The Eye of Istar Part 15

Notwithstanding his extreme ugliness and his strange actions, I nevertheless grew to like him, for he seemed genuinely devoted to me, as a slave should be to his master.

Two hours after high noon, when the sun was beginning to veer round and shine directly into our faces, we entered the Wady al-Ward (the Vale of Flowers) the dwarf had mentioned. Beside the small river--scarcely more than a brook--we journeyed over ground thickly covered with herbage and flowers. For a few minutes we allowed our camels to browse, then urged them on, remembering it was imperative that we should arrive at Sokoto before the gate closed for the night. The shadow cast by the rocks, the cool rippling of the water, and the fertility of the country we appreciated after the arid, sun-baked wilderness. But as we journeyed on we found grim relics of an attack which had evidently been made some months before upon a caravan, for fresh, green garlands of ropeweed and creepers had festooned decayed skulls, and entwined about the bleaching bones of arms and legs, now and then blossoming into brilliant cl.u.s.ters of scarlet or blue flowers.

Through the valleys we wound for many hours, while the sky changed from blue to gold, and from gold to crimson, until at last the sun slowly sank before us with that gorgeous flood of colour only to be witnessed in Central Africa, and the low hills, bristling with mimosa and doum palms, a.s.sumed singular forms and uncouth dimensions in the twilight mirage.

In the rapidly-falling gloom our eyes were at last gladdened by the sight of the tall minarets of Sokoto, but the tall, bronzed guards at the city gate are ever wary, and a strange scene was enacted. It appeared that with the people of Sokoto the measures formerly taken to guard against surprise are now observed as a matter of form and etiquette. Hence, as we approached the gate the guards crouched, and throwing their litham over the lower part of their faces in Tuareg fashion, grasped the inseparable spear in the right and the shangermangor in their left hand. This action caused us considerable anxiety, but after these preliminaries they began to inquire our names and places of abode, afterwards giving us "peace," and allowing us to proceed. For a few minutes we halted to gossip, so as not to appear in undue haste, and just as the call for evening prayer was sounding and the guards were beating the great drum to announce the closing of the gate, we pa.s.sed into the s.p.a.cious market, wherein a caravan of many camels were taking their ease preparatory to starting for Timbuktu on the morrow.

Riding on through the city--the ancient and now discarded capital of the Sultan 'Othman's empire--we found it very extensive, and although the character of the houses was much more primitive than those of Moorish type in Kano, yet there was manifested everywhere the comfortable, pleasant life led by the inhabitants. Each courtyard was fenced with a "derne" of tall reeds, excluding, to a certain degree, the eyes of the pa.s.ser-by without securing to the interior absolute secrecy; and each house had, near its entrance, the cool, shady "runfa" or place for the reception of strangers or the transaction of business, with a "shibki"

roof, and the whole dwelling shaded by spreading trees.

The people, although of cheerful temperament, appeared more simple in their dress than in Kano. The men wore a wide shirt and trousers of dark colour, with a light cap of cotton cloth, while the female population affected a large cotton cloth of dark blue fastened under or above the breast, their only ornaments being strings of gla.s.s beads worn around the neck. Proud, ignorant, bigoted and insolent, the people of Sokoto are all owners of cattle, camels, horses and slaves. These latter, along with the women, generally cultivate some fields of dhurra, or corn, sufficient for their wants. The Arab, in Sokoto, would consider it a disgrace to practice any manual labour. He is essentially a hunter, a robber and a warrior, and, after caring for his cattle, devotes all his energies to slave-hunting and war. The lower cla.s.ses are simply a rabble of filth, petty mendicancy, gaol-bird physiognomy and cringing hypocrisy.

Pa.s.sing through several markets crowded by chattering throngs, and up a number of close streets where idle men and women were lounging, and where the heat from the stones reflected into one's face, we at last found the _marina_, or dyeing place, near the city wall. It consisted of a raised platform of clay with a number of holes or pits in which the mixture of indigo was prepared, and the cloths were placed for a certain length of time, according to the colour it was desired they should a.s.sume. It was beside one of these holes, working by the light of a rude torch, his arms immersed in the dark blue dye, that we found the Arab we sought.

As we gave him "peace" he rose to his feet with dignity, and dried his stained hands. He was about sixty, tall, with kindly, sharp-cut features, and a long, sweeping beard flecked with grey. Taking Azala's letter, he opened it, read it carefully twice, caressed his patriarchal beard, and placed the paper in a pocket beneath his burnouse. Then turning, he said,--

"Upon thee be perfect peace, O friends. Welcome to the poor hospitality of the roof of Mohammed el-Arewa. Take thine ease to-night, for ere the sun riseth over the blue hills of Salame, we must set forth if thou wouldst escape those who seek thy destruction." Then, after blowing out his torch, he addressed me, saying, "Art thou the friend of the Lalla Azala?"

"She is my friend," I answered, with prompt.i.tude.

"Discretion sealeth thy lips," he observed, laughing. "Well, I, too, loved once at thine age. If thou art, as I suspect, the lover of the beauteous Azala, of a verity thou hast chosen well. Happy the man who basketh in the rose-garden of her smiles. To her I owe the freedom of my only child, my daughter, who, captured by the Tuaregs, was sold to the accursed Grand Vizier Mahaza--may Allah burn his vitals!--and only by the intercession of the Lalla was she released. I am Azala Fathma's devoted slave, to do as she commandeth," adding in a lower tone, as if to himself, "Women swallow at one mouthful the lie that flattereth, and drink drop by drop the truth that is bitter. But the Lalla Azala careth not for flattery, and seeketh only to do good. She is a pearl among women."

Then accompanying him to his house close to the princ.i.p.al gate, we were treated as honoured visitors. A guest-dish, sweet as the dates of Al-jauf, was prepared for us, and we ate _fara_, or roasted locusts seasoned with cheese, _tuwo-n-magaria_, or bread made from the fruit of the magaria tree, roasted fowl and dates, washed down with copious draughts of _giya_ made of sorghum. After our meal, eight negro girls came forth and gratified our ears with a performance on various instruments. There was the _gauga_, very much like our own Arab _derbouka_, only larger, the long wind instrument, or _pampamnie_, a shorter one like a flute, called the _elgaita_, the double tambourine called the _kalango_, the _koso_, the _jojo_, or small derbouka, and the _kafo_, or small horn, which in unison created an ear-splitting tumult impossible to adequately describe.

The negresses blew, thumped and grinned as if their lives depended upon the amount of sound they obtained from their various instruments, but, worn out by the forced march, I heeded not their well-meant efforts to entertain, and actually fell into a heavy slumber with the mouthpiece of the pipe my host had thoughtfully provided for me still between my lips.

In the night, awakened suddenly by the loud blowing of a horn and frantic shouting, I lay and listened. As it continued I got up and aroused Tiamo, who slept near. For some minutes we strained our ears to ascertain the cause of the hubbub, apparently at the city gate, when suddenly our host burst into the apartment panting.

"Alas!" he cried, in a hoa.r.s.e whisper. "The soldiers of the Sultan have arrived. Listen!"

The noise continued. Armed men were battering on the great gate that closed at night-fall and never opened till dawn, except to admit an Imperial messenger. We could distinctly hear their voices demanding admittance in the name of the Sultan.

"Already have I bribed the guards of the Kofa with twenty pieces of silver. When questioned, they will deny thine entrance here," the old dyer exclaimed in rea.s.suring tones, as at the same moment there fell upon our ears the answering voices of the sleepy guards, urging them to be patient while the gate was unbarred.

Tiamo and I exchanged uneasy and significant glances in the dim light shed by a hanging lamp of bra.s.s.

"Suppose they determine to search for us," the dwarf suggested, in alarm.

"The a.s.surance of the guards will throw them off our scent, and at dawn they will rest after their long journey. Then will the gate be opened, and we shall be enabled to escape. Take thine ease in peace, for of a verity, the way will be long ere thou canst again rest."

And hastily raising the curtain that hung before the arched door, he disappeared.

Feeling myself safe beneath the hospitable roof of one who owed to Azala a deep debt of grat.i.tude, I threw myself again upon my divan, and soon dreamed of the beautiful woman whose countenance fascinated me, and whose glorious hair held me entangled in its silky web. How long I dreamed I cannot tell, for again I was awakened, this time by the ugly dwarf shaking me by the shoulder.

"Rise, O master," cried El-Sadic, in alarm. "We are discovered!

Already the soldiers of the Sultan have entered the house!"

As, half dazed, I stood rubbing my eyes in wonderment, Mohammed el-Arewa burst in upon us, gasping in a low tone,--

"Gather thy belongings quickly, and follow me. It is thine only chance."

In less time than it occupies to relate, we s.n.a.t.c.hed up our articles of dress, and hurried after him through several doors, until he came to a double one, whereat was seated a black slave. As we pa.s.sed quickly through this, the odour of fragrant perfumes greeted our nostrils, and, in the semi-darkness, there was the _frou-frou_ of silk, and the sound of hasty, shuffling feet. A second later, we found ourselves in a small apartment, lit more brightly than the others, tastefully decorated in green and gold, and containing many priceless Arab rugs and soft divans.

"Rest here undisturbed," he said, waving his hands in the direction of the inviting-looking lounges, around which were scattered traces of women's occupation. "Within the apartments sacred to my women they will not search for thee. Though I commit an offence against our law, thou art safe in this, my harem. I will shield thee, even with mine own life, for the sake of the Lalla Azala, upon whom may Allah ever shower his blessings! Rest, then, while I go and complete the preparations for our flight."

"We thank thee, O father!" I answered, fervently. "May thy face be ever brightened by the sun of Allah's favour!"

But he was already out of hearing, so suddenly did he leave us.

Within a quarter of an hour, sounds of a loud and fierce altercation reaching us, caused us to stand rigid and silent. So rapidly were the words spoken in the Hausa tongue, that many of them were to me unintelligible, but, glancing at the dwarf, I noticed that his brow was contracted. His eyes glittered with a keen, murderous expression that I had never seen before, as, with unsheathed knife in hand, he stood near the doorway of the harem on the alert, determined not to be taken without a struggle, and to sell his life dearly.

The curtain on the opposite side of our place of concealment stirred, and a fair face peered forth inquisitively, listening as attentively as ourselves, to the heated argument outside. Her great, fathomless eyes were surmounted by two delicately-pencilled arches, and her black, glossy hair fell down her neck, covering her cheeks with its warm shadows.

With a suddenness that startled us, a deep voice, raised louder than the others, expressed a conviction that we were hidden there, and declared his intention of making a thorough search, whereupon approaching footsteps sounded on the paving; the young woman withdrew her head with a slight scream, realising that her privacy was to be intruded upon, and Tiamo and I stood together, dismayed at our base betrayal by the keepers of the city gate.

It was an exciting moment. In desperation, I drew my two-edged _jambiyah_--determined to fight desperately, rather than fall alive into the hands of the Sultan's torturers.

CHAPTER TWENTY.

THE FATHER OF THE BLUE HAND.

As with bated breath we listened, Mohammed, upon whom Tiamo had bestowed the sobriquet of "The Father of the Blue Hand," spoke in Arabic, denying in clear, indignant tones that any stranger had found succour beneath his roof, and expressing his readiness to a.s.sist his Majesty the Sultan in arresting the rascally Dervish spy.

"Proceed no further," he cried, evidently barring their way resolutely.

"Lend me thine ears. Though a worker at the dye-pots I have, by diligence and integrity, ama.s.sed riches, and am honoured among the men of Sokoto. Desecrate not the quarters of my wives by intruding thy presence upon them. If thou thinkest that I lie when I tell thee that no stranger hath eaten salt with me, ask of the Governor, of the Cadi, of the Hadj Al-Wali, chief imam, whether untruths fall from my lips. By my beard! thou art mistaken. Even though thou art fighting-men of the Sultan 'Othman--whom may Allah enrich and guide to just actions!--his Majesty would never suffer thee to penetrate into his servant's harem."

"He lieth! He lieth!" they all cried, loudly. "The spy came hither, accompanied by a slave of small stature. Own it, or thy lying tongue shall be cut out."

And one of the men added, "His Majesty hath given us orders to bring unto him the head of the Dervish from Omdurman--whom may Allah cast into the pit Al-Hawiyat!--but thine own h.o.a.ry head will do as well," whereat the others, with one accord, jeered at our protector.

The declaration of my pursuers caused my heart to sink. To be decapitated as a spy was as deplorable an end as to starve to death in the desert. But there was no escape; I resigned myself to the will of Allah.

The altercation increased, Mohammed being a.s.sailed with a thousand maledictions, while my ugly companion and myself held our peace in fear and trembling. Although the soldiers alternately threatened and cajoled for a considerable time none entered the apartment wherein we stood, yet our discovery seemed imminent, and looking around for means of escape we could detect none.

Suddenly, however, there was a shuffling of feet upon the flags, and a voice, loud in authority, cried,--

"Back, O men-at-arms! What meanest this? Let not thy feet desecrate the mats of Mohammed el-Arewa's harem, for of a verity he is honest and loyal, a trusty servant of our Imperial Master. By my beard! thy Koran giveth thee no right to intrude upon woman's domestic privacy. Back, I command thee. Back!"

"Who art thou, son of _sebel_, who vouchest for this dyer's loyalty, and darest to give orders unto the emissaries of his Majesty?" asked one of the armed men, evidently their leader.

"My name," cried the newcomer, "my name is Shukri Aga. I am Governor of Sokoto."

Dead silence followed. The men mumbled together in an undertone, while our friend and protector briefly explained the position of affairs, laying stress on the fact that the soldiers had threatened to strike off his head. With one accord the men fell upon their knees before the representative of their Sultan, beseeching forgiveness, declaring that they had been misinformed, and that they had felt a.s.sured from the first that a devout man such as our host, would never harbour a dangerous spy.

But the Governor was inexorable. Irritated by the insolent manner in which his right to interfere had been questioned, he turned upon them angrily, saying--

"Get thee gone instantly. To-morrow the cadi shall curb thine excess of zeal, and peradventure a taste of the bastinado will cause thee to remember that a man's harem is sacred. Begone!"