Part 15 (1/2)
”Who are you?” asked the sheikh; but the man made no reply.
Halliday and I then stepped forward and looked on. I thought I recognised several of them, and at length was convinced that they were some of the people we had seen on board the Spanish s.h.i.+p. I then asked them if this was the case.
”Yes,” answered the poor man on his knees. ”We escaped in one of the boats, and after enduring many hards.h.i.+ps were thrown on this inhospitable sh.o.r.e,--several of our people being drowned at the same time.”
I told the sheikh of the sufferings they had endured, hoping to excite his compa.s.sion; but he seemed unmoved thereat, though he allowed Abdalah to show us a spot where, by digging, we could obtain some fresh water.
The eagerness with which they took it when we carried it to them proved the amount of their thirst; indeed, I believe that all of them would have died in a few hours had we not arrived to their rescue, as they had long exhausted the small stock of water they had brought on sh.o.r.e, and had no idea that, by exerting themselves, they could have obtained a supply close at hand.
Among others I recognised the black boy, our young friend Selim, or Pedro as he was called on board. He at once came forward, expressing his pleasure at seeing us; for, believing that we had been left on board the burning s.h.i.+p, he supposed that we had perished. He had before shown so friendly a feeling towards us that we also were glad to meet him, especially as he did not appear to dread his future lot.
”I am at home everywhere, and I shall not find the Arabs worse masters than others with whiter skins,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.
He and Ben--to whom he had been very attentive on board--at once became fast friends; indeed, he was the only person besides ourselves with whom poor Ben could converse. When the boy caught sight of Antonio, however, he looked anything but delighted. ”What, he not drowned!” he exclaimed.
”He too bad for that. Well, take care. He do some of us a mischief if he can.”
Having myself formed a similar opinion of the big negro, I was not surprised to hear Selim say this of his countryman; and it was very clear that we must be on our guard against Antonio, who had already exhibited his ill-will towards us. At present our attention was taken up with the castaways, who were, we felt, still more unfortunate than ourselves.
CHAPTER TEN.
THE FATE OF THE s.h.i.+PWRECKED PARTY--THE WELL IN THE DESERT--WE SEE BOXALL--A PANTHER VISITS THE CAMP--TREACHERY--SELIM PROVES HIMSELF A TRUE FRIEND--ANTONIO MADE PRISONER--HIS ESCAPE--WE RESCUE THE SHEIKH FROM A MOUNTAIN OF SAND--THE SALT REGION.
The fate of the unfortunate people whose boat, after they had escaped from the burning s.h.i.+p, had been wrecked, was cruel indeed; their strength, reduced by famine, made them utterly unable to work, while the hard-hearted Arabs not only refused to a.s.sist them, but threatened them with perpetual slavery. The party consisted of an officer of the s.h.i.+p, two seamen, Pedro the black boy, four civilians, and an unhappy lady,-- the wife of a Don Fernando, the princ.i.p.al person among them, who had treated us with marked contempt when we were on board the Spanish galleon. His manner was now greatly changed; and we, of course, did not allude to his former behaviour, which we endeavoured to forget. It seemed wonderful that the poor lady should have survived the hards.h.i.+ps she had already endured. They were all reduced to the last stage of starvation, with the exception of the black boy Pedro, or Selim,--as will call him in future,--who, accustomed as he was to coa.r.s.e food, had flourished on the sh.e.l.l-fish, and the roots of some low bushes which grew in the neighbourhood.
Notwithstanding the treatment we had received from some of the unhappy people on board their s.h.i.+p, and though we had been intentionally abandoned, we felt bound to do our utmost to a.s.sist them. The camp having been pitched in the neighbourhood, the sheikh ordered them to pack up their tent and move to it. This they were utterly unable to do; but, after much entreaty, we obtained a camel, on which we placed the canvas, arranging it so as to form a seat for the poor lady--her husband mounting to a.s.sist in holding her on. As we placed her on it, I doubted whether she would reach the camp alive. The others were compelled to walk, and though somewhat strengthened by the food we had obtained for them, they could with difficulty drag their feet over the sand. On reaching the camp, we divided the canvas so as to form a small tent for the dying lady, and put up another for the rest of the party, who faintly expressed their grat.i.tude to us.
We did not escape having to perform our allotted duties, for all that.
The next morning, at daybreak, we were sent down with a couple of baskets to bring up sh.e.l.l-fish from the sh.o.r.e. On our return we found a party of strange Arabs in the camp, engaged in a discussion with the sheikh; and on drawing near I discovered that they were bargaining for the purchase of the unfortunate people who had just fallen into his power, and who, from their weakness, he did not wish to carry along with him.
They took the information I conveyed to them almost with indifference.
”It matters little indeed into whose hands we fall,” observed Don Fernando, the chief man among them; ”but I beg you to say that if they will convey us to the neighbourhood of any place where a European consul resides, they will obtain a large sum for our ransom.”
I told the strange sheikh this, and it made him ready to give a better price than he might otherwise have done, much to the satisfaction of Hamed.
On going to the tent of Don Fernando I found him stretched over the body of his wife, who had just breathed her last. Sad indeed was the poor man's fate, and we pitied him from our hearts, though we could do little to comfort him. His once haughty spirit was completely broken down. We at length aroused him; and calling Ben to our a.s.sistance, Halliday and I conveyed the body of his wife to a distance from the camp, where we dug a grave and buried her, he attending as the only mourner. He was then delivered over to his purchaser with the rest of the Spaniards, the young black alone remaining with us. We could not help pitying the poor people as we saw them carried away, though their fate might not be worse than ours; indeed, as they had some prospect of being redeemed, it might be better.
I must now give a more rapid account than heretofore of my adventures.
Again we struck the tents and proceeded more inland, over hard ground producing wild bushes, but not a blade of gra.s.s or a drop of water. We then came to a region consisting of hills and valleys of sand, over which we had to trudge on foot, suffering fearfully from thirst. After proceeding about ten miles we saw before us a low circular wall of sunburned bricks, with a few stunted palm-trees. The Arabs pointed towards it eagerly, and even the camels and other animals lifted up their heads. It marked the position of a deep well, near which we encamped; and for the remainder of that day and the greater part of the next we were employed in drawing up water, not only to furnish ourselves and the animals, but to fill the water-skins carried by the camels, on which we were to depend for several days to come. This task accomplished, we continued our route over the sand. Here we saw a few deer, of a small size and of a somewhat yellow colour, with black streaks along their sides, and small straight horns; their legs were long and slender, and they flew over the sand at a speed which the fleetest greyhound could not equal. Here and there we met with small bushes of a palm-like form. When we halted at night we were employed in getting some roots which ran along the sand, and which were about the thickness of a man's finger. They were sweet as sugar, and the people as well as the cattle ate them. Barren as the region appeared, we saw three or four species of birds, the largest of which were bustards; and on searching in the sand we frequently came on their eggs, which afforded us the most satisfactory food we had yet enjoyed. About ten days we spent in pa.s.sing through this sandy district. We then entered on a region of firm soil, sometimes presenting a hilly surface, and occasionally plains of hard clay sprinkled over with bushes, but without any other vegetation, and almost dest.i.tute of water. We were fully a month traversing this kind of country. We had left it a couple of days, when we saw before us a stream of running water. Oh, how eagerly we rushed forward, expecting to enjoy a draught; but when we knelt down and plunged in our faces, how bitter was our disappointment on finding that it was far too brackish to drink. However, Halliday, Ben, and I ran in and had the luxury of a bath; but the Arabs, being indifferent at all times about was.h.i.+ng, would not give themselves the trouble of taking off their clothes for the purpose.
This was the first of several streams we met with of the same character.
When encamping near them, however, the brackish water served to wash the cattle in the way I have before described. Again fresh water failed us, and in a short time the stock carried by the camels was exhausted, and not a drop remained in our skin-bottles. Nearly a whole day we had marched, under the fiery rays of the sun, our mouths so parched that Halliday and I thought we should sink to the ground; but knowing that we should meet with little or no sympathy from our task-masters, we did our utmost to keep up with Hamed and his brother. The ground was covered with bushes, and here and there a few stunted palm-trees reared their heads somewhat higher above the surface. At last I was obliged to cry out to Hamed that I could go no further.
”Courage, Nazarene! You will see water before long,” he answered.
Scarcely had he spoken when we caught sight of a party of Arabs approaching from the opposite direction. Hamed and his followers urged on their camels; and it soon became doubtful who would first arrive at the water. If we did, by the law of the Desert it would be for our use and that of our beasts till all were satisfied; but the law of the Desert is often superseded by the law of the strongest. The other party still came hurrying on; when all at once we saw Sheikh Hamed, who had urged on his camel ahead of us, suddenly rein it in, and wave his spear.
We therefore exerted ourselves, and were soon up to him. The strangers halted at a little distance off, under some palm-trees. There were five of them, besides three men on foot. We stood thus for some minutes eyeing each other. Would they yield to our inferior numbers? They stood still, as if in doubt--perhaps intending to wait till we and our beasts were satisfied, unaware of the numerous bands in our rear.
As I looked at them I could not help fancying that one of the persons on foot was a white man. I asked Halliday if he could make him out.
”A white man he certainly is, and it is my belief that it is Boxall,” he answered.