Yussuf the Guide Part 49

"Go on back," he said forcing himself round the foremost horse, closely followed by the professor, though there was hardly room for their steeds to pa.s.s, and there was a fall of several hundred feet below, while, pressed like this, Hamed began to whimper; but he obeyed, and led the horses past Lawrence and Mr Burne, who now went forward, eager and excited to know what was wrong, and upon joining their companions it was to find themselves face to face with a gang of about twenty fierce-looking men, all mounted, and who were seated with their guns presented toward the travellers' heads.

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE.

BROUGHT TO BAY.

The strangers were some fifty yards away, and thoroughly blocked all further progress. What they were was not open to doubt; but, though they sat there presenting their guns, they did not attempt to fire, nor yet to advance, contenting themselves by barring the travellers' way.

"Do you think they are enemies, Yussuf?" said Mr Preston calmly.

"There is no doubt of it, effendi," was the reply.

"But had we not better ride boldly forward? They will not dare to stop us. Besides, if they do, we are well-armed."

"They are twenty and we are only two, effendi, for we cannot depend upon three of our party. It would be no use to attack. We must retreat steadily, and get back to the village; they will not dare to follow us so far."

"What do you propose doing, then?"

"For one of us to remain here facing them, till the others have got fifty yards back. Then one is to turn and face the scoundrels till I have ridden in, and on with the others another fifty yards or so, when I face round, and the one on duty rides in, and so on by turns. If we keep a bold front we may hold them off."

"A good plan," said the professor; "but would it not be better for two to face them, and two to go forward--I mean, to retreat?"

"No, effendi; there is not too much room for the horses. Do as I ask."

Mr Preston obeyed on the instant, and with Hamed in front the retreat was commenced, all retiring and leaving Yussuf on the projecting corner, weapon in hand, and a sword hanging from his wrist by the knot.

Then, at about fifty yards, Mr Preston halted and faced round, with gun presented, and as the others still rode on, Yussuf left his post and joined the professor, pa.s.sing him and riding on another fifty yards behind, where he faced round in turn.

As the professor made his horse face about and rode on, he had only just reached the guide, when a clattering of horses' hoofs behind him made him look sharply round.

The enemy had advanced, and about half a dozen men had taken up the vacated position at the elbow of the track.

There they stopped, looking menacing enough, but making no advance, merely watching the progress of the little party as they retreated round the curve towards the other corner which they had pa.s.sed on their way.

"Had we not better get on faster?" said the professor.

"No," replied Yussuf; "we must go slowly, or they will close in; and your excellency does not want blood to be shed. Our only chance is by keeping a bold front, and retreating till we can get help. They will not dare to attack us if we keep on like this, for they do not care to risk their lives."

"Go on then," said the professor; and the retreat was kept up for about ten minutes, and then came to a stop, for Hamed, on reaching the other corner with his baggage-horses, stopped short suddenly, and on Lawrence trotting up to him, the professor saw him too stop, and present his gun.

"We are trapped, effendi," said Yussuf sadly.

"Trapped!" cried Mr Preston sharply. "What do you mean?"

"The dogs have another party who have been hidden in that side track, and they have come out as soon as we pa.s.sed. We are between two fires.

What shall we do?"

It was plain enough, for the next minute Hamed and Lawrence were seen to be driven back, and a party similar to that upon the first corner stood out clearly in the morning air--a gang before, and one behind, and the precipice above and below. It was either fight or yield now, and Yussuf had asked the question, what was to be done.

Shut in as they were completely, the little party closed up together on the curved path, Hamed requiring no telling, while the enemy made no attempt to advance.

Mr Burne took out his box, had a large pinch of snuff, and then blew his nose so outrageously that the horses p.r.i.c.ked their ears, and Ali Baba snorted and looked as if he would try another of his wonderful leaps if that kind of thing were to be continued.

"Well, Yussuf," said the professor, "what is to be done?"

The guide sighed deeply and looked full in his employer's face.

"Excellency," he said softly, "I feel as if all my bones were turned to water."

"Oh, indeed, sir," cried Mr Burne sharply; "then you had better turn them back to what they were."

"What is to be done, Yussuf?" continued the professor. "If we make a stout resistance, shall we beat them off?"

"No, effendi," said Yussuf sadly; "it is impossible. We might kill several, but they are many, and those who are left do not value life.

Besides, effendi, some of us must fall."

"What are these people, then?"

"Brigands--robbers, excellency."

"Brigands and robbers in the nineteenth century!" cried Mr Burne angrily; "it is absurd."

"In your country, excellency; but here they are as common as they are in Greece."

"But the law, sir, the law!" cried Mr Burne. "Confound the scoundrels!

where are the police?"

Yussuf shrugged his shoulders.

"We are far beyond the reach of the law or the police, excellency, unless a little army of soldiers is sent to take or destroy these people; and even then what can they do in these terrible fastnesses, where the brigands have hiding-places and strongholds that cannot be found out, or if found, where they can set the soldiery at defiance?"

Mr Burne blew his nose again fearfully, and created a series of echoes that sounded as if old men were blowing their noses from where they stood right away to Constantinople, so strangely the sounds died away in the distance.

"Then why, sir, in the name of common sense and common law, did you bring us into this out-of-the-way place, among these dirty, ragged, unshaven scoundrels? It is abominable! It is disgraceful! It is--"

"Hush! hush! Burne; be reasonable," said the professor. "Yussuf has only obeyed orders. If anyone is to blame it is I, for I wished to see this ruined fastness of the old Roman days."

Yussuf smiled, and gave the professor a grateful look.

"Humph! It's all very well for you to take his part. He ought to have known," grumbled the old lawyer.

"Travellers are never free from risk in any of the out-of-the-way parts of the country," said Yussuf quietly.

"And of course we knew that, and accepted the risk," said the professor.

"Come, come, Burne, be reasonable. Yussuf is not to blame. The question is, What are we to do--fight or give up?"

"Fight," said Mr Burne fiercely. "Hang it all, sir! I never give in to an opponent. I always say to a client, if he has right upon his side, 'Fight, sir, fight.' And that's what I'm going to do."