A SLAVE.
Although Edgar had felt disappointed when the sounds of the firing round
Metemmeh died away, and he knew by the triumphant shouts of the Arabs
that the British had retired, he had hardly expected that an attack
would be made upon the town until reinforcements came up, and he
consoled himself with the idea that within a few weeks at the utmost the
reinforcements would arrive, and that if the Arabs remained in the town
until that time he would be rescued. Two or three days later he heard a
great hubbub just after nightfall in the streets outside. The Arabs who
were in the court-yard snatched up their guns, and the din became louder
than before.
Above the uproar Edgar could catch the words, "Death to the Kaffir!" and
"Send him to the Mahdi!" and guessed that his own fate was the subject
of dispute. Picking up one of the Arab swords he determined at least to
sell his life as dearly as he could. For an hour his fate trembled in
the balance. At times there were lulls in the tumult, while a few voices
only, raised in furious argument, were heard. Then the crowd joined in
again and the yells became deafening, and every moment Edgar expected to
hear the clash of weapons, and to see the little party to which he
belonged driven headlong into the house followed by the Mahdi's men. But
he had before witnessed many Arab disputes, and knew that however
furious the words and gestures might be they comparatively seldom came
to blows, and though greatly relieved he was not altogether surprised
when at last the uproar quieted down, and his captors returned into the
court-yard and barred the door behind them.
In a short time an argument broke out, almost as furious and no less
loud than that which had taken place outside. The sheik had evidently
his own opinion and was determined to maintain it. Two or three of his
followers sided with him, but the rest were evidently opposed to it.
From the few words Edgar could catch in the din he gathered that the
sheik was determined to carry him off as his own particular slave, while
the bulk of his followers were in favour of handing him over to the
Mahdi's officers. All Arabs are obstinate, but the sheik happened to be
exceptionally obstinate and determined even for an Arab. Had the
Mahdi's officers recognized his right to the captive, and offered him
some small present in return for his slave, he would probably have
handed him over willingly enough; but that they should threaten him, and
insist on his handing over his property, was, he considered, an outrage
to his dignity and independence.
Was he, an independent sheik, to be treated as if he were a nameless
slave, and ordered to surrender his own to the Mahdi or anyone else?
Never! He would slay the slave and stab himself to the heart rather than
submit to be thus trampled on. If his followers did not like it they
were free to leave him and to put on white shirts and follow the Mahdi;
he could do without such men well enough. What would the Mahdi do for
them? He would send them to be shot down by the Kaffirs, as they had
been shot down at Abu Klea and outside the town, and someone else would
possess their wives and their camels and their fields. If they liked
that they could go, and he went to the gate, unbarred and threw it open,
and pointed to the street. The effect was instantaneous. The Arabs had
no desire whatever to become soldiers of the Mahdi, and they at once
changed their tone and assured the sheik that they had no idea of
opposing his wishes, and that whatever he said should be done, pointing
out, however, that in the morning the Madhists would assuredly come and
take the prisoner by force.
The sheik was mollified by their submission, and ordering Edgar to close
and bar the gate again seated himself by the fire.
"By to-morrow," he said, "we will be far away. I am not a fool; I am not
going to fight the Mahdi's army. As soon as the town is still we will
make our way down to the river, take a boat, and cross. Two days'
journey on foot will take us to the village where we sent our camels
with the plunder and came on here to fight, believing, like fools, that
the Mahdi was going to eat them up. We have seen what came of that, and
they say that there are crowds more of them on the way. I am ready to
fight; you have all seen me fight over and over again, and all men know
that Sheik El Bakhat is no coward; but to fight against men who fire
without stopping is more than I care for. They are Kaffirs, but they
have done me no harm, and I have no vengeance to repay them. Fortunately
we did not arrive till an hour after the fighting was over, or our bones
might be bleaching out there in the desert with those of hundreds of
others. It is the Mahdi's quarrel and not mine. Let him fight if he
wants to, I have no objection. Why should I throw away my life in his
service when even the slave we have captured is not to be my own."
As these sentiments commended themselves to his followers the sheik's
plans were carried out.
The unfortunate trader and his wife, who had been cowering in a little
chamber since the sheik and his party had unceremoniously taken
possession of the rest of the house, were called in and informed that
their guests were about to leave them, and were ordered to close the
gate after them and on no account to open it until morning. The party
then set to work to cook a large supply of cakes for the journey. A
little before midnight they sallied out, and making their way
noiselessly through the streets issued out near the river at a point
where the walls that surrounded the other sides of the town were
wanting.
There were several boats moored against the banks, and choosing one of
them they allowed it to drift quietly down the river until some distance
below the town, and then getting out the oars rowed to the other side of
the river and landed below the large town of Shendy. They made a wide
detour to get round the town, travelling at a long swinging trot that
soon tried Edgar's wind and muscles to the utmost. He was not encumbered
by much clothing, as before leaving he had been made to strip and to
wrap himself up in a native cloth. Before he did so, however, he had
been rubbed from head to foot with charcoal from the fire, for his
captors saw that the whiteness of his skin, which greatly surprised
them, for his face and hands were tanned to a colour as dark as that of
many of the Arabs, would instantly betray him.
The perspiration was soon streaming from him at every pore, but he well
knew that any display of weakness would only excite the contempt of his
captors, and although he was several times well-nigh falling from
fatigue he kept on until, when many miles away from Metemmeh, the
natives slackened their pace and broke into a walk.
"I thought," Edgar muttered to himself, "that a good long run with the
hares and hounds at Cheltenham was pretty hard work, but it was nothing
to this. This climate does take it out of one and no mistake. There is
one thing, I have got to get accustomed to it, and am not likely to try
any other for some time."
They continued the journey until morning broke, and then turned off to
the left, and after miles of walking halted among some sand-hills
outside the zone of cultivated land. Edgar was ordered to go and find
some fuel, for the morning was cold, and even the Arabs felt the keen
air after their exertions. Edgar at once hurried away, and was fortunate
enough to find some dried stalks of maize in a field not far off.
Pulling it up by the roots he collected a large bundle and carried it on
his shoulder to the point where he had left the Arabs. An exclamation of
satisfaction greeted his arrival. The sheik produced a box of matches
from a corner of his cloth, for European goods were obtainable in
Metemmeh, and they had found several boxes in the house that they had
occupied. A fire was soon blazing, and the Arabs squatted closely around
it, while Edgar, tired out with his journey, threw himself on the ground
some distance away.
The sheik was in high spirits; he was, in the first place, glad that he
had had his way, and carried off his captive; and in the second, he
felt assured by the manner in which Edgar had kept up with them by the
way, and by the speed with which he had collected the materials for a
fire, that he would turn out a very useful slave. Before starting they
had partaken of a good meal, and each of them had carried off a bag of
five or six pounds in weight of dry dates from the merchant's store. A
few of these were eaten, and then the whole party lay down to sleep, the
sheik first rousing Edgar, and ordering him to lie down between him and
another Arab, tying a cord from his wrists to theirs, so that he could
not move without disturbing one or other of them.
A few hours' rest was taken, and then, with the sun blazing overhead,
the journey was recommenced. They now kept among the sand-hills so as to
avoid the villages near the river, in case a party should be sent out
from Metemmeh in pursuit of them. Edgar had difficulty in keeping up
with the rest, for the hot sand burned his naked feet, and he had to
avoid the prickly grass through which his companions walked
unconcernedly. They continued their journey until nightfall, and then
went down to the river for a drink. Edgar had suffered greatly from
thirst, which he had in vain endeavoured to assuage by chewing dry
dates. His feet were causing him agony, and after satisfying his thirst
he sat with them in the water until his companions again moved back into
the desert.
Edgar could not obtain a wink of sleep for the pain of his feet, and in
the morning he showed them to the sheik, who only laughed at their raw
and swollen condition. As, however, he was desirous that his slave
should continue in good condition, he told him to tear off a strip from
his cotton cloth, and himself walked down to the river with Edgar. There
he allowed him to again bathe his feet, and showed him some broad smooth
leaves which he bade him gather; these were placed under his feet, which
were then bandaged with the strip of cotton. As soon as this was done
they returned to the party, and again set out.
Edgar found the application greatly relieved the pain, and as the leaves
and bandages kept the feet from contact with the sand, he was able to
get on fairly. He felt, too, the benefit from the drink of water he had
obtained from the river, and was able to keep up with the party until,
late in the afternoon, they approached the village where the natives had
sent their camels.
Edgar was left in charge of two of the Arabs half a mile from the
village when the others went on, the sheik saying that in the morning
they were to await him half a mile on the other side of the village.
There was a good deal of grumbling on the part of the men who were left
with Edgar, and he saw that nothing would please them better than to cut
his throat; but when they looked threatening towards him, he simply
laughed, knowing that they dare not use their weapons, and that, did
they venture to strike him with hand or stick, he was a match for both
of them.
It was nearly two years now since he had stood up against the two tramps
at Aldershot, and in that time he had grown from a lad to a powerful
young fellow, with every muscle hardened by exercise. Perhaps the men
concluded that the experiment was not worth trying, and presently left
him to himself, and entered into an animated conversation together.
When it became dark they insisted on tying Edgar's legs, and to this he
made no objection, for he understood that here they were only obeying
the orders of the sheik. A few minutes later he was sound asleep, and
did not wake once until he was roused by the Arabs stirring; they untied
his feet, and at once started on their way. In less than half an hour
they were at the spot the sheik had named; in a few minutes he came up
with six of his men mounted on camels and four spare animals. The two
Arabs and Edgar mounted three of these, and the journey was continued.
They struck off from the river and journeyed all day among sand-hills,
among which they camped for the night. They had brought water-skins with
them, and Edgar received his share.
They started at daybreak again, and travelling the whole day came down
at night upon a small village at a short distance from the river. Here
the sheik had evidently friends, for he was warmly greeted as they
entered. By the conversation at the camp on the previous evening Edgar
had gathered that the rest of the party had gone off to villages to
which they belonged in that neighbourhood, and that those with the sheik
belonged to the village of Bisagra, near Khartoum, that word being
frequently repeated. Before entering the village a short stay had been
made, while some pieces of wood were burned, and Edgar was again rubbed
over with charcoal.
When they arrived at the house at which the sheik intended to stop,
Edgar was directed to follow him, while the rest looked after the
camels. On entering the house he was told by the sheik to go into a
little court-yard, where a negro presently brought him a dish of boiled
meal and some water. He heard a great talk inside the house, but could
understand nothing of what had been said. Half an hour later two of the
Arabs came in, and lay down beside him as before, and in addition his
feet were firmly tied. The next morning the party still further divided,
the sheik with two men and Edgar starting alone.
He felt sure that they were now some distance above Khartoum, as the
city lay less than eighty miles from Metemmeh; they had made, he
calculated, fully fifteen the first night. They had walked at least
five-and-twenty on the second, and had ridden thirty, he calculated, on
each of the last two days. On these they had not, as he noticed by the
sun, followed a straight course, going far to the east of south on the
first day, and to the west of south on the second, having doubtless made
a large detour to avoid the city. During the whole time they had been
travelling over a trackless country, and had met no parties of natives
on the way. They started again before daybreak, and now travelled along
the bank of the river.
Here the country had been cultivated for some distance back, and
villages were scattered here and there. Nevertheless they passed but
few natives, and Edgar saw that many of the houses were roofless, and
that there were signs of fire and destruction everywhere, and understood
that this ruin had been wrought by the hosts of the Mahdi. About mid-day
they arrived at a village on the bank. Its name, Edgar learned by the
exclamations of the Arabs when they caught sight of it, was Gerada. Here
a large native boat was lying moored. Bidding Edgar remain among the
camels the sheik alighted, and was for half an hour engaged in
bargaining with two men, who were apparently owners of the boat.
Terms were at last agreed to, the camels were led down and placed on
board, and the boat pushed off. The sheik made a peremptory sign to
Edgar to lie down and cover his head with his cloth, and Edgar heard him
say to the boatman, "My slave is ill." The river was now at its
shallowest, and the men were able to pole the boat across. Edgar was
hurried ashore with the camels, while the sheik remained behind settling
with the boatman. They were now, he knew, between the two Niles, which
joined their waters at Khartoum. The country here had evidently been
rich and prosperous before the host of the Mahdi passed like a blight
over it. They halted a few miles from the river, near a ruined and
deserted village. Edgar was told to watch the camels while they plucked
heads of corn from the deserted fields, while the Arabs lit a fire and
baked some cakes. None of these were offered to Edgar, who had to
content himself with some heads of dried maize that he picked from the
field.
Two days later they arrived at the bank of the White Nile. They followed
it for upwards of a mile, and then the sheik, who evidently knew the
way, turned off the bank into the river, the others following. The ford,
for such it was, was shallow, the water scarcely coming up to the girths
of the camels. Although the journey had been a short one, they halted
again for the night in cultivated ground, a mile from the river, and
Edgar was ordered to pick corn. The fields had already been ransacked,
and it was only here and there that he found a head of maize hidden in
its brown cases.
After a time the two Arabs joined in the search, and by nightfall a
good-sized sackful had been collected. At daybreak the camels were taken
to a well, where the apparatus for drawing the water still stood, with a
trough beside it. When Edgar had filled the trough the camels were urged
to drink their fill, being taken back once or twice to the trough, until
they could drink no more. The water-skins were filled, the Arabs took
long draughts from a bucket, and the sheik ordered Edgar to do the same.
Then the bag with their maize was fastened on the back of the spare
camel, which was already laden with a miscellaneous collection of goods,
and the party started.
Edgar understood by the preparations that had been made that they had
still a serious journey before them, and it proved to be so. For eight
days they travelled across a desert, their course being to the north of
west, marching from early dawn until sunset. The moment the day's
journey was over he was set to work to gather tufts of coarse grass
growing among the rocks, which cropped out here and there from the sand.
Other vegetation there was none, save some low stunted bushes, which he
also gathered whenever he came across them. With these and the grass a
fire was lighted, and the sheik and two followers roasted a few heads of
maize for their own eating, and with these and a handful of dry dates
appeared perfectly satisfied.
After they had done Edgar was permitted to roast some maize for his own
use. The camels had each a dozen heads given to them. Except at one
halting-place, where there was a muddy well, they received no water; the
Arabs themselves drank sparingly, and Edgar received but a mouthful or
two of the precious fluid. Towards the end of the eighth day the Arabs
began to hasten their camels, and soon afterwards, on mounting an
eminence, Edgar saw some tents standing in a small green valley ahead.
The Arabs fired their guns and uttered loud yells, and at once some
figures appeared at the entrances of the tents and hastened towards
them. In five minutes the two parties met. There were a few men among
those that came out, but the majority were women and children. All
uttered shouts of welcome, and a babel of questions arose.
The sheik did not alight from his camel, but with his followers
continued his way until he reached the encampment. Here dismounting he
entered one of the largest of the tents. The other two Arabs were
surrounded by the natives, and Edgar stood by the camels doubtful as to
what he was expected to do next. He was not left undisturbed long. The
Arabs had evidently told the news that their black comrade was a white
slave whom the sheik had captured, and all crowded round him examining
him with the greatest curiosity. There was nothing to them remarkable
about his colour, for he was darker than any of them; but his hair,
closely cropped like that of all engaged in the expedition, evidently
amused them much.
One of the women quickly fetched a large gourd full of water, and made
signs to him to wash himself, which he was glad enough to do after his
four days' dusty journey, but before commencing he plunged his face into
the bowl and took a long drink. Shouts of surprise and amusement arose
as with diligent rubbing he gradually got rid of the thickest part of
the charcoal, and his skin began to show through.
"I wish to goodness," he muttered to himself, "I had got a cake or two
of soap here, but I suppose it is a thing that they never heard of; even
a scrubbing-brush would be a comfort. I shall be weeks before I get
myself thoroughly white again; it is completely ground into my skin."
He had, however, managed to get rid of the greater part of the charcoal,
and was from the waist upward a dingy white, when the sheik came out
from his tent. He was followed by a good-looking Arab woman. He called
Edgar to him and said, "This is your mistress." Edgar had during the
journey guessed that he was intended as a special present for the
sheik's wife, and that his lot would depend in no slight degree upon
her, and resolved to do his utmost to earn her good opinion. He
therefore bent on one knee, and taking her hand placed it on his head.
The woman laughed good-naturedly, and said something to the sheik which
by its tone Edgar felt was an expression of approval.
The camels had all this time remained kneeling, and the sheik now
ordered them to be unloaded. Edgar had wondered what the various bundles
might contain, and looked with almost as much curiosity as the expectant
Arabs at the process of opening them.
As their contents were gradually brought to light, he understood at once
why the sheik and his followers had taken no part in the fight outside
Metemmeh. They had evidently been far out in the desert, on the track
the column had followed, on the search for loot. The collection was a
singular one, and it appeared to Edgar that they must either have got
hold of three or four of the camels that had strayed away from the
column, or had followed the troops and rifled boxes and cases that had
fallen from the backs of the animals on their way through the trees, or
that had been left behind when the camels fell.
Here were articles of clothing of all sorts--shirts, socks, karkee
suits, boots, ivory-backed brushes (the property, no doubt, of some
officer of the Guards or Heavies), a hand-glass, a case of writing
materials and paper, a small medicine-chest, some camp-kettles, two or
three dozen tins of cocoa and milk and as many of arrow-root, scores of
small tins of Liebig (these three lots clearly forming part of the
burden of one of the hospital camels), a handsome field-glass, an
officer's sword without a scabbard, a large bundle of hospital rugs, a
tin-box marked "tea, 10 lbs.," a number of tin drinking-cups, plates,
knives, forks, and spoons, and a strange collection of odds and ends of
all sorts.
Each article that was taken out caused fresh excitement, its uses were
warmly discussed, and Edgar was presently dragged forward and ordered to
explain. The various articles of clothing particularly puzzled the
Arabs, and Edgar had to put on a shirt and pair of trousers to show how
they should be worn. The chocolate and arrow-root had apparently been
brought chiefly for the sake of their tins, and one of the Arabs
illustrated their use by putting one of them down on a rock, chopping it
in two with his sword, cleaning out the contents, and then restoring as
well as he could the two halves to the original shape. Some of the
children were about to taste the arrow-root scattered about the ground,
but the sheik sharply forbade them to touch it, evidently thinking that
it might be poison. Edgar was consulted, and said that the contents of
all the tins were good.
As they were evidently anxious to know their uses, he took one of the
tin pots, filled it with water, and placed it over the fire. Then with
one of the Arabs' knives he opened a tin of chocolate, cutting it
carefully round the edge so that it should make a good drinking tin when
empty. When the water boiled he took out some of the contents of the tin
with the spoon and stirred them into the pot, and poured the contents
into a dozen of the cups. The sheik still looked a little suspicious,
and ordered him to drink one first, which he did with deep satisfaction.
The others then followed his example, and evidently approved very highly
of the compound, and another pot of water was at once placed on the
fire. Edgar was then requested to show what were the virtues of the
white powder, and of the little tins. He said that both these were good
for people who were ill. The Arabs, however, were not satisfied without
making the experiment.
The arrow-root was not approved of, and the chief would have ordered the
tins to be all opened and the contents thrown away, but on Edgar
continuing to insist that they were good for illness, he told his wife
to put them away in the tent. The Liebig was warmly approved of. Edgar
explained that it was good for sickness, and good for a journey. The
Arabs, seeing how small a quantity was required for making a tin of
broth, at once recognized this, and the sheik ordered his wife to take
great care of them, and said they were to be used only on a journey. The
medicine-chest, with its bottles of various sizes, was also the subject
of great curiosity, and one of the women, going into a tent, brought out
a girl seven or eight years old, and requested Edgar to say which was
the medicines that were suitable for her case.
Edgar felt the child's pulse, and found that she was in a high state of
fever. Quinine was, he knew, a good thing for fever, but whether it
ought to be administered to a patient in that stage he did not know. He
told the sheik that he was not a Hakim, but that if he wished he would
give the child the medicine that he thought was best suited to it, but
he could not say for certain whether it would do it good. The sheik,
who, like all the rest, was deeply interested in the contents of the
chest, said he must do his best. He accordingly gave the child a dose of
quinine, and told the mother to give her a cup of the arrow-root, and
that in two hours she must take another dose of the quinine.
The last subject of investigation was the tea. There was a small sliding
trap at the top of the tin, and when Edgar poured out half a cup of the
contents, these were examined with great curiosity. The men took a few
grains in their fingers, smelt them, and then tasted them. The result
was unsatisfactory, and they were content to watch Edgar's proceedings
before they went further. When he had the water boiling, he put the tea
into a tin pot and poured the water over it, and when it had stood a few
minutes served it out. The verdict was universally unfavourable, and the
chief, in disgust at having brought a tin of useless stuff so far,
kicked it over and over. Seeing that Edgar had drunk up his portion with
satisfaction, the sheik's wife told him that if he liked the nasty stuff
he might keep it for himself, a permission of which he very thankfully
availed himself.
The uses of all the articles being explained, the sheik proceeded to a
distribution. He took the lion's share for himself, gave a good portion
to the two men who had followed him, and a very small one to each of the
other grown-up men and women in the camp. He ordered Edgar to carry his
portion into the tent, where, under the instructions of the sheik's
wife, the articles were all stowed away. The tent, which was a large
one, was constructed of black blanketing woven by the women from camels'
hair, and was divided into two portions by a hanging of the same
materials. The one next to the entrance was the general living and
reception room, that behind being for the use of the sheik's wife and
children.
There were two female slaves who slept in a tiny tent constructed of a
blanket in the rear of that of the sheik, and two negro slaves who
looked after the camels, tilled the ground, and slept where they could.
The sheik's wife was evidently pleased with Edgar, and regarded him as
her special property. Darkness had fallen long before the examination of
the booty had concluded, and as soon as he had carried the sheik's share
into the tent, she gave him a bowl of camel's milk and some meal in a
gourd, and also bestowed on him one of the black blankets, and pointed
out to him a place where he was to sleep just outside the tent.
"It might be a great deal worse," Edgar said to himself as he ate his
supper; "the sheik himself does not seem to be a bad fellow; and at any
rate I owe him my life for his obstinacy in sticking to me, instead of
handing me over to the Mahdi's people. His wife is evidently disposed to
be kind, and my work will be no harder than an agricultural labourer's,
at any rate as long as we stay here. This is an out-of-the-way sort of
place, and if it does not lie on the route between any two places, is
not likely to be much visited. It certainly looks as if the sheik
regarded it as his private property, which he would not do if it were a
regular caravan halting-place.
"It is likely enough that there are very few people who know of its
existence. We travelled something like fifty miles a day, and must be
three hundred miles to the west of the Nile. What I have got to do now
is to work willingly, so as to keep in the good graces of the sheik and
his wife, and to learn the language so as to speak it fluently. It is no
use my thinking about escaping until I can pass as a native, unless, of
course, I hear that we have gone up and taken Khartoum. I wonder how
they are getting on at Metemmeh, and whether they have found the
sergeant. If they have, it is likely enough when he finds that I have
never reached the camp he will go to Rupert and tell him who the
trumpeter of his troop was. I hope he won't; it is much better that they
should wonder for some years what has become of me, and at last
gradually forget me, than know that I am a slave among the Arabs. I am
sure that would be a great grief to them all, and I hope they will not
know anything about it until I return some day and tell them."
He was very glad of his blanket, for the nights were cold; and when he
had finished his supper he wrapped himself up in it and was soon asleep.
He was awoke at daylight by voices inside the tent, and a few minutes
later the sheik and his wife came out, and seeing Edgar standing there
the sheik ordered him to go and assist the other slaves; but Amina
pouted: "I thought you had brought him home as a present to me; what use
will he be to me if he is to work in the field all day with the others?"
"But the Kaffir must do some work, Amina; he cannot have his food for
nothing."
"Of course he shall work when I don't want him," the woman said, "but I
shall find much for him to do. He will draw the water, he will fetch the
fuel, he will grind the meal when I have anything else for the women to
do. When he has done all I require of him, then he can go and work in
the fields. It is no use your giving me a slave and then taking him away
again."
"Well, well!" the sheik said, "do with him as you will; women are always
pleased with novelties. You will soon get tired of having this Kaffir
about the tent, but keep him if you will."
Amina took one of the large hospital kettles, and putting it into
Edgar's hands pointed to the well which lay a hundred yards away and
told him to fetch water. When he returned with it she bade him go out
and gather fuel. The last order was by no means easy to execute. The
Arab fuel consisted almost entirely of dried camels' dung, as the scrub
very speedily becomes exhausted for a considerable distance from a camp.
Edgar took a rough basket to which Amina pointed and was away for some
hours, following the track by which he had arrived and making a circuit
of the oasis, and returned with the basket piled up with the fuel.
Amina was evidently well satisfied with the result of his work, for fuel
is one of the great difficulties of Arab life in the desert. She
rewarded him with a calabash of meal.
"Has my lady anything more for me to do?" he asked when he had finished
his food.
"Not now," she replied.
"Then I will go out and help the others in the field;" and he walked off
to where the negroes were engaged in watering a plantation of maize. The
process consisted of drawing water from the well in leathern buckets and
pouring it into channels by which it was conducted to the plantation.
The negroes looked at him sourly as he took hold of the rope attached to
the long swinging beam that acted as a lever to bring the bucket to the
surface, and one of them muttered in Arabic, "Kaffir dog!" Slaves as
they were they despised this white Christian.
"Well, look here," Edgar said in English, letting go the rope, "the
sooner we come to an understanding the better. I am not going to stand
any nonsense from you fellows; and if you don't keep a civil tongue in
your heads I will give you such a licking as will teach you to do so in
future."
Although they did not understand his words they guessed the import of
them, and the biggest of the men, a powerful negro, repeated the word
Kaffir and spat upon him. Edgar's right arm flew out from his shoulder,
the blow struck the negro on the nose, and in an instant he was upon his
back upon the ground. His comrade stood for a moment stupefied, and then
with loud yells ran towards the tents, leaving the negro to pick himself
up at his leisure. Edgar continued the work of raising and emptying the
bucket until the negro returned, followed by the sheik, his wife, and
all the inhabitants of the village. By this time the negro who had been
knocked down had risen to his feet and was roaring like a bull at the
top of his voice, while the blood was streaming from his nose.
"What is this?" the sheik shouted in great anger.
The negro volubly explained that the Kaffir slave had struck down their
comrade.
"Why is this?" the sheik demanded of Edgar.
"I am my lord's slave," Edgar said; "but this fellow is a slave also. He
called me a Kaffir dog and spat upon me. I knocked him down; and if any
other slave does the same I will punish him also."
As the woman whose child had been ill had a short time before reported
that the fever had left her, and that having drunk two basins of the
arrow-root she was much better, the sheik had been greatly pleased with
the idea that he had made a far more valuable capture than he had
anticipated; he therefore received Edgar's explanation in his broken
Arabic favourably.
"The white slave has done right," he said. "Who are you that you are to
insult him? He came to work on my business, and you would have
interfered with and hindered him. Hamish has been rightly punished,
though truly the white man must have hit hard, for his nose is flattened
to his face. Mashallah it must have been a wonderful blow. The white men
are Kaffirs, but they have marvellous powers. Now go to work again and
let me hear of no more quarrels."
"The white man is my slave," Amina said, stepping forward and addressing
the negroes, "and if anyone insults him I will have him flogged until he
cannot stand. He is a Hakim, and his medicines have saved the life of
Hamid's child. He is worth a hundred of you." And bestowing a vigorous
and unexpected box on the ears to the negro standing next to her she
turned and walked back to her tent, accompanied by her husband, while
the rest of the villagers remained for some time staring at the negro,
and commenting upon the wonderful effect of the white man's blow.