In the Mahdi's Grasp Part 67

"The Emir's servant says, Excellency, that the white slave is dead, and that he dare not go back with the tidings, lest his head should fall."

The Hakim turned slowly to the officer and smiled, as he laid a hand upon his patient's forehead.

"Tell him," he said, "to bear the tidings to his master that the white slave will live, and his broken arm will soon be well."

"Ah!" exclaimed the Baggara. "The Hakim is great. Then we may carry him back at once?"

The words were interpreted to the doctor, who made his reply.

"No; if the slave is taken away he may die. Bid him tell his master that the Hakim will keep the injured slave here and make him whole, as he has the Emirs, his master's friends."

The Baggara officer looked troubled and perplexed.

"Tell the great Hakim that his servant was bidden to bring the slave here and take him back. There is nothing for him but to obey."

"Yes," said the doctor, drawing himself up proudly and fixing the man with his eyes, pausing at times to give Ibrahim ample time to interpret his words, "it is his duty to obey till a greater man than his master bids him do this or that."

The doctor's words sounded loud and imperious, and he had got so far when an impatient voice was heard from the room where Frank was lying, calling first one and then another, and a cold chill ran through all present, for the voice sounded as it were the knell of all their hopes.

Even the doctor was silenced for the moment, but recalling directly that only the Sheikh could understand his words, he called angrily in a voice of thunder, looking hard at the Sheikh the while.

"Lie still, Frank, till I come!" Then: "Tell thy master that the Hakim will keep the white slave here. Take him this from me as my pledge that I will cure his slave. Enough! Now go."

As he spoke he raised his hand to his white turban, detached the large Egyptian jewel he wore, and then gave it to the Sheikh, who took it reverently, and as he interpreted humbly the Hakim's words ended by placing the rare token in the officer's hands.

The Baggara bowed his head over the pledge, as he wrapped it carefully in his fine linen scarf, and saying humbly, "The Hakim is great," he gave a final glance at the patient and backed slowly out of the room, followed by the officer of the Emir's guard, while the curtain was quivering still where it had fallen back when Frank appeared in the opening leading to his room.

"What does all this mean?" he said. Then, catching sight of the ghastly figure lying upon the couch, he uttered a cry of joy, and rus.h.i.+ng forward fell upon his knees by his brother's side.

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE.

TIGHTENED CHAINS.

Those were minutes of agony to all concerned, for there was the trouble of Frank's calls while the doctor was speaking. It was nothing that the strange officer had heard them, but the fact that they must have been heard by the guard, familiar with them all was startling, and the position was excitedly discussed. The Sheikh said that the officer had made no allusion to it since, and the doctor recalled to them the fact that the man could not have recognised the voice, for he had never heard Frank speak. Besides he did not know that Frank was lying there ill.

"Let him think that there was a mystery about it all, Excellencies,"

said the Sheikh; "and when he sees Ben Eddin again going about his business as of old, making his desires known by signs, he will never think that it was he who spoke."

"But who will he think it was then?" said the professor.

"Who can say, Excellency? They are superst.i.tious children, these strong fighting men of the desert, and believe in demons, genii, and afreets.

He will say to himself that it was the voice of the Hakim's familiar, that he heard the invisible spirit by whose help he works his cures, and be glad of heart that the djin, or whatever it might be, did not strike him dead for being there."

A couple of hours or so later they were startled by the appearance of the very man of whom the Sheikh had been speaking, and all fancied afterwards that he looked very hard at Frank, who was sufficiently recovered by the success of his plan to be able to keep about, and hence was present in the room.

The chief of the guard had come to announce the return of the Emir's officer with a message to the Hakim, and when the Baggara was ushered in it was to announce that his master thankfully accepted the Hakim's pledge, but felt that it was not right for so great a sage, mullah, and prophet, to be asked to waste his time over a dog of a white slave. In conclusion he prayed that the great Hakim, whose very touch bore healing to the sons of men, would deign to accept the gift he sent him by his servant--the offering being a costly emerald ring, roughly and clumsily set in gold.

One difficulty was at an end, for all felt that the doctor might insist upon the prisoner staying till such time as they could ripen their plans for escape, while in addition that night, the Sheikh learned from their guard that Harry Frere's master had marched with all his force to join the Emir and his son, who were camping out waiting the arrival of other bands before joining forces with the Khalifa.

"Many have left the city, Excellency," he said, "but more have come in, and the streets are filled with strangers who know us not."

"Then now ought to be the time for us to escape."

"Yes, Excellency," said the old man sadly, "but we are watched and guarded here. I fear that our chief guard has begun to doubt us, and he will watch us more closely still."

"That is awkward," said the professor.

"Yes, Excellency, and it is impossible to journey now with all these strangers here ready to stop us, to plunder if not to slay."

"More awkward still, Ibrahim."

"Yes, Excellency, for if we started some night, instead of all being of good courage, light and rejoicing in our strength and in having saved the young Excellency's brother, we have two sick men."

"Most awkward of all, Ibrahim," said the professor. "But never mind; we have mastered all difficulties so far, and it will go hard if we do not conquer after all."

"Yes, Excellency, and we will try."

The professor went and talked over all he had heard with the Hakim, and as he did so he felt that there was a compensation for it all in the sight of Harry Frere lying upon the angareb, peaceful and at rest, with his brother grasping his uninjured hand.

"The sight of Harry did more good," he muttered, "than all the doctor's stuff."

During the next few days the dread of the guard's suspicions died out and was pretty well forgotten in the wild excitements which followed one upon another. For the Khalifa's troops came pouring into the place and camping around in all directions, till the poorer inhabitants, and those who lived by trade, began to long for a deliverance from their so-called friends, feeling truthfully that the occupation of the place by the enemy--British and Egyptian--from the north, would be a welcome blessing.

Meanwhile fresh news was always being brought in by spies and scouts.

The enemy was approaching fast; he was devastating all before him and covering the banks of the river with the slain, who were being swept down the rapid streams by thousands.

The enemy had come by boat, by camel, by horse, and by means of the strange litters which ran on rails of iron. They had advanced in all their proud strength, with standards flying and their men playing savage, barbarous strains upon hideous instruments; and as they came on they shouted in their pride and folly, little thinking what was to come.

For the new Mahdi had come down from Khartoum mounted upon a jet black horse whose eyes blazed fire, whose mane and tail streamed out like the wind-swept sand in a storm; and he had with his chosen joined all his Emirs and wisest generals--a mighty host greater than the desert sands-- and then with standards flying and drums beating he had, in the name of the Prophet, joined battle with the infidel. He had opened out the fore-front of his host as the Christian dogs cowered back in fear, forming his attack in the shape of the crescent moon, and then to the war-cry of "Allah il Allah!" they had swept down upon their enemies as the sand of the desert sweeps down in a storm. The spears and swords flashed as they drank the infidels' blood and rode on, crus.h.i.+ng them into the sand, till the Mahdi's conquering host stood breathless upon the banks of the river Nile, into which the Christian and the Egyptian armies had been driven, and not one was left to tell the tale.

The Emir's chief of the guard bore the first account to Ibrahim, and told it stolidly, his forehead in lines; but within two hours he came again and told him the second tale.

But his face bore no trace of elation. He merely told the tale as it had been brought to him, finis.h.i.+ng by saying--

"If the battle is won, my master, the Emir, will soon be back."

"Then he did not believe the account?" said the professor coolly.

"I thought not at the time, Excellency. Perhaps he knows what his people can say. But what does his Excellency think? The camels are all healthy and strong; my young men are ready; and the great Hakim has but to give the word. Then we could lift the two brothers upon the swiftest camels, taking nothing but the few poor things we need, and fly as soon as it is dark, for there is no moon now."

"Let us hear what my brother says," said Frank, who was listening to all that had been said. "What do you think, Hal--could we escape?"

"No," was the decisive answer. "The country round swarms with armed men--bloodthirsty savages, panting like the jackal and hyaena for blood and spoil. We could not go a mile without being stopped, and if we were the next hour we should all be slaves, or the camels would be driven off while the sand was soaking up our blood."

"You hear, Ibrahim?" said Frank.

"Yes, Excellency, I hear, and the Excellency your brother speaks the words of truth. The risk would be too great unless the Khalifa's army had been put to flight."

"But you have heard these two accounts."