THE ZAREBA.
No sooner had the sheik decided to carry out Edgar's plan than he
rapidly issued his orders. In five minutes the whole of the inhabitants
of the douar were at work, the boys going out to fetch the camels, the
men cutting down the long grass near the well and laying it in great
bundles very tightly pressed together, the women cooking a large supply
of flat cakes for the party. In two hours the preparations were
completed and the twenty men moved off from the oasis. They travelled
until ten o'clock in the evening. By the light of the moon, which was
four days short of full, the sheik and Edgar selected a point for the
erection of the zareba. It was a patch of rock cropping up from the
summit of a sand-hill that fell away from it on all sides, and was just
about the size required for the zareba. The camels were unloaded and the
bundles of forage laid down side by side and formed into a square, the
wall being some four feet thick and two feet high. The whole party,
including the boys who were to take back the camels, then set to work to
cut thorny bushes. These were piled thickly at the foot of the rock all
round, being kept in their places by stakes driven into the sand and by
ropes interlacing them. The work was only completed just as daylight
broke.
"I don't think," Edgar said, walking round the little fort, "that any
men can get through this hedge of thorns until they have pulled it away
piece by piece, and that, with us lying in shelter above and firing down
upon them, will be a difficult task indeed."
The Arabs, who had obeyed the chief's orders with reluctance and had
been very silent upon the journey out, were now jubilant, feeling
convinced that they could beat off the attack of such a force as that
which they heard was advancing. The camels were now sent off, and they
had scarcely disappeared among the sand-hills when an Arab was seen
approaching on a camel.
"It is our scout," the sheik said; "he brings us news."
He tied a cloth to the end of a spear and waved it. A minute later the
camel's course was changed and the rider soon arrived outside the fort.
"What is your news, Yussuf?"
"They are going to start this morning," the man said. "I crept in as
soon as it became dark last night and made my way close up to them, and
I gathered that they have decided to march this morning on to Wady El
Bahr Nile. They could not stay where they were any longer as they had
only brought with them sufficient food for the camels for the march to
the wady, where they made sure they should find an abundant supply, and
having given them a day's rest they were going to push forwards at once
to the next wady, where they made certain of finding the fugitives."
"Will they be here to-night?" Edgar asked the sheik.
"I should think not, Muley. The regular halting-place is five miles
away, and as that is about half-way they will probably stop there and
start perhaps an hour before daybreak."
The scout was sent off to the wady with the news, and the little
garrison spent the day in strengthening their fort, making another hedge
of bushes three or four yards beyond the other, and gathering a large
number of the heaviest stones they could find. These were laid on the
grass rampart, which was thus raised in height nearly a foot, openings
being left in the stones through which the defenders could thrust their
guns and fire without exposing their heads to the shots of the
assailants. This still further added to the confidence of the Arabs, and
when all was completed they indulged in defiant gestures and wild yells
signifying contempt, in the direction from which the enemy would
probably advance.
At nightfall two of the men were posted as sentries, as it was possible
the Mahdists might push straight forward. There was, however, no alarm
during the night; but just as day broke the sentries reported that there
were horsemen to be seen in the distance. As there was no object in
concealment all leapt to their feet. Nine horsemen were seen on the brow
of a sand-hill some two miles away. They were presently lost sight of as
they descended into a dip, and a minute or two later the line of camels
was seen following in their steps. The spear with the cloth was elevated
as a flag; and when the horsemen appeared on the next sand-hill, it was
evident by the suddenness with which they pulled up their horses that
they saw it.
Half a minute later they started again, this time at a canter. When they
came within half a mile the sheik asked, "Why do you not fire, Muley;
your gun will carry that distance easily?"
"Double that distance if necessary, sheik. It is better not to let them
know that we have such a gun here until they get close. It will be
better for you to fire."
The sheik levelled his long gun and fired, and the horsemen at once drew
up, and after a little consultation two or three of them rode off on
each flank so as to make a circuit of this unlooked-for obstacle, while
one of the others rode back at full speed to meet the camel train. As
soon as it arrived the riders, of whom there were two on each animal,
dismounted. The camels were led back to a hollow where they would be
safe from any stray bullet, and after a short pause one of the horsemen
again advanced and at a rapid pace made a circle round the fort at a
distance of two or three hundred yards only. A scattered fire was opened
by the defenders, but the speed at which he was riding disconcerted
their aim, and having completed the circuit he rode off with a yell of
defiance to rejoin the party.
For half an hour no move was made. It was evident that the strength of
the position had disconcerted the dervishes, who had expected to gain an
almost bloodless victory. As, however, Hamish assured them that at the
very utmost the sheik could put but twenty men in the field, including
several boys and old men, it was finally decided to attack, and headed
by the horsemen the dervishes started forward at a run, uttering shrill
yells as they did so. Edgar had persuaded the chief that it would be
useless to open fire until they were within two or three hundred yards,
as but few shots would tell, and the men would be discouraged by finding
that their fire did not check the advance. The sheik therefore commanded
his followers on no account to fire until he gave the order. The
dervishes, however, were not sparing of their ammunition, and fired as
they ran, the balls going for the most part wide, although a few
whistled over the heads of the defenders and two or three struck the
rampart.
"Now I think they are near enough, sheik," Edgar, who had levelled his
rifle at one of the horsemen, said. As he spoke he pulled the trigger,
and simultaneously with the sharp crack of the piece the Arab threw up
his arms and fell from his horse. The sheik and five of his men fired
almost at the same moment. Kneeling as closely as they could, there was
room for but seven along the face of the fort fronting the enemy, and at
Edgar's suggestion the chief had divided the men into three parties,
each of which after firing was to fall to the rear and reload, their
places being taken by the others in succession. Thus there would always
be a reserve and the fire could be kept up without interruption. Volley
after volley was fired, Edgar loading quickly enough to repeat his fire
with each squad.
So rapidly did the Arabs pass over the intervening ground that they
reached the outside hedge of thorns just as the party who had first
fired had again taken their places in front. Five of the dervishes had
fallen and several were wounded, but this had not checked their speed
for a moment, and under the orders of their leaders they at once fell to
work with their swords and knives to destroy the hedge. The work was
done far more rapidly than Edgar had thought possible, and they then
fell upon the more formidable obstacle piled up against the rocks,
attacking it on three sides simultaneously. The defenders now fired
independently, each as fast as he could load, Edgar shouting
continuously "Steady! steady! take a good aim each time," and the sheik
re-echoing his words.
The Arabs, however, were too excited to obey, and the greater part of
their shots were thrown away. Several of the dervishes had fallen, but
the process of clearing away the hedge proceeded with alarming rapidity.
The work was, however, speedily abandoned at the face where Edgar was
stationed, for at each crack of his rifle a dervish fell. Leaving three
of the men to defend that face the rest joined the defenders at the
sides, the sheik taking the command on one side, Edgar on the other. The
fire now became more steady, the sheik enforcing his orders by vigorous
blows with the staff of his spear, while Edgar's rifle on his side more
than made up for his want of influence with the men.
In their fury several of the dervishes sprang boldly into the midst of
the thorns and strove to climb up, but they were met by the spears of
the defenders, and not one gained an entrance. It was less than ten
minutes after the first shot had been fired when the leader of the
dervishes, seeing how fast his men were falling and that they would soon
be no stronger than the defenders of the fort, called them off from the
attack. As they turned and ran the defenders leapt to their feet with
yells of triumph; but the dervishes, turning round, fired several shots.
The sheik received a ball in his shoulder and two of his companions fell
dead. The others at once took to their shelter again, and kept up their
fire until long after the last of the dervishes was out of range. The
moment the retreat began Edgar looked out for his man, of whom he had
not hitherto caught a glimpse in the heat of the conflict. He soon
caught sight of him, and taking a steady and careful aim with his rifle
on a stone, fired, and Hamish fell headlong forward, the ball having
struck him fair between the shoulders.
A yell of triumph rose from the Arabs. The traitor who had brought the
Mahdists down upon them was punished; the one man who could guide the
foe to the wady was killed. As soon as the enemy got out of reach of
shot they gathered in consultation. The defenders could see that the
discussion was excited and violent; they waved their arms, stamped, and
seemed on the point of coming to blows with each other. While they were
so engaged the garrison looked out at the field of battle round the
fort. No less than fifteen of the assailants had been killed, while of
the defenders but two, the one an old man and the other a boy, had
fallen. The sheik begged Edgar to bandage his shoulder; he seemed to
feel the pain but little, so delighted was he with the issue of the
contest. Edgar soaked a pad of the cotton cloth and laid it on the
wound, and then with long strips of the same material bandaged the arm
tightly to the side, and with other strips fastened as well as he could
the pad in its place.
"They are scattering over the sand-hills," one of the Arabs said just as
he had finished, and in a short time a dropping fire was opened at the
fort.
The Arabs would have replied, but the sheik said that it was a waste of
powder, for their guns would not carry as far as the rifles in the hands
of the dervishes, and it was better that they should lie quiet behind
their shelter and allow the enemy to throw away their fire.
"What will they do next, do you think, sheik?"
"I do not think they will make another attack, Muley; at any rate not in
the daytime. They must know they are not greatly superior to us in
force, being now but twenty-five to our eighteen, and no doubt many of
them are wounded. They may try to besiege us. They will know that we
have a supply of water--we should never have shut ourselves up here
without it--but that will fail in time."
"But their own supply will fail," Edgar said. "Probably they have only
brought enough with them for what they supposed would be a two days'
march to the wady."
"I should think, Muley, they will send all their camels back to the
wells, perhaps with one of their wounded men and another. The wounded
man will remain there in charge of them, the other will bring two or
three of them out with full water-skins; he can make the journey there
and back every two days and can bring enough water for the men and
horses. I don't think they will send the horses away. They will do with
a small portion of water, and if greatly needed they could start from
here at sunset, keeping among the sand-hills until out of sight, reach
the wells, drink their fill, and be back in the morning. If they attack
at night it will be between the setting of the moon and daybreak."
"I should hardly think they would do that," Edgar said. "We shall soon
restore the thorn hedge, and they would scarcely be mad enough to attack
us when they know that we have that protection and are almost as strong
as they are. If it were not that we do not want them to know the way to
the wady I should say that we could venture to sally out and march back,
but that would cost us a good many lives, for the horsemen could ride on
ahead, dismount, open fire on us from the sand-hills, and be off again
on their horses when we went up to attack them. No, I think we cannot do
better than follow our original plan. Our water will hold out for a
week, and by putting ourselves on short allowance at the end of a day or
two if we find that they are determined to wait, we can make it last for
nearly a fortnight, and long before that your tribesmen ought to be
here, and in that case only the mounted men will escape us. Three of
their horses lie dead outside, so there are but five left."
"Ah! if we could but cut them all off," the sheik said in a tone of
fury, "then we might be safe for a long time. If any of them get back to
tell the tale the Mahdi will send a force next time that there will be
no resisting."
Edgar sat thinking for a minute or two.
"I have an idea, sheik," he said at last. "Send off one of your boys as
soon as the moon sets, let him go to El Bahr Nile. When your friends
arrive he will tell them of the repulse we have given the dervishes, and
that there are now but twenty-five of them, several of whom are
doubtless wounded. Tell them that if but ten men come to aid us we can
defeat them; let the other ten, that is if twenty arrive, start first,
and turning off the track make a detour and come down at night upon the
wady. There they will find but one man with the camels; but they must
not show themselves, but must hide close at hand. Then when the horsemen
arrive they must make an ambush, and either shoot them down as they pass
or let them go through to the wells. They are sure to wait there for a
few hours, and they can fall upon them there. Let the men be ordered to
fire only at the horses; they can deal with the men after they have
dismounted. The great thing is to prevent the horsemen getting away."
"Mashallah, Muley, your plan is a grand one. Had you been bred in the
desert you could not have better understood our warfare. What a pity it
is that you are a Kaffir! You would have been a great sheik had you been
a true believer."
"Gordon Pasha was a Kaffir," Edgar replied, "but he was greater than any
sheik."
"He was a great man indeed," the sheik said; "he was a very father to
the people; there was no withstanding him. We fought against him, for
our interest lay with the slave-dealing, but he scattered us like sheep.
Yes, Gordon was a great man though, as you say, he was a Kaffir;" and
the sheik sat in silence, meditating upon what seemed to him an
inscrutable problem.
While the conversation had been going on, the bullets of the enemy
continued to whistle round the zareba.
"I will try and put a stop to that," Edgar said; "we have a rifle here
as much better than theirs, as theirs are superior to the guns of your
tribesmen."
The nearest hill was some four or five hundred yards away, and on this
several of the Arabs could be seen. Sure that they were nearly out of
gun-shot, they took but little pains to conceal themselves. Edgar rested
his rifle on a stone and took a steady aim at three of them who were
sitting together. He fired. A yell of dismay came across the air; two of
the figures leapt to their feet and ran back. A moment later four or
five others who had been firing from among the bushes also dashed away,
while a triumphant yell rose from the zareba.
"That is one enemy the less," Edgar said, "and I don't think the others
will trouble us much in future. They must know that they can be doing us
no harm, and now they discover they are not going to have it all their
own way we shall not hear much more of them."
Shots were indeed fired occasionally from the bushes and eminences, but
the discharges were far apart, and seemed to be intended rather to show
the defenders of the zareba that they were surrounded than for any other
purpose. The day passed without any further event. As soon as the sun
had fairly set the defenders sallied out and repaired the hedge. The
enemy probably guessed that they were so employed, and kept up a much
heavier fire than they had done during the day. Edgar, lying in the
zareba, replied, steadily firing at the flashes, and after a time the
firing of the enemy slackened, and the defenders, when they had
completed the hedge, re-entered the zareba through a very narrow gap
that had been left for the purpose, carrying with them one of their
number whose leg had been broken just above the ankle by one of the
enemy's bullets. Under the sheik's instructions some rough splints were
made to keep the bone in its proper position, and bandages were then
applied.
Four sentries were posted, one at each corner of the fort, and the rest
of the garrison lay down to sleep. Twice during the night they sprang to
their feet at the discharge of the gun of one of the sentries, but as no
movement of the enemy followed they soon lay down again, supposing that
either the alarm had been a false one, and that the sentry had fired at
some low bush, or that, if he had really seen a man, the latter had made
off as soon as he had discovered that the garrison were awake and
vigilant. As soon as the moon set the sheik despatched one of the young
men to the wady. His instructions were to crawl carefully, taking
advantage of every bush until he deemed himself well beyond any of the
enemy who might be watching, and then to start at full speed. If he were
fired at, he was, if the enemy were still in front of him, to run back
to the zareba; if they were behind him, to press forward at full speed.
For an hour after he had left the garrison listened anxiously. They were
all under arms now, lest the enemy should try and attack during the
darkness. No sounds, however, broke the stillness of the plain, and they
were at last assured that their messenger had got safely through. For
four days the blockade continued, an occasional exchange of shots being
kept up. The dervishes, however, since they had learnt the range of
Edgar's rifle, seldom showed themselves, but crept among the rocks and
bushes, fired a shot, and then crawled off again to repeat the operation
fifty or a hundred yards away. When the hedge had been repaired on the
night after the fight the defenders buried their own dead in the sand a
short distance off, and had dragged the bodies of their fallen enemies
fifty yards away, as, had the siege lasted many days, the fort would
have otherwise become uninhabitable.
In the morning one of the Arabs had yelled to the besiegers that the
bodies were lying fifty yards away in front of the fort, and that four
of them were free to come and carry them away or bury them as they
chose. The invitation passed unregarded, but during the next night the
bodies were all removed. The sentries were ordered not to fire if they
heard any noise in that direction, for, as Edgar pointed out to the
sheik, it was important that the bodies should be carried away. The next
day several of the Arabs went out and raised heaps of sand over the
horses that still lay just outside the hedge.
The fourth night after his departure the messenger returned with the
news that the tribesmen, eighteen in number, had arrived in the
afternoon. They would carry out the sheik's orders. They were mounting
fresh camels just as he started. Nine of them would hide among the
sand-hills two or three miles away, and would there remain for
twenty-four hours so as to give time for the others to get up to the
wells. The sheik commanding the party had suggested that soon after
daybreak the defenders of the fort should sally out and advance in the
direction where the dervishes' camp was situated, as if intending to
make an attack. This would bring in all the enemy who might be scattered
among the sand-hills near the zareba. As soon as the engagement began
he, with his men, would fall upon the rear of the dervishes.
"Do you think that that is a good plan, Muley?"
"I think so, sheik. You see, if we merely wanted to defeat them one
would not wish them to rally into one body; but as our great object is
to prevent any from returning, it is much better to do as the sheik
suggests and let them get all together."
The day passed as usual, and the next morning shortly before sunrise the
defenders of the fort issued out. The assailants were on the watch, and
from four or five different points round the zareba shots were fired.
Taking advantage of every bush the Arabs advanced slowly under the
direction of their sheik. The dervishes, believing that the garrison
must have been driven from their defences by thirst, and that they were
now in their power, rapidly gathered their force and advanced to meet
their opponents. At first they did so carelessly, but they were checked
by the fall of one of their leaders by a ball from Edgar's rifle. They
then advanced a little more cautiously. Edgar kept close to the sheik.
"They will make a rush soon," he said; "tell the men not to fire till
they rise to their feet."
"Where are the others?" the sheik growled; "if they do not come we shall
be outnumbered."
"Not by much, sheik; one or two of their men are certainly away with the
camels, and we shall drop two or three more of them at least when they
make their rush; the others are sure to be up directly. There, look!
There they are on the top of the sand-hills the dervishes have been
firing from."
The enemy had now approached to within a hundred yards, and were just
preparing for a rush when a shout of welcome broke from the party in
front of them and was at once echoed from the rear. The dervishes sprang
to their feet in surprise and alarm, but one of their leaders exclaimed,
"There are but a few of them! Slay these in front first, then we will
destroy those in our rear!"
With a yell of defiance the dervishes dashed forward. The sheik's party
poured in a volley as they did so, and then grasping their spears sprang
to their feet, Edgar alone remaining prone, and firing four more shots
as the dervishes traversed the intervening space. There was little
disparity of numbers when the parties met. The sheik had, at Edgar's
suggestion, ordered his men to form in a compact group with their spears
pointing outward, as the great point was to withstand the rush until
their friends came up. But the dervishes recklessly threw themselves
upon the spears, and in a moment all were engaged in a hand-to-hand
fight. Edgar, feeling that with a clubbed rifle he should have no chance
against the spears and swords of the Arabs, kept between the sheik and
two of his most trusted followers, and loading as quickly as he could
throw out and drop in the cartridges, brought down four men who rushed
one after another upon them.
It seemed an age to him, but it was scarce more than a minute after the
combatants had closed that, with a shout, the ten new-comers arrived on
the scene. Edgar dropped a fresh cartridge into his rifle and stood
quiet; he had no wish to join in the slaughter. The dervishes fought
desperately, and none asked for quarter, and in two or three minutes the
combat was over and all had fallen, save three or four men who had
extricated themselves from the fight and dashed off at the top of their
speed, quickly pursued by the exultant victors. To Edgar's surprise they
did not run in the direction of the sand-hill behind which he had
thought their camp was made, but bore away to the south.
Pursuers and pursued were soon out of sight, and Edgar turned to see how
his companions had fared. Three of them had been killed and six of the
others had received spear-thrusts or sword-cuts more or less severe.
"It would have gone hard with us, sheik, if our friends had not come
up."
"We should have beaten them," the sheik said. "That gun of yours would
have turned the scale. Had it not been for that they would have been too
strong for us, for they were all fighting men in their prime, and five
or six of my men were no match for them in a hand-to-hand fight.
Mashallah! it has been a great day; it will be talked of long in our
tribe, how, with but twenty men, and many of these not at their best, we
withstood forty dervishes, and so beat them that when a reinforcement of
eight men came to us we destroyed them altogether."
"Four may have got away," Edgar said; "they must have left their horses
in the direction in which they fled. I suppose they feared that some of
us might crawl out and hamstring them did they picket them near their
camp. When I first saw our friends on the hill my first thought was that
we had done wrong not to bid them secure the horses before they
attacked. Now I see that they could not have found them; and it was well
you sent no such orders, for had you done so they might have lost time
looking for them and have arrived late."
For half an hour those unwounded of the party were occupied in bandaging
up the wounds of the others. At the end of that time the men who had
pursued the fugitives had arrived.
"Have you caught them?" the sheik asked as they approached.
"We overtook two and killed them, but the others reached the horses. A
man was waiting there in charge of them, and the three rode off leading
the fourth horse; but never fear, our men will catch them at the next
wells."
The bodies of the fallen dervishes had been examined, and it was found
that among the fallen were all the leaders, these being distinguishable
by their gay garments from the others, who simply wore the long white
shirt that formed, with a coloured straw skull-cap, the uniform of the
Mahdi's men. The two men who had escaped belonged to the rank and file.
The joy of the Arabs was extreme. They loaded and fired off their
muskets, yelled, danced, and gesticulated. They did not believe in the
Mahdi, but his followers had come to be considered among them as
invincible. It was therefore a triumph indeed for the tribe that this
invading party had been annihilated.
The new-comers were surprised at finding a white man among the defenders
of the fort; and the sheik was so proud of his possession that he did
not hesitate to say that their successful defence was chiefly due to the
advice of this slave, whom he described as being, although so young, a
great captain. Preparations were now made for a start. The camels of the
new-comers were brought up from the spot where they had left them on
advancing to take part in the fight. The six wounded men each mounted a
camel behind its rider. The sheik and three of his principal followers
mounted behind the riders of the other four camels. The rest proceeded
on foot, two men being left behind at the fort with instructions that
when the eight men who had gone on to the other wady returned with their
own camels and the seventeen camels of the dervishes, all were to be
loaded up to the extent of their power with the bundles of forage that
had done such good service as the basis of the fort, for the supply at
the wady had been very nearly all cut down, and food would be required
for the camels until a fresh supply sprang up.
The wady was reached at sunset, and a messenger was at once sent off to
the spot where, in accordance with the sheik's orders, the women and
children with the camels were halted until news should arrive of the
result of the fight. It was six miles away, and it was midnight when the
party arrived. Great fires had been lighted, and there was a scene of
the liveliest rejoicing as the women and children arrived. There was no
thought of sleep that night. The story of the battle was told over and
over again, every incident being rehearsed with appropriate gesture, and
even the friends of the six who had fallen restrained their grief for
the time, partly from pride that they had died so honourably, partly
because any show of grief would have been out of place amid the
rejoicings for so great an exploit.
With the exception of the children Edgar was the only occupant of the
douar who closed an eye that night. He had waited up until the return of
the camels and women, had assisted to unload the animals with the
sheik's tent and baggage, and to put things into something like order,
and had then withdrawn himself from the groups of excited talkers by the
fire, and thrown himself down among the bushes some distance away.
He had had but little sleep from the time the party had marched to meet
the dervishes. It was upon his advice that they had gone, and he felt
himself to some extent responsible for the result. During the time the
siege had lasted scarce half an hour had passed without his rising to
see that the sentries were vigilant, and to assure himself that the
silence of the desert was unbroken. The night before he had not thought
of sleep. He had no doubt that the Arabs who were coming to their
assistance would do their best to arrive at the right moment; still,
something might occur to detain them a little, and although the Arabs
had behaved with great bravery hitherto, he felt sure that in a fight in
the open they would be no match against the fanatical dervishes, who
always fought with a full assurance of victory, and were absolutely
indifferent as to their own lives. He had seen them three times at work,
and held their courage in the deepest respect.
The next day there was a grand feast, several kids being slaughtered for
the purpose. The following morning a caravan was seen approaching, and
the whole encampment turned out to meet it, the men discharging their
guns and shouting cries of triumph and welcome, to which the new-comers
replied with many shouts. In front of the caravan two horses were led;
then followed the camels of the dervishes, behind which came those of
their captors.
The sheik pressed forward to the leader of the party.
"There were four horses and three men," he said; "have you them all?"
"Two of the horses and the men were killed," he replied. "The others, as
you see, we captured."
"Allah be praised!" the sheik said fervently; "then not one of the
dervishes has escaped, and the secret of our place of refuge here is
preserved."
Some more kids were killed and another grand feast was held. The
captured camels were divided between the two parties. The sheik took one
of the horses and the leader of the other party the second, and on the
following morning the rescuing party started on their return journey to
the wady they had left a week before, greatly satisfied with their
journey. They had lost three men in the fight with the dervishes, but
were the richer by eight camels, a horse, and the arms and ammunition of
ten of the dervishes, that being the number they had accounted for,
while thirty had been killed by the defenders of the zareba.
Edgar had been fully occupied during those days assisting the negro
slave who had remained with the party left behind in looking after the
camels, drawing water, and fetching wood for the fire. The sheik had
spoken little to him since his return, being busied with the duties of
entertaining his guests; but it was evident that he had highly commended
him to his wife, who bestowed upon him night and morning a bowl of
camel's milk in addition to his ordinary rations. After the caravan had
started the sheik called him into his tent.
"Muley," he said, "you have done us great service. I acted upon your
advice and it has turned out well; and you have shown that you are a
brave fighter as well as one strong in counsel. I have no son, and if
you are willing to accept the true faith I will adopt you as my son, and
you will be no longer a slave but one of the tribe."
Edgar was silent for a minute or two, thinking over how he had best
couch his refusal in terms that would not anger the sheik. Then he said,
"I am indeed grateful for your offer, sheik, which does me great honour,
but were I to accept it I know that even in your eyes I should be viewed
with contempt. Had our people captured Metemmeh when you were there, and
carried you off a prisoner, I know well that you would have treated with
scorn any offer my people might have made you of a post of honour and
wealth among us if you would have abjured Mohammed and become a
Christian. You would have died first."
"That would I indeed!" the sheik exclaimed hotly.
"Honourable men do not change their religion for profit, sheik. You were
born a follower of the Prophet, I was born a Christian. We both believe
what we were taught as children; it is in our blood and cannot be
changed. Were I to say the words that would make me a Mohammedan, you
know well that I should say them with my lips and not with my heart,
that I should be a false Mohammedan as well as a false Christian. I
could as easily change the colour of my skin as my religion, and you in
your heart would be the first to condemn and despise me did I do so."
The sheik sat for some time stroking his chin in silence. "You are
right, Muley," he said at last; "a man cannot change his religion as he
can his coat. I did not think of it when I made the offer; but as you
say, I would rather die a thousand deaths than abjure Mohammed; and
though I now think you worthy to be my son, and to become a sheik after
me, I might not think you worthy did you become a renegade."
"Believe me, sheik," Edgar said, rising, "I feel deeply the kindness of
your offer, and so long as I remain with you I shall take as much
interest in the tribe as if I were a member of it, and I shall do my
best to prove myself your faithful slave. You saved my life by refusing
to hand me over to the Mahdi. I shall never forget it, and shall be
ready at all times to risk it for you, for my kind mistress, and for the
tribe."
"You have spoken well, Muley, and although I am sorry, I cannot feel
angered at your decision."
Edgar saw that the interview was over, and left the tent, well content
that he had been able to refuse the offer without exciting the anger of
the sheik. For another two months the tribe remained in the wady. By
that time forage was running short, and the sheik announced his
intention of leaving it for a time and of going to El-Obeid, where he
might obtain employment for his camels by some trader. Edgar was pleased
at the news. His chances of escape from their present position in the
desert were small indeed, but opportunities might present themselves
during a trading journey.
He knew that some time must yet elapse before he could speak the
language sufficiently well to hope to pass as a native, although he
could make himself understood fairly and comprehend the purport of all
that was said to him; still he would gain an acquaintance with the
country and learn more of its peoples. He saw that he could not hope to
pass as one of the Arab tribesmen, but that if his escape was to be made
at all it must be in the disguise of a trader in one of the towns. Four
days later the tents were levelled, the belongings of the tribes packed
on the camels, and the caravan left the wady on its march across the
desert.