In the morning Gregory started alone, as soon as it was light. As he
neared the town, he saw that there were several native craft on the
river; and that boats were passing to and fro between the town and
Shendy, on the opposite bank. From the water side a number of men were
carrying what appeared to be bags of grain towards the hills behind the
town, while others were straggling down towards the river.
Without being questioned, Gregory entered Metemmeh, but stopped there
for a very few minutes. Everywhere were the bodies of men, women, and
children, of donkeys and other animals. All were now shrivelled and
dried by the sun, but the stench was almost unbearable, and he was glad
to hurry away.
Once beyond the walls he made for the hill. Many tents could be seen
there, and great numbers of men moving about. He felt sure that, among
so many, no one would notice that he was a newcomer; and after moving
among the throng, he soon sat down among a number of Dervishes who were
eating their morning meal. Taking some dates out of his bag, he munched
them quietly.
From the talk going on, he soon perceived that there was a considerable
amount of discontent at the long delay. Some of the men were in favour
of moving to Berber, on the ground that they would at least fare better
there; but the majority were eager to march north, to drive the
infidels from Merawi and Dongola.
"Mahmud would do that, I am sure," one of them said, "if he had but his
will; but how could we march without provisions? It is said that Mahmud
has asked for a sufficient supply to cross the Bayuda, and has promised
to drive the infidels before him to Assouan; but the Khalifa says no,
it would be better to wait till they come in a strong body, and then to
exterminate them. If we are not to fight, why were we sent here? It
would have been better to stay at Omdurman, because there we had plenty
of food; or, if it ran short, could march to the villages and take what
we wanted. Of course the Khalifa knows best, but to us it seems
strange, indeed."
There was a general chorus of assent. After listening for some time
Gregory rose and, passing over the ridge, came upon the main camp. Here
were a number of emirs and sheiks, with their banners flying before the
entrance of their tents. The whole ground was thickly dotted with
little shelters, formed of bushes, over which dark blankets were thrown
to keep out the rays of the sun. Everywhere women were seated or
standing--some talking to each other, others engaged in cooking.
Children played about; boys came in loaded with faggots, which they had
gone long distances to cut. In some places numbers of horses were
picketed, showing where the Baggara cavalry were stationed.
In the neighbourhood of the emirs' tents there was some sort of attempt
at order, in the arrangement of the little shelters, showing where the
men of their tribes were encamped. Beyond, straggling out for some
distance, were small encampments, in some of which the men were still
erecting shelters, with the bushes the women and boys brought in. Most
of these were evidently fresh arrivals, who had squatted down as soon
as they came up; either from ignorance as to where their friends had
encamped, or from a preference for a quiet situation. This fringe of
new arrivals extended along the whole semicircle of the camp; and as
several small parties came up while Gregory wandered about, and he saw
that no notice was taken of them by those already established, he
thought that he could bring Zaki, and the horses up without any fear of
close questioning. He therefore walked down again to the spot where he
had left them; and, mounting, they rode to the camp, making a wide
sweep so as to avoid the front facing Metemmeh.
"We could camp equally well, anywhere here, Zaki, but we may as well go
round to the extreme left; as, if we have to ride off suddenly, we
shall at least start from the nearest point to the line by which we
came."
There was a small clump of bushes, a hundred yards or so from the
nearest of the little shelters. Here they dismounted, and at once
began, with their knives, to cut down some of the bushes to form a
screen from the sun. They had watered the horses before they left the
river, and had also filled their water skins.
"I don't think we could find a better place, Zaki," Gregory said, when,
having completed their shelter and thrown their blankets over it, they
lay down in the shade. "No doubt we shall soon be joined by others; but
as we are the first comers on this spot, it will be for us to ask
questions of them, and, after, for them to make enquiries of us.
"I shall go into the camp as soon as the heat abates, and people begin
to move about again. Remember our story--You were carried off from a
Jaalin village, in a raid. Your master was a small sheik, and is now
with the force at El Obeid. You had been the companion of his son, and
when the latter made up his mind to come and fight here your master
gave you your freedom, so that you might fight by his son's side. You
might say that I have not yet settled under whose banner I shall fight.
All I wish is to be in the front of the battle, when we meet the
infidels. That will be quite sufficient. There are men here from almost
every village in the Soudan, and no one will care much where his
neighbours come from.
"Mention that we intend to fight as matchlock men, not on horseback, as
the animals are greatly fatigued from their long journey, and will
require rest for some time; and, being so far from home, I fear that we
might lose them if we went into the fight with them; and in that case
might have to journey on foot, for a long time, before we could get
others.
"I don't at all suppose that it will be necessary for you to say all
this. People will be too much occupied with their own affairs to care
much about others; still, it is well not to hesitate, if questioned."
Talk and laughter in the great camp ceased now, and it was not until
the sun lost its power that it again began. Gregory did not move, till
it began to get dusk.
"I shall be away some time," he said, "so don't be at all uneasy about
me. I shall take my black blanket, so that I can cover myself with it
and lie down, as if asleep, close to any of the emirs' tents where I
hear talk going on; and so may be able to gather some idea as to their
views. I have already learned that the tribesmen have not heard of any
immediate move, and are discontented at being kept inactive so long.
The leaders, however, may have their plans, but will not make them
known to the men, until it is time for action."
The camp was thoroughly alive when he entered it. Men were sitting
about in groups; the women, as before, keeping near their little
shelters, laughing and chatting together, and sometimes quarrelling.
From the manner of the men, who either sat or walked about, it was not
difficult for Gregory to distinguish between the villagers, who had
been dragged away from their homes and forced to enter the service of
the Khalifa, and the Baggara and kindred tribes, who had so long held
the Soudan in subjection. The former were quiet in their demeanour, and
sometimes sullen in their looks. He had no doubt that, when the
fighting came, these would face death at the hands of the infidels as
bravely as their oppressors, for the belief in Mahdism was now
universal. His followers had proved themselves invincible; they had no
doubt that they would destroy the armies of Egypt, but they resented
being dragged away from their quiet homes, their families, and their
fields.
Among these the Baggara strode haughtily. Splendid men, for the most
part, tall, lithe, and muscular; men with the supreme belief in
themselves, and in their cause, carrying themselves as the Norman
barons might have done among a crowd of Saxons; the conquerors of the
land, the most trusted followers of the successor of the Mahdi, men who
felt themselves invincible. It was true that they had, so far, failed
to overrun Egypt, and had even suffered reverses, but these the Khalifa
had taught them to consider were due to disobedience of his orders, or
the result of their fighting upon unlucky days. All this was soon to be
reversed. The prophecies had told that the infidels were about to be
annihilated, and that then they would sweep down without opposition,
and possess themselves of the plunder of Egypt.
Gregory passed wholly unnoticed among the crowd. There was nothing to
distinguish him from others, and the thought that an Egyptian spy,
still less one of the infidels, should venture into their camp had
never occurred to one of that multitude. Occasionally, he sat down near
a group of the Baggara, listening to their talk. They were impatient,
too, but they were convinced that all was for the best; and that, when
it was the will of Allah, they would destroy their enemy. Still, there
were expressions of impatience that Mahmud was not allowed to advance.
"We know," one said, "that it is at Kirkeban that the last great
destruction of the infidel is to take place, and that these madmen are
coming to their fate; still, we might move down and destroy those at
Dongola and along the river, and possess ourselves of their arms and
stores. Why should we come thus far from Omdurman, if we are to go no
farther?"
"Why ask questions?" another said contemptuously. "Enough that it is
the command of the Khalifa, to whom power and knowledge has been given
by the Mahdi, until he himself returns to earth. To the Khalifa will be
revealed the day and the hour on which we are to smite the infidel. If
Mahmud and the great emirs are all content to wait, why should we be
impatient?"
Everywhere Gregory went, he heard the same feelings expressed. The men
were impatient to be up and doing, but they must wait the appointed
hour.
It was late before he ventured to approach the tents of the leaders. He
knew that it was impossible to get near Mahmud himself, for he had his
own bodyguard of picked men. The night, however, was dark and,
enveloping himself from head to foot in his black blanket, he crawled
out until well beyond the line of tents, and then very cautiously made
his way towards them again. He knew that he should see the white
figures of the Dervishes before they could make him out; and he
managed, unnoticed, to crawl up to one of the largest tents, and lie
down against it. He heard the chatter of the women in an adjoining
tent, but there was no sound in that against which he lay.
For an hour all was quiet. Then he saw two white figures coming from
Mahmud's camp, which lay some fifty yards away. To his delight, they
stopped at the entrance of the tent by which he was concealed, and one
said:
"I can well understand, Ibrahim Khalim, that your brother Mahmud is
sorely vexed that your father will not let him advance against the
Egyptians, at Merawi. I fully share his feelings; for could I not, with
my cavalry, sweep them before me into the river, even though no footmen
came with me? According to accounts they are but two or three thousand
strong, and I have as many horsemen under my command."
"That is so, Osman Azrakyet. But methinks my father is right. If we
were to march across the desert, we would lose very many men and great
numbers of animals, and we should arrive weakened and dispirited. If we
remain here, it is the Egyptians who will have to bear the hardships of
the march across the desert. Great numbers of the animals that carry
the baggage and food, without which the poor infidels are unable to
march, would die, and the weakened force would be an easy prey for us."
"That is true," the other said, "but they may come now, as they came to
Dongola, in their boats."
"They have the cataracts to ascend, and the rapid currents of the Nile
at its full to struggle against. There is a strong force at Abu Hamed,
and our Governor at Berber will move down there, with all his force,
when he hears that the Egyptians are coming up the cataracts. Should it
be the will of Allah that they should pass them, and reach Berber, we
shall know how to meet them. Mahmud has settled this evening that many
strong forts are to be built on the river bank here, and if the
infidels try to advance farther by water, they will be all sunk.
"I agree with you and Mahmud, and wish that it had been otherwise, and
that we could hurl ourselves at once upon the Egyptians and prevent
their coming farther--but that would be but a partial success. If we
wait, they will gather all their forces before they come, and we shall
destroy them at one blow. Then we shall seize all their stores and
animals, cross the desert to Dongola, march forward to Assouan, and
there wait till the Khalifa brings his own army; and then who is to
oppose us? We will conquer the land of the infidel. I am as eager for
the day of battle as you are, but it seems to me that it is best to
wait here, until the infidels come; and I feel that it is wise of the
Khalifa thus to order. Now I will to my tent."
As soon as Ibrahim Khalim had entered his tent, Gregory crawled away,
well satisfied that he had gained exactly the information he had come
to gather. He had gone but a few paces when he saw a white figure
striding along, in front of the tents. He stopped, and threw himself
down.
Unfortunately, the path taken by the sheik was directly towards him. He
heard the footsteps advancing, in hopes that the man would pass either
in front or behind him. Then he felt a sudden kick, an exclamation, and
a heavy fall. He leapt to his feet, but the Arab sheik was as quick
and, springing up, also seized him, at the same time drawing his knife
and uttering a loud shout.
Gregory grasped the Arab's wrist, and without hesitation snatched his
own knife from the sash, and drove it deep into his assailant's body.
The latter uttered another loud cry for help, and a score of men rushed
from behind the tents.
Gregory set off at the top of his speed, dashed over the brow of the
bridge, and then, without entering the camp there, he kept along close
to the crest, running at the top of his speed and wrapping his blanket
as much as possible round him. He heard an outburst of yells behind,
and felt sure that the sheik he had wounded had told those who had
rushed up which way he had fled. With loud shouts they poured over the
crest, and there were joined by others running up from the camp.
When Gregory paused for a moment, after running for three or four
hundred yards, he could hear no sound of footsteps behind him. Glancing
round, he could not see white dresses in the darkness. Turning sharply
off, he recrossed the crest of the hill and, keeping close to it,
continued his flight until well past the end of the camp.
The alarm had by this time spread everywhere, and a wild medley of
shouts rose throughout the whole area of the encampment. He turned now,
and made for the spot where he had left Zaki and the horses. In five
minutes he reached it.
"Is that you, my lord?" Zaki asked, as he came up.
"Yes, we must fly at once! I was discovered, and had to kill--or at
least badly wound--a sheik, and they are searching for me everywhere."
"I have saddled the horses, and put the water skins on them."
"That is well done, Zaki. Let us mount and be off, at once. We will
lead the horses. It is too dark to gallop among these bushes, and the
sound of the hoofs might be heard. We will go quietly, till we are well
away."
Not another word was spoken, till they had gone half a mile.
"We will mount now, Zaki. The horses can see better than we. We will go
at a walk. I dare not strike a light to look at the compass, but there
are the stars. I do not see the north star, it must be hidden by the
mist, lower down; but the others give us the direction, quite near
enough to go by.
"It is most unfortunate that the fellow who rushed against me was a
sheik. I could see that, by the outline of his robe. If it had been a
common man, there would not have been any fuss over it. As it is, they
will search for us high and low. I know he wasn't killed on the spot,
for he shouted after I had left him; and they are likely to guess, from
his account, that I had been down at one of the emirs' tents, and was
probably a spy.
"I know that I ought to have paused a moment, and given him another
stab, but I could not bring myself to do it. It is one thing to stab a
man who is trying to take one's life, but it is quite another when he
has fallen, and is helpless."
Zaki had made no reply. He could scarcely understand his master's
repugnance to making matters safe, when another blow would have done
so, but it was not for him to blame.
They travelled all night and, when the moon rose, were able to get
along somewhat faster; but its light was now feeble and uncertain. As
soon as day broke, they rode fast, and at ten o'clock had left behind
the range of hills, stretching between the wells of Abu Klea and Jebel
Sergain.
"We ought to be safe now," Gregory said, as they dismounted. "At any
rate, the horses must have a rest. We have done over forty miles."
"We are safe for the present, my lord. It all depends whether or not
they think you are a spy. If they come to that conclusion, they will
send at once to Abu Klea; and if a strong body is stationed there, they
may have sent a party on to Gakdul, or even to El Howeyat, for they
will feel sure that we shall make for one of the wells."
"How much water have you got in the bags?"
Zaki examined them.
"Enough for ourselves for five or six days; but only enough for two
drinks each, for the horses and for ourselves, for a couple of days."
"That is bad. If we had had any idea of coming away so soon, we would
have filled the large bags yesterday. I had intended to send down the
horses in the morning, therefore left them only half full, and they
must have leaked a good deal to get so low. See if one leaks more than
the other."
It was found that one held the water well, but from the other there was
a steady drip. They transferred the water from this to the sound bag.
"We must drink as little as we can, Zaki, and give the horses only a
mouthful, now and then, and let them munch the shrubs and get a little
moisture from them. Do you think there is any fear of the Dervishes
following our tracks?"
"No, my lord. In the first place, they do not know that there are two
of us, or that we are mounted. When those who camped near us notice,
when they get up this morning, that we have moved; they will only think
that we have shifted our camp, as there was no talk of horsemen being
concerned in this affair. No, I do not think they will attempt to
follow us, except along the caravan road, but I feel sure they will
pursue us on that line."
They rested for some hours, in the shade of a high rock, leaving the
horses to pick what herbage they could find. At four o'clock they
started again. They had ridden two hours, when Zaki said:
"See, my lord, there are two men on the top of Jebel Sergain!"
Gregory gazed in that direction.
"Yes, I can notice them now, but I should not have done so, if you had
not seen them."
"They are on watch, my lord."
"Well, they can hardly see us, at this distance."
"You may be sure that they see us," Zaki said; "the eyes of an Arab are
very keen, and could not fail to catch two moving objects--especially
horsemen."
"If they are looking for us, and have seen us, Zaki, they would not be
standing stationary there."
"Not if they were alone. But others may have been with them. When they
first caught sight of us, which may have been half an hour ago, the
others may have gone down to Abu Klea, while those two remained to
watch which course we took. The Arabs can signal with their lances, or
with their horses, and from there they would be able to direct any
party in pursuit of us."
"Well, we must keep on as hard as we can, till dark; after that, we can
take it quietly. You see, the difficulty with us will be water. Now
that they have once made out two horsemen riding north, they must know
that we have some special object in avoiding them; and will, no doubt,
send a party to Gakdul, if not farther."
They crossed the rough country as quickly as they could, and then again
broke into a canter. An hour later, as they crossed a slight rise, Zaki
looked back.
"There are some horsemen in pursuit, my lord. They have evidently come
from Abu Klea."
Gregory looked round.
"There are about fifteen of them," he said. "However, they are a good
three miles behind, and it will be dark in another half hour. As soon
as it is so, we will turn off to the right or left, and so throw them
off our track. Don't hurry your horse. The animals have made a very
long journey, since we started, and we shall want them badly tomorrow."
In another half hour the sun went down. Darkness comes on quickly in
the Soudan, and in another quarter of an hour they had lost sight of
their pursuers, who had gained about a mile upon them.
"Another five minutes, Zaki, to allow for their eyes being better than
ours. Which way do you think we had better turn?"
"I should say to the left, my lord. There is another caravan route from
Metemmeh to Ambukol. It cannot be more than fifteen miles to the west."
"Do you know anything about it?"
"I have never been along there. It is a shorter route than the one to
Korti, but not so much used, I believe, because the wells cannot be
relied upon."
"Well, I feel sure we shall not be able to get at the wells on the
other line, so we had better take that. As we shall be fairly safe from
pursuit, we may as well bear towards the northwest. By doing so we
shall be longer in striking the track, but the journey will be a good
bit shorter than if we were to ride due west.
"Now we can safely dismount. It is getting pitch dark, and we will lead
our horses. I can feel that mine is nearly dead beat. In a few minutes
we will halt, and give them half a gourd full of water, each. After
that, we had better go on for another six or seven miles, so as to be
well out of sight of anyone on the hills."
Ten minutes later they heard the dull sound of horses' hoofs on the
sand. They waited five minutes, until it died away in the distance, and
then continued their course. It was slow work, as they had to avoid
every bush carefully; lest, if their pursuers halted, they should hear
the crackling of a dry stick in the still air. Zaki, who could see much
better in the dark than his master, went on ahead; while Gregory led
the two horses.
A good hour passed before they stopped. They gave the horses a scanty
drink, and took a mouthful or two each; and then, throwing themselves
down, allowed the horses to crop the scanty herbage.
After four hours' halt they pursued their way on foot for three hours,
laying their course by the stars. They calculated that they must have
gone a good fifteen miles from the point where they turned off, and
feared that they might miss the caravan track, if they went on before
daybreak.