees, embraced Stas' limbs,

and began to repeat mournfully:

"Bwana kubwa! You will return! You will return!"

Stas was deeply touched by the black boy's devotion, so he leaned over

him, placed his hand on his head, and said:

"Go into the tree, Kali--and may God bless you!"

Remaining alone, he deliberated for a while whether to take the donkey

with him. This was the safer course, for lions in Africa as well as the

tigers in India, in case they meet a man riding a horse or donkey,

always charge at the animal and not at the man. But he propounded to

himself the question, who in such case will carry Nell's tent and on

what will she herself ride? After this observation he rejected at once

the idea of taking the donkey and set off on foot in the jungle.

The moon already rose higher in the heavens; it was therefore

considerably lighter. Nevertheless, the difficulties began as soon as

the boy plunged into the grass, which grew so high that a man on

horseback could easily be concealed in it. Even in the daytime one

could not see a step ahead in it, and what of the night, when the moon

illuminated only the heights, and below everything was steeped in a

deep shade? Under such conditions it was easy to stray and walk around

in a circle instead of moving forward. Stas, nevertheless, was cheered

by the thought that in the first place the camp, towards which he went,

was at most three or four English miles distant from the promontory,

and again that it appeared between the tops of two lofty hills;

therefore, by keeping the hills in sight, one could not stray. But the

grass, mimosa, and acacias veiled everything. Fortunately every few

score of paces there stood white-ant hillocks, sometimes between ten

and twenty feet high. Stas carefully placed the rifle at the bottom of

each hillock; afterwards climbed to the top, and descrying the hills

blackly outlined on the background of the sky, descended and proceeded

farther.

Fear seized him only at the thought of what would happen if clouds

should veil the moon and the sky, for then he would find himself as

though in a subterranean cavern. But this was not the only danger. The

jungle in the night time, when, amidst the stillness can be heard every

sound, every step, and almost the buzz which the insects creeping over

the grass make, is downright terrifying. Fear and terror hover over it.

Stas had to pay heed to everything, to listen, watch, look around in

every direction, have his head on screws, as it were, and have the

rifle ready to fire at any second. Every moment it seemed to him that

something was approaching, skulking, hiding in ambush. From time to

time he heard the grass stir and the sudden clatter of animals running

away. He then conjectured that he had scared some antelopes which,

notwithstanding posted guards, sleep watchfully, knowing that many

yellow, terrible hunters are seeking them at that hour in the darkness.

But now something big is darkly outlined under the umbrella-like

acacia. It may be a rock and it may be a rhinoceros or a buffalo which,

having scented a man, will wake from a nap and rush at once to attack

him. Yonder again behind a black bush can be seen two glittering dots.

Heigh! Rifle to face! That is a lion! No! Vain alarm! Those are

fireflies for one dim light rises upwards and flies above the grass

like a star shooting obliquely. Stas climbed onto ant-hillocks, not

always to ascertain whether he was going in the right direction, but to

wipe the cold perspiration from his brow, to recover his breath, and to

wait until his heart, palpitating too rapidly, calmed. In addition he

was already so fatigued that he was barely able to stand on his feet.

But he proceeded because he felt that he must do so, to save Nell.

After two hours he got to a place, thickly strewn with stones, where

the grass was lower and it was considerably lighter. The lofty hills

appeared as distant as before; on the other hand nearer were the rocky

ridges running transversely, beyond which the second, higher hill

arose, while both evidently enclosed some kind of valley or ravine

similar to the one in which the King was confined.

Suddenly, about three or four hundred paces on the right, he perceived

on the rocky wall the rosy reflection of a flame.

He stood still. His heart again beat so strongly that he almost heard

it amid the stillness of the night. Whom would he see below? Arabs from

the eastern coast? Smain's dervishes, or savage negroes who, escaping

from their native villages, sought protection from the dervishes in the

inaccessible thickets of the hills? Would he find death, or slavery, or

salvation for Nell?

It was imperative to ascertain this. He could not retreat now, nor did

he desire to. After a while he stepped in the direction of the fire,

moving as quietly as possible and holding the breath in his bosom.

Having proceeded thus about a hundred paces he unexpectedly heard from

the direction of the jungle the snorting of horses and again stopped.

In the moonlight he counted five horses. For the dervishes this would

not be enough, but he assumed that the rest were concealed in the high

grass. He was only surprised that there were no guards near them nor

had these guards lighted any fires above to scare away the wild

animals. But he thanked the Lord that it was so, as he could proceed

farther without detection.

The luster on the rocks became more and more distinct. Before a quarter

of an hour passed, Stas found himself at a place at which the opposite

rock was most illuminated, which indicated that at its base a fire must

be burning.

Then, crawling slowly, he crept to the brink and glanced below.

The first object which struck his eyes was a big white tent; before the

tent stood a canvas field bed, and on it lay a man attired in a white

European dress. A little negro, perhaps twelve years old, was adding

dry fuel to the fire which illumined the rocky wall and a row of

negroes sleeping under it on both sides of the tent.

Stas in one moment slid down the declivity to the bottom of the ravine.

XI

For some time from exhaustion and emotion he could not utter a word,

and stood panting heavily before the man lying on the bed, who also was

silent and stared at him with an amazement bordering almost upon

unconsciousness.

Finally the latter exclaimed:

"Nasibu! Are you there?"

"Yes, master," answered the negro lad.

"Do you see any one any one standing there before me?"

But before the boy was able to reply Stas recovered his speech.

"Sir," he said, "my name is Stanislas Tarkowski. With little Miss

Rawlinson I have escaped from dervish captivity and we are hiding in

the jungle. But Nell is terribly sick; and for her sake I beg for help."

The unknown continued to stare at him, blinking with his eyes, and then

rubbed his brow with his hand.

"I not only see but hear!" he said to himself. "This is no illusion!

What? Help? I myself am in need of help. I am wounded."

Suddenly, however, he shook himself as though out of a wild dream or

torpor, gazed more consciously, and, with a gleam of joy in his eyes,

said:

"A white boy!--I again see a white one! I welcome you whoever you are.

Did you speak of some sick girl? What do you want of me?"

Stas repeated that the sick girl was Nell, the daughter of Mr.

Rawlinson, one of the directors of the Canal; that she already had

suffered from two attacks of fever and must die if he did not obtain

quinine to prevent the third.

"Two attacks--that is bad!" answered the unknown. "But I can give you

as much quinine as you want. I have several jars of it which are of no

use to me now."

Speaking thus, he ordered little Nasibu to hand him a big tin box,

which apparently was a small traveling drug store; he took out of it

two rather large jars filled with a powder and gave them to Stas.

"This is half of what I have. It will last you for a year even."

Stas had a desire to shout from sheer delight, so he began to thank him

with as much rapture as if his own life were involved.

The unknown nodded his head several times, and said:

"Good, good, my name is Linde; I am a Swiss from Zurich. Two days ago I

met with an accident. A wart-hog wounded me severely."

Afterwards he addressed the lad:

"Nasibu, fill my pipe."

Then he said to Stas:

"In the night-time the fever is worse and my mind becomes confused. But

a pipe clears my thoughts. Truly, did you say that you had escaped from

dervish captivity and are hiding in the jungle? Is it so?"

"Yes, sir. I said it."

"And what do you intend to do?"

"Fly to Abyssinia."

"You will fall into the hands of the Mahdists; whose divisions are

prowling all along the boundary."

"We cannot, however, undertake anything else."

"Ah, a month ago I could still have given you aid. But now I am

alone--dependent only upon Divine mercy and that black lad."

Stas gazed at him with astonishment.

"And this camp?"

"It is the camp of death."

"And those negroes?"

"Those negroes are sleeping and will not awaken any more."

"I do not understand--"

"They are suffering from the sleeping sickness.* [* Recent

investigations have demonstrated that this disease is inoculated in

people by the bite of the same fly "tsetse" which kills oxen and

horses. Nevertheless its bite causes the sleeping sickness only in

certain localities. During the time of the Mahdist rebellion the cause

of the disease was unknown.] Those are men from beyond the Great Lakes

where this terrible disease is continually raging and all fell prey to

it, excepting those who previously died of small-pox. Only that boy

remains to me."

Stas, just before, was struck by the fact that at the time when he slid

into the ravine not a negro stirred or even quivered, and that during

the whole conversation all slept--some with heads propped on the rock,

others with heads drooping upon their breasts.

"They are sleeping and will not awaken any more?" he asked, as though

he had not yet realized the significance of what he had heard.

And Linde said:

"Ah! This Africa is a charnel house."

But further conversation was interrupted by the stamping of the horses,

which, startled at something in the jungle, came jumping with fettered

legs to the edge of the valley, desiring to be nearer to the men and

the light.

"That is nothing--those are horses," the Swiss said. "I captured them

from the Mahdists whom I routed a few weeks ago. There were three

hundred of them; perhaps more. But they had principally spears, and my

men Remingtons, which now are stacked under that wall, absolutely

useless. If you need arms or ammunition take all that you want. Take a

horse also; you will return sooner to your patient--how old is she?"

"Eight," Stas replied.

"Then she is still a child-- Let Nasibu give you tea, rice, coffee, and

wine for her. Take of the supplies whatever you want, and to-morrow

come for more."

"I shall surely return to thank you once more from my whole heart and

help you in whatever I can."

And Linde said:

"It is good even to gaze at a European face. If you had come earlier I

would have been more conscious. Now the fever is taking hold of me, for

I see double. Are there two of you above me? No, I know that you are

alone and that this is only the fever. Ah! this Africa!"

And he closed his eyes.

A quarter of an hour later Stas started to return from this strange

camp of sleep and death, but this time on horseback. The night was

still dark, but now he paid no heed to any dangers which he might

encounter in the high grass. He kept, however, more closely to the

river, assuming that both ravines must lead to it. After all it was

considerably easier to return, as in the stillness of the night came

from a distance the roar of the waterfall; the clouds in the western

sky were scattered and, besides the moon, the zodiacal light shone

strongly. The boy pricked the horse on the flanks with the broad

Arabian stirrups and rode at almost breakneck speed, saying in his

soul: "What are lions and panthers to me? I have quinine for my little

one!" And from time to time he felt the jars with his hand, as if he

wanted to assure himself that he actually possessed them and that it

was not all a dream. Various thoughts and pictures flitted through his

brain. He saw the wounded Swiss to whom he felt immense gratitude and

whom he pitied so heartily that, at first, during their conversation,

he took him for a madman; he saw little Nasibu with skull as round as a

ball, and the row of sleeping "pagahs," and the barrels of the

Remingtons stacked against the rock and glistening in the fire. He was

almost certain that the battle which Linde mentioned was with Smain's

division, and it seemed strange to him to think that Smain might have

fallen.

With these visions mingled the constant thought of Nell. He pictured to

himself how surprised she would be to behold on the morrow a whole jar

of quinine, and that she probably would take him for a performer of

miracles. "Ah," he said to himself, "if I had acted like a coward and

had not gone to ascertain where that smoke came from I would not have

forgiven myself during the rest of my life."

After the lapse of a little less than an hour the roar of the waterfall

became quite distinct and, from the croaking of frogs, he conjectured

that he already was near the expansion where he had previously shot

aquatic birds. In the moon's luster he even recognized in the distance

the trees standing above it. Now it was necessary to exercise greater

caution, as that overflow formed at the same time a watering place to

which all the animals of the locality came, for the banks of the river

elsewhere were steep and inaccessible. But it was already late and the

beasts of prey evidently hid in rocky dens after their nocturnal

quests. The horse snorted a little, scenting the recent tracks of lions

or panthers; nevertheless, Stas rode on happily, and a moment later saw

on the high promontory the big black silhouette of "Cracow." For the

first time in Africa he had a sensation as if he had arrived at home.

He reckoned that he would find all asleep, but he reckoned without

Saba, who began to bark loud enough to awaken even the dead. Kali also

appeared before the tree and exclaimed:

"Bwana kubwa! On horseback!"

In his voice there was, however, more joy than surprise, as he believed

in Stas' powers so much that if the latter had even created a horse,

the black boy would not have been very much surprised.

But as joy in negroes manifests itself in laughter, he began to slap

his thighs with his palms and laugh like a madman.

"Tie this horse," Stas said. "Remove the supplies from him, build a

fire, and boil water."

After this he entered the tree. Nell awoke also and began to call him.

Stas, drawing aside the canvas wall, saw by the light of the fire-pot

her pale face, and thin, white hands lying on the plaids with which she

was covered.

"How do you feel, little one?" he asked merrily.

"Good, and I slept well until Saba awoke me. But why do you not sleep?"

"Because I rode away."

"Where?"

"To a drug store."

"To a drug store?"

"Yes, for quinine."

The little girl did not indeed relish very much the taste of the

quinine powders which she had taken before, but, as she regarded them

as an infallible remedy for all the diseases in the world, she sighed

and said:

"I know that you have not got any quinine."

Stas raised one of the jars towards the fire-pot and asked with pride

and joy:

"And what is this?"

Nell could scarcely believe her eyes, while he said hurriedly, with

beaming countenance:

"Now you will be well! I shall wrap up at once a large dose in a fresh

fig peel and you must swallow it. And you shall see with what you will

drink it down. Why are you staring at me like at a green cat? Yes! I

have a second jar. I got both from a white man, whose camp is about

four miles from here. I have just returned from him. His name is Linde

and he is wounded; nevertheless, he gave me a lot of good things. I

went to him on foot, but I returned on horseback. You may think it is

pleasant to go through the jungle at night. Brr! I would not go a

second time for anything, unless I again needed quinine."

Saying this, he left the astonished little maid while he went to the

"men's quarters," selected from a supply of figs the smallest one,

hollowed it out, and filled the center with quinine, taking care that

the dose should not be greater than those powders which he had received

in Khartûm. After which he left the tree, poured tea into a utensil

with water, and returned to Nell with the remedy.

And during that time she reflected upon everything which had happened.

She was immensely curious as to who that white man was. From whence did

Stas get the information about him? Would he come to them, and would he

travel along with them? She did not doubt that since Stas had secured

the quinine she would regain her health. But Stas during the night-time

went through the jungle as if it were nothing. Nell, notwithstanding

her admiration for him, had considered, not reflecting much over it,

that everything he did for her was to be taken as a matter of course,

for it is a plain thing that an older boy ought to protect a little

girl. But now it occurred to her that she would have perished long ago;

that he cared for her immensely; that he gratified her and defended her

as no other boy of his age would have done or knew how to do. So great

gratitude overflowed in her little heart, and when Stas entered again

and leaned over her with the remedy she threw her thin arms around his

neck and hugged him heartily.

"Stas, you are very kind to me."

While he replied:

"And to whom am I to be kind? Why, I like that! Take this medicine!"

Nevertheless he was happy; as his eyes glistened with satisfaction and

again with joy and pride, he called, turning to the opening:

"Mea, serve the 'bibi' with tea, now!"

XII

Stas did not start for Linde's camp the following day until noon, for

he had to rest after the previous night's adventure. On the way,

anticipating that the sick man might need fresh meat, he killed two

guinea-fowl, which were really accepted with gratitude. Linde was very

weak but fully conscious. Immediately after the greeting he inquired

about Nell, after which he warned Stas that he should not regard

quinine as an entirely sure cure for the fever and that he should guard

the little one from the sun, from getting wet, from staying during the

night in low and damp places, and finally from bad water. Afterwards

Stas related to him, at his request, his own and Nell's history from

the beginning to the arrival in Khartûm and the visit to the Mahdi; and

afterwards from Fashoda to their liberation from Gebhr's hands, and

their further wanderings. The Swiss gazed during the time of this

narration with growing interest, often with evident admiration, and

when the narrative reached an end he lit his pipe, surveyed Stas from

head to foot, and said as if in a reverie:

"If in your country there are many boys like you, then they will not be

able to manage you very easily."

And after a moment of silence he continued:

"The best proof of the truth of your words is this, that you are here,

that you are standing before me. And believe what I tell you: your

situation is terrible; the road, in any direction, is likewise

terrible; who knows, however, whether such a boy as you will not save

yourself and that child from this gulf."

"If Nell only will be well, then I shall do whatever I can," exclaimed

Stas.

"But spare yourself, for the task which you have before you is beyond

the strength of a mature person. Do you know where you are at present?"

"No, I remember that after our departure from Fashoda we crossed, near

a great settlement called Deng, some kind of a river."

"Sobat," interrupted Linde.

"In Deng there were quite a number of dervishes and negroes. But beyond

Sobat we entered into a region of jungles and proceeded whole weeks

until we reached the ravine, in which you know what happened--"

"I know. Afterwards you went along the ravine until you reached this

river. Now listen to me; it appears that after crossing the Sobat with

the Sudânese you turned to the southeast, but more to the south. You

are at present in a locality unknown to travelers and geographers. The

river, near which we are at present, runs northwest, and in all

probability falls into the Nile. I say in all probability, for I myself

do not know and now cannot satisfy myself upon that point, though I

turned from the Karamojo Mountains to investigate its source. After the

battle, I heard from the dervish prisoners that it is called Ogeloguen,

but even they were not certain, as they venture into this region only

for slaves. The Shilluk tribe occupy this generally sparsely settled

country, but at present the region is desolate, as the population

partly died of smallpox, partly was swept away by the Mahdists, and

partly sought refuge in the Karamojo Mountains. In Africa it often

happens that a region thickly settled to-day becomes desolate

to-morrow. According to my calculations you are a hundred and

eighty-six miles, more or less, from Lado. You might escape to the

south to Emin, but as Emin himself is in all probability besieged by

the dervishes, that is not to be thought of."

"And to Abyssinia?" Stas asked.

"That is also about the same distance away. Yet you must bear in mind

that the Mahdi is waging war against the whole world and, therefore,

against Abyssinia. I know also from the prisoners that along the

western and southern frontiers greater or smaller hordes of dervishes

are prowling and you might therefore easily fall into their hands.

Abyssinia indeed is a Christian empire, but the savage southern tribes

are either pagan or profess Islam and for that reason secretly favor

the Mahdi,--No, you will not get through that way."

"Well, what am I to do, and where shall I go with Nell?" Stas asked.

"I told you that your situation is extremely difficult," Linde said.

Saying this he put both hands to his head and for a long time lay in

silence.

"The ocean," he finally said, "is over five hundred and sixty miles

from here; you would have to cross mountains, go among savage peoples,

and even pass over deserts, for it is probable that there are waterless

localities. But the country nominally belongs to England. You might

chance upon transports of ivory to Kismayu, to Lamu and

Mombasa--perhaps upon missionary expeditions. Realizing that on account

of the dervishes I would not be able to explore the course of this

river because it turns to the Nile, I, too, wanted to go eastward to

the ocean."

"Then we shall return together," Stas exclaimed.

"I shall never return. The wart-hog has so badly torn my muscles and

veins that an infection of the blood must set in. Only a surgeon could

save me by amputating my leg. Now everything has coagulated and become

numb, but during the first days I bit my hands from pain--"

"You surely will get well."

"No, my brave lad, I surely will die and you will cover me well with

stones, so that the hyenas cannot dig me out. To the dead it may be all

the same, but during life it is unpleasant to think of it. It is hard

to die so far away from your own--"

Here his eyes were dimmed as though with a mist, after which he

continued thus:

"But I already have become resigned to the idea--so let us speak about

you, not about me. I will give you this advice. There remains for you

only the road to the east, to the ocean. But take a good rest before

starting and gain strength, otherwise your little companion will die in

the course of a few weeks. Postpone the journey until the end of the

rainy season, and even longer. The first summer months, when the rain

ceases to fall and the water still covers the marshes, are the

healthiest. Here, where we are, is a plateau lying about twenty-two

hundred and eighty-nine feet above the sea. At the height of forty-two

hundred and fifty feet the fever does not exist and when brought from

the lower places its course is weaker. Take the little English girl up

into the mountains."

Talking apparently fatigued him very much, so he again broke off and

for some time impatiently brushed away the big blue flies; the same

kind as those which Stas saw among the burnt débris of Fashoda.

After this he continued thus:

"Pay close attention to what I tell you. About a day's journey towards

the south there is an isolated mountain, not higher than twenty-six

hundred and twenty feet; it looks like a pan turned upside down. Its

sides are steep, and the only way of reaching it is by a rocky ridge so

narrow that in some places two horses can barely proceed on it side by

side. On its flat top, which is about thirty-five hundred feet wide,

there was a negro village, but the Mahdists slaughtered and carried

away the residents. It may be that this was done by that same Smain

whom I defeated, but those slaves I did not capture because he had

previously despatched them under an escort to the Nile. Settle on that

mountain. There is a spring of excellent water, a few manioc fields,

and a multitude of bananas. In the huts you will find a great many

human bones, but do not fear infection from the corpses, as after the

dervishes there were ants there, which drove us from the place. And

now, not a living creature! Remain in that village a month or two. At

such a height there is no fever. Nights are cool. There your little one

will recover her health, and you will gain new strength."

"And what am I to do afterwards, and where shall I go?"

"After that it will be as God disposes. Try to get through to Abyssinia

in places situated farther than where the dervishes have reached, or

ride to the east--I heard that the coast Arabs are reaching some kind

of lake in their search for ivory which they purchase from the Samburu

and Wahima tribes."

"Wahima? Kali comes from the Wahima tribe."

Here Stas began to narrate to Linde the manner in which he inherited

Kali after Gebhr's death and that Kali had told him that he was the son

of the ruler of all the Wahimas.

But Linde received this information more indifferently than Stas

expected.

"So much the better," he said, "as he may be helpful to you. Among the

blacks there are honest souls, though as a rule you cannot depend upon

their gratitude; they are children who forget what happened the day

before."

"Kali will not forget that I rescued him from Gebhr's hands, I am sure

of that."

"Perhaps," Linde said, and pointing at Nasibu added: "He also is a good

child; take him with you after my death."

"Do not speak of death, sir."

"My dear boy," answered the Swiss, "I desire it--if it would only come

without great agony; consider that now I am completely unarmed, and if

any one of the Mahdists whom I routed should accidentally stray to this

hollow, alone he could stab me like a sheep."

Here he pointed to the sleeping negroes.

"They will not wake any more, or rather--I speak incorrectly--all of

them awake for a short time before their death and in their mental

aberration fly to the jungle, from which they never more return. Of two

hundred men, sixty remained to me. Many ran away, many died of

smallpox, and some fell asleep in other ravines."

Stas with pity and awe began to gaze at the sleepers. Their bodies were

ashen-hued, which in negroes indicates paleness. Some had their eyes

closed, others half open; but these latter slept deeply, for their

eyeballs were not susceptible to the light. The knees of some were

swollen. All were frightfully thin, so that their ribs could be counted

through their skins. Their hands and feet quivered without cessation

very rapidly. The big blue flies swarmed thickly on their eyes and lips.

"Is there no help for them?" Stas asked.

"There is none. On Victoria Nyanza this disease depopulates whole

villages. Sometimes more severely, sometimes less. It most frequently

takes hold of the people of the villages situated in the underwood on

the banks."

The sun had passed to the western sky, but still before night Linde had

related to Stas his history. He was a son of a merchant of Zurich. His

family came from Karlsruhe, but from the year 1848 had resided in

Switzerland. His father amassed a great fortune in the silk trade. He

educated his son for an engineer, but young Henry was attracted from