Yussuf the Guide Part 51

"Their conversation has been short," said the professor. "I suppose it is settled. So vexatious too, when we were quite near the ancient stronghold."

"Bah! you've seen old stones and ruins enough, man. I wish to goodness we were back in London. Well, Yussuf, what do they say?"

"That if your excellencies will surrender peaceably, you shall not be hurt. There is nothing else for us to do but give up."

"And you advise it, Yussuf?" said the professor.

"Yes, your excellency, we must give up; and perhaps if you are patient I may find a means for us to escape."

"Hah! that's better," cried Mr Burne; "now you are speaking like a man.

Come along, then, and let's get it over. Can the brutes speak English?"

"No, excellency, I think not. Shall I lead?"

"No," said Mr Burne. "I shall go first, just to show the miserable ruffians that we are not afraid of them if we do give up. Come along, Preston. Confound them! how I do hate thieves."

He took a pinch of snuff, and then rode slowly on with an angry contemptuous look, closely followed by his companions, to where the brigands were awaiting them with guns presented ready to fire if there was any resistance.

As they advanced, the party behind closed up quickly, all being in the same state of readiness with their weapons till the travellers found themselves completely hemmed in by as evil-looking a body of scoundrels as could be conceived. Every man had his belt stuck full of knives and pistols, and carried a dangerous-looking gun--that is to say, a piece that was risky to both enemy and friend.

One man, who seemed to hold pre-eminence from the fact that he was half a head taller than his companions, said a few words in a sharp fierce manner, and Yussuf spoke.

"The captain says we are to give up all our arms," he said; and the professor handed his gun and sword without a word, the appearance of the weapons apparently giving great satisfaction to the chief.

"Here, take 'em," growled Mr Burne; "you ugly-looking unwashed animal.

I hope the gun will go off of itself, and shoot you. I say, Preston, you haven't given them your revolver."

"Hush! neither am I going to without they ask for it. Yussuf is keeping his."

"Oh, I see," said the old lawyer brightening.

Lawrence had to resign his handsome gun and sword next, the beauty of their workmanship causing quite a buzz of excitement.

After this, as Lawrence sat suffering a bitter pang at losing his treasured weapons, the chief said a few words to Yussuf.

"The captain says, excellencies, that if you will ride quietly to their place, he will not have you bound. I have said that you will go."

"Yes," said the professor, "we will go quietly."

The chief seemed satisfied, and the prisoners being placed in the middle, the whole band went off along the mountain path, higher and higher hour after hour.

There was no attempt made to separate them, nor yet to hinder their conversation; and the brigands seemed less ferocious now that the business of the day had had so satisfactory a finish, for they were congratulating themselves upon having made a very valuable haul, and the captives, after a time, began to look upon their seizure as more interesting and novel than troublesome. That is to say, all but the professor, who bemoaned bitterly the fact that he should miss seeing the old ruined, stronghold in the mountains, which was said to be the highest ruin in the land.

"It seems so vexatious, Yussuf," he said towards evening, after a very long and tedious ride through scenery that was wild and grand in the extreme; "just, too, as we were so near the aim of all my desire."

"Bother!" said Mr Burne, "I wish they would stop and cook some dinner.

Are they going to starve us?"

"No, excellency; and before an hour has pa.s.sed, if I think rightly, we shall have reached the brigands' stronghold. They will not starve you, but you will have to pay dearly for all you have."

"I don't care," said Mr Burne recklessly. "I'd give a five-pound note now for a chop, and a sovereign a-piece for mealy potatoes. This mountain air makes me ravenous, and ugh! how cold it is."

"We are so high up, excellency," said Yussuf; and then smiling, "Yes, I am right."

"What do you mean?" said the professor.

"I did not like to speak before, effendi," he said excitedly, "for I was not sure; but it is as I thought; they have now turned into the right road. Everything points to it."

"Look here," grumbled Mr Burne, "I'm not in a humour to guess conundrums and charades; speak out, man. What do you mean?"

"I mean, excellency, that I have been wondering where the brigands'

strong place could be, and I believe I have found out."

"Well, where is it? A cave, of course?"

"No, excellency; and you, effendi," he continued, turning to the professor, "will be delighted."

"What do you mean, my good fellow?" said the professor warmly.

"That you will have your wish. There is no other place likely, and it seems to me that this band of men have made the old ruined stronghold their lurking-place, and you will see the ruins after all."

"What?" cried Mr Preston excitedly.

"I am not sure, excellency, for they may be only going to pa.s.s them on our way elsewhere; but we are now journeying straight for the grand old remains we sought."

"Then, I don't care what ransom I have to pay," said the professor eagerly. "Lawrence, my dear boy--Burne--this is not a misfortune, but a great slice of luck."

"Oh! indeed! is it?" said the old lawyer sarcastically. "I should not have known."

It proved to be as Yussuf had antic.i.p.ated, for, just as the sun was sinking below the mountains, the shelf of a path was continued along by the brink of a terrible precipice which looked black beneath their feet, and after many devious windings, it ended as it were before a huge pile of limestone, at the foot of which rocks were piled-up as if they had suddenly been dashed down from some tremendous tremor of the mountains.

"Where are we going?" said the professor.

"Up to the top of that great pile," said Yussuf.

"But are the ruins there?"

"Yes, effendi."

"And how are we to set there?"

"You will see, excellency. It is quite right. This is the robbers'

home, where they could set an army at defiance."

"But we can't get up there," said Lawrence, gazing at the dizzy height.

As he spoke, the foremost horseman seemed to disappear, but only to come into sight again, and then it became evident that there was a zigzag and winding path right up to the top of the huge ma.s.s of rock which towered up almost perpendicularly in places, and, ten minutes later, Lawrence was riding up a path with so awful a precipice on his right that he closed his eyes.