A DASH FOR FREEDOM.
"Possibly," I suggested, "the unfortunate seer flung the belt into the
cauldron as he fell, and it was melted."
"No," said the sheik, "that he did not do. I saw the serpents glittering
in his hand when he was on the ground. Besides, look, there is no melted
gold in the cauldron."
That was certainly true; for, though the great iron vessel had been
overturned, there was no sign of gold upon it, or anywhere on the ground
about it.
Suddenly leaping to his feet, Faris swore a fearful oath.
"Fools that we have been!" he almost shrieked in his rage. "Fools, ten
thousand times fools! That Shammar devil with the rope came to steal it,
and he carried it off. I see it all now; and we let him escape! To think
that I, Faris-ibn-Feyzul, should have been outwitted thus by my enemies!
I swear by yonder corpse," he continued, solemnly extending his hands,
"that I will avenge the death of Raspul; that, so long as my life
continues, I will war against the Shammar scoundrels who have done this
thing. I will pursue them to the uttermost ends of the earth, though it
may cost me my own life, and though it may cost my tribe the lives of
all the fighting men. I have sworn it, and may the curse of the Golden
Serpents, which is the curse of Sophana, the Great Queen, again harry
the Shammar, as it did of yore."
The man's wrath was terrible to witness. I did my best to calm him; for,
in reality, the disappearance of the girdle was rather a relief to me
than otherwise; and, after a while, he became more reasonable, and
suggested that I must be hungry. Under the circumstances it was a
somewhat prosaic suggestion; but it was certainly a fortunate one, in
that it recalled both of us to our senses. More dried dates furnished us
with a meal; and, to our joy, we found, standing in a corner of the
temple, some pots of water, of which we drank greedily. To sleep, or
even rest, was out of the question, for neither of us wished to remain
longer than necessary on the spot. How to get out of it was our next
thought, and we simultaneously decided that our only possible way of
escape would be by the hole in the roof. The idea of again attempting to
enter the maze of tunnelled passages we never for a moment entertained;
and we at once set about to discover a means by which we might reach the
opening above us. The height of the centre of the dome was at least
fifteen feet from the ground. We searched for a ladder, but could find
none; we sought in vain for wood and cords out of which we might
improvise one; and after each fruitless search I became more and more
dejected. Things had been bad enough before; but now I saw before me a
lengthy incarceration in this temple prison, if not even death by
starvation. Yet, the sheik's courage never left him. He was impatient,
certainly, at not being able to pursue his enemies forthwith; but he did
not appear to think for a moment that there was any great difficulty in
our way to freedom.
"Well," I asked at last, "what do you propose that we shall do?"
"Build a tower," replied Faris, laughing, "like that of the Birs
Nimroud, until we reach the outer world. Then for our poor little
horses; a long gallop home to our tents; and, before many days, with
spear and sword against the Shammar."
I caught the sheik's enthusiasm when I realised that his plan was
feasible; and we both set to work with a will to collect and arrange
carefully the blocks of stone and brickwork that lay scattered about.
The goddess, we found, was firmly fixed in the ground, so around the
figure we formed the foundation of our tower, and before long we had
built up to the level of her head and had completely concealed her. Each
of us in turn, like children, climbed to the top of the loose pile to
see how high we were from the ground, and then continued to add stone
after stone to the fast-growing heap. Occasionally we were delayed by a
sudden collapse at the bottom; but we built up again rapidly, and at
length came the time when, standing upright, I was able to place my
fingers on the edge of the broken roof. It was a glorious moment, and I
could almost sniff the desert air outside. The thought of being once
more free sent a thrill through me, and I remembered a certain gymnastic
feat at which I had excelled when at school. It occurred to me that I
was confronted with the identical thing, the only difference being that
in place of having to pull myself up over the edge of, and on to, a
smooth wooden platform, I now had before me a rough, jagged edge of
brickwork. It was worth the attempt, and I tried it.
Firmly, with both hands, I gripped the edge, and slowly I let my weight
hang on my hands, when, horror of horrors, an immense portion of roof
broke off, and fell with a crash to the ground. At the same moment I
lost my balance, and though, fortunately, I kept my feet, my descent was
so unpremeditated that I brought down half our loosely-built structure
on my heels. Faris, standing at a little distance, could not make up his
mind whether to laugh or be angry. Of one thing, however, both of us now
became aware: it was improbable that the roof of the dome would support
our weight, so loosened had the materials composing it become by the
rough treatment it had received at the hands of the Shammar. Still,
there remained the fact that we had heard people walking about on it
with impunity, and this gave us hope; moreover, I had brought down such
a huge sheet of the roof, that it was now broken away in one part almost
to the wall that supported it. We soon made up our minds, therefore,
that our tower would have to be built over again, and closer in to the
side wall, so that, by breaking down another piece of the dome, we
should be able to climb out over the actual top of the wall. How we
laboured at the new tower! Hours passed before it had attained the
required height; but, at last we were able to again reach the edge of
the roof, when, with the greatest care, we pulled down the foot or two
that remained between it and the wall top. Then we added to the height
of our pile, until the happy moment came when the sheik, climbing slowly
upwards, was able to rest his elbows on the wall, and haul himself up. I
quickly followed; and there we two lay panting, and looking down with
joyous eyes on the surrounding ruins and the boundless desert in the
distance.
If I had had my way, I should have remained there for hours, and rested;
but Faris was on his feet in a few minutes, and urged me to hurry after
him, so that we might get to our horses, and start on our journey. When
I come to think of it now, after a lapse of many months, I am astonished
at the absurd confidence that we had, that we should find our horses
where we had left them. I myself never gave the matter a thought; and if
the sheik had any misgivings, he did not disclose them. As can be
imagined, therefore, when we reached the spot where the hobbled horses
had been left, and found that they had disappeared, our hearts sank. The
sheik examined the ground in all directions, and soon broke it to me
that the Shammar had carried off our horses; he was able to trace their
footprints among those of the Shammar horses; and they had added insult
to injury by breaking his spear in pieces and taking away the blade.
"I ought to have known that it would have been so," he said, almost in
despair. "The Shammar dogs have again made fools of us."
"Never mind," I said, trying to treat the matter lightly; "we must
walk."
"Walk!" he replied, derisively. "How think you we shall walk through
that waterless waste, when even to ride through it is courting death?"
"Perhaps," I suggested, "Sedjur, finding us gone so long, will come to
meet us."
"He may do so," said the sheik hopefully "In any case, we may as well
die in the desert, as among these infernal ruins. So, come, let us
walk."
I never in my life felt less inclined to start on a long tramp; and the
knowledge that we had no water and nothing to carry it in, and no better
food than a few dried dates, did not add to my spirits. However, I
pulled myself together, and stepped out behind Faris, whose swinging
pace was terrific. Towards sundown we approached the marsh through which
we had ridden two days before, and to our astonishment saw, on the far
side, a thin curl of smoke rising upwards.
"Sedjur to the rescue," I said.
The sheik smiled, and bade me remain where I was, while he went to
reconnoitre. On looking carefully, we could see that there were tents,
camels, horses, and a goodly number of men, and the spot which they had
selected for their encampment was close to the edge of the lake, a mile
or so from us. To approach them was easy, as the rushes of the marsh
grew almost up to the encampment. Divesting himself of his clothes, and
cutting some of the rushes, Faris quickly knotted them together in large
bunches, and tied them in wisps round his head and the upper part of his
body. Then he waded into deep water towards the edge of the rushes, and
concealing himself carefully, gradually worked his way round towards
the tents. As he said, there was little chance of our being noticed, as
no Bedouins would think of looking out for anyone on foot in such a
desolate and remote part of the desert.
I sat on a tuft of rush grass, and watched the waterfowl taking their
evening flight, hopeful that relief was not far off, and expecting each
moment to hear a wild shout of welcome from across the water. I thought
of the delight of finding George Edwards, Sedjur, and others, waiting to
receive us, with fresh horses, good food, and a comfortable tent in
which to sleep in peace for hours. So I dreamed on, and nearly fell off
to sleep, but no shout came. Then, in an hour or so, the sheik returned,
and shattered all my hopes. He had crept up close to the tents, and had
discovered that the party evidently consisted of some important
personages, probably proceeding, from some interior town, on a
pilgrimage to Meshed Ali, or returning home, with a strong escort of a
tribe, the men of which he was unable to identify.
"Suppose," I said, "we go boldly up to the encampment, tell the
strangers that we have lost our horses, and seek their hospitality. They
cannot refuse to befriend us."
"It would be worse than folly," said the sheik. "For all I know, they
may be my bitterest foes. Besides, they would never be taken in by your
disguise, and would suspect us at once."
"But," I argued, "I could tell them from the first that I was an
English traveller."
"No," said the sheik, "it would not do. The risk would be too great I
have a better plan. I observed how their horses were fastened to
pickets; and where their water-skins lay ready filled. When it is dark,
and they have gone to rest, we will take two of the horses and some
water-skins, and proceed on our journey."
I did not like his plan, and I told him so.
"If we are caught," I said, "they will give us what we deserve as
horse-thieves."
"Inshallah!" he replied; "what matter? As good a death as starvation,
and, at any rate, a quicker one. But, if you will follow my
instructions, we shall not be caught."
"All right," I unwillingly acquiesced, "I will do whatever you wish."
We waited for a couple of hours, and then moved through the rushes in
the direction of the encampment. The moon was in the first quarter, and
gave us a little light, thus enabling us, when we approached the tents,
to see how things were situated. The sheik pointed out to me the
position of the water-skins, and two outlying horses which he had
decided that we should seize. We were now in the lake itself, standing
almost up to our necks in water, and not more than ten yards from the
bank. About a hundred yards to our right front were the tents; between
us and them, lying on the edge of the lake, were the filled water-skins;
while fifty yards or so to our left front stood the two horses. Faris
now gave me my orders. I was to wade straight to the water-skins, secure
two of them, and make my way as stealthily as possible to the horses;
while he himself cut them loose, and waited for me.
I at once started to carry out my instructions; reached the water-skins,
but was appalled by their weight. I was afraid to stand up and carry
them in the ordinary way; to crawl on the ground with a bulky skin in
each hand was out of the question. Fortunately, however, I had always
possessed a certain amount of ready resource, and I quickly took out my
knife, ripped my saturated cloak into strips, with which I secured a
skin loosely to either side of my waist. Then I began to crawl towards
the horses, and a toilsome operation it was; but it was successfully
accomplished, and in far less time than I had expected. Faris, too, had
played his part, and not only had he freed the horses, but he had
managed, moreover, to find saddles for them.
"Quick," he said, seizing the two water-skins and flinging them across
his saddle, "mount and away."
I required no second bidding, and I followed my fellow-robber, as he
forged ahead into the sandy desert skirting the lake. Hour after hour,
through the night did we keep going, and when, soon after dawn, the
sheik pulled up among some low sand-hills, and dismounted, we had put
many miles between ourselves and the former owners of our horses. Faris
was in better spirits than I had ever known him to be; he appeared to
have forgotten all our strange adventures, and to be living only in the
present--a free man in a free land; but even he, inured to endless
hardships, I soon discovered, was suffering from exhaustion. I inwardly
rejoiced when I observed it, for I myself was completely done up. All
our garments were wet through, and most of them in a filthy condition of
slimy mud; so we agreed unanimously that it would be quite safe to rest
for a time; and, taking off our clothes, we spread them out in the sun
to dry.
We hobbled the horses, partook of a few hard dates and a mouthful of
water, and, stark naked, lay down on the slope of a hummocky sand-billow
to rest our wearied limbs. How delightful was the warmth of the sun to
my damp body! But how miserably tired and sleepy I felt!
"A little sleep, sheik," I said, "would be a good thing."
He made no reply, and looking at him, I found that he had forestalled my
suggestion, and was already breathing heavily. I roused myself to a
sense of duty; both of us must not sleep at the same time; I would watch
while he slept; and then my turn would come. I began to wonder how long
it would be before he woke up. I wondered why people wanted to sleep,
and I remember that I found it most difficult to find a solution for the
problem--so many things kept crowding into the argument. I was annoyed
with myself for not being able to work it out successfully; and then,
somehow or another, all my good intentions must have faded away, and
unwittingly I must have dropped off to sleep.