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In the Mahdi's Grasp, a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 15. Receiving The Enemy |
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_ CHAPTER FIFTEEN. RECEIVING THE ENEMY As Frank was about to raise the glass to his eye, the doctor, who was some little distance in advance, checked his camel for them to come up alongside, and pointed the while away to where in the distance about a dozen column-like clouds were spinning round as if upon pivots, while they advanced as if to cross their course. "A sand-storm," said the professor. "Not much, but unpleasant enough if it comes upon us. Hi! Ibrahim; will those pillars cross before we get near them?" "I cannot say, Excellency," replied the old man. "I fear not. It will be better to halt." The preparations for the storm were soon made, the camels crouching down with their necks fully outstretched, while their riders knelt down sheltered by the animals and their packs, and held their thin cotton robes ready to veil their faces should the storm come near. It was a strange sight, the tall, pillar-like clouds sweeping along over the level sand like so many parts of a vast machine preparing warp and weft for spinning a garment to clothe the earth, and there were moments when the pillars were so regular in distance and motion that it seemed impossible not to believe that they were artificial. All was still where the travellers stood and knelt, the sun pouring down upon them from a clear sky, and as the Sheikh kept scanning the approaching storm Frank watched him to try and read what he thought. It was pretty plain, for the old man's eyes brightened and he seemed to breathe more freely, since it was evident that if the whirlwind kept its course the dust pillars would pass across the track they were making half a mile away. "But these storms change about so, Excellency," said the Sheikh. "This may suddenly turn back or rush off right away from us. It will, I think, go onward towards the great river away to our left, and sweep across it. No!" he thundered out. "Be ready; it comes," for suddenly a hot blast of air smote the party, fluttering their robes, and the whirling pillars, so distinct and clear a few minutes before, grew misty as if seen through a dense haze; for by one of its sudden changes the storm had swept round almost at right-angles, and the next minute the sky was obscured, the camels were groaning as they buried their heads in the loose sand, and the storm of hot, suffocating dust, borne on a mighty wind, was upon them, shrieking, tearing at everything loose, and buffeting its victims, who could hardly breathe, the dust choking every tiny crevice in the cotton cloth held over the face. The roar and rush were horrible, the confusion of intellect strange and peculiar, and Frank, as he cowered down behind his camel with his forehead pressed against the saddle to keep his veil in its place, felt as if he were breathing the scorching air out of some open furnace door, while the choking, irritating sensation in the air-passages seemed as if it must soon terminate in death. Doubtless that would have been their fate if the storm had lasted; but as quickly as it had come upon them it passed over, and in a few minutes the air about them was clear again, the sky blue, and the sun beating down, while the dust-cloud pillars were careering along, distinctly seen a quarter of a mile away. "Yes," said the Sheikh calmly, "they are terrible, these hot whirlwinds. Their Excellencies would be glad to bathe and clear their faces and hair from the thick dust, but there is no water save for drinking. We have never had a worse one than this, Excellency, in our travels." "Never," said the professor, who knelt in the sand trying to clear his eyes from the impalpable brownish dust, "and I don't want to meet another. This is one of the experiences of a desert journey, Frank. Why, lad, you are turned from black to brown." "And you the same, but from white," replied Frank, smiling. "I suppose so. It's bad for the Hakim's white robes, too. I say, Ibrahim, when shall we strike the river?" "Not for many days, Excellency; but we shall halt at fountains among the rocks." Five days' monotonous journeying across the sandy plains, and then five nights of travelling, with the days devoted to rest, had passed before the river was approached at a bend which brought it near the line of travel which the Sheikh had traced out for himself by the stars. The way had been marked by the bones of camels, and in two places other bones scattered here and there told their horrible tale of suffering or attack, one skull displaying a frightful fracture that was unmistakable; fountain after fountain had been reached, and refreshing halts had been made where the waters gushed from some patch of rocks, to fertilise a small extent around, supporting a few palms and prickly, stunted bushes of acacia-like growth, before they started away again into the sand; and in cases where the next water-hole was too far, one, two, or three camels bore away water-skins well filled, to carry the party over the next halting-place. The necessity of keeping up the supply forced their guide to adopt a zigzag mode of progression, and to make his little caravan traverse nearly double the distance that would have been necessary could they have taken a bee-line towards the south. But experience had taught all travellers who journey by the desert, instead of by the great waterway with its vast cataracts, where the pressure of the earth forced the water springs to the surface, and naturally these were the goals for which all tired travellers made. There were but few incidents during a fortnight's travel, and more than once Frank's heart sank as he pondered upon the little advance they had made; but as the professor said, they were two weeks nearer their journey's end, and all was well. But it was sadly monotonous. The morning and evening skies were glorious, but their beauties soon began to pale, while on the hot days the journeys were most exhausting, and the travellers welcomed the clear nights when the stars blazed on high, for these were the times the Sheikh selected for progressing. "There is no fear then of going far astray," he said; for he knew nothing of the use of the compass, and the adventurers had never thought of bringing such an aid. In company with the doctor and professor such natural history objects as presented themselves were examined--lizards among the rocks, a few snakes, harmless, and the poison-bearing cobra; but away from the river, birds were rare, save those of prey, and as to animals they were heard more than seen. A gazelle or two, little and graceful, bounded across the track, but it was at night that the howling of the jackals and the long, hideous snarling of hyaenas taught the travellers that there were plenty of these loathsome creatures hungrily waiting for the weaklings of such caravans as crossed the sandy plains. Twice over irregularities were pointed out by the Sheikh--places where the dead level was broken--as being the sites of former occupancy of that part of the country, the professor discoursing learnedly about the possibility of changes in the surface having taken place and rendered the country barren, while he talked eagerly of how interesting it would have been to encamp at such spots, gather together a score of the fellaheen with shovel and basket, and explore. "But there could never have been cities there," said the doctor. "But there were," replied the professor. "Egypt _is_ not half explored as yet. Out yonder where we passed to-day the land lay lower, and there was the trace of a wady, one of those irregular valleys which doubtless ran towards the Nile. That was once filled with water, but the encroaching sand has filled up and covered everything. Ah, I should like nothing better than to begin digging there. It would not be long before I began to learn who the people were who formed that colony." At last, on the morning of the fifteenth day, when, after a longer night's journey than usual, a halt was made, the faint dawn began to show that the face of the country had undergone a change. Sand there was in plenty, but it was diversified with patches of rocks, some of which were of great elevation, while where the camels began to increase their ordinary rate of speed, a ridge crossed their path, and as it grew lighter the travellers' eyes were greeted by the relief of green bushes, patches of trees, and various traces of this being a place frequented by man. As the sun rose, right across the east there were clouds, which seemed to be very different from those to which they were accustomed, and the reason was soon made plain by a remark from the Sheikh, who explained that the river ran from north to south, about a day's journey eastward, and that if they continued their march a few miles in that direction they would soon come upon signs of cultivation, and a scattered village or two. "And shall we go that way?" asked Frank. "Only as far as the first village, where we can buy grain--corn, and dhurra. Then we strike away again into the desert, along whose borders we must keep. It is safer, and we are less likely to meet with wandering dervish bands. We only come near the river when it is necessary to refill the sacks and give the camels better feed than they can get near the water-holes and fountains." "I see," said Frank, as he glanced at the professor. "To get to the neighbourhood of the Mahdi's people quickly we must go slowly." "Yes, Excellency, it is better so. We stay here two days while three of the young men and three camels go out to buy corn in the villages yonder. There is generally food to be purchased there, for the Nile floods run out widely a little way beyond, and the Khalifa's people have not reached so far as yet." "Is there not the ruin of a great temple somewhere in this direction?" "And of a city too, Excellency--El Gaebor," replied the Sheikh. "Few people have gone there, for it is half a day's journey from the river bank. But his Excellency will not stay to visit it now?" "No, Ibrahim; not now," said the professor. "It is very tempting, but duty first. We must come and see the ruins after we have fetched my friend out of the new Mahdi's grasp. Not before." "Yes, not before," said the doctor quietly; for he spoke little on the way, passing long hours in a thoughtful silence, as if dreaming over the duties he had to perform, and acting always as if he felt that he really was the learned Hakim he assumed to be. There was a great charm about the wild, rocky place they had reached, the first rays of the sun as it rose lighting up a most picturesque scene made glorious by that which was so rare. For at the foot of a perpendicular mass of grey, grand, sun-scorched rock, there was a pool of limpid water quite fifty yards across, and below it another into which the surplus ran, forming a place easily accessible for the camels and leaving the upper water unsullied for the use of man. The tent was soon pitched and a fire made for the coffee and rough cakes that were soon in progress of being made, while after drinking heartily, the camels were left browsing quietly upon the abundant foliage of the low-growing bushes, their burdens being stacked against the rocks which formed the back of their little encampment. "We ought to find some specimens here, Frank," said the professor, at the end of an hour, as they sat dallying over the last drops of their coffee. "Yes; the place looks delightful after the bare sand," replied Frank. "I am ready. Shall we have a wander round at once?" "By all means," said the professor. "We'll take the guns. By the way, do you keep that revolver of yours loaded?" "Oh, no," said Frank. "But you carry it under your jacket." "Yes, I do as you suggested that I should. But I thought we were to trust to cunning and not to force?" "Of course; but the fact that we are getting nearer to human beings sets me thinking that there's no harm in being prepared. Load up. You have cartridges in your pocket?" "No," said Frank, smiling. "What should a black slave be doing with cartridges?" "Be ready to stand upon his defence in a case of emergency. Here, take some of mine and fill the chambers." As he spoke the professor handed six of the little central-fire cartridges, while Frank drew the small revolver he carried out of a pocket within the breast of his cotton jacket, and began to thrust them in. "Going shooting?" said the doctor, looking up. "Yes," said the professor; "we may get a few birds worth eating, as there is water and growth here." "Better lie down and have a good rest," said the doctor. "You both require it. We must be careful about our health." "Time for that too," said the professor. "We have to stay till the men have been and fetched the grain, and they must have a good rest afterward." Just at that moment one of the Sheikh's men, who had been to fetch a couple of camels which had strayed farther from the camp than seemed necessary, came hurriedly, driving them before him, to leave them with their fellows, and turn towards the Sheikh, making signs. "What does that mean?" said the doctor, springing up. "Is something wrong?" The others followed the doctor's act the next moment, for some communication, evidently of great importance, was made to the Sheikh by his follower, with the result that the old man came quickly to where they stood, while all the men went quietly to their camels. "What is it, Ibrahim?" cried the professor. "A strong party of the Baggara are coming to the fountain, Excellency. The Hakim must take his seat at the door of the tent. Put away those guns and be in attendance upon him, as we have arranged. Ben Eddin, be waiting upon the Hakim with his pipe. Be calm, everyone, and show no appearance of trouble at their coming. You must leave all to me." _ |
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