A CRY FOR HELP.
The long rays of the setting sun, which almost touched the horizon, were
flung across the desert, turning it into dazzling gold, as Mr. Hampton
and Ali pushed their camels close to where the three boys had come
together. The camels stood with feet spread apart, seemingly asleep.
Jack and Bob, who also had drawn close, were bombarding Frank with
questions and, almost inarticulate at first, he had just begun to answer
when Mr. Hampton and Ali arrived.
In the background crowded the half dozen Arab guards, sensing something
amiss.
“A cry for help,” Mr. Hampton heard Frank say. “The Professor was
sending out an appeal to us.” Frank looked wildly around at the group.
“Great Scott, can’t we do something?” he appealed.
“Calm down, Frank,” said Mr. Hampton. “Tell us about it, and then we can
decide what to do.”
Frank nodded as he got a grip on his emotions.
“Well, maybe, I was a little inarticulate,” he said, with a rueful
smile. “But, just think. Here I was, bumping along on my camel, and half
asleep. I had the headpiece on, the phones to my ears. But I hadn’t any
real idea I’d hear anything. What’s there to hear, way out here, away
from all the world? The only chance was that Professor Souchard would
take a notion to broadcast something for our benefit.
“Then it happened.”
He paused and looked at the others, before swallowing and resuming, with
his face still pale.
“Suddenly I heard the Professor’s voice, just as if he were right out
there on the desert.”
Frank pointed off into the sunset, and involuntarily, so strong was the
impression created by his words, the others stared, too. All, however,
in a moment restored their gaze to Frank’s face—that is, all except Ali.
He continued to stare through the sun wrinkles about his sharp, dark
eyes. He even raised a strong brown hand to shield his eyes from the
sun. The others, however, paid him no attention. They had eyes only for
Frank.
“Yes, sir,” re-iterated Frank, “it sounded as if the Professor were
right out there on the desert. His voice was agonized, he was stammering
as if in a frenzy of terror.
“‘If you hear me, my friends, come. This is Souchard. I have run fast to
get to this little instrument. It is a raid. I think they are white. I
think they are Athensians, and——’”
Dramatically, sensing the breathless interest of his auditors, Frank
paused.
“And,” he said slowly, “that was all. No, not really all, for there was
a sudden sharp crash that almost broke my ear drums. Then silence.”
He stopped. They continued to gaze at him. Nobody spoke for a long
minute. Every face was pale. Every one of Frank’s three white auditors
breathed faster. Even the Arab guards, bunched in the background, unable
to understand Frank’s rapid narrative in English, still understood
something was amiss. Only Ali paid no attention.
“This is terrible, Frank,” said Mr. Hampton, breaking the weighty
silence. “You’re sure you could not have been mistaken?”
Frank shrugged his shoulders under the flowing burnoose such as they all
wore, finding it more effectual to keep out the heat and wind-whipped
sand than any European costume.
“Just as I told you, Mr. Hampton,” he said. “The Professor’s voice might
have been coming from no farther than you.”
“Ah, I thought so.”
The interruption came from Ali, whose command of English was fluent. Ali
was a cosmopolitan from the teeming streets of Cairo, a man of many
languages.
Now he turned to Mr. Hampton, pointing off to the west, straight into
the eye of the sinking sun, which now was half below the horizon.
“See,” he said.
Faintly limned against the shining disk of the sun, yet as clear as an
etching, could be seen a tracery of lines that might, by active stretch
of the imagination, be considered palm trees.
“The Oasis of Aiz-Or,” said Ali.
“What. That close,” cried Mr. Hampton. “Come, perhaps, we can still be
in time to help. That cannot be far.”
“Five miles at least,” said Ali. “But we shall hurry.”
Turning, he addressed the Arabs in their own tongue. On each face came a
gleam of determination. These were men who could be depended upon, men,
moreover, not only ready but eager, in all likelihood, for a fight.
Those whose only knowledge of camels has been gleaned from circus or zoo
cannot appreciate the speed of which these desert travellers are capable
under urging. A clatter of grunts, punches and camel cries succeeded
Ali’s command to his men, and then the caravan was under way.
Lurching this way and that, clinging for dear life, the boys and Mr.
Hampton managed not only to retain their seats, but also to keep up with
the others. On galloped the camels, every moment exhorted to further
efforts. For a few minutes, while the sun still held, the trees of the
oasis outlined against it seemed literally to hurl themselves forward,
so rapid was the pace of the approaching party. Then the sun dropped out
of sight, literally fell away, and was succeeded at once by darkness.
Still the party kept on without abating its pace, the long legs of the
camels eating up the miles at an unbelievably rapid rate. Jack, Bob and
Frank had no time for thought. They were wracked in every limb. They
felt as if they were being torn apart on a torture machine. Still they
clung, while their camels surged forward with the rest.
Then Ali’s voice was raised in a sharp command, and at once the other
Arabs repeated certain cries to their camels which slowed them down. The
boys had the good sense to realize what was wanted, and they, too,
emitted the necessary grunts which seemed to constitute the language of
camels.
What was the explanation of this maneuvre? Simply that Ali saw looming
ahead the shadowy outlines of the tall feathered palm trees constituting
the little oasis, and had no desire to charge blindly without
preparation or plan.
Mr. Hampton urged his camel alongside that of Ali, and the boys also
approached. Although twenty-five years older than his son, Mr. Hampton
had an iron frame inured to fatigue through years of roughing it in the
out-of-the-way places of the world. He was less blown as a result of the
wild ride than the young fellows.
Long since he had given up any idea of keeping the boys out of danger.
All were strong and cool-headed in emergencies, and he had received
plenty of evidence during recent years that they could take care of
themselves.
Rapidly he outlined what was to be done. Let all dismount, hobble the
camels and leave them in charge of two of Ali’s men, and the balance of
the party, consisting of Ali, four Arabs, the three boys and himself,
nine in all, would advance afoot. In this way, the noise of their
approach could be minimized. Besides, so far as four of their number
were concerned, they would be better able to render a good account of
themselves than if on camel back.
Ali acquiesced, the necessary commands were given, and all caused their
camels to kneel while they dismounted. Then two of the number were left
adjusting hobbles and guarding the animals, while the others spread out
a yard apart, and began to steal forward.