A Fight for Freedom
Bob was on his feet in an instant and dashed toward the door to the
next room. But two of the Arabs were there first. With a catlike
quickness they drew knives and advanced on the Americans. The other
two natives came at them from the side.
"What does this mean?" demanded Dr. Kirshner, looking from one to the
other, his black eyes snapping with anger.
"You are going to die!" was the grim answer from an evil-looking,
flat-nosed fellow. He moved forward a step or two.
Bob did not understand the man but sensed that something sinister was
to take place. He noticed the look of anger and anxiety on the
scientist's face.
With a sudden movement he drew out his automatic, at the same time
stepping back several feet. His action was so quick that the Arabs
were taken by surprise and stood for several moments trying to grasp
the true meaning of it all.
"Now get back!" he commanded, flashing the shining pistol in their
faces. "Take away their knives," he said to Dr. Kirshner. "I've got
them covered. Tell them I'll shoot the first man who makes a forward
move."
The scientist did as directed and found that, beyond a vicious-looking
knife, they were unarmed.
"You stay here and guard them," said Bob. "I'm going in and see what's
happened to Fekmah."
He moved over to the door and opened it. Holding the pistol in
readiness, he walked slowly in the room. One glance told him that no
one was in sight. But there was a door leading into a large alcove,
and it was possible that he could find someone there. Perhaps the
Arabs were in hiding, having sensed that they were in danger.
Tiptoeing as quietly as possible, Bob made his way to the closed door.
He stood for several moments wondering what to do next. Then he
decided to make a bold move.
Clutching his tiny automatic tightly, he took hold of the knob and
with a sudden twist threw open the door.
The next instant he shrank back, for a tall Arab was almost upon him.
The man held a vicious-looking knife in his uplifted right hand and
was apparently ready to open the door when Bob did so first.
During the next few seconds Bob's brain was in a whirl. He had half a
mind to shoot the fellow outright and take no chances. But a moment
later he thought better of it. He did not want to be guilty of
murdering even this cruel Arab. If he had been as good a shot with a
pistol as he was with a rifle, he would have shot the knife from the
fellow's hand. But as it was, he knew this could not be done.
Suddenly the Arab lowered the knife and, scowling cruelly, he rushed
at the youth furiously.
Realizing that he must act quickly, Bob aimed at the man's leg and
fired. But his hand was unsteady from the terrific strain, and the
bullet missed and lodged itself in the wall.
With a hoarse bellow the Arab came forward with terrific force,
muttering angrily. He had the knife in readiness now, and was about to
plunge it into the youth's body when something unexpected happened.
Seeing a good chance, Bob pushed his foot forward with all his
strength, bringing the man down with a thud that resounded through the
little room. The Arab was taken completely unawares, and the knife
went sliding across the floor.
The next instant he was on his feet, and, showing his black teeth
wickedly, he darted toward his young enemy, his large hands ready to
grip anything they might rest on.
Now was the time to act, Bob thought. Leaping forward, he sent his
fist crashing into the Arab's nose with all the strength in his
powerful young body.
The man reeled, backed up, and then fell against the wall. Another
victim of the youth's boxing ability had gone to his fate.
Perspiration was dripping from the boy's brow. His leg ached from the
twist he gave it in bringing the Arab to the floor. Every muscle in
his body seemed fatigued. For a brief moment a sensation of
nothingness crept over him, and he felt slightly numb.
With a start he regained his composure and, with one glance at the
still limp Arab, he dashed through the door, the shining automatic
still in his possession. One thought stood out in his mind above all
others. He must find Fekmah.
No one was in the alcove, but another door led out into a sort of
hallway, and casting aside all thoughts of personal danger, Bob passed
through it.
The next instant he found himself in a narrow passageway, with no
windows or other means to admit light. The semidarkness was
tantalizing, overcoming, but the boy went bravely on. Occasionally he
stopped to listen. But no sound reached his ears. Could it be possible
that Fekmah had been....
The thought was not a pleasant one, and Bob dismissed it from mind.
Here was a door. Perhaps this would reveal something.
As quietly as possible he turned the latch and peeped in the room.
In the darkness he could make out no one at first. Then his eyes
almost burst from his head as he saw, lying on the floor in the
corner, tightly bound and gagged--Fekmah!
For a moment Bob stood spellbound. Then he rushed over to the
unfortunate man.
"Fekmah," he cackled gently and then bent over and felt of the Arab's
heart. It was still beating, and with a swift motion of a small knife
Bob cut the ropes that bound the man. Then he removed the gag and
stood back to see if his friend had been injured.
The Arab's eyes opened, and he sat up with a start. A moment later the
look of fear vanished from his face as he saw Bob.
"Praise be to Allah!" he murmured, getting feebly to his feet.
"Are you hurt?" the youth asked.
"No--not yet," was the grim reply. "But the evil-doers were going to
come back and kill me if I not tell where to find treasure. It is time
now that they come. Let us go in haste, or they will stab us."
"Treasure?" cried Bob. "You mean they wanted you to tell where the
hidden riches in the desert are?"
"Yes. They were going torture me if I not tell. They are demons. Allah
curse them!"
"But how did they know?" demanded Bob. "How did they find out about
it? They're not the same ones who wrecked the train, are they?"
Fekmah shook his head.
"How they find out, I not know," he said.
Cautiously they made for the door and opened it. Satisfied that there
was no one in sight, they walked through the hallway and into the
alcove.
"Now we must be careful," Bob warned. "I knocked a man out a while
ago, and he may have come to by now."
But when they reached the place, they found the fellow still limp.
At sight of the Arab, Fekmah looked at Bob with admiration. It was
evident that the youth had gone beyond his expectations.
In a short time they reached the door into the first room and found
that Dr. Kirshner was still guarding the Arabs. The scientist looked
up in relief when he again saw Bob and Fekmah.
"I feared something had happened to you," the scientist said. "I
shouldn't have allowed you to go in there," he said to Bob. "But I see
you've done your duty and brought back Fekmah."
"But what shall we do now?" Bob asked. "Are there any officers to take
charge of these crooks?"
"Yes," the archæologist returned. "You and Fekmah stay here and guard
these men and I will go after them. It is best not to take them down
to the police station for fear of attracting too much attention. Other
Arab friends might charge us in a large band."
The next moment he was gone, after having promised that he would be
back with officers in a few minutes.
"There ought to be some way to get the fellow I knocked out in here,"
Bob thought, as he guarded the Arabs closely. "But I'd better not risk
letting Fekmah have the gun. I'll trust the fellow is still out of his
senses when Dr. Kirshner and the officers arrive."
The Arabs whom the youth was guarding were silent, but their evil
faces suggested what they would do if given the chance.
Bob was in a position where he could also watch the door in the next
room. He was taking no chances on an attack from behind.
"I bet Dad and the others are worried," the boy thought. "We've been
gone a long time."
Inside of ten minutes Dr. Kirshner was back with three native
policemen, who handled the crooks roughly. Each man was handcuffed and
made to walk in front of the officers.
"Now," said Dr. Kirshner, "suppose we get back to the hotel room. Our
prolonged absence has probably caused a great deal of anxiety among
our friends."
"Yes," Bob returned. "We----" He stopped suddenly and then dashed into
the next room for the crook whom he had previously knocked out.
But he was not surprised to find the man gone. An opened door revealed
that he had escaped.
"No use looking for him," the youth thought, as he retraced his
footsteps back to his companions.
Bob was forced to explain to Dr. Kirshner, who was puzzled at the
youth's sudden dashing away. When he had finished, the scientist
regarded him admiringly but warned him against taking unnecessary
chances.
"Those fellows would think nothing of stabbing you to death," he said,
shaking his head gravely.
They went on up the street and arrived in a short time at the hotel in
which were their friends. Up at Fekmah's room they were given a hearty
welcome.
"What kept you so long?" asked Mr. Holton, seeing at a glance that
something was wrong.
Dr. Kirshner related the details of the previous happenings, laying
stress on the pluck and bravery of Bob.
The naturalists and Joe listened closely, eager to get an account of
everything. They did not seem unduly surprised, for at the start they
felt that something was wrong. But that their friends would be in such
grave danger was not in the least anticipated.
"It's lucky that you're here to tell it," said Mr. Lewis, with a
shaking of his head. "Such desperate characters know nothing else but
to rob and kill."
"But as it is," smiled Joe, "you came out all right, and had an
unusual experience at that." Secretly he was sorry he had not taken
part in it.
"And that is the second time Bob brought in criminals," said Mr.
Lewis, recalling an incident that happened the summer before.
"I'd rather you wouldn't take such risks, though," urged Mr. Holton.
"If one taxes good fortune too much, he is sure to come to a tragic
end some time."
There was a short silence. Then Joe ventured to touch upon the matter
that concerned them before the abrupt interruption of a short time
ago.
"What will be our next move?" he inquired.
"Hmm," hesitated Dr. Kirshner, "that is hard to say at present. I
suppose, though, that the logical thing to do is wait and take a train
to Wargla as soon as possible. When the track will be cleared is hard
to say. It might be a day, or it might be several. I can see no other
way of getting to Wargla, can you, Fekmah?"
"No," replied the Arab. "Of course there are good roads part of way,
and might ride automobile some of way, but train could get there
sooner, even if we wait."
"I guess you're right," agreed Joe, thoughtfully. "There's no use
wasting time trying to do a thing that can't be done. Have you made
inquiries as to about when we can expect the train to be ready?"
"Yes," answered Dr. Kirshner. "The station agent said inside of two
days, but it probably won't be that soon."
"Let's hope it will," said Bob. "I'm anxious to get started into the
desert. How long will it probably be before we reach our destination,
once we get started on camelback?"
"That all depends," replied the archæologist. "If we see fit to use
dromedaries, or the one-hump camel, we will make much better time.
They can travel from ninety to a hundred miles a day with ease, and if
forced, can do much better than that."
"But the jolting is most uncomfortable," Mr. Lewis reminded him, and
Fekmah nodded.
"Soon get used to it, though, don't you?" asked Joe.
Fekmah laughed.
"No, never," he said. "But not feel it so bad after many days of
riding."
"But getting back to your question," resumed the archæologist,
speaking to Joe, "if we have good luck we should cover the thousand
miles to the Ahaggar Mountains inside of two weeks, considering, of
course, stops at oases, small towns, and the like. Then how soon we
can find the hidden riches would be a mere guess, because without the
map Fekmah will probably have much more difficulty in recognizing
various landmarks."
"But you must remember that our main object was to work for the good
of science," Bob's father said. "Mr. Lewis and I were to get specimens
of any animal life that exists in the far reaches of the desert, and
you were to look up the remains of ancient civilizations.
Incidentally, though, we'll search for the hidden riches."
"And Joe and I were to take motion pictures when we get started on
camelback," said Bob proudly.
"Speaking of animal life," began Mr. Lewis, "suppose in the morning we
get out in the open country and see if we can collect any specimens.
From what I've read and heard, I guess it is necessary to go at least
as far as Arba before we would find a region that is worth hunting
in."
"I'm with you," said Mr. Holton. "We'll engage an automobile to take
us the fourteen miles or so to Arba, and then foot it from there. It
will be funny if we can't bag a few worth-while specimens, at least."
"Of course Joe and I can go, can't we?" grinned Bob.
"You bet. And Dr. Kirshner and Fekmah, if they care to."
But those persons announced that they would remain in Algiers and
further discuss the coming expedition.
"Then too," the archæologist remarked, "I'd like to keep posted on the
progress made in getting the train ready for the journey to Wargla."
It was well past noon, and the explorers now realized for the first
time that they were extremely hungry. The strain of the eventful
morning had stimulated their appetites to a high degree, and they felt
they could devour almost anything in the way of food.
"Lead me to the café and watch what happens," said Joe, making for the
door.
The others followed, and although not as emotional they were no less
hungry.
The meal tasted good, despite the fact that they were ignorant of its
composition. Fekmah tried to explain one of the dishes, but the
foodstuffs used in its preparation were unknown to the Americans, and
they were as much in the dark after he had finished the explanation as
before he had begun it.
"We'll trust there isn't anything repulsive in its make-up," smiled
Mr. Holton.
"At any rate the taste isn't so bad," came from Bob. "I've seen stuff
much worse."
"Referring to the delicacies of the South American Indians, I
suppose," laughed Mr. Lewis, and the boys nodded.
"We were forced to eat almost anything for a while," reflected Joe.
"Getting lost in the Brazilian jungle was a serious thing, and we
realized it. Then when we got in with those savages, we accepted their
offer of food at once, even though we weren't sure it was all right."
"That was a great adventure, boys," remarked Mr. Holton, his thoughts
going back to the countless days of river traveling in unknown South
America. "The more I think of it the more convinced I am that we
should be extremely proud of that exploit. Mr. Lewis and I have had
many adventures in unknown lands while collecting specimens for the
museum, but none surpasses that one."
"I'd like to go there some time," said Dr. Kirshner. "But so far, my
work as an archæologist has not called me into that region. When it
will, if ever, I do not know."
After the bountiful meal the explorers took it easy in the hotel, and
Fekmah returned to his room.
"Since we haven't anything in particular to do, we might as well rest
up for the hunting trip tomorrow," said Mr. Lewis, as he and the
others sat in the lobby of their hotel. "We've had a hard day of it
and deserve to be idle for a while."
The others agreed, and the remainder of the day was spent in quiet.
But early the next morning the boys and their fathers were busily
preparing for the hunting expedition. By seven o'clock they had their
rifles and other necessities in readiness, and with a farewell to Dr.
Kirshner, who wished to talk over the Sahara journey with Fekmah, they
left the hotel.
Mr. Lewis had earlier made arrangements for a car to take them to
Arba, whence they would go on foot into the forests and desert. The
automobile was parked in a small garage not far away, and they reached
the place in but a few minutes. It was a low, dirty structure, with
few windows.
A swarthy native came out to meet them and at once recognized Mr.
Lewis. He led the way through a small door and into a room that served
as the garage.
"Here we are," said Joe's father, as they rounded a corner.
He pointed to something that at once caused Bob and Joe to burst out
with laughter.