Roger Willoughby Part 8

"These are white chiefs!" he shouted out. "They wish to be your friends; do not harm them."

The Arabs as they heard these words paused for a moment. The hors.e.m.e.n, in the meantime, were pursuing Selim's party; but as no animals were faster than the Bu Saif breed of camels, they failed to overtake them.

Roger and Stephen believed that their young friend had made his escape.

Each of their a.s.sailants now inquired who they were, and where they were going.

Turning to Jumbo, they desired him to reply that their ship had been wrecked, and that they wished to make their way to Mogador, or some other place whence they could get aboard an English merchantman or a man-of-war.

The chief laughed. "It will be a long time before they reach their native land. They must understand that when Christians come into this country they have to work for us, their masters."

"This is not pleasant news," observed Stephen, when Jumbo had translated what the chief said. "Cannot we try to move the barbarian's heart?"

"We will see what Jumbo can say, but I am afraid there is no chance of doing that," said Roger.

Jumbo confirmed Roger's opinion.

"We must bear our misfortune as best we can," remarked Stephen.

"However, we will lose no opportunity of trying to make our escape."

The chief of the marauders now gathered his prisoners together, and ordered them to move forward, surrounded by his men on foot, while his mounted followers brought up the rear close behind them. They proceeded some distance, when, just at dusk, they encamped at a spot, a stream on one side and a hill on the other. Fires were lighted, sentries placed in the more exposed part, and the remainder of the people began cooking their provisions. Stephen and Roger had some camel's flesh given to them and a handful of dates, and Jumbo brought them water from the river.

"Me stop here and do talkee," he said, as he sat himself down before the fire to a.s.sist in cooking the camel's meat.

"Come, we are better off than we might have expected," said Stephen.

They were allowed to lie down, covered up with pieces of camels' hair cloth, which one of the Arabs gave them. They woke before daylight.

Jumbo was sitting up by their side.

"Who is this robber chief; have you been able to learn anything about him?" asked Roger.

"He called Sheik Beirouc, great man in his own country; me fear he make us all slavee," answered Jumbo.

"Tell him that we would pay him well if he will liberate us and send us back to England," said Stephen.

"He no trust us till he see de money in his hand," answered Jumbo, "and dat de difficulty."

"So it is, but we must manage to overcome it," said Stephen. "Speak fair, and say that we are grateful to him for having given us food and this cloth to cover us."

Jumbo promised to do as he was directed.

At daybreak the whole camp was astir, when the Arabs went down on their knees looking towards Mecca to say their prayers, an impressive sight, for every man seemed in earnest. Soon afterwards the Sheik approached and inquired whether Stephen and Roger could ride.

"Tell him, since we were children," answered Stephen. "If he will let us have horses we will show him."

Some more dates and water were brought them for breakfast, shortly after which a man appeared leading two active little steeds. The lads, supposing that they were for them, leaped into the saddles, and at once galloped off into the open country.

"If we knew our way to the coast it would be a good opportunity of escaping," said Roger.

"It would be an act of folly to make the attempt," said Stephen. "Let us turn now and go back, and show the Sheik that he may place confidence in us."

They returned at the same pace at which they had gone out. The Sheik smiled grimly at seeing them come back.

"You shall have the horses to ride on for your journey," he said.

"How are you to travel, Jumbo?" asked Roger.

"Me go on camel," he answered. "The Sheik know that you can't run away without me. You can't talkee to the people."

In a short time the order was given to march, and the Sheik led the way, accompanied by the two young Englishmen, and Jumbo rode behind another man on the camel. After proceeding for some miles they began to climb a range of mountains covered with heath, along beaten paths. On the summit there was suddenly a change of scenery. Behind was the monotonous sterility of the desert, and before a cultivated country, in every part of which were considerable camps in circular enclosures of from sixty to eighty tents over the plain. They perceived numerous horses and mules, as well as camels, while travellers continually pa.s.sed them on the road, some mounted on camels, but the greater number on horses of a small size, all well-armed. About an hour after noon they arrived at a well, surrounded by a vast number of animals, camels, horses, mules, donkeys, goats; and so completely blocked up was the approach that it was with the greatest difficulty that they reached the water to satisfy their burning thirst. In the evening they reached some tents belonging to Beirouc, where they pa.s.sed the night. He told them that the next day they would arrive at his town, where they were to spend some time. This was agreeable news, as they hoped to obtain some means of communicating with the coast. Towards evening Beirouc pointed out to them his habitation. At first they looked everywhere without perceiving any building, but at length discovered towards the east, at the foot of a mountain, a circle of reddish walls, in the middle of which rose a tower of considerable height. It had the appearance of being what it really was, a shelter for brigands. On their right was a forest of palm-trees, and some cultivated gardens, while a number of Moors were lying carelessly about outside the walls. The news of their arrival was soon circulated among all cla.s.ses, and from every direction came men, women, and children, running to see the Christians, whom they looked upon as some singular wild beasts. At length Beirouc told one of his attendants to conduct the three prisoners to their habitation. The whole town was composed of houses built with sun-dried bricks of a yellowish tint. They were conducted into a square, out of which opened several chambers, or houses with small doors; one of these they were told to enter. It had a miserable and dirty appearance; at first, coming out of the glare of day, they could see nothing, but as their eyes got accustomed to the gloom they were much dismayed at perceiving the number of chains hung to the walls. Jumbo, however, relieved their anxiety by saying that they were merely to fasten up horses, the place having been used as a stable. Though the chief hitherto treated them with more humanity, still, as might have been expected, they felt that they were slaves, and they asked Jumbo to make inquiries.

"Yes, we all slavee," he said. "Beirouc, he make us work; he sell us."

Jumbo brought them further intelligence that they were not to remain at their present station long. They had little rest, being exposed from morning to night to the gaze of the Moors, who came to look at them from feelings of curiosity alone, without the slightest tinge of compa.s.sion.

Many amused themselves by mocking at them, inquiring whether they wished to become gardeners, carpenters, bricklayers, or masons. At all hours of the day their unwelcome visitors appeared, regarding them much as if they were wild beasts shut up in a cage. There were really no bars nor any guard placed over them; indeed they might without difficulty have got out into the country. But Beirouc well knew that they would have been unable to find their way, and that they would either have been starved, or made prisoners by the inhabitants, or killed by wild beasts, and he told Jumbo to give them a hint that such would be their fate should they attempt it. They had therefore to submit as best they could to the indignities offered them.

At length one day a new character, who accompanied Beirouc, made his appearance; he was a tall, fine-looking man, with a white beard, and handsome though somewhat stern countenance. Having seated himself on a carpet in the centre of the court, he ordered the two captives, accompanied by Jumbo, to approach him, and inquired who they were, whence they had come, and how they had hitherto been employed. Jumbo evidently took upon himself to give such a report of them as would increase their importance in the eyes of their captors. He declared that they were chiefs in their own country, that they were officers on board the ship, wonderfully expert navigators, and were possessed of great wealth, their object in leaving home having been to see the world.

Stephen, who guessed that Jumbo was going on a little too far, stopped him.

"All right, ma.s.sa," he answered, "me tell the truth presently."

Jumbo's account had certainly the effect of raising their value in the estimation of the new arrival. Jumbo informed them that the chief's name was Ibraim, that he resided in the northern part of the country, towards which they were forthwith to set out. Soon afterwards Jumbo on his return to their cell burst into tears.

"What is the matter?" asked Stephen.

"Beirouc say he no sell me, and that I stay here."

"Tell him that we cannot do without you," said Stephen.

"Me tell Ibraim; that more use," said Jumbo.

Jumbo was evidently looked upon as a very clever fellow by the Arabs, and he so managed the matter that Ibraim purchased him as well as the two young Englishmen, and they immediately set forward on their journey northward. The whole party rode on horseback. Their steeds were small, active little animals, which managed to scuffle along at a great rate, up and down hill being apparently the same to them. Stephen and Roger agreed that it was far more pleasant riding than on camel-back. They were happier also when travelling than when stopping at night, when they were compelled to sleep in some dirty hut, with Jumbo and a number of Arabs as their companions. They were badly fed, and could seldom get any tolerable water to drink. At first they fancied that they were to be carried to Marocco, but they found Ibraim had no intention of visiting the capital, which he left far away on the right. On and farther on they went northward.

"So much the better," said Roger. "The farther north, the more chance we shall have of escaping."

At length, on pa.s.sing over a lofty hill, Roger observed the blue ocean glittering brightly to the left, while in the far distance he made out the minarets, towers, and flat roofs of what appeared to him to be a large town. He pointed out the spot to Stephen.

"That is a town, no doubt about it, and probably it is to be our future abode; we must get Jumbo to learn its name."

"Dat Rabatt; they call it also Sallee," said Jumbo.

"Why, that is the place where the Sallee rovers sail from!" exclaimed Roger. "For what we can tell, the one who attacked us came from there."

"I think she was an Algerine; Captain Roberts thought so," remarked Stephen.

Descending from the high ground they had been traversing they crossed a river, the third they had pa.s.sed since morning. Continuing down its bank on the north side, they found themselves before an extensive and strongly-fortified town, with high walls, towers, and battlements.

Ibraim, having pa.s.sed through a gateway, continued on along narrow streets and alleys crowded with people of all colours, though mostly dressed in Moorish costume. Their arrival did not appear to create much interest; some stared at them, a few abused them as Christian slaves.

At last Ibraim led the way into a court-yard, when he ordered them to dismount. He pointed to a cell much like the one they had before occupied, where he told them they might take up their abode. It had the advantage of being more airy and less damp than might have been the case, though they were somewhat exposed to public view.

Ordering them to remain there, and to move out at their peril, Ibraim stalked away. Several persons made inquiries about them of Jumbo. This continued till dark, when they were allowed to rest on the bare ground in quiet. As no one brought them any food, and Ibraim seemed to have forgotten them altogether, they had to go supperless to sleep. Next morning they awoke very hungry, and as there was no other way of getting food, they told Jumbo to entreat their visitors to bring them some, but the hard-hearted Moors refused. At last a white-haired man, habited as a Moor, his dress of nautical cut, his turban set somewhat rakishly on one side, came in. He started as he saw them, and stood gazing at them for some minutes.