Part 50 (2/2)

”And that plan, sir?” Anstice's tone was tense.

”Aided by Ha.s.san, at the approach of night the whole little group of white people crept safely into the Fort of which I told you; and when, a couple of hours later, the Bedouins came forth intent on reprisals, they found the houses of the English empty, and realized, too late, that the Fort was quite a different nut to crack.”

”It is a fairly safe building?”

”Well, it has certain natural advantages, I grant.” Sir Richard spoke rather dubiously. ”We went over it one day, in a spirit of curiosity; and I have a pretty clear recollection of the place. To begin with, as I told you the Bedouin encampment is a sort of oasis in a valley at the foot of some quite respectably high rocks. You know the desert is not, as some people imagine, merely a flat expanse of sand. Here and there are ranges of hills, limestone, and so on--and now and then one comes across quite a chain of rocky places which in another country would be looked upon as precipices.”

He paused; and Anstice waited eagerly for him to continue.

”Well, this Fort is, very luckily, built on a plateau overlooking the valley. On one side the ground slopes gently down to the little colony, but on the other the Fort overlooks a high precipice of rock which of course affords no means of transit from the ground below; so that on that side the place is absolutely impregnable.”

”I see.” Anstice's tone held a note of relief. ”Well, that sounds fairly promising--as I suppose it means there are only three sides to defend instead of four.”

”Well, it is a circular building,” Sir Richard explained, ”and there are only slits in the walls on two sides; and also, fortunately for us, only one means of entrance or exit, in the shape of a ma.s.sive door which could hardly be forced without a charge of dynamite. It was the stronghold, so I gather, of a kind of robber chief in the old days, and doubtless was built to resist possible a.s.saults from lawless tribesmen.

But there is one weak spot in the building--one or rather two places which are a decided menace to any defence.”

”And those----”

”Well, it seems this French artist, Ma.s.senet by name, sought and obtained permission from the authorities who leased him the building to throw out a couple of windows in the upper floor which enabled him to convert the place into a very pa.s.sable studio. He was a rich man--son of a well-known Paris banker, and the cost did not intimidate him. But the result is that those two big windows, which only boast the flimsiest of sand-shutters, are, without a doubt, capable of being made into means of entry, provided, of course, that the defenders within are short of ammunition or are unable to construct efficient barricades.”

”I see. I suppose they are a fair height from the ground?”

”Yes--but there are such things as ladders,” said Sir Richard dryly. ”Of course a mere handful of men, given a sufficiency of ammunition, might keep an attacking party at bay almost indefinitely. But I'm afraid our supply of munitions is somewhat scanty, and with women--and children--to defend----” He broke off suddenly as the native began to speak.

”You go a-back, bring help, bring many gentlemens. Me and the Effendi take care of ladees ... but you go quick--bring the soldiermans....” He stopped, as though at the end of his suggestions.

”Yes.” Sir Richard's face lighted up. ”I see what he means. Anstice, you or I must make all speed back to Cairo and fetch out some soldiers. The barracks swarm with them, and if I know them they'll jump at the chance of a little sc.r.a.p like this. With luck you'd be back in three days--less, if you pushed your horses--and by G.o.d I believe we could hold the Fort till then!”

As he finished the native nodded his head as though in approval of the plan; but suddenly his expressive features lengthened, and he said something in a lower tone to Sir Richard in which the words ”_El Hakim_”

occurred more than once.

Sir Richard listened restively, and uttered an exclamation of annoyance.

”Well, well, there's no need to repeat it so often! Anstice, this fellow points out that after all I had better be the one to go for help, as he says your aid is urgently required at the Fort. Besides Cheniston, who seems, from what I can gather, to be in about the same state as before, Garnett got wounded last night when the besiegers tried to force an entrance, and I suppose the sooner you get to them the better.”

”Well, there's something in that,” conceded Anstice, reluctant to deepen the disappointment in Sir Richard's face. ”You see, sir, the sooner I fix up Cheniston the better--but why shouldn't this fellow go and fetch help instead of you?”

Sir Richard's eyes brightened, but after another colloquy with the Arab his former air of dejection returned.

”He says--confound him--that the authorities in Cairo would pay more attention to me than to him--and I suppose he's not far wrong. Also he points out that with his knowledge of the land and of the language he would be of more use to the garrison”--he used the word half ashamedly--”than I, who know little of either. His plan is for me to return immediately with all possible speed to fetch help, while you and he seek, under cover of night, to enter the Fort, a task which I gather,” said Sir Richard grimly, ”is not altogether devoid of risk.”

Anstice said nothing, but his mouth was set in a hard line which betokened ill for anyone who attempted to bar his way into that same Fort, and with a half-strangled sigh Sir Richard continued his speech.

”It seems on the whole the best plan, though G.o.d knows it's hard to turn round and leave my only daughter in this d.a.m.ned hole. Still, I see the logic of the thing, and if you are willing to go forward, why, there's nothing left for me but to turn back.”

”I'll go forward all right,” replied Anstice quietly. ”And if you will trust me, I will do my best to carry on until you arrive with reinforcements.”

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