In the Mahdi's Grasp Part 3

"Yes, yes," said the doctor excitedly, and the professor took up a carafe and made it rattle against a gla.s.s as he hurriedly poured out some water and drank it with avidity.

"He knew poor old Hal well by sight, and spoke to him twice, and heard who he was. He was alive, and seemed to be well the last time this gentleman saw him; but he was a miserable slave in irons without the slightest prospect of getting away."

"Hah!" exclaimed the doctor, dropping into a chair and beginning to wipe his forehead.

"Oh!" groaned the professor, sinking back in his chair, but only to become excited directly after, as he turned upon the bearer of the news.

"But he's alive, Frank, boy! he's alive!" he cried, in a peculiarly altered voice.

"Yes, thank Heaven!" said Frank Frere softly; "he is alive."

No one spoke for a few moments. Then the professor began again excitedly--

"Look here," he cried, "both of you; that German sausage is a fool!"

The others turned on him with wondering eyes as if they doubted his sanity, a notion quite pardonable from his manner of speaking and the wild look he had given himself by thrusting both his hands through his rather long, s.h.a.ggy black hair, and making it stand up on end.

"Well," he said sharply, "what are you two staring at?"

"Well, Fred," said the doctor smiling, "I suppose it was at you."

"And pray why were you staring in that peculiar way at me? Here, you answer--you, Frank."

"I was staring on account of the sausage," said the young man, sinking back in his chair and laughing aloud.

"Here, Bob," said the professor excitedly, "what have you been giving this fellow--ether? It's too strong for him. Got on his nerves."

"Nonsense," said the doctor, joining softly in their young friend's mirth. "What makes you think that?"

"Why, you heard. He doesn't know what he's talking about--staring on account of the sausage!"

"Well, that's why I was looking at you so hard."

The professor stared now in turn, pa.s.sed one hand across his forehead, stared again, and then said gravely--

"I say, you two, has this glorious news sent you both out of your minds?"

"No," cried both heartily. "It only sounded so comical and so different from your ordinary way," continued the younger man, "when you called my German friend a sausage."

The professor's face was so full of perplexity that in the reaction after the pain of the sudden good news, his friends began to laugh again, making the clever scientist turn his eyes inquiringly upon the doctor.

"Well, it's a fact," said the latter. "You did."

"What!" cried the professor indignantly. "That I didn't! I said that German gentleman was a fool."

"No, no, no," cried Frank, half hysterically. "You said sausage."

"Frank, you don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes, I do," cried the young man. "Sausage, sausage, sausage."

The professor drew lines horizontally across his forehead from his eyebrows to the roots of his hair, and shook his head slowly and piteously at the speaker.

"Well, really, Fred, old fellow," said the doctor, "I must take Frank's part. You certainly did say sausage. I suppose it was suggested by the common a.s.sociation of the two words, German sausage."

"Humph!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed the professor slowly; "suppose then I must. German silver--German band--German tinder--German sausage. But I meant to say German gentleman, upon my word."

"n.o.body doubts you," said Frank; "but why did you call him a fool?"

"Oh! for saying that Harry couldn't escape. Do you both mean to tell me that an Englishman, and such an Englishman as our Harry Frere, couldn't do what a German has done?"

"I don't," said the doctor, bringing his fist down upon the table.

"Come, Franky, lad, what have you to say to that?"

"Hah!" sighed the young man sadly, "it is easily accounted for. My German friend managed to gain the confidence of the Khalifa from his knowledge of Arabic, and was freed from the chains he first wore. Poor Harry was wearing heavy irons up to the day when my new friend left."

"Oh!" groaned the professor, "that's bad, that's bad. Frank, boy, I beg your German friend's pardon. He isn't a--"

"Sausage!" put in the doctor quickly.

"A fool," said the professor, shaking his fist playfully at his old school-fellow. "Well, I feel ten years younger than I did half an hour ago, and this settles it at once."

"Settles what?" said the doctor.

"Settles what!" cried the professor, in a tone full of mock disgust.

"Hark at him, Frank! Settles this, sir," he continued, flashing his fierce eyes upon the doctor, clenching his fist menacingly, and shaking his s.h.a.ggy hair. "I'm off back to Egypt as soon as ever I can get a berth in a steamer, and then I'm going right up the country with tools in every pocket on purpose to file off those chains."

"Bravo! bravo!" shouted the other two.

"An Englishman in chains," continued the professor, gesticulating like an orator, though as a rule he was one of the quietest of men, "and of all Englishmen in the world, our Harry, the merriest school-fellow, the heartiest undergrad, and the truest friend!"

"And brother," said Frank softly.

"Yes," cried the professor excitedly, "and brother, that man ever had.

The brother we three have mourned as dead for years, but who lives--as a slave."

"Britons never shall be slaves," cried the doctor solemnly.

"Never!" said Frank through his teeth, and with a look of stern determination in his eyes which meant more than words could have expressed.

"Never!" cried the professor, bringing his fist down with such a crash that this time a large goblet leaped off the table, was smashed upon the floor, and the next moment the door was thrown open and Sam, the doctor's butler, as he called himself, looking white with anxiety, rushed into the room, to stand staring wildly from one to the other.

This quelled the professor's excitement at once, and he dropped back in his chair and began mopping his face.

"What's the matter, Samuel?" said the doctor sternly.

"That's what I've come to see, sir," cried the man piteously. "I did stop in the hall, sir, in aggynies, waiting to know. First in comes Mr Frank when I opens the door to him and hits me in the chest hard, just like a patient as has got rid of the strait w. Into the dining-room he bangs, before I could announce him, and without a bit o' pollergy, slams the door after him. Then master goes into his consulting-room in a hurry and comes back with a something to exhibit, looking as he always do when there's anything serious on; and ever since it's been getting worse and worse, and you never rung for me, sir. Fancy my feelings, sir! First s'posing as it was fits with Mr Frank, sir; then it seemed to be you, sir; and then the professor went on, having it worse than either of you, sir, till it got to the smashing of my gla.s.s, and I couldn't bear it no longer."

"No, no, of course you couldn't, Sam," cried Frank; "and you must know at once. It's news, Sam--glorious news--the best of news. My brother is alive after all!"