Before the sun rose Frank's rescue party fully realised their position--
that they were prisoners, guarded by about twenty of the Baggara chief's
followers, and in charge of a temporary hospital, with the leader's son
as the principal patient.
"We must look our trouble, if trouble it is, straight in the face,
Frank, my lad," said the professor, "and hope all will turn out for the
best."
"Yes," replied Frank, with a sigh; "but of course we cannot stir from
here, and the time is going so fast."
"But we reckoned upon meeting with obstacles, and this one may prove to
be a help in the end."
"I hope so," said the young man despondently, his manner seeming to
belie his words. "But what about the future--I mean when these men need
no more attention?"
"My idea of the future is that the chief has gone with his men upon some
raid already arranged, and that we shall have them back before long."
"Yes," said Frank, "he is sure to return on account of his son. Then we
must wait."
"Yes, and as patiently as we can, my lad."
"And have as good an account to give the father as we can on his
return," said the doctor, who had been listening in silence. "It is
very trying, Frank, to be checked like this, and so soon; but one thing
is certain, the Baggara chief means to keep us to attend to his wounded,
and this being a warlike excursion it will sooner or later come to an
end, and we shall be taken pretty swiftly in the direction we want to
go."
"I'll try to think as you do," said Frank sadly, "and murmur as little
as I can."
"Fortunately we shall have very little time for brooding over our
troubles," said the doctor, "for I can see nothing but hard work for
days to come."
"Yes," said the professor grimly; "you are getting far more professional
duty, though, than we bargained for."
As the day wore on there was little change visible in the young chief,
who seemed to be alive, and that was all; but the Hakim was satisfied,
and the other patients had certainly improved.
The Sheikh reported having talked to the head of their guard, but he was
far from communicative. He would not say anything about his chief's
proceedings, nor even allow that he would return, but told the Arab
sternly that no one must stir from the little camp; at the same time,
though, he showed Ibrahim that he was left with a supply of provisions
for many days to come, and that he was ready to furnish the Hakim's
party with meat and corn.
"Then we must wait, Ibrahim," said Frank wearily.
"Yes, Excellency," replied the old man, "and have patience. These
people have it in their power to turn us back, or make slaves and
prisoners of us; while if we resist--well, Excellency, I need not tell
you what would come. They are masters, and if a servant does not do
their bidding, the sand drinks up his blood, and he is no more. They
look upon us now, though, as their friends, and sooner or later the
Baggara chief will return, if he does not encounter some of the English
troops and have his people scattered."
"Which is hardly likely yet," said the professor decisively.
"No, Excellency, not yet; and I feel sure that after he has swept the
country round of everything worth taking he will retreat south."
"Where?" said Frank quickly.
"There are but two places at all likely, Excellency," replied the old
man; "Omdurman and Khartoum, one of which will be the headquarters of
the new Mahdi's force, and that is where you wish to be."
As had been said, there was too much to do for the English party to have
much time for brooding. The Hakim was deeply interested in his
patients, forgetting everything in the brave fight he made to save every
life; and Frank strove manfully to hide the heart-sickness and despair
which attacked him as he worked away over what soon settled down into
field hospital work, being conscious all the while that he and his
friends were carefully watched, but not in a troublesome way, for the
Baggara guard had formed a little camp of their own and kept rigorously
to themselves, their duty being to mount guard night and day and see
that the prisoners and patients were supplied with all that was needed.
And so the time glided by, with Frank daily growing more careworn and
silent. He did not even revert to the object of their journey unless it
was mentioned by his companions, but worked away, helping the doctor,
and having the satisfaction of seeing first one poor helpless wreck
become convalescent and then another. For there was no shirking or
making the worst of wounds or sickness, the men being only too ready to
leave the hospital tent with its occupants, so as to join the guard in
their little camp.
Consequently as the days sped quickly by the number of patients rapidly
decreased, while the principal sufferer, after lying as if between life
and death for a week, began to mend, his terrible wound healing rapidly,
and signs of returning strength gradually appearing.
At first he lay quiet and sullen, submitting to all that was done for
him, watching the Hakim with what appeared to be a suspicious dread, for
his mind did not seem to grasp the possibility of this Frankish
physician wishing to save his life. He scowled, too, at the professor,
and at first gave the dumb, black slave Frank fierce looks whenever in
his ministrations he approached and touched him. But during the course
of the second week, as his strength began to return, he appeared more
grateful, and once or twice smiled and nodded after being lifted or fed,
or having his position changed.
One day when the Sheikh came to the tent the patient began to speak, and
asked him questions about the Hakim--why he was there, and what payment
he would require for all he had done; and looked surprised when told
that the learned Frankish physician did everything for the sake of doing
good.
It was a problem that lasted him till the next day, when he signed for
something, and the professor found that they could make one another
comprehend after a fashion, enough for the Englishman to grasp that the
wounded man wanted Ibrahim, who was summoned.
It was for a mere trifle. He wanted to question him about Frank--how he
came to be the Hakim's slave, and why he could not speak, the old Arab
making up the best explanation he could over the first, and referring to
the professor for an explanation as to the latter, the young chief being
evidently under the impression, and bluntly expressing the belief, that
the Hakim had cut out the young slave's tongue so that he should not
reveal any of the secrets of the magic by whose means he performed his
cures.
There being visible proof afforded, to Frank's disgust, that the Hakim
had not treated his slave in this barbarous way, the young chief felt
certain that the silence was the result of some magic spell, and he
began to display a certain amount of pity for the young man, and lay and
watched him curiously.
From that day Frank found that he was an object of interest to the young
chief, who noted every movement with a sort of pitying contempt, while
at the same time, in spite of the result of the Hakim's ministrations,
he displayed an unconcealed dislike for him that was manifested in
morose looks and more than one angry scowl.
This was talked over when the friends were alone, and the doctor smiled.
"It does not matter," he said. "I shall not be jealous, Frank. It is
all plain enough to read. The poor fellow is weak as a child mentally
as well as bodily, and I expect that as soon as he gets better he will
be offering you your freedom from the cruel slavery to which you have
been reduced."
"Yes, that's it," said the professor, laughing; "but don't you listen to
the voice of the charmer, my boy. There is an old proverb about jumping
out of the frying-pan into the fire."
"It may all work for good," said the doctor, "and there is no harm in
making a friend; but it is of no use to try and foresee what will
happen. A sick man's fancies are very evanescent. Go on as you have
done all through. One thing is very evident: he is mending fast, and
can be moved when his father returns."
"If he ever does," said the professor drily. "The lives of these
fighting men are rather precarious, and if we never see him again I
shall not be surprised."
Another week glided by, and the large tent was taken down by the Baggara
guard and set up again in their own camp, for the last of the Hakim's
patients had expressed a wish to join his fellows, though far from being
in a condition to leave, so that the young chief was the only sufferer
left, while he was now sufficiently recovered to watch what went on
around. But for the most part his eyes were fixed upon the desert, his
gaze bespeaking the expectation of his father's return, though he never
suggested it in his brief conversations with the Sheikh--brief from
their difficulty, the old Arab confessing his inability to understand
much that was said.
But if the young chief was watching in that expectation he fixed his
eyes upon the distant horizon in vain. The clouds appeared every
morning, to hang for hours in the east along the course of the far-off
river, and then die away in the glowing sunshine, while to north and
south and west there was the shimmering haze of heat playing above the
sand, till Frank began to be in despair.