In the Mahdi's Grasp Part 16

CHAPTER SEVEN.

BY MOONLIGHT.

The people at the hotel were too much occupied with their own affairs to pay much heed to three ordinary visitors and their servant. It was rumoured that one of them was a famous Egyptologist, but plenty of scientists came and went in this city of change, so that in a few hours Frank's anxiety as to the risk of their expedition being stopped, died out, and the visits of the Sheikh excited no more notice than those of a dragoman or letter of boats and donkeys who waited upon the tourists and arranged to take them to the pyramids, the river, or other objects of interest within easy reach.

When Ibrahim appeared again about midday, he inquired anxiously about the amount of baggage the party intended to take, and seemed pleased with the narrow compa.s.s into which, under the professor's superintendence, it was to be condensed. He then had a long discussion with the doctor, and when this was over it was announced that the Arab was going to be busy in the bazaar for the rest of the day, and that in the evening he would be at the door of the hotel with four camels and attendants to take the baggage that was ready, the rest being placed in the care of the manager ready for them upon their return from an expedition with the Sheikh.

"That's prompt," said the professor. "Are you satisfied, Frank?"

"More than satisfied. But about our disguises, our provisions for the journey, and other preparations? We have done nothing yet."

"There is nothing to do," said the professor quietly.

"But our disguises?" said the doctor anxiously.

"Ibrahim will see to all that. We don't want to draw anyone's attention to the task we have in hand. If we did the news would spread, and run like wildfire amongst the people, perhaps reach the enemy's camp."

"But can we leave everything to this Arab Sheikh?"

"Everything," said the professor, "as I have left things again and again. Here is our position: I am known here, and it is no novelty for me to go upon an expedition with this old guide. So all we have to do is to eat our dinner in peace, and when Ibrahim comes, mount our beasts and go off in the moonlight and silently steal away through the further parts of the city, and in a very short time be swallowed up in the mysterious gloom, travelling onward over the sand."

"All night?" said the doctor.

"Yes, all night, and in good time in the morning we shall have reached the tents of the Sheikh, where we shall have an early meal and sleep.

When we shall go on depends upon the preparations there. These will be extremely simple, but they will be sufficient. Make your minds easy, and throw all the arrangement of the journey upon Ibrahim and me. He will do his best, but as he said to me an hour ago, the success of our adventure must be left to fate."

"But our preparations seem so small," said Frank uneasily.

"Preparations for desert journeys are small from an Englishman's point of view. A man here takes his camel, a bag of meal and another of dates, with a waterskin to fill when it is more than a day's journey to the next well. The Sheikh expressed himself satisfied with our baggage, but in his eyes it is very large."

"Well," said the doctor, "I have said very little, but I share Frank's uneasiness. We seem to be making ridiculously small preparations.

Surely we ought to go better prepared if we are to get to our journey's end."

"We shall never get to it if we do," said the professor gruffly, "and the sooner you two try to fit yourselves to the necessities of a desert journey the better."

"I'm ready to do anything," said the doctor, "but I do not want to fail from doing too little."

"What more would you do than Ibrahim is doing?"

"I can hardly say on the spur of the moment, but with the exception of my medicines and instruments, and Frank's chemicals and things, we seem as if we are going on the march in the clothes we stand up in."

"Yes," said the professor coolly, "and those we are going to leave behind in Ibrahim's tents."

"Is all this true, Frank?" said the doctor.

"I suppose so," was the reply; "but certainly things are moving far more rapidly than I antic.i.p.ated."

"It is what you wished," said the professor.

"Then all we have to do now is to be ready?"

"Yes, that is all."

It was in furtherance of this that directly after dinner Frank summoned Sam and told him that they were to start in about an hour.

"So the guv'nor's been telling me, sir; but he says we're to leave nearly everything behind."

"Yes, Sam; it will be safe enough here."

"Well, it caps me, sir, that it do! Mr Landon took pretty well everything away that I thought we wanted, and now he says that we're to leave the miserable little lot he chose himself."

"Yes," said Frank quietly.

"The only thing we're taking plenty of, it seems to me, is physic."

"But you've packed the shaving tackle, Sam?" said Frank hastily.

"Oh, yes; that goes in my pockets, sir; but one can't live on a wash and brush-up, and one wants something else on a journey besides soap. Seems to me, sir, that the doctor thinks a little physic's the best thing to have with us, because it spoils the appet.i.te and keeps people from wanting to eat. He's taken plenty of care of the people out yonder, but I should have liked to see him provide a little more for us."

"Don't be alarmed. I daresay we shall find plenty."

"From what the people here tell me about the desert, sir, I don't think we shall; but there, I'm not going to grumble, sir. An hour's time, eh?"

"Yes, in less now. Then the Sheikh will be here with the camels."

"To take us right away into the desert, sir. Do you think he's safe?"

"Yes, of course."

"Well, I hope he is, sir; but if he means mischief and plays any games when he's got us right away from the police, I just hope he won't ask me to shave his head again."

"Why?" said Frank, smiling.

"Why, sir? Well, because it won't be safe."

It was about nine o'clock, the moon past the full, rising, richly golden of hue, in the east, and the air moist and fragrant with the cloying scent of the orange trees, when with a strange feeling of unreality about the whole proceeding, the little English party pa.s.sed the groups of visitors smoking and chatting in the garden, or listening to the strains of a very excellent band. It almost seemed to the doctor that he ought to go and occupy the seat he had found so pleasant on the previous night; but the professor was by his side talking earnestly of the peculiarities of a night ride in the desert, and Frank was close behind with Sam.

In another minute they were in an open court, where, looking mysterious and strange, were a group of about a dozen camels and their leaders, in front of whom stood the figure of the Sheikh, his white robes and turban looking thoroughly in keeping with the strangely formed animals, four of which were keeping up a peculiar, querulous, discontented whining grunt, and turning their heads from side to side in their disgust at being laden with portmanteaus and bags, while their fellows had been allowed to go scot-free.

And now all seemed more unreal than ever; and anything less like a start upon so dangerous an expedition it would have been impossible to imagine.

"Ready, Ibrahim?" said the professor.

"Yes, Excellency," replied the Sheikh; "it is past the time, and the camels are loaded."

Frank looked round the court, where a couple of servants were standing beneath an arcade, while the moon was just peering over the house in a one-eyed fashion as if watching what was going on; but no one came from within to see the night start being made, and with the feeling of dreamy unreality increasing, the young man replied to the Sheikh's indication by stepping to the kneeling camel he was to ride.

"Beg pardon, Mr Frank," whispered Sam, coming close to his side. "Am I to ride one of them long-legged things?"