The Hakim, even if looked upon by the semi-savages of the desert as a
prophet, was human enough to require a second meal before he had
finished what to ordinary people would have been a loathsome task; but
fortunately for suffering humanity the great profession of the surgeon
becomes to him of such intense interest, and so full of grand problems
in the fight against death, that he forgets the horrors and sees
comparatively little of that which makes the unused turn half fainting
away.
In this instance the Baggara chief and his followers had been for many
weeks away from the main body of the invading tribes, fighting,
plundering, destroying, and leaving devastation plainly marked in their
locust-like track. But all this had not been accomplished without
suffering and loss to the tribe. Many had perished from disease; others
had been cut down in some onslaught. More had been sick or wounded and
had recovered, but there was a numerous remnant of sufferers, active men
who had once been strong, but now, weakened by suffering, retained just
enough force to enable them to keep in their places, held up to a great
extent by the cruel knowledge that if they failed ever so little more
they would be left behind in a region where people, the wild beast, and
Nature herself, were all combined against them. For the wounded man if
found by the suffering villagers was remorselessly slaughtered; the
beasts and birds soon spied out the weakling and followed him night and
day till the morning when he was too much chilled by the cold night dews
to rise again to tramp on in search of water or solid food; and then
first one and then another rushed in from the sands, or stooped from
above, to rend and tear, and soon enough all was over, and the carrion
seekers had had their fill.
It was a knot of these--sick and wounded--that were led or tramped up to
the front of the Hakim's tent, and there paused or were set down, a
dreadful row, horrible of aspect, bandaged, unkempt, vilely dirty,
feeble, and hopeless. They made no complaint, sent up no appeal, but
sat or lay there gazing at the handsome, polished gentleman seated
blandly before them, the mark of all those pleading, imploring eyes,
silently asking him to give them back their lost health and strength.
"Look at them," said the doctor sadly; "one is bound to pity and to
help, when hard, matter-of-fact self says, Why should they be helped--
why should they be made strong again, to go on indulging in destruction
and dealing death?"
"It's our way of doing things," said the professor.
"Yes, Heaven be praised!" replied the doctor. "No one would change it
if he could."
"But," said Frank, "there is not a wounded or suffering man here who has
not brought all his trouble upon himself. If he had given up the sword
and spear and stayed in his own country to cultivate his own lands he
would have been healthy and well."
"Of course," said the professor; "and therefore you would let the
miserable wretches die out of the way?"
"Nothing of the kind," cried Frank indignantly. "They are human beings,
suffering terribly, and I would do all I could to help them."
"Don't get excited," said the doctor smiling, "or you will have some of
them noticing that you are not the Hakim's dumb slave. Come, our work
is waiting."
It was, and they worked on hour after hour at the terrible task; but it
was impossible not to see the impression the doctor made upon his
savage-looking patients, who for the most part hesitated doubting and
half resenting his acts; but in a few minutes to a man they resigned
themselves to his influence, and when at last they crawled or were borne
away by companions, there was not one who was not ready to sing the
praises of the Hakim, not from being cured, but from the change wrought
by a skilful surgeon upon neglected wounds, and the sensations of rest
and relief afforded by a doctor who looked upon the ailments from which
the patients suffered as the simplest forms of disease, caused by
neglect, and treated them accordingly.
In the Baggara camp that night there was but one theme of conversation.
It was not with regard to the plunder taken in the last village that had
been sacked, and the great amount of corn that it was impossible to
bring away, and consequently had to be destroyed, but of the wondrous
holy man--this prophet--this inspired Hakim, whose touch to the fiery,
throbbing wound was softer than that of a woman, and who caused a gentle
sleep to fall upon him in whose flesh that ragged bullet lay deep, or in
whom the broken spear-top was rankling and stabbing at every movement,
while it refused to give way to the cutting and poulticing of their own
wise men.
It was wonderful, the Baggara said, and they declared that they did not
care whether he was a follower of the Prophet or of any other belief;
all they knew was that he was inspired; otherwise how could he make men
breathe against their will and then fall into that deep sleep, suffering
pain before, and then waking up how long after who could tell, with the
bullet taken away, the rankling spear-point no longer imbedded in the
muscle, the fever gone, and instead a cool, soft bandage and a feeling
of rest.
Oh, the Hakim was a great, an inspired prophet, they said; and had one
told them that this inspiration was that of science and patient search
to win a knowledge of the wonders of our great creation, they would have
laughed him to scorn.
On the other hand, in the Hakim's little camp of a couple of tents,
there was the knowledge of some five-and-twenty men lying down to rest
as they had not lain for many weary days, and that the chief was like
another man, for he had been to the Hakim's tent himself, to bend low to
the man of wisdom, and tell him, through the lips of Ibrahim, that the
calm that had come over his spirit was marvellous, and that the wound
only throbbed now and ached, but in a way that he was man enough to
bear.
At this the Hakim had looked grave, and bidden him recline upon the rug
outside the tent door, taking the arm in hand once more and gently
unfastening the bandages before bathing and applying a soothing
antiseptic application upon fresh lint to the wound, and bandaging less
tightly once again.
After this the savage warrior arose, to bend with more reverence than
ever over the Hakim's hand, bidding Ibrahim tell him that now he was at
peace, and ask him if there was anything he needed for himself and
followers.
It was after the chief had returned to his own rough tent that the
discourse took a strange turn.
Naturally enough further gifts for the present had been declined on the
ground that they had an ample supply of their own, to which he had made
so thoughtful an addition. But now that the last sufferer had left the
neighbourhood of the tent, and the Hakim and his aides had prepared
themselves for their well-earned evening meal. Sam and one of the
Sheikh's young men had been busy over a fire, and there was ready for
the Hakim's repast one portion of the roasted kid, the other being
handed over to the Sheikh's party.
The cleverly cooked and browned meat sent forth an appetising odour, the
evening was cool, and the sky of a delicious hue; and spread upon a
cloth upon the level sand all was ready, including the newly baked
cakes, with the additional luxury of fruit--rich, golden-yellow, buttery
bananas such as are not known in Europe, and the cloying but wholesome
honey-flavoured date.
All looked tempting, for the cool draughts of clear water from the
spring and the restful bathe had taken away the weary sensation of
nauseating distaste for food consequent upon the ordeal through which
the doctor and his companions had passed.
But then just as the party had taken their seats, the professor, in a
grimly malicious way, proceeded to spoil the feast.
"Such a shame," he said solemnly; "that kid and the luscious fruit we
are going to eat must have been plundered by these savage ruffians from
some village. I don't think we shall either of us have the heart to
touch a bit."
A blank silence seemed to fall upon the group, the Hakim thrusting away
his knife, Frank, who half knelt behind him, as a slave should, waiting
for such morsels as the Hakim might condescend to pass, darted a fierce
look at the speaker, and the Sheikh, who shared their table now and was
in the act of behaving, in spite of his intercourse with Europeans, in a
very ungentlemanly way--for he was trying the edge of his knife--dropped
it as if he had cut his thumb, and stared as angrily as Frank.
"But, Landon, old friend," said the Hakim at last, "I am hungry! Surely
it is not our fault that the food was stolen--if it was."
"No, but we should be encouraging the Baggara to go on plundering if we
ate these things."
"Do you think so really?" said the doctor; and then a change came over
the professor's face which made Morris shake his head and attack the
much needed food at once.