Challenged
TOWARDS the middle of the afternoon Reeves stood up, stretched his
long limbs, and looked meditatively in the direction of the hill from
which the three comrades had witnessed the mirage.
"Lads," he exclaimed, "I've changed my plans. We'll load up the
camel, take a stock of water with us--that is, if the goatskin
doesn't leak--and make for yonder hill once more. If the palms are
still visible, I'll take a bearing, and as soon as it gets dark we'll
make a dash for it. The stars will guide us."
"I'm game," replied Hugh. "But why do you want to journey by night?"
"We might find the oasis already occupied by someone else," replied
Reeves. "In that case we could skirt the place without so much risk
of being discovered."
"But what if there are no more oases beyond that one?" asked Gerald.
"Either there must be, or else we will not Inn find anyone in
possession of it. My own opinion is that it is the northernmost part
of a chain of fertile land; and, moreover, I don't think we'll find
Arabs there."
"What makes you think that?" asked Hugh.
"Cannot say," replied the correspondent. The lad had heard his elder
speak thus before. He knew that Reeves had an explanation, but for
some reason preferred to keep it to himself.
Within a very short space of time the hierie was loaded up--the
leathern bottle held its precious contents very satisfactorily--and
with eager steps the three travellers set out towards the sandhill.
In the slanting rays of the setting sun the clump of palm trees stood
out clearly against the horizon. From the height at which the trio
stood--about one hundred feet above the level of the desert--the
distance could not be less than eleven miles. All doubts as to the
palms' existence were at an end.
Setting two of the ramrods in the sand, so that they were in line
with the distant oasis, Reeves waited till the sun dipped beneath the
horizon, and the stars shone forth with the extreme brilliancy of the
tropics.
"I've fixed it!" he exclaimed, after carefully checking his bearings.
"Now, forward!"
Allowing their rate of progress to be two miles an hour, between five
and six hours must elapse before they gained the hoped-for haven of
rest, even if the desert presented no unlooked-for obstacles and
there was no necessity to halt. Each of the party was to ride for
approximately one hour, Gerald being given the first place upon the
hierie.
Mile after mile passed without incident, till suddenly the travellers
disturbed a number of large birds, which, uttering fearful cries,
soared wildly in the air.
"That's good!" exclaimed Reeves. "The first birds we've met since we
left Wadi Tlat. That shows we must be nearing a place that is capable
of supplying food to these creatures."
More than two-thirds of the distance was completed when a fairly
dense scrub was encountered, clusters of prickly cacti impeding the
already slow progress of the little band. The soil, too, instead of
consisting of soft, drifting sand, began to become hard and
sun-baked. All this told of the presence of conditions capable of
supporting animal life.
"What's that?" asked Hugh, as a low rumble was borne to their ears.
Reeves did not reply, but, loosening his pistol in the folds of his
shawl, he bade his young companions see that their firearms were
ready for instant use.
"Are they lions?" asked Gerald, after a while.
"Aye," replied the correspondent grimly, "and much too near for my
liking. We may have to use our guns, but I don't want to, except as a
last resource. Get off that camel, Hugh. You'll feel much safer on
your feet."
Hugh instantly obeyed, yet somehow he felt as if he were much safer
on his lofty perch. Nevertheless he half-cocked his cumbersome
flintlock and marched beside Gerald. Reeves was walking on the right
outside, slightly in advance of the others, while the hierie served
as a screen from attack on the left.
Suddenly there was the rush of some heavy body, a dull thud, and a
squeal from the camel as the poor brute was borne to the ground. The
lads had a momentary glimpse of the flashing eyes of some enormous
animal, which had struck down the hierie and was savagely rending its
slender neck.
Reeves aimed at a distance of less than three yards with his long
flintlock, but the weapon missed fire.
"Let him have it, lads!" he shouted; but both, though they presented
their guns, could not fire. With a muttered exclamation the
correspondent snatched the musket from Hugh and again took aim. This
time there was a deafening concussion; but, without waiting to see
the result of his shot, Reeves threw down the discharged weapon, and
drawing his automatic pistol he sent four shots in rapid succession
into the head of the groaning beast, which was still mauling the
unfortunate hierie.
"That's done it!" he exclaimed, as the huge brute rolled over on top
of its victim. "Look out, lads! There may be another about, so reload
that musket."
But with the firing the roars ceased, and a great crackling of the
brushwood showed that some if not all of the lions were in full
retreat.
"He's settled the hierie for us," remarked Reeves, after vainly
attempting to pull the dead lion off the camel's body. "It's tramp
with a vengeance now. Take the water bottle and the dates, Gerald;
they are what we require most at present."
"We've made enough noise to arouse every denizen of the place for
miles around," he continued, as, well laden, the three proceeded on
their way. "Why didn't you shoot the brute when I told you to?"
"I tried to, but I couldn't pull the trigger," replied Gerald, and
Hugh answered in a similar manner.
"You were not lacking in courage," said Reeves. "You both stood up to
it like born hunters. But do you know what you did not do? I'll tell
you. You forgot to full-cock your muskets. Never mind now, but
remember it in future. Many a man has done the same thing before
to-day."
After a while the scrub gave place to coarse grass about a foot in
height, while standing clearly against the starlit sky were the lofty
outlines of the palm trees of the desired oasis.
"Not a word now," cautioned Reeves.
Treading as silently as possible, the three drew nearer and nearer
the oasis. Several times they halted and listened intently, but no
sound came to their ears save the soft swish of the leaves in the
faint breeze.
All at once the silence was broken by a human voice, speaking in a
strange mixture of Anglo-French.
"Stand, whoever you are, in the name of the overlord of Croixilia!"
"We are friends," replied Reeves, speaking in French.
"Throw down your weapons and advance, if you are what you say,"
replied the voice.
"Place your muskets on the ground," said Reeves in a low tone. "I
don't think we need fear." Nevertheless, he retained his automatic
pistol, though it was hidden from sight in the folds of his shawl.
The three Englishmen advanced boldly towards the shadow of the palms,
the correspondent being slightly in front of the others. A horn
lantern was flashed in their faces, and in its gleam they could see
the faces of their interrogator and the men who were with him.
There were five of them--short of stature, none being over five feet
six inches in height, but broad-shouldered and strongly built. They
were dark-complexioned, but in spite of their bronzed features it was
evident that they were not of Arab or negro descent. All had short,
carefully-trimmed black or dark-brown beards. As for their clothing,
as far as the Englishmen could discern, they wore short-kilted
skirts, and buskins of undressed hide, their bodies were clad in
chain hauberks similar to that found on the skeleton in the desert,
while on their heads were quilted caps, strengthened by bars of
steel. One man had a pear-shaped shield slung across his back, two
more had bows and quivers, and all carried short spears.
"Who are you and whence come ye?" demanded the man with the lamp, in
the same strange jargon, which Reeves, fortunately, was able to
understand.
"We are English, and----"
"English?" interrupted the questioner.
"From England, then," replied Reeves, thinking that the men did not
grasp the significance of his answer.
"England? Is it possible? Remember, friends, the words of the wise
monk André," exclaimed the man, turning to his companions.
"They speak somewhat according to our tongue," said another, who had
walked across to the spot where the muskets had been placed. "But
take heed; they have the weapons of the accursed infidels."
"They are indeed the arms of the Arabs who held us captive, but we
have taken them from them in fair fight," replied Reeves.
"Then you have journeyed far and are wearied?"
"We are," assented the correspondent.
"Rest, then, till dawn," replied the man with the lantern. "Your
weapons we must needs retain till we find you to be honest men. Rest
in peace and fear nothing. Tomorrow we must take you to Sir Jehan de
Valx, our overlord of Croixilia."
The leader of the party said a few words in an undertone to one of
his men. The latter raised his spear in salute, and bade the three
Englishmen follow him.
Less than fifty yards from the edge of the oasis were half a dozen
tents, made, not of camel cloth, as are those of the Arabs, but of a
coarse white linen fabric, and ranged in a circle. In the centre a
fire glimmered darkly, for the embers only remained.
"Walter!" shouted the guide, and presently a man, clad like the
others, except that a leathern jerkin took the place of the hauberk,
appeared from one of the tents.
"Food and drink for these strangers, Walter," said the guide
authoritatively. "Then see well to their comfort till the morning. I
salute you--farewell!" and, raising his spear with a respectful
gesture, he turned and vanished between the palm trunks.
Without a word the man Walter brought a portion of steaming lamb, a
bowl of vegetables, a loaf of brown bread, and an earthenware vessel
filled with wine. Knives, forks, and cups there were none. This
appetizing fare he set down upon the ground, then retired as silently
as he had come.
Even in the midst of their astonishment the travellers could not
ignore the pangs of hunger, and soon they were deep in their repast,
Reeves cutting the meat with the dagger, which he had also concealed
in his sash.
"We have fallen upon a mediaeval race of Europeans. Of that there is
not the slightest doubt," remarked the correspondent, when his hunger
was partly appeased. "They have not even advanced to the use of
knives and forks, sharing their meat in precisely the same manner as
did our Norman and early English ancestors."
"Who do you think they are?" asked Hugh.
"Descendants of the Crusaders. A few weeks ago I would have ridiculed
the suggestion, but, by Jove! it seems that the old legend is true
after all. Well, they seem to treat us decently, so that's a
comfort."
"I hope they will send us down to the coast," observed Gerald.
"No doubt they will if they can," replied Reeves, slicing off another
portion of meat. "But it wouldn't be a bad plan to ask that fellow a
few questions. Walter!"
"Try shouting 'waiter' instead," suggested Gerald, when the summons
brought no response.
The correspondent called again, but still there was no reply. Then,
considering awhile, he clapped his hands. The man immediately
appeared.
"Tell me," said Reeves, speaking slowly and distinctly in English,
"how is it that we find men of fair complexion living in the desert?"
Walter did not reply, but remained absolutely impassive, as if
failing to comprehend the question. Reeves repeated his words in
French.
"My eyes, my ears, my mouth are for use solely in my master's
interests," replied the man, in the same strange dialect that the
others had spoken, except that he used but a few words of French
derivation. Reeves could follow the uncouth tongue with very little
difficulty--the question of language troubled him but slightly. The
two boys, being familiar with Chaucer's _Canterbury Tales_, found
that Walter's speech was more intelligible to them than that of the
man who had first hailed them, and who seemed to be a person of
position. "Therefore," concluded the former, "I cannot tell you."
"I wish I had something to smoke," said Reeves to the lads. "A good
meal without a smoke to finish up with is like a concert without the
National Anthem--you feel as if something, is wanting." Then, turning
to the man, who was still standing rigidly by the fire, he asked:
"Can you let me have some tobacco?"
Walter shook his head. "I know not what you mean," he replied. "If
sleep you require, these tents are at your service."
With a gesture Reeves dismissed him.
"They are centuries behind the times," he exclaimed. "Very
interesting, but confoundedly awkward for some things. Well, lads, we
may as well turn in. I think we may sleep without fear of
interruption, which is more than we have done for some time now.
To-morrow we may learn something more interesting."
In a very few minutes the lads were sleeping soundly, but Reeves
tossed uneasily upon his soft couch. His mind was full of the strange
characters and things he had met. The mediaeval weapons, the garbled
language, the absence of the most usual table utensils and (Reeves
sighed) tobacco--all pointed to a discovery that would fill the
civilized world with astonishment. And he, Arthur Reeves, with the
two lads, was to be the herald of momentous tidings! He would have
given anything to be in telephonic communication with his editor for
one brief hour.
He lay and pondered, until the easiness of his bed began to feel
uncomfortable. Placing a blanket on the ground, he stretched himself
upon the hard couch of Mother Earth, and in less than five minutes he
was fast asleep.