"No, my lad," said the Hakim, as the position was discussed, for the
twentieth time perhaps; "it is horrible, but we have the choice of being
friends with these people or their foes. As friends they treat us
admirably; as foes it means cruel slavery."
"And perhaps death," said the professor. "You must bear it, Frank,
though I know it is hard."
"It is terrible," said Frank bitterly, "for I have hard work to conceal
my dislike to this man."
"But it has brought about what we so earnestly prayed for," said the
doctor. "You have won for yourself the permission to go almost wherever
you wish."
"Yes," said Frank bitterly; "but I get no farther, and I am once more
beginning to feel that we have come to the wrong place. We must go to
Khartoum."
"Ibrahim has, I know, worked hard for us; but he gets no tidings," said
the doctor.
"None," said the professor; "but still we must not give up hope. We
shall have to petition the Emir after all. How long will it be before
your patient can be left, Robert, my son? Let's see, it is nearly a
month since you performed the operation."
"Four weeks to-morrow," replied the doctor; "and he is rapidly getting
strong."
"But does not seem very grateful."
"No," said the doctor, smiling. "He is ten times as civil to Frank here
as he is to me."
"You ought to have tried Frank's black dye," said the professor,
laughing.
"Well," said the doctor, quite seriously, "if I had known as much as I
know now I certainly should have followed his example. You see, the
best of us at home look down upon a black skin as being worn by a lower
type of man."
"Yes," replied the professor, "while here a white skin is the mark of
the beast. Fortunately, I am getting of a good, wholesome tan colour."
"You are as dark now as Ibrahim," said the doctor, looking at his
companion searchingly.
"Am I? Well, I suppose I am. So much the better. I want to be as free
to come and go as Frank here. I'd say that it is terribly weary work
being kept in as I am if it were not that the poor Hakim here is ten
times worse off."
"And bears it all without a murmur," said Frank, turning to his friend
with a look full of the gratitude he felt.
"I don't mind at all," said the doctor, smiling. "You two need not
fidget about me. I pity you."
"Why so?" said Frank wonderingly.
"Because I am so busy with my profession that the time goes quickly, and
I am always gaining fresh experience in surgery; while you two can do
nothing but fret and think."
"Don't speak, Frank," whispered the professor warningly; "someone
coming."
It was not the Emir or his son, nor anyone to summon the Hakim to his
patient's side, but the Sheikh returning from one of his rambles about
the place, and the professor turned to him eagerly, for the old man's
face suggested that he had something to tell.
"News, Excellencies; it is the common report that the Egyptian army is
coming up the river. I hear it on all sides."
Frank shrugged his shoulders and glanced at the professor, who spoke.
"We have heard that report so often," he said.
"Yes, Excellency, but there is a great deal of stir and preparation.
Two more Emirs have come into the city with their followers, and the
people are in despair with the treatment they receive."
The Hakim looked at him inquiringly.
"They are being turned out of their houses in every direction to make
room for the fighting men, and a word or look is enough to bring down a
blow from a spear shaft or a thrust. I have seen five wounded men and
women since I have been out."
"If ever our troops do get up here," said the professor, "the common
people will bless their coming."
"Yes, Excellency, for it will mean punishment for their oppressors, and
then peace. Everyone now who is not a fighting man and follower of the
new Mahdi is a slave at the mercy of the invader. Ah, it is horrible
what one has to see!"
"But have you no news for me, Ibrahim?" said Frank, looking at him
appealingly.
"None, Ben Eddin, though I have not ceased to search and question where
I can. Will your Excellencies get permission for me to go to Khartoum
to search?"
"No," said the Hakim quietly. "We may want you at any hour to help us
with the camels."
The Sheikh shook his head, with a look which suggested that any attempt
to escape would be hopeless, and Frank was quick to read his thoughts.
"You think we should be stopped?" he said.
"Yes, Ben Eddin, perhaps before we had gone a quarter of a day's
journey. We should certainly be pursued and brought back, or perhaps,"
he added solemnly, "not brought back--only the Hakim."
There was a few minutes' silence, and then the old man turned to Frank.
"I hurried back, Ben Eddin," he said, "because I feared that you would
go out."
"Yes, I am going," said Frank quietly.
"No," said the old man; "you must stay. The followers of the Emirs who
have come in have left their fighting men to roam about the city as they
please. They are fresh from far away in the south, and hungry for
spoil. Everyone who cannot lift sword or spear is to them one who may
be plundered, and four men were in one house torturing a poor wretch to
make him show where his money was hidden, after they had stripped his
place of everything that took their fancy. I hurried away, for one cast
hungry eyes upon my garments, and there was no help near. The young
Excellency must not go out."
"No one heeds me now," said Frank bitterly. "Besides, I had made up my
mind to go to-day. You know what the Emir said."
"Yes, Excellency, that you might go about the city if you liked to take
the risk. But that was before the fresh fighting men had come--
fierce-looking dervishes these from the southern desert, I think, far
down towards the Abyssinian lands."
"I shall take the risk," said Frank. "My face will shelter me again."
"Why run unnecessary risks?" said the Hakim gravely.
"Because I am always haunted by the thought that at any time while I am
sitting idling here I may be missing an opportunity for seeing Hal. For
aught we know he may be prisoner to one of these newly come Emirs.
There, don't try to stop me. The more I am out about the city the less
likely am I to come to grief."
"Will your Excellency let me ride with you? I will get the camels
ready."
"No," said Frank; "I want to be off out. Ah! there is some fresh horror
on the way," whispered the young man excitedly, for the Emir's son
passed the window and glanced up, entering directly after, and making
Frank a sign he said a few words to the Sheikh.
"The young Emir wishes you to go out riding with him, Excellency," said
Ibrahim.
"Yes," said Frank eagerly; "I will go. There, you see, I shall be
mounted now and safe."
No obstacle was thrown in the way, and shortly after the two young men
were riding through the streets of the city together; but there was no
special horror on the way. They passed, however, scores of fierce, dark
warriors with closely shaven heads and pointed beards, and wearing large
rings in their ears. They were simply dressed in closely fitting white
cotton garbs which left arms and legs bare, looking in their strong
contrast of black and white, mounted as they were upon small, active
horses, wild of mane and tail, and as savage of aspect as their riders,
effective looking troops for a desert campaign; and as they rode through
the streets, loath to give way to anyone, their eyes wandered over every
person, place, or thing, as if, as the Sheikh had said, in search of
spoil.
On that particular day, wearied with his ineffective search, irritable,
and hot, the young Englishman felt a strange sense of dislike pervade
him as he rode on with his companion, who seemed to share his resentment
on encountering party after party of the desert warriors, fine modern
Ishmaelites; and before they had gone far there seemed to be every
prospect of an encounter, for the rich robe and turban of the young Emir
attracted the attention of one thin, wiry-looking black, while his
companion fixed his eyes upon the handsome sword and dagger worn by
Frank.
These two were taking up the centre of the narrow street through which
the young men passed, and seemed disposed to bar their way; but fear was
not one of the failings of the Emir's son, and their attitude aroused
his wrath.
Turning to Frank, he bade him ride faster, the words being familiar now,
and knee to knee they pressed on, making the strangers give way by
opening out; but they returned fierce look for look, and before the
strangely assorted couple had gone many yards they found that the black
warriors had turned and were following them.
The Emir's son turned to Frank, laughed, and touched the hilt of his
sword, with a meaning look which the young Englishman interpreted to
mean--
"Will you help me if I have to fight?"
The dervish warriors had come upon them at an unlucky time, and their
insolent, threatening air had roused the quiet British blood in Frank's
veins. The feeling of hatred that had been growing against these people
consequent upon the horrors he had seen and heard, and the irritation
produced by inactivity and his disappointments, drove away all thought
of the risk he might run, and the feeling grew strong that if attacked
he must defend himself.
A whirl of such thoughts rushed through the young man's brain, and at
his companion's question and sign his eyes flashed, he nodded assent,
and sharply grasped his own sword.
The young Emir laughed again, and laid his dark hand firmly upon his
companion's arm, disdaining to look back to see if they were followed,
but riding forward at a walk towards where the narrow street opened into
a wider part, upon reaching which they saw upon their left a party of
ten or a dozen more of the dark horsemen riding slowly along as if in
search of plunder, for several had various objects thrown across their
saddlebows, which looked like spoil, and their wandering looks at once
turned to the approaching pair.
It struck Frank as strange in those exciting moments that the allies of
the new Mahdi, the followers of friendly emirs, should be parading the
streets as if they were new conquerors of the city, looking upon all
whom they encountered as enemies; but so it was, and he began now to
wonder what his companion would do, then why it was that he did not feel
alarmed, for the time for prompt action had come.
Neither of the young men saw what took place behind them, but a sign was
made by one of the two dervishes in the rear, which was answered by the
party in front opening out a little as if to check the advance of Frank
and his companion.
That was sufficient for the latter, who turned to give Frank a rapid
glance, as he drew his sword.
The example was contagious, and for the first time in anger the young
Englishman snatched his blade from its sheath, hardly knowing in his
excitement what he was doing, everything being comprehended in the one
great thought that his life was in peril, and that he must be ready to
strike.
The rest followed as a matter of course, for his steed, trained and
thoroughly accustomed to such encounters, bounded off at the same moment
as its fellow, stride for stride, and with the hot wind surging in his
ears Frank found himself borne swiftly straight at the party who barred
their way.
It was all a matter of a few seconds. He heard a fierce war-cry, saw
one of the savage dervishes rising in his saddle with a spear poised to
deliver a thrust, which he felt that he must in some way parry, and
almost simultaneously the dervish's horse swerved to avoid the coming
shock, the consequence being that the fierce thrust was delivered wildly
in the air, as the chest of Frank's Arab struck just behind the black's
saddle. The next moment horse and rider were rolling in the sandy dust,
while after delivering a fierce cut which took effect upon his
adversary, the young Emir uttered a fiercely defiant cry, and the two
companions were tearing across the opening, making for a street in
front, followed by half a dozen yelling dervishes who had wheeled round
their horses and started in pursuit.
Before, however, they could get their active little mounts into their
stride Frank and the young Emir were twenty yards ahead, the former
resettling himself in his saddle after being nearly thrown, and the
latter half turned, shaking his sword defiantly, seeing with malicious
joy that his adversary was _hors de combat_, half lying upon the ground,
while Frank's was limping after his horse, which stood shaking itself
after recovering its feet.
The young Emir shouted something to Frank, who answered it with a nod,
taking it for granted that as the enemy were still somewhere about four
to one, their duty was to gallop for their lives, while he, moment by
moment, became more confident as he found that all he had to do was to
keep his seat and leave the future movements to his companion and his
horse. As to escaping, of that there seemed to be no doubt, for they
two were far better mounted than their enemies, and could easily
outstrip them unless some unforeseen accident occurred.
But unforeseen accidents generally do occur at the most awkward moments,
and it was so here.
The streets were encumbered as usual in that teeming hive of misery, and
at the sound of the shouting and the dull thud of horses' hoofs, the
occupants of the crowded streets they passed through pressed closely to
the walls of the low houses on either side, but there _were_ some very
close shaves. One of these was caused by a loaded donkey which was
being driven slowly along and partially blocked the way; but at a yell
from the young Emir the driver threw himself against his beast to force
it close to a wall, leaving just enough room for the fleeing pair to
pass, though so narrow was the space left that Frank felt his loose
white robe brush against the house upon his right as they passed the
ass, their horses taking the centre directly after. Then away they tore
again, but only to see amongst the people in front, towering above them,
the figure of a black mounted upon a camel, whose burden projected far
on either side.
There was no riding together past this, so the young Emir drew rein,
shouting to Frank to go on singly, the horse comprehending the order and
tearing along, passing the camel the next instant, while when his turn
came, the young Emir raised himself in his saddle and delivered a quick,
cutting blow, whose effect was to divide one of the most important ropes
of the camel's harness, wounding the poor beast slightly, and making it
fling itself wildly across the roadway, while its burden, and with it
the rider, fell in confusion from the ungainly creature's back.
The young Soudanese uttered a malicious laugh as he rode on side by side
with Frank, again turning in his saddle to watch and see whether their
pursuers were checked by the accident. They were for the moment, but
four rushed at the load and leaped their horses over it, while the
others forced their way by the side, and the pursuit was taken up again
with undiminished vigour.
Frank was accustomed enough by now to the roads to know that his
companion was making for the open plain, where they could have a free
gallop, so as to leave the enemy well behind before making for one of
the other entrances and reaching their own part of the city where they
would be safe. And still gaining ground, they galloped on, turning into
a wider way, sending the people flying to right and left, some into
houses or gardens, others to press into doorways, but all turning to
watch the exciting chase, for it promised to end in blood.
The young Emir turned to Frank again, uttering a merry laugh as if the
process of being hunted was a delightful sensation; but as he did so
Frank pointed ahead, and his companion drew rein a little, while his
countenance lowered, for there, a couple of hundred yards away, was a
strong body of the newly come mounted dervishes, slowly riding into
view.
Frank fully expected him to turn face round to make a dash at the
smaller party who were chasing them, and try to cut their way back, and
with his blood regularly up the young Englishman tightened his grip of
his sword, ready for everything; but the Emir's son rode right on,
straight for the coming band, their pursuers yelling behind, and
unconsciously doing the pursued good service, for it warned the people
in the street as much as the trampling hoofs, drawing their attention to
the flying pair, who waved their swords to them to clear the way.
The wave of a hand from a galloping horseman has a wonderful effect in
this direction, people darting out of the roadway to right and left in
search of safety; but it is nothing to the wave of a keen sword,
flashing in the sunshine, and this being a broader thoroughfare, the
flying pair had on the whole a clear course, which kept on opening up
more and more towards the coming body of horse, who so far had seen
nothing, and in their interested staring about the great city, so new to
these dwellers of the desert, paid no heed.
In his excitement as the young men rode on knee to knee, their beautiful
Arab steeds keeping as close as a pair of well-broken carriage horses in
a western city, Frank pointed ahead again in the direction of the
dervish band; but the young Emir only nodded and laughed, as he gave his
sword a wave and rode on.
"He is mad with excitement," thought Frank. "We can never do that
again. They nearly fill the street from house to house."
Then a wild, strange thought flashed through his brain, as he gazed in
those brief moments straight at the dervishes, and saw their wild eyes
clearer and clearer at every bound made by his steed--a thought telling
plainly of the fate he expected, and which he took to be unavoidable
now.
"Will poor old Hal ever know that I came to save him, and that I died
like this?"
As this thought came and seemed to make him feel more ready for the
coming shock delivered by those two against the dense body of horsemen
ahead, the cause of the excitement before them began to dawn upon the
dervish band. There was a display of excitement, men rising in their
stirrups and waving their spears, as they saw men of their own tribe in
pursuit of the pair, though far behind, and the next minute one who
seemed to be the leader drew and waved his sword, the result of the
movement being that the band opened out a little more, so that their
front extended from house to house, and they began to drive back all the
people who were in the street.
The fugitives were now not fifty paces from the walking dervish front,
and in less than a minute they would have been right upon them; but in a
flash Frank saw the meaning of his comrade's movement, for he turned
towards him, laughing, waved his sword to the right, and the next moment
the two horses swerved round and darted down a narrow way little wider
than a court, and tore on in obedience to the urging from their riders'
heels, chased too now by fresh pursuers, whose yells rang out as if they
were a vast pack of human hounds--as indeed they were, and as
bloodthirsty; but they were at this disadvantage: everything about them
was new, while to the fugitives, especially to one, the maze of streets
was familiar, and their horses were quite at home.
So much so was this the case that after tearing along two or three
streets, at every corner of which as they swung round it seemed as if
they would come down upon their flanks, the beautiful creatures snorted
as they tore on with expanded nostrils and streaming manes and tails,
galloping with stretched-out necks as if they knew their goal. It was
so, for at the end of a few minutes' more wild dash they bounded across
a wide way familiar to Frank, whose heart leaped as the swift animals
dashed into an open court, plunging a group of mounted and foot men into
a frantic state of excitement as the horses stopped by one impulse, and
the young Emir shouted his war-cry, waving his sword above his head and
pointing to his pursuers, who came streaming in through the open gate.