As the days passed, and the Bindanes' departure for the Oases drew near,
Muriel's rather feeble resolution not to accompany them steadily
weakened. Lord Blair had done his best to alter her decision, and the
Great Man could be a clever strategist: his daughter, indeed, would have
had little chance of opposing his wishes successfully in this matter
even had she battled against him with a whole heart, but in the
vacillating condition to which love had brought her she had no chance at
all.
"Don't be a dam' fool," Kate Bindane said to her one morning at the
Residency. "What's the good of moping about outside the ropes like a
heavyweight with a stomach-ache? You know you're fed up with everybody
here: Gor' blimy!--why don't you swallow your maidenly pride, and put on
the gloves, and have three rounds with Fate? It's better to be counted
out than never to have boxed at all. Tennyson."
Thus it came about that at the end of February, when Lord Blair took the
train southwards upon his journey to the Sudan, Lady Muriel set out
westwards as a member of the Bindanes' elaborate caravan. The start was
made one morning from Mena House, and so great was the general confusion
and hullabaloo that Muriel's thoughts did not begin to clarify
themselves until a ride of two hours had brought them to the rocky
valley wherein they halted to eat their luncheon.
Here, seating herself upon the rocks at the foot of the cliff, she
shaded her eyes with her hand, and surveyed the animated scene with
amused interest. There was Kate, in a white coat and skirt, and a
sun-helmet, stumping over the sand to cure the "pins-and-needles" from
which she was suffering; her husband, in a grey flannel suit and a
green-veiled helmet, was still seated upon his camel as though he had
forgotten to dismount; his man, Dixon, rather fat and red, and wearing
his new gaiters apparently back to front, was hastening to his master's
assistance; and the two imposing native dragomans, in silks all aflutter
in the wind, were shouting unnecessary orders to the Egyptian cook and
_sofragi_ to hasten the luncheon.
A few yards down the valley a khaki-clad Egyptian police-officer,
wearing his red _tarboush_, or fez, at a rakish angle, was giving
instructions to his four negro troopers; a fat native gentleman from the
Ministry of Agriculture was mopping his forehead as he stood beside his
grumbling camel, and the Egyptian secretary to the party, a dapper youth
with mud-coloured complexion and coal-black eyes, had just thrown
himself down in the shade and had removed the _tarboush_ from his
close-cropped head, in conscious defiance of local etiquette.
The baggage camels, carrying the camp equipment, the stores, and the
tanks of water, were lurching at a walking pace along the valley, led by
blue-robed camel-men, under the orders of the caravan-master, a
grey-bearded Arab who rode sleepily at the head of the line. These were
not to halt at the midday hour, but, pushing ahead, they would be
overtaken later in the day by the swifter riding-camels; and Muriel
watched them now as they slowly jogged along the little-used track
between the yellow cliffs, the brilliant sun striking down upon them
from a deep blue sky in which compact little bundles of snow-white cloud
went scudding past.
There was a boisterous breeze blowing, and the tingling glow of the sun
and wind upon her cheeks, as she sat perched high upon the rocks, seemed
to match the exhilaration of her heart. The morning's ride had shaken
her brain free from the heavy gloom of the last three weeks; and already
the shining open spaces of the desert had produced their effect upon
her, so that she felt as though her mind had had a cold bath.
It was good to be up and doing; it was good to be setting out upon this
adventure, the ambiguousness of which seemed every moment to be growing
less disconcerting; it was good to be in this great playground where the
rules of her life's schoolroom were mainly in abeyance. Up here in these
splendid spaces it would not matter if she pulled her skirt off, or let
her hair down, or turned a cartwheel, or stood on her head. Already she
was whistling loudly, and throwing fragments of stone into the valley
before her, in the manner of a child upon the seashore; and all her
love-sick sorrows of yesterday seemed to have vanished in the exaltation
of youth and youth's well-being.
She watched the servants, in the distance at the other side of the
valley, spreading the picnic luncheon on a white tablecloth laid upon a
shaded patch of sand; and when at length the meal appeared to be ready,
she took a flying leap down from the rock where she had been sitting,
and landed sprawling upon the sand-drift below. The sensation pleased
her, and, clambering up the rocks once more, she repeated the jump, this
time arriving with a considerable thud upon her back, and sliding down
the drift with her legs in the air.
She hopped across the valley, rubbing herself, and was presently joined
by the Bindanes.
"I feel about twelve years old," she told them; and indeed at the moment
she did not look much more than that age. "The desert is having an
extraordinary effect on me."
"But we're only ten or twelve miles into it so far," said the practical
Kate. "You wait another week...."
"If I go on at this rate," Muriel laughed, "I'll be in arms by the time
we reach the Oases."
"I wonder whose," muttered Kate, with a smile; but her friend's face at
once became serious. It was a jarring note, and it nearly ruined the
joviality of the picnic.
The afternoon ride carried them another fifteen miles; and towards
sunset they came to a halt in the midst of a wide flat plain of sand,
across which a winding ribbon of stunted tamarisks and sparse vegetation
marked the bed of a primeval river now reduced to a mere subterranean
infiltration. In the far distance on all sides the low hills hemmed them
in, like a rugged wall encircling a sacred and enchanted area.
The tents were pitched amongst the low-growing bushes in the dry,
shingly bed of the stream; and the hobbled camels were turned loose to
crop such twigs and grasses as they found edible. Muriel, meanwhile,
wandered away into the open desert; and presently, like warm sand, and
resting her chin on her hands, watched the sun go down behind the purple
hills.
For some time the excitements of the day, and the physical exhilaration
produced by her long ride in the sun and wind, held her from thought.
But at length the dreamlike silence of the wilderness, the amazing sense
of isolation from the outside world, began to release her mind from the
captivity of the flesh, so that becoming one with the immensity of
nature, her spirit drifted out into the sunset with the freedom of light
or air.
The little deeds of all her yesterdays appeared suddenly insignificant
to her, and she began to feel that life, and the happiness of life, was
something far greater than she had supposed. She wondered why she had
been troubled with regard to Daniel: he was just an expression of
nature, as she was: and here, in the solitude he so dearly loved, she
seemed to understand for the first time his scorn of the intricacies of
modern civilization. Here all was so simple, so devoid of complexities,
that she laughed aloud. It was only her wits, the mere fringe of her
mind, which had veiled her spirit from his spirit; but now she had
shaken herself loose from these ornamentations of life, and stood as it
were, revealed like a lost fragment dropped at last into place in the
great design.
She rose to her feet at length, with a sense of light-heartedness such
as she had never before known; and, returning to the camp in the
gathering dusk, she looked with amused pity at Benifett Bindane who sat
in a deck-chair reading the _Financial News_ by the light of a
glass-protected candle.
"Just look at him!" said Kate, who, herself, had been admiring the
sunset. "Isn't it pitiful?"
Mr. Bindane laid the paper down, and stared at his wife with
uncomprehending eyes.
"The market is showing a good deal of weakness in Home Rails," he said
to his wife; "but your South Africans are all buoyant enough, so you
needn't worry."
"Worry!" exclaimed Kate, contemptuously, and turned from him to the
fading light in the west.
"I'm glad I bought those Nitrates," he went on, addressing the back of
her neck; "they're improving, so far as one can tell from the closing
quotations given here."
He held the newspaper out, but she struck at it viciously with her hand.
"Oh, for God's sake shut up!" she cried. "It's money, money, money all
the time with you."
"I was speaking," he said, very slowly, and as though he had been hurt,
"of stock I had bought for you, my dear."
Kate turned to him, and her friend observed that her face softened, as
though at the thought that in his own way he was showing his affection
for her. But the picture was, nevertheless, pathetic; and the
recollection passed through Muriel's mind, in sudden illumination, that
Daniel was entirely free from financial interests. So long as he earned
a reasonable living he never seemed to trouble himself about money.
Next morning they were in the saddle by eight o'clock, while yet the sun
was low in the heavens and the air cold and sharp. Crossing the wide
plain in which they had camped, they passed into the echoing valleys
amongst the hills; and for the next three days they made their way
through rugged and broken country, now mounting some eminence whence
they surveyed a wide prospect in which range behind range of rugged
peaks was revealed to them, now losing themselves in the intricate
valleys, where they rode in the blue shadow of the cliffs, and where the
sound of their voices and their laughter was flung back at them from the
walls of rock.
Each night they camped beside some water-hole or well, known by name to
their guides, but which to them seemed to be a deserted and unvisited
place, frequented only by the unseen gazelle whose footprints were
marked upon the sand. It was cold here in the high ground, and they were
glad of all the blankets which they had brought; but in the mornings the
sun soon warmed them, and by noon they were glad to take their rest in
the shade.
It was in the afternoon of the fifth day of their journey that,
descending from the higher level, they came into sight of the little
Oasis of El Homra, set like an emerald in the golden bowl of the desert.
Muriel was riding beside Kate Bindane when, emerging from the maze of
the hills, they first looked down into this wide basin in the centre of
which the Oasis was situated; and both she and her friend uttered a cry
of delight.
In the case of Muriel the ejaculation was a response to the grandeur of
the scene; but in that of her friend the exclamation was one of devout
thankfulness that the outward journey was nearing its end. Being heavily
built and somewhat stout Kate had suffered very much more severely from
the long-protracted jolting than she had been willing to admit; and
there were many very sore places upon her body which caused the thought
of much further exercise of this kind to be intolerable.
"You won't catch me coming out here again," she declared, "until the
Company has built its light railway. Five days of blinkin'
torture!--that's what it's been. And to think that five hours by train
would have done it...!"
Muriel looked at her in dismay. "I'd much rather not think we were so
near Cairo as that," she answered. "The whole pleasure of the thing is
that we're so cut off from civilization."
Kate groaned. "Well, I'm glad to say I've brought a bit of civilization
with me in the shape of a pot of ointment and a roll of lint."
Her further remarks, however, were checked by her efforts to pull in her
camel; for the west wind had brought to its nostrils the scent of
vegetation, and its pace had suddenly increased.
Muriel turned in her saddle as her own beast hurried forward, and waved
her hand excitedly to Mr. Bindane, who was holding on to his pommels
with both hands, his head wobbling, and his body swaying.
As they neared their destination the police officer overtook her, and
directed her towards the south end of the Oasis, where, a little removed
from the palm-groves, some whitewashed buildings were clustered
together. He explained that these formed the headquarters of the
Frontier Patrol, near which their camp would be pitched; and soon he had
galloped ahead, followed by one of his troopers, to herald their
arrival.
The sun was setting when at last the party dismounted within the walled
compound of the outpost; and it was dark before the baggage caravan came
creaking and grunting into the circle of light cast by the lanterns of
the police. Kate and her husband had at once gone into the bare-walled
room which had been placed at their disposal; but Muriel, who was
experiencing an extraordinary sense of activity, went out with the
dragoman to supervise the erection of the tents in the open desert some
little distance from the buildings.
For some time she lent a hand to the work, but at length she sat herself
down upon a derelict packing-case, and watched the figures moving to and
fro, now lit up by the flickering light of the lanterns, now passing
again into the darkness.
The evening was warm, for the month of March had begun; and there was
not that sharp tingle in the air which had been experienced up in the
high ground they had lately traversed. On her one hand there were the
dark palm-groves, their branches silhouetted against the brilliant
stars: she could hear the rustling of the leaves, and there came to her
ears, also, the sound of a flute, the notes rising and falling in
plaintive inconsequence like babbling water in a forest at night. On her
other hand the open desert lay obscure and mysterious, the darkness made
more intense by contrast with the flicker of the lanterns and the light
issuing from the open doorways of the adjacent buildings.
It was so strange to feel that she was separated from El Hamran, and
from the man she loved, by no more than thirty miles--an easy day's ride
to the southwest; and her heart was restless as she realized that Mr.
Bindane proposed to make an extended tour of the northern Oases before
getting into touch with Daniel. It seemed to her that she could not
tolerate another day of absence from him; and a wild thought entered her
mind that she would give her friends the slip next morning and ride
alone to El Hamran. It was, indeed, the thought of such an escapade
which sent her presently hurrying back to the light of the outpost, as
though in flight from the mad suggestions of the starlit spaces about
her.
The evening meal was served in the room where Mr. and Mrs. Bindane had
settled themselves; and it was still early when they went to their
tents. Muriel was already yawning loudly, as she helped Kate to doctor
herself; and no sooner was she alone than she crawled into bed, and, in
spite of the barking of the dogs, the lowing of the cattle, and the
braying of a donkey; fell instantly asleep.
On the following morning Benifett Bindane displayed unwonted briskness,
and, after an early breakfast, set out with the native officials to make
a tour of inspection of the Oasis. His plan was to continue his journey
next day to the large Oasis of El Arabah, to the northwest, where he
would spend the night. Then, returning to El Homra, where they were at
present, he would ride northwards on a tour which would occupy twelve or
thirteen days; and that being accomplished, he would, if necessary,
visit El Hamran where Daniel was staying, though he had now received the
latter's very full reply to the questions on which he had desired
information.
When he got back to the camp, however, after his first day's work, he
found that his wife and Lady Muriel had made certain plans of their own,
consequent upon Kate's abrasions. They had decided to remain where they
were while Mr. Bindane paid his short visit to El Arabah; and it was
hoped that on his return his wife would be sufficiently recovered to go
north with him on his longer trip.
He received the news with apparent indifference, merely remarking that
he would take with him on this short trip only one servant and one tent,
leaving the remainder of the camp where it was, under the care of the
two dragomans. The Bedouin of the Oases were a peaceful, law-abiding
people; and the two ladies would be as safe here, he well knew, as they
would be in an English village at home.
That night, after Muriel had gone to her bed, Kate Bindane took her
husband into her confidence.
"I don't know what's going on in Muriel's head," she told him, "but it
seems to me that she's about the most love-sick creature I've ever
struck. She won't even look in any other direction except the southwest,
because that's where her Daniel is."
A slight expression of interest came into her husband's blank face. He
was sitting in his striped pyjamas on the side of his bed, scratching
himself dreamily; but now he paused and his arms fell loosely upon his
pointed knees. "I thought," he said, "she had got over all that. She has
been jolly enough all the way here."
"Yes," answered Kate, "but now that she's within a day's ride of her
young man, she seems to have come over all funny-like. I can't make her
out." She waited a moment. "Wouldn't it be possible for us to go to El
Hamran before we make the northern trip?" she asked, poking the wick of
the candle, absently, with the stump of a match.
Her husband shook his head. "No," he replied. "The plans are all fixed.
And, you see, I don't suppose Mr. Lane will give me more than a couple
of days of his time just now; and I'd rather have it at the end of my
tour, when I know what I'm talking about, than now when I hav'n't yet
seen the lie of the land. I want to be able to come to him with a
definite offer."
He relapsed into silence for some time, resuming his leisurely
scratching; but at length he surprised his wife by asking a further
question as to Muriel's state of mind.
"Why, Benifett," she said, smiling upon him, "you seem quite interested.
You know, I believe you're rather a sport, after all."
He looked at her with his mouth open. "Oh, it's a recognized maxim of
the commercial world," he answered: "'Make yourself a party to the love
affairs of your business friends.'"
"But Muriel isn't a business friend," said Kate.
"No," he replied, "but her father is." And with that enigmatical remark,
he blew out the candle.
At sunrise next day he was up and about; and an hour later he had
assembled his party for the start upon their journey. Kate and Muriel
watched them as they filed out of the compound in front of the police
buildings, in the brilliant light of the morning.
"Tomorrow evening, probably," called Mr. Bindane, waving his hand to
them; and, "No hurry," replied Kate, casually: "we'll be quite all
right."
With that he moved away, riding with the fat Egyptian from the Ministry
of Agriculture. Behind him followed the police-officer and the native
secretary, and after them went their servants and baggage camels.
As the cavalcade passed out of sight behind the palm-trees, Kate turned
to her friend. "Now for a quiet time with the ointment pot," she
laughed; but her words were checked as she observed the surprising
expression on Muriel's face. "Why, what's the matter?" she exclaimed.
Muriel caught hold of her arm. "Kate," she said, "I'm going to shock
you. I'm going to Daniel."
Mrs. Bindane stood perfectly still, her hands upon her hips in the
manner of a fishwife. "What the Hell d'you mean?" she asked.
Muriel confronted her, the monkey expression suddenly developing upon
her face--her jaw set, her eyes wide open. "I'm going to leave you,
Kate," she said. "I made up my mind in the night. I can't bear it
another moment: I'm going to start at once."
"Don't be a damned fool," her friend ejaculated, angrily.
Muriel shrugged her shoulders. "I shall take my dragoman with me," she
went on. "He knows all the roads hereabouts. I shall be quite safe. I'm
going to Daniel for a fortnight: I've thought it all out, and I know now
that's what he's been wanting me to do. You'll find me at El Hamran when
you come there--if you do come, and, if not, I'll join you here."
"But, my good idiot," cried her friend, "there'll be the most awful
scandal! What d'you think Benifett will say?"
"I'll leave that for you to find out," she answered. "I don't see Master
Benifett changing his plans for anybody. You can say I was ill, and
therefore went off to Daniel so that I shouldn't spoil your trip or
delay you. Father need never know, and I'm sure Benifett won't give me
away. Not that a scandal isn't just what he wants. Doesn't he want to
oblige Daniel to remain here in the Oases?--Oh, but I know what I'm
doing. Daniel never wanted to marry me: he wanted me to run away with
him."
"Yes, but where are you going to run to?"
"To seed," Muriel replied, with a little laugh. "I can't help it. He's
won: I can't stay away from him. I'm going to have this fortnight with
him, if I hang for it!"
"Oh, you're mad!" exclaimed Kate, and, clutching hold of Muriel's arm,
she led her into her tent.
Here they argued the matter to and fro; but it was apparent from the
first that the thing was irrevocably sealed, and that all the details of
the plan had been thought out so as to prevent the adventure becoming
public.
"Very possibly there'll be no scandal at all," said Muriel; "the natives
can be bribed not to tell. I shall come back with you to Cairo when you
return there, and who is going to give me away?"
"But what is a fortnight?" asked Kate, in despair. "Good God!--what is a
fortnight, when it means even the _possible_ ruin of your whole life?"
"I can't look so far ahead," Muriel replied. "I only know I want him
now. And I'm going to him, Kate; I'm going to the man I love, the man
who loves me!"
She ran out of the tent, calling to her dragoman, Mustafa, who appeared
at once from the domestic quarters. He received the news without
perturbation.
"Yes, my leddy," he said. "I varry pleased. My wife's brother him live
at El Hamran. Thirty mile'--it is nudding: five, six hours riding; and
the road him varry good, varry straight."
She told him to get two camels ready at once, to fill the water-bottles,
collect a few eatables, and--to hold his tongue. "I have to take some
important papers over to Mr. Lane," she said, and he smiled at the lie.
Her large dressing-case was already packed; but, returning to her tent,
she opened it to put into it her little revolver, which, for the fun of
the thing, she had purchased in Cairo. This done, she went back to Kate,
who received her in cold silence.
"Oh, Kate," she cried, "don't be beastly to me. I'm only going to do the
sort of thing that's been done by most of the girls we know. It's human
nature, Kate. When you love a man and feel you absolutely can't live
without him, you've got to surrender to him and do what he wants; and I
know now that this is what he's been asking me to do all along." She put
her arms about her neck, and kissed her.
Kate looked at her sorrowfully, and her face softened. "Muriel, you
blinkin' idiot," she said, "I don't know what'll come of this, but
whatever happens, old bean, I'm with you."