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In the Mahdi's Grasp, a fiction by George Manville Fenn |
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Chapter 40. In Suspense |
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_ CHAPTER FORTY. IN SUSPENSE It was one bright evening after an exciting day, during which the prisoners, shut up as they were within the walls of the Emir's so-called palace, had gone through hours of feverish impatience, listening to the trumpeting and drumming outside accompanying the marching of the troops, but knowing nothing of what was going on save that the Egyptian army was approaching. That they had learned through Ibrahim, and it was endorsed by the officer of the guard. From him, too, they learned that the new Mahdi had reached the neighbourhood with a force of the finest fighting men led by Emirs of great repute; and he added through Ibrahim that there could be no doubt of the result, for the Egyptian army, the scouts declared, were weak and trembling, ready to desert or throw down their arms, while the white men had half perished by disease, and the other half were unfit to fight. "But," said the Hakim through his interpreter, "we have had such reports as these before, and they were not true." "No, they were lies--all lies; but these words are true." "And you think the Khalifa will conquer?" "Oh, yes," said the man, with a look of calm satisfaction; "he cannot fail." "How do you know all this?" "From the Emir my master," said the man proudly. "Ah! You have seen him?" "Yes: he rode in last night to see if all was well." "What! The Emir came here?" "Yes, and praised thy servant for all that he had done. He gave him, too, other commands. That the Hakim and his people were to be protected at all costs, for they were friends; and that if there was danger from the wild and fierce dervishes who might attack the palace because it was not strongly enough guarded, the Hakim and his people were to be mounted upon camels and were to be taken away." "Where to?" said the doctor. "To Khartoum, with the Emir's wives and slaves." The officer returned to his duties, and soon after Ibrahim announced that he was making preparations, two score of camels being got in readiness for instant flight if the danger should come. "Can we escape in the confusion?" said the professor. "We will try, Excellency. I have, as you know, everything ready, and now I will go and learn all I can about the Egyptian army's advance up the river, for there is no doubt about its being near. Whether sick or not I cannot say." "Sick or well, they will fight," said Harry, with a warlike flash of the eyes. "I pray so, Excellency," said the Sheikh, and he too left. But the day glided by and the night had come, a day and night of wild turmoil and anxiety; and in this great emergency the Sheikh did not return. His absence at this extremely critical time came upon the party like a shock, for it was only now that they fully realised the full value of the services he had rendered, and surmises as to the cause of his absence were discussed one after the other. One of the first things proposed when night closed in was to consult the officer of the guard. But here a difficulty arose at once--their interpreter was missing. The professor's knowledge of Arabic was extensive and he had picked up a few words of the dialect used by the Baggara; but he got on with the guard with the greatest difficulty, and the Sheikh's young men were completely wanting in the lingual powers of their chief. "You must let me question him," said Harry. "He seems to have no suspicion of our having been friends." "I don't know that," said Frank and the professor, almost in a breath. "But we have been most careful over keeping up my character of the Hakim's patient." "Yes," said Frank, "but this man is wonderfully quiet and observant. I half fancy that he is suspicious, after all." "He cannot be," said Harry. "He knows that I was sent here, and can by no means have the most remote idea of why you came." "I don't know," said the professor, shaking his head. "I feel satisfied," said the doctor. "We did not come here of our own accord, but were brought. We had better have him in, and as if by our orders Hal can question him." There was no opposition to this, and one of the camel-drivers was fetched and sent down to the gate, while Harry lay down with his bandaged arm exposed, on an angareb close to the door, where he lay looking ghastly and feeble by the light of the lamp. The officer came at once, and the professor made him understand what was required, when he turned to the injured prisoner, who soon proved that he could speak the desert Arabic tongue pretty well. "The great doctor," he said, "is thinking about his servant the Sheikh. Where is he?" "I fear that he is dead," was the reply. "I told him when he went out that he carried his life in his hand." "But why should he be slain?" asked Harry. "He was no fighting man." "Because no man's life is safe," was the reply. "He went out upon one of the Hakim's camels, and any dervish who wanted one of the beasts would have followed him. Hundreds in the town want camels and horses now, and if the Sheikh gave his up quietly to the man who asked, it would be well. If he refused, a thrust from a spear or a blow from a knife would be sufficient." "Then I am to tell the Hakim he will not return?" "No. Tell him that he may return, but that I fear he will not. Tell him, too, that he is to be ready, for we may have to leave here soon after it is light." Harry signified that he would, and then started, for the officer said suddenly-- "How is it that you can speak the Hakim's tongue?" "Because I was once among the Franks. It is a tongue that is known far and wide. He is a great man, and my arm will soon be well. Is it not time that my master fetched me back?" "Thy master has gone to fight the enemies of Allah," said the officer scornfully, "and has no time to think of thee." There was no more information to be obtained of the man, whose whole manner seemed to have changed, and the sound of the tapping of a war-drum drew him away directly after, leaving the party undecided what to do. One thing was evident, that with the strict guard kept over the place any attempt at evasion would have been useless, and it was decided that if they were to escape it must be during their journey to Khartoum. "But we must not give up all hope of seeing Ibrahim return," said the doctor. "Go to the men, Landon, and find out what they think about their chief." The professor left the room at once, leaving his friends listening to every sound that came through the open windows of the soft night; and there were many, all going to prove that something extraordinary was afloat, the little party having no difficulty in making out that a large body of men were on the move, while when this had ceased and a peculiar stillness began to reign, the distant tap, tap, tap of another drum was heard, followed in due time by the dull tramp of men. "I had no idea," said the doctor, "that these Baggara were in such a state of discipline. Why, they seem to march like European troops." "You have not seen so much of them as I have," said Harry sadly. "During my imprisonment I have had plenty of time to study them, and have seen pretty well why this is. Of course their leader's position depends upon his army more than upon his reputation of being the prophet upon whom the last Mahdi's garment has fallen." "I suppose so," said Frank. "Mahomet's great power came from the sword." "Of course," replied Harry. "No wonder that, with an army to back him, he made so many converts. It was, 'Which will you have, the Koran or the sword?' And it is so now with this man, only it is worse. Brutal violence of the most horrible description wherever he and his followers go, and there is more stress laid upon the sword than upon the Koran." "And the spear added," said Frank. "Exactly. I don't want to harrow you with the horrors I have been compelled to witness, and what I have seen and known to occur is but a drop of blood in an ocean. The country has been laid waste for the gratification of this human fiend and his vile followers." As he spoke the tramp, tramp of men came through the window once more, and Harry nodded. "As so much depends upon the army's efficiency, this Mahdi, like his predecessor, whose paltry tomb you have seen, has done his best to bring the tribes up into as perfect a state of discipline as can be managed with such wild beasts. They have plenty of modern rifles, and they know how to use them, and they have been drilled sufficiently to make them dangerous. Of course you know how." "By imitating what they have seen in the troops sent against them," said the doctor, as he sat listening intently to the sounds from without. "By the help of renegades," said Harry bitterly. "I might have been one of the Mahdi's generals--an Emir, by now, if I would have taken some of the troops in hand. I had offers enough, and of course it meant becoming a follower of Mahomet." "But you resisted the temptations," said Frank proudly. "And became a groom," said Harry, smiling bitterly. "I suppose if it had not been for my love for horses and camels I should have lost my head like my poor leader. Oh, if it is only true, and the British forces are close up! Surely the day of retribution has come at last." "I want the day of escape for us to have come, Hal," said the doctor, reaching over to lay his hand upon his old school-fellow's arm. "Our work is done when we have got you away. Let's leave the punishment of the dervishes to--Ah, here's Landon back. Well, have they any news for us?" "None of Ibrahim, and the men want to know what they are to do." "Nothing," said the doctor sadly. "We are prisoners, and resistance to the Emir's guard would be madness." "So I have told them, but they don't want to go in search of him." "What, then?" said Frank impatiently. "You mean something else?" "Yes," said the professor sadly; "we are to shift our quarters. Our guard has given them orders to load up their camels with fodder, provisions, and water, in case we have to take to the desert, and to fill the water-skins so as to have an ample supply. They are to be ready to start at a moment's notice, and asked me if they are to obey." "And you told them yes, of course?" said Frank eagerly. "I told them yes, of course," said the professor sadly; "but I don't like going. It is leaving poor old Ibrahim in the lurch." "But I suppose we have no option?" said the doctor. "None unless we make up our minds to resist." "And that would be throwing away our lives," said Harry gloomily. "This chief of the guard has his orders, and he is evidently a man who will serve his master faithfully and well. I suppose he will be taking the Emir's household with us?" "Yes; the other part of the palace is in a busy state of preparation, and the court next to the garden here is full of horses and camels." "It is our opportunity," said Frank, "and if we start before daylight we may be able to separate from the rest of the party. What are we going to take with us?" "I should go away as we came. The Hakim's cures have helped us well, and they may do so again, for who knows how far we may have to travel through the desert, or what tribes we may encounter? So let's be prepared." Their baggage was so light and so well arranged that there was little to do beyond strapping up a few cases, and at the end of a busy hour they were quite prepared, while they had hardly finished before the officer came in, cast an eye over the leathern cases lying ready, and then gave a nod of satisfaction. "Tell the Hakim," he said, turning to Harry and speaking sharply, "that there are no tidings of his Arab servant and guide. He must have been cut down by some robber for the sake of his camel. Tell him, too, that he has done wisely in being prepared. I cannot say how soon we start; it may be in an hour, it may be after sunrise, or not at all. But when I give the order, what he wishes to take must be placed upon the camels directly. You will stay here." "No," said Harry coldly; "the Hakim has not done with me yet." "Well," said the guard, with a grim laugh, "it will be better for you than staying here. Your white skin may be an invitation to the sword if the Khalifa does not win the day." The man turned sharply and left the room without another word. "Poor old Ibrahim!" said the professor sadly. "I'd give something to see him walk in safe and sound." "And I,"--"And I," said Frank and the doctor. "And I say the same. Heaven help him!" said Harry, "for I owe it to him that I am with you, and I would say let us hold out here if I thought it was of any use. But it would be utter folly to resist, and I should not like to fight against a man who is doing his duty and has proved himself our friend." Frank rose and went into the next room, where Sam had been in pretty good spirits so long as the packing up took his attention, for he was eager to get away; but now everything was done and he was left alone, waiting and watchful, his spirits had sunk below zero. He jumped up from where he was seated upon a portmanteau as Frank entered. "Orders to start, sir?" he said eagerly. "No, Sam, not yet. We must wait." "Oh dear!" groaned the man. "I did think we were going at last, sir. Got Mr Harry, the camels all waiting, and the town empty of fighting men. I say, sir, hadn't we better start, and chance it? Mr Abrams has got a camel, and he'll find out which way we're gone. This waiting is the worst of all." Frank explained to him the position, and the man shook his head dismally. "Then we're only going to chop one prison for another, Ben Eddin? But you surely don't think Mr Abrams has been killed?" "I only know he has not returned, Sam." "Oh, but look at him. Such a fine, long-bearded old Arab as he is. Oh, they wouldn't kill him. He's gone a bit further, sir, to get some news. There, I've been red-hot to start and get away from here, but I don't want to go now. I say, let's stop till he comes back. We can't go and leave him behind." Frank sighed. "We are under the Emir's guard," he said, "and when the order to start is given we shall have to obey." "And about now, sir. It's of no use to pretend to lie down and sleep," said Sam; "I couldn't get a wink." "No, nor anyone else," replied Frank; "there is nothing to be done but watch and wait." _ |
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