CHAPTER XIX--BRAD AND NADIA
In an astonishingly brief time Assouan returned, with the old Jew at hisheels.
Abraham was carrying a heavy bundle. He looked rather pale andfrightened.
"My tear poy," he said, "vy haf you got yourself indo such a pad scrape?If I hat known last nighdt vat you vas intending to do, I would neferhat anyt'ing to do vit id. So helup me, I vos in dancher to pe murteredvor id. If id vos voundt oudt I had somedings to do vid disguisin' youas a girl, and that you dit vool der Pasha that vay, dey vould tear mineshop down un drag me t'rough der streets. I haf peen in terror off mylife efer since I heardt vot had habbened. I vould gif somedingshandsome if you vos a t'ousandt miles vrom Damascus this minute. Id vosto helup you get avay that I came ven Assouan toldt me an' gafe me yourwritings. I haf peen to Enklandt and America, and I read your writingsvell."
"Then don't lose time in talk," said Dick; "but get about the job ofrigging us up. Fix us so we can escape, and you will be in no danger ofexposure."
The boy realized that it was fear, more than anything else, that hadbrought Abraham to them in this time of trouble. The Jew believed thatDick, should he be seized by the officers of the city, as an accomplicein the murder of Hafsa Pasha, would then tell how, disguised as a girl,he had deceived the Pasha. He would be compelled to state where heobtained the disguise, and that would turn the wrath of the enragedMoslems against old Abraham.
"You said dere vas fife peoples to be disguised," said the Jew.
"Yes."
"I see only t'ree."
"Brad, call Budthorne and his sister."
Dunbar and Nadia appeared in a few minutes, and Dick explained his planof escaping in disguise.
"Do you think it necessary?" asked Dunbar. "It seems to me that we aresafe now, for the soldiers are guarding the hotel, and the mob is heldin check."
Then Dick was compelled to tell that the soldiers were guarding thehotel while waiting for the governing Pasha's order to arrest theforeigners supposed to be concerned in the murder of Hafsa Pasha.
"It is Nadia we must get out of here, first," said Dick. "You should beready to take any risk to get her away."
When Budthorne was satisfied that Merriwell was not mistaken heimmediately urged his sister to permit herself to be disguised and tofollow the advice of the clear-headed American lad.
Realizing her own frightful peril at last, the girl willingly consented.
"It will pe easy to disguise her," declared Abraham.
"Then," said Dick, "lose no time in making her up. Disguise Budthorne,also, and let Assouan conduct them from the hotel while you are riggingthe rest of us up. He should be able to conduct them to some place ofsafety and then return for us. Can you do so, Assouan?"
The black man declared that he could.
The old Jew opened his pack and spread out his supply of costumes. Heswiftly prepared for work.
In truth, it was an easy matter to disguise Nadia. Over her regularclothes he hastily fastened a loose dress, like that worn by a Turkishwoman of middle class, placed a high fezlike cap on her head, andarranged a heavy veil over her face below the eyes, the brows and lashesof which he had touched up with pencils, giving them the peculiar castseen in those of Moslem women.
All this was done so swiftly and so completely changed Nadia that thewatchers were astounded.
Abraham lost no time.
"Nexdt," he called.
Dick pushed Budthorne forward.
Buckhart improved the opportunity to take charge of the girl. Theystepped outside the room, while Abraham went to work on Dunbar withoutdelay.
Excited people were still moving about in the hotel. The sound of manyvoices came to the boy and girl. Some one was at the foot of the stairs.
Brad urged Nadia into her own room, the door of which was standing ajar.She grasped his hand and drew him after her, whispering:
"I am terribly frightened now, Brad. Don't leave me alone."
"All right," said the Texan. "Don't you be frightened. We're going toget you out of this scrape all right. My pard has a long head on hisshoulders."
"Dick is a wonderful boy," declared the girl.
Again Buckhart felt a thrill of jealousy, but he resolutely thrust sucha feeling from his heart.
"He's a corker!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "See how quick he caughtonto the plan of old Ras al Had and turned it to the benefit of us all."
They were in the room, but the door was still left ajar.
"I know I'm a big blunderer beside Dick," Buckhart went on. "Of courseyou're not to blame for liking him best, Nadia. It's only natural youshould, and----"
"But I don't like him best," she hastily cut in.
"You can't help it."
"You're mistaken, Brad. I admire him for his courage, hisresourcefulness, his loyalty and all that; but you are just as brave andjust as loyal, and I--I like you--even better."
He caught her hand again and gave it a squeeze.
"I don't see how that can be," he muttered huskily.
"It's true. You don't think I would deceive you, do you?"
"No, but----"
"But what?"
"I'm going to confess," he said, almost defiantly. "I know I made a foolof myself after we joined you here in Damascus. I never felt that waybefore, and I hope I never shall again. It's an awful mean feeling. Iwas jealous."
"Jealous, Brad?"
"Yes, I was. First I was jealous because I thought you had taken toomuch interest in Hafsa Pasha. Then I was jealous of my pard, as Icouldn't see any reason why you should care more for him than for me.And through my fool actions I brought all this trouble on us. If I hadnot gone off by myself, kind of eating my heart out, and then ran awaywhen you and Dick saw me and tried to overtake me, you would not havebeen lost in the streets, would not have enraged the Moslems by enteringone of their temples, and would not have given Hafsa Pasha's tools achance to seize and imprison you. Oh, I was all to blame, and I know it.I'm a big----"
She placed a soft hand over his mouth.
"I won't listen to such a defamation of the character of my dearestfriend!" she whispered.
He kissed her fingers.
"But it's the truth," he asserted. "I hope you'll forgive me and forgetit, Nadia."
"Why, you dear fellow, you talk as if you had committed a crime!"
"I feel that way. If we get out of this scrape alive, Nadia, I'll try toprove to you that I'm not such a fool as I seem. You see!"
"Oh, hush!"
"You see!" he repeated.
"But we may none of us escape. Isn't it terrible! I don't like Dick'splan for Dunbar and I to leave first. I think we had better wait and allgo together. If we----"
She stopped, checked by a dull, muffled, murmuring roar that seemed tocome from the streets not far away. The sound made her tremble.
"The mob has not dispersed!" she whispered. "It has been driven away,but it is returning! I fear we're lost!"
He did his best to cheer her and give her courage. Somehow she wasovercome by a great weakness, and suddenly he found her in his arms. Thesituation thrilled him, and he held her tight, while he continued tospeak earnest words of reassurance.
A sound behind them startled them. Brad turned his head, still holdingNadia.
A befezzed Turk had quietly entered the room. His eyes seemed to glittertriumphantly. Lifting a hand and pointing at them, he exclaimed:
"I have found you! I have come to take that girl away!"
Nadia uttered a low cry of terror.
Swinging her onto his left arm, Buckhart suddenly whipped out a pistoland covered the Turk.
"Stand back!" he growled. "Advance a step and I'll blow a hole throughyou!"
The man was startled and alarmed by this quick action on the part of theTexan. He fell back, exclaiming:
"Don't shoot!"
"I certain shall," said Buckhart, "if you move another inch. Stand thereand lift your dirty paws above your head!"
The threatened man hastily
put up his hands, at the same timespluttering:
"Great Scott! You're altogether too handy with your pistol! Put it up,Brad! Don't you know me? I'm Budthorne!"
Nadia gave a start, straightened up a little, and stared at the speaker.
"Dunbar," she gasped; "Dunbar, is it you?"
"Of course it is," was the answer. "I wanted to see if my disguise wasany good; but I didn't care to have Buckhart jab a pistol at me sopromptly."
"Great horn spoon!" muttered the Texan, recognizing Budthorne's voiceand manner of speaking. "I sure was fooled all right. Say, you certainlook an Allah worshiper to the life. If you ever get outside of thehotel in that rig, you'll be all right."
Assouan now appeared.
"We should lose no time," he said. "Abraham is disguising the others. Imust lead you to a place of safety and return for them. The mob is againtrying to approach the hotel, and the soldiers do not seem strong enoughto hold them back much longer."
"It doesn't seem right for us to go until all are ready," said the girl."I think we should not."
Dick appeared now.
"You must go at once," he insisted. "It is better so. Were we all toattempt to pass through the streets together it would add to the dangerof being detected. Abraham is disguising Professor Gunn. Assouan canconduct Nadia. She will seem to be a Turkish woman with an escort.Budthorne can follow at a little distance, keeping them in sight.Assouan will return for us the moment he has placed you where you willbe safe. By the time he gets back, we'll be ready to start. Do nothesitate, Nadia--go!"
"It is best, sister," said her brother.
She grasped Brad's hand once more and gave it a pressure, looking intohis eyes, which smiled at her reassuringly, although his heart was heavywith dread.
"Come quickly, Brad," she whispered. "I shall be in mortal terror foryou until I see you again."
Assouan led the way downstairs, the brother and sister following.
From a distance again came an outburst of sullen muttering, like thegrowling of wild animals held in check. The Moslem mob was growingimpatient. The streets in the vicinity of the hotel were choked. At anymoment the crowd might break from the control of the soldiers.
"It certain puzzles me up a plenty to know how Assouan is going to getthem out of this building and away from here," said Brad, following Dickback into the room where the old Jew was at work.
Already Abraham had transformed Professor Gunn into an apparently dirtyand ragged old Armenian. He was putting on the finishing touches whenthe boys entered.
"Waugh!" grunted Brad. "Is that Professor Zenas Gunn, of FardaleAcademy? Why, I feel a whole lot like kicking that old beggar."
"I know I'm a shameful sight," moaned Gunn; "but to save my life I havepermitted myself to be changed into a scarecrow."
"Ven you get der street indo," said the old Jew, "it will pe vell voryou to keep your mouth still and haf nothing to say. If you talk youvill betray yourseluf. Now you vos done. I vill attend to der poys."
Dick pushed Brad forward, and Abraham began on him. With marvelousrapidity he turned the boy into a young Greek. The work of the Jew wasof the most skillful sort, yet it was performed so rapidly that itactually seemed careless and slipshod. The results attained, however,spoke for themselves.
Dick's trousers were turned up, his shoes stripped off, coarse and dirtysocks pulled on over those he wore. He was given a pair of trouserswhich came to his ankles, a long, loose, dirty blouse that fell to theknees, a coarse, heavy pair of slipper-like shoes, and finally abattered and soiled fez, with a tassle that hung down over one ear. Hisface was bedaubed and rubbed with grease paint until his complexionchanged to dirty yellow. The Jew touched his features here and therewith a pencil, and last the contour of his nose was altered by a bit ofnose putty. This seemed to be an afterthought on the part of Abraham,but it finished the effect and altered a handsome boy into a slouching,disreputable-appearing young rascal, such as Merriwell had noticedoccasionally on the streets of Damascus.
Outside the hotel there was a sudden great shouting.
"Some one has arrived," announced Brad, who had ventured to peep fromthe window.
The tall form of Assouan appeared in the doorway.
"Hasten!" he exclaimed. "The Pasha's officer has come to take you! He isat the door."