In the Mahdi's Grasp Part 25

"Oh, no," said the professor; "besides, you ought to have daylight for that job. Between ourselves, I shall not be sorry to take to the native dress again. It is much more suitable for the climate than ours. I have used it in a modified form ever since I first came out. The sooner we begin the better."

The conversation then turned upon the doctor's patients.

"So you found them patient patients," said the professor, smiling.

"Poor creatures, yes. They seem to have the most unbounded faith in me."

"Of course," said the professor; "and a fine thing for them that they have, Robert my son."

"Yes, Fred, old fellow, I suppose it is, for it means quick recovery. I always like to have to do with a patient who looks relieved as soon as I come into the room. He little knows how he is helping me towards his cure."

"Poor fellow! he doesn't think, then, of what is to come?"

"His sufferings?" said the doctor. "No, only about how I may be able to relieve them."

"Didn't mean that, old fellow," said the professor. "I meant his mental sufferings over the fees; eh, Frank?"

"Don't try to joke, Fred," said the doctor; "this place makes me feel solemn--the gentle calm of the oasis, the trickling of the water in this thirsty land, and the simple, patriarchal life of the people."

"Ha, ha!" laughed the professor softly; "hear this Frank?"

"Hear what?" said the young man, in a tone or voice which suggested that the calm of the desert was influencing him too.

"Bob Morris talking as if it wouldn't take much to make him give up civilisation and take to a nomad life."

"Well," said the doctor quietly, "I confess that already I feel something of its fascination, and I am glad we have come. All this is growing irresistibly attractive."

"And when I've been at home and have vaunted the beauty of the old, simple, patriarchal life, and told of how I enjoyed it during my Egyptian explorations, you laughed at me, and as good as called me a lunatic. What do you say to that?"

"That I spoke in ignorance, old fellow," said the doctor quietly. "Of course I should not like to give up our civilisation, but for a time this has a great charm. I feel, too, that we have done very wisely in following out Frank's plan."

"Thank you," said the young man eagerly.

"I shall get on famously with these simple people, who will all prove excellent patients, and the result will be that we shall get in touch with poor old Harry, and bring him safely away."

"Yes, we're going to do it, Frank, my lad. It looks easier to me every hour."

No more was said for a time, for they all felt the fatigue consequent upon their exertions of the past night, and that it was very delicious to lounge there in the soft sand, watching the fall of evening with the paling glories of the most wonderful sunset two of the party had ever beheld. And this was made the more agreeable by the respect with which they were treated, their part of the encampment being kept, as it were, sacred, and everything sordid hidden from their sight.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

A FIGHT WITH A BLACK.

Now it so happened that Sam soon ceased to congratulate himself upon his good luck. He had thrown himself upon the couch provided for his resting-place. He had discovered by turning it up that sheep-skins were stretched beneath it to make it soft, and that beneath these the sand was yielding and dry. But all the same the couch felt hard, and sleep would not come.

He tried this side and that side, front after back, and returned to the back; but it was no good, for the fact was that he was over-tired; and over-weariness, that is to say, exhaustion, is one of the worst opponents to a calm and satisfying sleep.

The evening came on cool and soft after the ardour of the afternoon, and he began thinking about the proceedings of that time, and felt a little hurt that the doctor had not called upon him to come and act as his a.s.sistant, and these thoughts lasted him for about an hour, but did not weary him into dropping off to sleep. They seemed to have the contrary effect, making him irritable; and though he made up his mind to watch the stars peer out through the opalescent sky--he did not call it opalescent, for the simple word dusky took its place--even their soft light had no effect upon him, and to come to the result at once the would-be sleeper gave it up at last for a bad job.

"I'll go and get something to eat and drink, and then try what I can do."

In this spirit he rose from his couch, feeling stiff and awkward, grunted, stretched, and then stood in the tent door looking out upon the glorious, star-spangled sky, noting that it was lighter towards the east, where the moon was about to rise.

"Ought to be able to sleep," he said. "Nice fine night, and it's all quiet and cool."

Then his attention was taken up by the soft light which came from the gentlemen's tent, in which a lamp was burning, while some twenty yards away another was lighting up the opening of the Sheikh's big tent, showing the figures of the chief and his visitors seated comfortably smoking, as they conversed in a low voice.

Sam made up his mind at once. There would be drinking water in a bra.s.s vessel in the gentlemen's tent, and perhaps something to eat--something to refresh him and give him the night's rest of which he was so sorely in need.

Walking across the open s.p.a.ce, he turned his head for a moment, attracted by a complaining voice as of some one in trouble, and he was about to run off to find out what was the matter. But a repet.i.tion of the sound made him jerk himself angrily away.

"One of those beauties!" he muttered. "Talk about a bad-tempered horse, why he's an angel compared to a camel! Of all the disagreeable, whining, sour, vicious things that ever breathed, they seem about the worst. Gritty, that's what they are. Get the sand into their tempers when they're young, I suppose.--Oh, he's quiet now. Well, it is a beautiful night after all, and the cool air seems to do one good. I expect I shall get to like it when I've learnt to ride that brute of a camel, so long as there's no stabbing and spearing and that sort of thing."

Sam shook his head very solemnly as these last thoughts came into his head in company with recollections of sc.r.a.ps he had read in the daily papers about encounters with the dervishes, and the horrible ma.s.sacres they had perpetrated.

"Seems to me," he said, "that these people ought to be stopped. If I was Government I wouldn't let people go about carrying swords and spears. With things like them fashionable it stands to reason that they're sure to want to stick them into somebody.--Ugh! It's very horrid. There ought never to be any other fighting than what is done with a fist."

Sam had by this time sauntered up to the opening into the gentlemen's tent, and there he paused to look round at the figures by that of the Sheikh, before stepping inside in search of what he required.

The low murmur of conversation came softly to his ears as he looked and then turned back to enter.

"Shouldn't a bit wonder if they've got a nice hot cup of coffee there, and that's just the thing that would suit my complaint exactly. I should be all right if I was at home, but I sha'n't get it here, and--"

By this time he was half across the roomy, booth-like tent, where he stopped short as if turned to stone in his surprise. For dimly seen by the light from the hanging lamp, he could see a figure stooping down-- through the opening into the inner tent where the water and bra.s.s basins stood ready for washing.

It was within this place that the leather cases containing the travellers' clothes and various necessaries had been placed, and over one of these open portmanteaus the dimly seen figure was bending, and from the slight noises he made it was evident that he was ransacking the case in search of something.

"Oh," thought Sam excitedly, "that's why I couldn't sleep--sort o'

warning like to do my dooty. Thieves, eh? and not a policeman on the beat!"

Just at that moment the figure straightened itself up, and quick as thought Sam stepped close back to the entrance and behind a hanging rug, which hid him from the figure but enabled him to watch its proceedings.

Sam's first idea was to shout for help to capture the thief, but he checked himself.

"Wouldn't do," he thought. "This sort's too slippery. He'd be off over the sands and gone before anyone came. I've got to catch my gentleman myself. Wonder whether he has a knife."

Sam's heart beat fast, but it was with excitement, for there was no leaven of fear. A marauder was robbing his master or one of his master's friends, and he felt it to be his duty to capture the scoundrel. At the same time he intended to do this without injury to himself.

"Bless him!" he muttered; "if he'll only come close and turn his back I'll have him down on his face in a jiffy, and sit upon him as if he was a camel. It will be time enough to holloa then."

Those were exciting moments, and Sam's heart beat faster still as the man stepped softly out of the inner tent and stood for a few moments where the dim light of the lamp fell upon him, showing him to be a light, active-looking black in white cotton jacket and short drawers, his arms, breast, and legs from mid-thigh being bare, and glistening softly as he moved, while his eyes rolled and the whites stood out clearly against the dark skin.

"He'll be hard to hold," thought Sam, "and I mustn't trust to that thin cotton stuff. He'll tear away in a moment. But he hasn't a knife, as far as I can see. What's he got in his pockets, I wonder."

Sam wondered more the next moment, as he saw the black dart softly back into the inner tent and disappear, his bare feet not making a sound.