"At first, it is true, I did not see much. My head shut out the day-light,
and kept everything in shadow. But, after a moment, my eyes
became accustomed to the gloom; through the intervals between the
port-hole and my head came the rays of light, and I saw—what? Can you
guess? Do you give it up? Of course you do, for who could have
supposed——?
"I saw a small space, about five yards by three, right in the centre
of the hold. The vessel was not fully laden, and an attempt had
evidently been made to utilise the unoccupied space above the cargo,
large mats and cloths of brilliant colours having been spread out in
order to hide the packages. In the centre of this hastily-improvised
and utterly unfurnished cabin, four women lay dozing or asleep, all
in different postures. One, lying on her back, with her arms crossed
behind her, had made a species of pillow of her hands, which were
clasped under the nape of her neck. Another, by way of contrast, was
lying at full length, face downwards, on her mat, which served her as
a couch. The third, squatting rather than sitting, had placed her
elbows on her knees, and had buried her head in her hands. The last,
lying at full length, but on her side, slept with her face completely
hidden on her bent arm. In these positions the four beings seemed
only one and the same woman, whose varied attitudes were reflected in
skilfully-disposed mirrors.
"One and all were beautifully-proportioned, and might have served as
models for the most celebrated of ancient sculpture. Their long,
silky hair, of a deep, rich, black-brown tint, shone, and seemed to
grow purple in the golden rays of the setting sun. The velvety
texture of their skin is beyond my powers of description, but it
recalled to my mind the sheen of those bronzes of which Florence
possessed the secret in days gone by, a species of molten metal—brown
steel with golden lights in it.
"I could only distinguish the features of one of these women. Her
nose was perfectly straight, with strongly defined nostrils; her
forehead, rather narrow and receding, was, nevertheless, smooth and
without a line on it, the forehead of a girl of fifteen. Sweeping
eye-lashes, of the same tint as her hair, veiled her almond-shaped
eyes, and between the pouting, carmine lips, I could see her small
and pearl-white teeth.
"I have dwelt at some length on this description; but you will
scarcely wonder, if you think for a moment of my own position all
this time, that the scene is impressed vividly on my recollection.
Round one of my arms was wound a rope which my right hand grasped
with all its force, with my other hand I laid hold, as best I could,
of the ship's side, and my feet were hanging in empty space. My head
was stuck in the port-hole, just as in the lunette of a guillotine,
and, seen from within, I must have looked as if I had parted with the
rest of my body.
"So one of these women evidently thought, the one who was merely
dozing, and whose plaintive sighs had attracted my attention and led
to my gymnastic exercises. She was the young girl whose face I had
been admiring. Her sweeping eye-lashes parted gradually, first I saw
a little white, then a little black, and at last the eyes opened,
their look hovered round the empty space, and suddenly catching sight
of me, shot out a glance like lightning. At the same time, she
uttered a cry, and, with a single bound, with a velocity simply
marvellous, but fully accounted for later on, she sprang to her feet.
"The cry aroused the other three sleepers. With the same elasticity
that their companion had displayed they bounded to their feet, and
all four, in a heap, took refuge in the remotest corner of the cabin.
Thus huddled together, startled and trembling, they formed one single
group.
"Even now, as I write, my imagination recalls the scene and these
four beings, but neither in their attitude, nor in their look could I
discover a clue to the feelings which agitated them. They did not
seem to have any sense of outraged modesty, but merely a species of
scare at being thus so unexpectedly taken by surprise, and very
natural alarm at the sudden appearance of the head of an apparently
decapitated male.
"But T can assure you that none of these reflections passed across my
mind at the time. Scarcely had my four unknowns cried out and huddled
together, as I have already told you, then I began to think of
retreat. It was high time, for my arms and hands were beginning to
fail me, and the Red Sea, hankering after an infidel like me, was
yawning for its prey.
"However, this was not exactly the moment wherein to give up the
ghost. I had a mystery to unravel. What were these women doing on
board the ship? Whence came they? I was, I confess, deeply
interested, but, nevertheless, as you have perceived, I went on to
the poop again to add a few words to my letter, and I did not leave
you until night-fall. It is true that only then could I hope to get
speech of the Captain, as that individual is all day long in a sort
of stupor, caused by heat and tobacco, and possibly a little brandy
mixed therewith, and as a rule does not condescend to emerge from his
inaction until sunset.
"I joined him on the bridge whence he issues his despotic commands,
and said—
"'I believe. Captain, that you have no right to take any passengers
on board this ship as far as Souakim, except my friends, myself, and
our servants?'
"'Just so,' murmured the Captain, still half asleep.
"'Very well. Then you have broken through your agreement.'
"'Howso? I—'
"'You have on board four female passengers unknown to us.'
"After a useless attempt at denial, he was obliged to give me a full,
true, and particular account of the whole business, which I epitomize
for your benefit.
"The four mysterious creatures are dancers. You possibly suspected as
much when I mentioned the celerity of their movements, and the
suppleness of their limbs. The famous Almehs of Egypt are thus
suddenly brought before you. You have been labouring under the
impression that the Captain had given a free passage to some runaways
from Cairo, who were making for Khartoum, the usual refuge for that
destitute tide, which for some time past has been ebbing towards
upper Egypt. Well, you are wrong. These women have no connection
whatever with the Almehs. I do not wish to say a single word against
these latter creatures, whom I hope to bring to your notice some day,
but they are palpably inferior to my unknowns, both in reputation,
beauty, and the science of dancing.
"'I thought,' you will say, 'that Egypt had no dancers but the
Almehs.'
"Quite so, but those of whom I speak are not natives of Egypt. They
spring from India.
"'From India? Then, they are—'
"'Yes, my friend, the bayaderes—neither more nor less.'
"'Bayaderes returning from Egypt, and on passage through the Red Sea?
I do not understand.'
"Then write to the Captain for an explanation. I have had to content
myself with what he told me. His passengers are bayaderes; not those
spurious dancing girls whom the waiters in any _café_ in Bombay,
Calcutta, or Singapore can induce to disport themselves before
strangers for a guinea or so, but genuine bayaderes, brought up by
the priests and nurtured in the temple. They had been to Europe in
the suite of a Rajah, who died suddenly at Cairo, and they did not
deem it prudent to continue their journey, more especially as their
resources had disappeared with the Rajah. Our Captain had offered to
take them back to their own country, but as his contract with us
precluded him from taking other passengers, he exacted from them an
engagement that they would not show themselves outside their little
cell.
"'The unfortunate creatures would have been suffocated in that hole,'
I exclaimed.
"'They feel the heat so little,' replied the Captain, 'that only
yesterday they asked me for some extra wraps. Just consider, we are
at this moment in 20 degrees north latitude, and they were born close
to the equator. What these dancing girls want is exercise and
activity.'
"I began to reflect once more. Suppose I were to take a mean
advantage of the situation—if in exchange for a little ease and
liberty, these sweet creatures would consent to initiate me into the
secret of their mysterious dances—if, not content with studying the
customs of Africa, I might, whilst grazing the Asiatic coast, get an
idea of the manners of India!
"I sounded the Captain on the subject. He remonstrated at once.
"'Bayaderes dance in public? It is not to be thought of. They belong
to a religious sect.'
"'Captain,' said I, interrupting him, 'we may possibly shut our eyes
to any little irregularity which you have committed in taking these
passengers on board in defiance or your agreement with us, if, on
your part, you will contrive to arrange this little entertainment,
this novel spectacle for us. Think it over. In our religion we can
enter into an arrangement with Heaven itself—surely you can do as
much with the bayaderes.'
"My glowing account and my projected evening's entertainment made de
Morin and Delange as excited as I was; but, of course, we could not
do anything without the consent of Madame de Guéran, a consent which
she was most graciously pleased to accord. She, however, declined to
be present, not from any motives of prudery, but because, as she
herself said, the presence of ladies generally acted as a restraint
in the case of such exhibitions. She, nevertheless, instructed us to
inform the bayaderes that the deck of the vessel was as free to them
as to ourselves.
"My arguments have prevailed with the Captain, and his passengers
will dance for us to-night. I am off to see to the refreshments and
the lights."