One evening against the clear sky there appeared the dim outline oftowering cliffs, shaped like a horseshoe. They were the Mountains of Murmany miles away, but still the Mountains of Mur, sighted at last. Nextmorning we began to descend through wooded land toward a wide river thatis, I believe, a tributary of the Nile, though upon this point I haveno certain information. Three days later we reached the banks of thisriver, following some old road, and faring sumptuously all the way,since here there was much game and grass in plenty for the camels that,after their long abstinence, ate until we thought that they would burst.Evidently we had not arrived an hour too soon, for now the Mountains ofMur were hid by clouds, and we could see that it was raining upon theplains which lay between us and them. The wet season was setting in,and, had we been a single week later, it might have been impossible forus to cross the river, which would then have been in flood. As it was,we passed it without difficulty by the ancient ford, the water neverrising above the knees of our camels.
Upon its further bank we took counsel, for now we had entered theterritory of the Fung, and were face to face with the real dangers ofour journey. Fifty miles or so away rose the fortress of Mur, but, asI explained to my companions, the question was how to pass those fiftymiles in safety. Shadrach was called to our conference, and at myrequest set out the facts.
Yonder, he said, rose the impregnable mountain home of the Abati, butall the vast plain included in the loop of the river which he calledEbur, was the home of the savage Fung race, whose warriors could becounted by the ten thousand, and whose principal city, Harmac, wasbuilt opposite to the stone effigy of their idol, that was also calledHarmac----
"Harmac--that is Harmachis, god of dawn. Your Fung had something todo with the old Egyptians, or both of them came from a common stock,"interrupted Higgs triumphantly.
"I daresay, old fellow," answered Orme; "I think you told us that beforein London; but we will go into the archaeology afterwards if we surviveto do so. Let Shadrach get on with his tale."
This city, which had quite fifty thousand inhabitants, continuedShadrach, commanded the mouth of the pass or cleft by which we mustapproach Mur, having probably been first built there for that verypurpose.
Orme asked if there was no other way into the stronghold, which, heunderstood, the embassy had left by being let down a precipice. Shadrachanswered that this was true, but that although the camels and theirloads had been let down that precipitous place, owing to the formationof its overhanging rocks, it would be perfectly impossible to haul themup it with any tackle that the Abati possessed.
He asked again if there was not a way round, if that circle of mountainshad no back door. Shadrach replied that there was such a back doorfacing to the north some eight days' journey away. Only at this seasonof the year it could not be reached, since beyond the Mountains of Murin that direction was a great lake, out of which flowed the river Eburin two arms that enclosed the whole plain of Fung. By now this lakewould be full, swollen with rains that fell on the hills of NorthernAfrica, and the space between it and the Mur range nothing but animpassable swamp.
Being still unsatisfied, Orme inquired whether, if we abandoned thecamels, we could not then climb the precipice down which the embassyhad descended. To this the answer, which I corroborated, was that ifour approach were known and help given to us from above, it might bepossible, provided that we threw away the loads.
"Seeing what these loads are, and the purpose for which we have broughtthem so far, that is out of the question," said Orme. "Therefore, tellus at once, Shadrach, how we are to win through the Fung to Mur."
"In one way only, O son of Orme, should it be the will of God that we doso at all; by keeping ourselves hidden during the daytime and marchingat night. According to their custom at this season, to-morrow, aftersunset, the Fung hold their great spring feast in the city of Harmac,and at dawn go up to make sacrifice to their idol. But after sunsetthey eat and drink and are merry, and then it is their habit to withdrawtheir guards, that they may take part in the festival. For this reasonI have timed our march that we should arrive on the night of this feast,which I know by the age of the moon, when, in the darkness, with God'shelp, perchance we may slip past Harmac, and at the first light findourselves in the mouth of the road that runs up to Mur. Moreover, I willgive warning to my people, the Abati, that we are coming, so that theymay be at hand to help us if there is need."
"How?" asked Orme.
"By firing the reeds"--and he pointed to the dense masses of deadvegetation about--"as I arranged that I would do before we left Mur manymonths ago. The Fung, if they see it, will think only that it is thework of some wandering fisherman."
Orme shrugged his shoulders, saying:
"Well, friend Shadrach, you know the place and these people, and I donot, so we must do what you tell us. But I say at once that if, as Iunderstand, yonder Fung will kill us if they can, to me your plan seemsvery dangerous."
"It is dangerous," he answered, adding with a sneer, "but I thought thatyou men of England were not cowards."
"Cowards! you son of a dog!" broke in Higgs in his high voice. "Howdare you talk to us like that? You see this man here"--and he pointed toSergeant Quick, who, tall and upright, stood watching this scene grimly,and understanding most of what passed--"well, he is the lowest amongus--a servant only" (here the Sergeant saluted), "but I tell you thatthere is more courage in his little finger than in your whole body, orin that of all the Abati people, so far as I can make out."
Here the Sergeant saluted again, murmuring beneath his breath, "Ihope so, sir. Being a Christian, I hope so, but till it comes to thesticking-point, one can never be sure."
"You speak big words, O Higgs," answered Shadrach insolently, for, as Ithink I have said, he hated the Professor, who smelt the rogue in him,and scourged him continually with his sharp tongue, "but if the Fung gethold of you, then we shall learn the truth."
"Shall I punch his head, sir?" queried Quick in a meditative voice.
"Be quiet, please," interrupted Orme. "We have troubles enough beforeus, without making more. It will be time to settle our quarrels when wehave got through the Fung."
Then he turned to Shadrach and said:
"Friend, this is no time for angry words. You are the guide of thisparty; lead us as you will, remembering only that if it comes to war, I,by the wish of my companions, am Captain. Also, there is another thingwhich you should not forget--namely, that in the end you must makeanswer to your own ruler, she who, I understand from the doctor here, iscalled Walda Nagasta, the Child of Kings. Now, no more words; we marchas you wish and where you wish. On your head be it!"
The Abati heard and bowed sullenly. Then, with a look of hate at Higgs,he turned and went about his business.
"Much better to have let me punch his head," soliloquized Quick. "Itwould have done him a world of good, and perhaps saved many troubles,for, to tell the truth, I don't trust that quarter-bred Hebrew."
Then he departed to see to the camels and the guns while the rest of uswent to our tents to get such sleep as the mosquitoes would allow. Inmy own case it was not much, since the fear of evil to come weighed uponme. Although I knew the enormous difficulty of entering the mountainstronghold of Mur by any other way, such as that by which I had quittedit, burdened as we were with our long train of camels laden with rifles,ammunition, and explosives, I dreaded the results of an attempt to passthrough the Fung savages.
Moreover, it occurred to me that Shadrach had insisted upon thisroute from a kind of jealous obstinacy, and to be in opposition to usEnglishmen, whom he hated in his heart, or perhaps for some dark andsecret reason. Still, the fact remained that we were in his power, sinceowing to the circumstances in which I had entered and left the place, itwas impossible for me to act as guide to the party. If I attempted to doso, no doubt he and the Abati with him would desert, leaving the camelsand their loads upon our hands. Why should they not, seeing thatthey would be quite safe in concluding that we should never have anopportunity of l
aying our side of the case before their ruler?
Just as the sun was setting, Quick came to call me, saying that thecamels were being loaded up.
"I don't much like the look of things, Doctor," he said as he helped meto pack my few belongings, "for the fact is I can't trust that Shadrachman. His pals call him 'Cat,' a good name for him, I think. Also, he isshowing his claws just now, the truth being that he hates the lot of us,and would like to get back into Purr or Mur, or whatever the name of theplace is, having lost us on the road. You should have seen the way helooked at the Professor just now. Oh! I wish the Captain had let mepunch his head. I'm sure it would have cleared the air a lot."
As it chanced, Shadrach was destined to get his head "punched" afterall, but by another hand. It happened thus. The reeds were fired, asShadrach had declared it was necessary to do, in order that the Abatiwatchmen on the distant mountains might see and report the signal,although in the light of subsequent events I am by no means certain thatthis warning was not meant for other eyes as well. Then, as arranged, westarted out, leaving them burning in a great sheet of flame behindus, and all that night marched by the shine of the stars along somebroken-down and undoubtedly ancient road.
At the first sign of dawn we left this road and camped amid theovergrown ruins of a deserted town that had been built almost beneaththe precipitous cliffs of Mur, fortunately without having met any one orbeing challenged. I took the first watch, while the others turned in tosleep after we had all breakfasted off cold meats, for here we dared notlight a fire. As the sun grew high, dispelling the mists, I saw that wewere entering upon a thickly-populated country which was no stranger tocivilization of a sort. Below us, not more than fifteen or sixteen milesaway, and clearly visible through my field-glasses, lay the great townof Harmac, which, during my previous visit to this land, I had neverseen, as I passed it in the night.
It was a city of the West Central African type, with open market-placesand wide streets, containing thousands of white, flat-roofed houses, themost important of which were surrounded by gardens. Round it ran a highand thick wall, built, apparently, of sun-burnt brick, and in front ofthe gateways, of which I could see two, stood square towers whence thesemight be protected. All about this city the flat and fertile land wasunder cultivation, for the season being that of early spring, alreadythe maize and other crops showed green upon the ground.
Beyond this belt of plough-lands, with the aid of the field-glasses, Icould make out great herds of grazing cattle and horses, mixed with wildgame, a fact that assured me of the truth of what I had heard duringmy brief visit to Mur, that the Fung had few or no firearms, sinceotherwise the buck and quagga would have kept at a distance. Far off,too, and even on the horizon, I saw what appeared to be other towns andvillages. Evidently this was a very numerous people, and one which couldnot justly be described as savage. No wonder that the little Abati tribefeared them so intensely, notwithstanding the mighty precipices by whichthey were protected from their hate.
About eleven o'clock Orme came on watch, and I turned in, having nothingto report. Soon I was fast asleep, notwithstanding the anxieties that,had I been less weary, might well have kept me wakeful. For these weremany. On the coming night we must slip through the Fung, and beforemidday on the morrow we should either have entered Mur, or failed tohave entered Mur, which meant--death, or, what was worse, captivityamong barbarians, and subsequent execution, preceded probably by tortureof one sort or another.
Of course, however, we might come thither without accident, travellingwith good guides on a dark night, for, after all, the place was big, andthe road lonely and little used, so that unless we met a watch, which,we were told, would not be there, our little caravan had a good chanceto pass unobserved. Shadrach seemed to think that we should do so, butthe worst of it was that, like Quick, I did not trust Shadrach. EvenMaqueda, the Lady of the Abati, she whom they called Child of Kings, hadher doubts about him, or so it had seemed to me.
At any rate, she had told me before I left Mur that she chose him forthis mission because he was bold and cunning, one of the very few of herpeople also who, in his youth, had crossed the desert and, therefore,knew the road. "Yet, Physician," she added meaningly, "watch him, foris he not named 'Cat'? Yes, watch him, for did I not hold his wife andchildren hostages, and were I not sure that he desires to win the greatreward in land which I have promised to him, I would not trust you tothis man's keeping."
Well, after many experiences in his company, my opinion coincided withMaqueda's, and so did that of Quick, no mean judge of men.
"Look at him, Doctor," he said when he came to tell me that I could turnin, for whether it were his watch or not, the Sergeant never seemed tobe off duty. "Look, at him," and he pointed to Shadrach, who was seatedunder the shade of a tree, talking earnestly in whispers with two of hissubordinates with a very curious and unpleasing smile upon his face. "IfGod Almighty ever made a scamp, he's squatting yonder. My belief is thathe wanted to be rid of us all at Zeu, so that he might steal our goods,and I hope he won't play the same trick again to-night. Even the dogcan't abide him."
Before I could answer, I had proof of this last statement, for the greatyellow hound, Pharaoh, that had found us in the desert, hearing ourvoices, emerged from some corner where it was hidden, and advancedtoward us, wagging its tail. As it passed Shadrach, it stopped andgrowled, the hair rising on its back, whereon he hurled a stone at itand hit its leg. Next instant Pharaoh, a beast of enormous power, was onthe top of him, and really, I thought, about to tear out his throat.
Well, we got him off before any harm was done, but Shadrach's face,lined with its livid scars, was a thing to remember. Between rage andfear, it looked like that of a devil.
To return. After this business I went to sleep, wondering if it were mylast rest upon the earth, and whether, having endured so much for hissake, it would or would not be my fortune to see the face of my sonagain, if, indeed, he still lived, yonder not a score of miles away--oranywhere.
Toward evening I was awakened by a fearful hubbub, in which Idistinguished the shrill voice of Higgs ejaculating language which Iwill not repeat, the baying of Pharaoh, and the smothered groans andcurses of an Abati. Running from the little tent, I saw a curioussight, that of the Professor with Shadrach's head under his left arm,in chancery, as we used to call it at school, while with his right hepunched the said Shadrach's nose and countenance generally with all hisstrength, which, I may add, is considerable. Close by, holding Pharaohby the collar, which we had manufactured for him out of the skin of acamel that had died, stood Sergeant Quick, a look of grim amusementon his wooden face, while around, gesticulating after their Easternfashion, and uttering guttural sounds of wrath, were several of theAbati drivers. Orme was absent, being, in fact, asleep at the time.
"What are you doing, Higgs?" I shouted.
"Can't--you--see," he spluttered, accompanying each word with a blow onthe unfortunate Shadrach's prominent nose. "I am punching this fellow'sbeastly head. Ah! you'd bite, would you? Then take that, and thatand--that. Lord, how hard his teeth are. Well, I think he has hadenough," and suddenly he released the Abati, who, a gory and mostunpleasant spectacle, fell to the ground and lay there panting. Hiscompanions, seeing their chief's melancholy plight, advanced upon theProfessor in a threatening fashion; indeed, one of them drew a knife.
"Put up that thing, sonny," said the Sergeant, "or by heaven, I'll loosethe dog upon you. Got your revolver handy, Doctor?"
Evidently, if the man did not understand Quick's words, their purportwas clear to him, for he sheathed his knife and fell back with theothers. Shadrach, too, rose from the ground and went with them. At adistance of a few yards, however, he turned, and, glaring at Higgs outof his swollen eyes, said:
"Be sure, accursed Gentile, that I will remember and repay."
At this moment, too, Orme arrived upon the scene, yawning.
"What the deuce is the matter?" he asked.
"I'd give five bob for a pint of iced stone ginger," r
eplied Higgsinconsequently. Then he drank off a pannikin of warmish, muddy-colouredwater which Quick gave to him, and handed it back, saying:
"Thanks, Sergeant; that's better than nothing, and cold drink is alwaysdangerous if you are hot. What's the matter? Oh! not much. Shadrachtried to poison Pharaoh; that's all. I was watching him out of thecorner of my eye, and saw him go to the strychnine tin, roll a bit ofmeat in it which he had first wetted, and throw it to the poor beast.I got hold of it in time, and chucked it over that wall, where you willfind it if you care to look. I asked Shadrach why he had done such athing. He answered, 'To keep the dog quiet while we are passing throughthe Fung,' adding that anyhow it was a savage beast and best out of theway, as it had tried to bite him that morning. Then I lost my temper andwent for the blackguard, and although I gave up boxing twenty years ago,very soon had the best of it, for, as you may have observed, no Orientalcan fight with his fists. That's all. Give me another cup of water,Sergeant."
"I hope it may be," answered Orme, shrugging his shoulders. "To tell thetruth, old fellow, it would have been wiser to defer blacking Shadrach'seyes till we were safe in Mur. But it's no use talking now, and Idaresay I should have done the same myself if I had seen him try topoison Pharaoh," and he patted the head of the great dog, of which wewere all exceedingly fond, although in reality it only cared for Orme,merely tolerating the rest of us.
"Doctor," he added, "perhaps you would try to patch up our guide's noseand soothe his feelings. You know him better than we do. Give him arifle. No, don't do that, or he might shoot some one in the back--byaccident done on purpose. Promise him a rifle when we get into Mur; Iknow he wants one badly, because I caught him trying to steal a carbinefrom the case. Promise him anything so long as you can square it up."
So I went, taking a bottle of arnica and some court plaster with me, tofind Shadrach surrounded by sympathizers and weeping with rage overthe insult, which, he said, had been offered to his ancient anddistinguished race in his own unworthy person. I did my best for himphysically and mentally, pointing out, as I dabbed the arnica onhis sadly disfigured countenance, that he had brought the trouble onhimself, seeing that he had really no business to poison Pharaoh becausehe had tried to bite him. He answered that his reason for wishing tokill the dog was quite different, and repeated at great length what hehad told the Professor--namely, that it might betray us while we werepassing through the Fung. Also he went on so venomously about revengethat I thought it time to put a stop to the thing.
"See here, Shadrach," I said, "unless you unsay those words and makepeace at once, you shall be bound and tried. Perhaps we shall have abetter chance of passing safely through the Fung if we leave you deadbehind us than if you accompany us as a living enemy."
On hearing this, he changed his note altogether, saying that he sawhe had been wrong. Moreover, so soon as his injuries were dressed, hesought out Higgs, whose hand he kissed with many apologies, vowing thathe had forgotten everything and that his heart toward him was like thatof a twin brother.
"Very good, friend," answered Higgs, who never bore malice, "only don'ttry to poison Pharaoh again, and, for my part, I'll promise not toremember this matter when we get to Mur."
"Quite a converted character, ain't he, Doctor?" sarcastically remarkedQuick, who had been watching this edifying scene. "Nasty Eastern temperall gone; no Hebrew talk of eye for eye or tooth for tooth, but kissesthe fist that smote him in the best Christian spirit. All the same, Iwouldn't trust the swine further than I could kick him, especially inthe dark, which," he added meaningly, "is what it will be to-night."
I made no answer to the Sergeant, for although I agreed with him, therewas nothing to be done, and talking about a bad business would only makeit worse.
By now the afternoon drew towards night--a very stormy night, to judgefrom the gathering clouds and rising wind. We were to start a littleafter sundown, that is, within an hour, and, having made ready my ownbaggage and assisted Higgs with his, we went to look for Orme and Quick,whom we found very busy in one of the rooms of an unroofed house. To allappearance they were engaged, Quick in sorting pound tins of tobaccoor baking-powder, and Orme in testing an electric battery and carefullyexamining coils of insulated wire.
"What's your game?" asked the Professor.
"Better than yours, old boy, when Satan taught your idle hands to punchShadrach's head. But perhaps you had better put that pipe out. Theseazo-imide compounds are said to burn rather more safely than coal.Still, one never knows; the climate or the journey may have changedtheir constitution."
Higgs retreated hurriedly, to a distance of fifty yards indeed, whencehe returned, having knocked out his pipe and even left his matches on astone.
"Don't waste time in asking questions," said Orme as the Professorapproached with caution. "I'll explain. We are going on a queer journeyto-night--four white men with about a dozen half-bred mongrel scamps ofdoubtful loyalty, so you see Quick and I thought it as well to have someof this stuff handy. Probably it will never be wanted, and if wanted weshall have no time to use it; still, who knows? There, that will do. Tencanisters; enough to blow up half the Fung if they will kindly sit onthem. You take five, Quick, a battery and three hundred yards of wire,and I'll take five, a battery, and three hundred yards of wire. Yourdetonators are all fixed, aren't they? Well, so are mine," and withoutmore words he proceeded to stow away his share of the apparatus in thepoacher pockets of his coat and elsewhere, while Quick did likewise withwhat remained. Then the case that they had opened was fastened up againand removed to be laden on a camel.
Queen Sheba's Ring Page 9
