CHAPTER XXVIII--IN BUNOL'S POWER
A small but handsome private yacht, under full head of steam, was makingits swift course up the Nile.
In the tiny, Orientally furnished cabin of this yacht, Miguel Bunolstood with his feet wide apart, his hands in his pockets, puffing at acigarette and triumphantly regarding a cowering, pale-faced, red-eyedgirl.
Bunol's manner was insolent and self-satisfied in the extreme. He feltthat he was master of the situation at last and his heart beat high withexultation.
Nadia glanced at him in terror. She had crept as far from him aspossible.
"I am greatly sorry to cause you such vast distress," said the youngSpaniard, with pretended regret.
Her lips curled.
"You, sorry!" she exclaimed chokingly.
"No doubt you do not believe me, but it is true, my dear--I swear it istrue."
Her eyes began to flash.
"You know you are lying, you monster!"
"At least," he retorted, with a dark smile, "your spirit is not broken,and I like that. You made such a terrible disturbance, and you did weepso much that I feared you would not have any spirit left. I admire thegirl of spirit, and for the one who cows and whimpers, like a whippedpuppy, I have but little regard."
She was silent, but scorn and loathing continued to gleam in her eyes.
"I regret to the exceeding limit that we felt it necessary to pursue thecourse we did, but we dared not wait longer."
"We? You mean yourself."
"There is another concerned."
"What other?"
"My friend, Medjid Bey. He is the owner of this yacht."
"A Turk! A worthy comrade!"
"Medjid Bey is a Turkish gentleman of high rank. He stands high in theregard of the sultan."
"I am glad to know the name of your accomplice in this dastardly pieceof business."
"Oh, you will know him far better before this affair is over. He is asplendid fellow. Only for that, at this moment you might be underarrest, and on your way back to Damascus, or to Constantinople."
She betrayed her total disbelief in the words of Bunol.
"I give you the assurance of a gentleman that I speak the truth," hebowed.
"The assurance of a gentleman!" she exclaimed. "A fine gentleman! Agambler, a scheming scoundrel!"
"You misjudge me greatly, Nadia. You have never understood me. From thefirst I took a friendly interest in your brother. I knew his weaknesses,and I tried----"
"You tried to ruin him! You got him into your power by drugging him. Thedrug you gave him made him the slave of drink, and you did not permitits effect to wear off. When it seemed about to wear off, you gave himmore of the drug. Friendly interest! You were making him a drunkard!"
"It is useless to argue with a girl. Women do not reason. What theybelieve they believe, without sense or judgment."
"I believe what I know. You had Dunbar in your grip, in London. Sincethen he has never been himself. His spirit is broken and his couragegone."
"Surely he lacks courage, else he would not have deserted you to-day. Heran away in the most cowardly manner when we appeared. It was ourintention to take him along with you. I thought you would feel betterabout it if you had him for company."
Nadia felt a twinge of shame for her brother, who had displayed thewhite feather in the most pitiful manner.
The account of the affair, as given by Budthorne to Merriwell andBuckhart, was true with the single exception of Dunbar's statement thathe had defended Nadia until struck down. This part of the story he hadfounded on Dick's experience in defense of the girl in Damascus. Hisbefuddled and unimaginable brain had been incapable of devising adifferent yarn.
"No wonder he fears you, Miguel Bunol!" panted the girl. "He has everyreason to fear you."
"That is no excuse for his cowardly conduct. No brave man ever deserts alady in time of peril."
"Perhaps you think yourself competent to judge a brave man?" shesneered. "Perhaps you really believe yourself brave?"
"I know what I am! but, with your brother concerned, I wish to make nounpleasant comparisons."
"How kind of you! You are such a gallant gentleman!"
Her scorn was scorching, but he declined to be touched by it. Coolly helighted a fresh cigarette.
"Where is the master of this boat?" she suddenly demanded, half startingup. "I demand to see him!"
"All in good time, my dear. You shall see him soon."
"Now! He must listen to me! He must explain his conduct! You havedeceived him! You have lied to him! He cannot realize what he is doing!"
"You are wholly mistaken, I assure you. Medjid Bey understands quiteperfectly what he is doing."
"It is unlawful! It is a crime!"
"He has learned of a certain crime that was lately committed inDamascus."
"You mean----"
"I speak of the murder of Hafsa Pasha, a countryman of Medjid Bey."
"How does that concern me?"
"You know you are concerned. In Damascus it is said an Americanadventuress ensnared Hafsa Pasha, and her friends killed him."
"Which is a wretched story to hide the truth that Hafsa Pasha brutallyseized and imprisoned an American girl. The story is told to shield thePasha in case the affair should be too closely investigated."
"Perhaps so; but you know by experience that the people of Damascusbelieve it, for you were compelled to flee from the city in disguise toescape the enraged Moslems. Had you fallen into the hands of that mobyou would have been torn limb from limb."
"Still you--fine gentleman that you are--threatened to deliver me over,and, to prevent you, Dick Merriwell and Brad Buckhart seized, bound andgagged you and fastened you in a closet of the German hotel!"
"My dear Nadia, I had no thought of permitting you to fall into thehands of the mob; but I did wish to bring those fool boys to terms byfrightening them."
"You found them boys you could not frighten."
"They are young idiots! They do not know enough to be afraid!"
"You followed us after we escaped from the city."
"And overtook you, too, aided by the Bedouins I engaged."
"You did not overtake Dunbar and me."
"But I did overtake Merriwell, Buckhart and that old fool professor."
"Yes. Then you had Dick Merriwell stripped and were on the point ofhaving him cruelly whipped. You threatened to have him sold into slaveryin Arabia."
"Which would have been his fate only for the unlucky appearance of thatold devil of a sheik, Ras al Had. He turned up with his followers at thewrong moment."
"At the right moment!" cried Nadia. "The whipping you intended forMerriwell you received yourself."
Bunol's face flushed.
"Yes," he said, in a low, fierce tone. "The scars are on my back, and Ishall bear them to the grave."
"Retribution!"
"The end is not yet. I have sworn to make Merriwell suffer, even as Isuffered!"
"That shows your true nature and the blackness of your heart, for it wasnot Dick Merriwell that caused you to be whipped. Ras al Had was theone. Dick interfered, or you would have been lashed until you fainted."
"Why did he interfere? I know! It was because he feared I would be soweakened by the punishment that I would not be able to stand the journeyto Arabia. He left me with those Bedouins, who were commanded to take meout of Syria and sell me into slavery in Arabia. He intended that Ishould perish a wretched slave of black men."
"Which was the fate you had chosen for him and would have forced on him,only for the fortunate coming of the sheik. Do you never think thatthere is such a thing as retributive justice? I shuddered and was sorryfor you when I learned what had happened. But now--now my only regret isthat you escaped!"
"Well, I did escape, and I am here--to wreak vengeance on Merriwell!"
"And it was Ras al Had who commanded the Bedouins to carry you intocaptivity, not Merriwell. Merriwell did not know of the sheik's orderuntil he was far away and it wa
s impossible for him to do anything."
"He has told you that, but he lied! He urged old Ras al Had to do it! Iknow him, for did he not try to murder me in the tent of the Bedouinchief?"
"When you had goaded him beyond endurance by your taunts and yourthreats of whipping and slavery. You thought he would not touch you,because he has wonderful command of his temper; but you found out yourmistake when he fastened his hands on your throat."
"He told you of that? He boasted of it?"
"Never a word of it have I received from him. Brad Buckhart told me."
"That fellow? Well, what I have in store for him is only second to whatshall befall Merriwell. I was not carried into captivity. I am here, andI have struck a blow. The end will come soon."
"How you escaped I do not know, but----"
"I will tell you. I know many Turks of influence. I have had dealingswith the Turkish secret police, and----"
"Through your lies the secret police compelled Dick, Brad and ProfessorGunn to leave Constantinople," interrupted Nadia.
The Spaniard smiled in a satisfied manner.
"I think the information I furnished led to their being warned to leavethe city," he bowed. "Let me go on. Knowing a number of Turkishgentlemen of rank, I was able to impress old Ali Beha, the chief of theBedouins, who had been commanded to sell me into slavery. I saw my onlyhope was to bribe and frighten the ignorant old chief into releasing me.That was no simple matter, for Ali Beha feared the sheik, Ras al Had.However, all the wires I worked as best I knew how. I talked to Ali Behaand told him how, if my Turkish friends ever learned what had happened,they would be furious and seek to have him punished. I told him that Rasal Had was now an outcast, having slain Hafsa Pasha. I told him he wasaiding the accomplices of Ras al Had to escape, which would enrage thesultan when he learned what had taken place. I offered bribes and madepromises. Ali Beha seemed immovable, and I was in despair.
"Think of me, a helpless captive, believing I was doomed to slavery inburning Arabia! The thought of such a fate maddened me. I nearly lost myreason. At times I raved and prayed. But through it all I kept saying Iwould live to be revenged on Dick Merriwell."
"It was the fate you first devised for him," said the girl, "and yoursuffering was your punishment."
Bunol snapped his fingers.
"Whenever I recovered from those fits of despair," he continued,"something seemed to whisper in my ear that there was yet hope and thatI would not become a slave. I did not know Ali Beha had sent two of hismen on fleet horses to Damascus to investigate my statements; but thiswas what he had done. He waited for those men to return. They came backin time, and they informed him that it was true that Ras al Had hadbecome an outcast, having slain Hafsa Pasha on account of an old score.They also told the sheik that they had found I was known to the Turks Ihad claimed as my friends.
"Then Ali Beha's manner toward me underwent a change. I was no longer acaptive. He escorted me to the nearest village and set me free. Fromthat village I made all haste to reach the port of Akka, believingMerriwell would take flight from Syria as soon as he could. I did hopehe would be detained; but at Akka I soon discovered he had found a wayto get off in a steamer for Alexandria. Fortunately for him, newstravels slowly in Syria, and the officials had not learned that he wassuspected of having something to do with the murder of Hafsa Pasha.Either that was the case, or the Turks, knowing he had not reallycommitted the crime, were willing that he should get away. The lattersupposition may be the truth. I confess that I am half inclined to soregard it. Later I will explain why.
"Well, I followed to Alexandria, and from that port I traced Merriwellto Cairo. Arriving at Cairo, I met Medjid Bey. He had been cruising inhis own yacht, on which we now are. It happened that I had met MedjidBey before in Syria, where I did him a special favor, which he had notforgotten. I lost no time in telling him all that had happened in Syria.He was interested. I could not keep watch of you and your friendswithout running great risks of detection. He agreed to watch you."
"And he is the man who annoyed me so much!"
"Exactly, my dear. He informed me that you had observed him and grownsuspicious of him. While he was watching you we had sent word toDamascus that Merriwell and Buckhart, the two American boys who werepresent when Hafsa Pasha was slain, had been located in Cairo. We waitedfor Turkish officials to come to arrest them.
"But I found Merriwell was growing restless. I feared he would somehowlearn that I was near. In case he did so learn, it was likely he wouldtake flight. I have had some experience in following him, and I know heis most baffling. He vanishes like a shadow, and he seems to leave notrack behind. Besides, my dear, I did not mean to lose you again. Then Ifinally induced Medjid Bey to carry out a little scheme at the firstopportunity. The opportunity came to-day, while you were out walkingwith your brother. We seized you, and it was our intention to take yourbrother also, but he fled. Now you know why you are brought here."
"I don't know!" cried Nadia passionately. "I don't understand! What canyou hope to accomplish?"
"I can keep Merriwell from taking flight. He will follow you. In Cairoit is dangerous to strike; but in the wild country up the Nile I shallbe able to wreak vengeance on him. The very fact that no officers weresent to arrest him made me determine to strike the blow myself. Theofficers might have reached here ere this, and so I reason that theTurkish government is glad to have him out of the country."
Nadia regarded the man with increased loathing and hatred.
"In the end you will meet your just deserts!" she cried.
"In the end I will have you, and the enemies I hate shall be swept fromthe face of the earth. Somewhere up this river the end of the strugglemust come. After that, you and I will hasten away to some better land.Your brother shall be spared, and we'll take him with us. In time youwill learn to admire the man who never rested until he had crushed hisenemies."
"Admire you? You are insane to fancy such a thing! I despise you! Iloathe you! To me you are like a venomous serpent! Had I everentertained for you a spark of pity, you have quenched it. Where is thisman Medjid Bey? Let me talk to him."
"As you like," said Bunol, lifting his eyebrows and shrugging hisshoulders. "It will give you no satisfaction. I will send him here."
Bowing gracefully, he retired from the cabin.
After a moment Nadia started up, a wild light in her eyes. She faltereda bit, then swiftly crossed to leave the cabin. The man she had so oftenseen watching her in Cairo entered and blocked her path.
"You--you are Medjid Bey?" she breathed.
"That is my name, lady."
"You own this yacht?"
"The _Kayala_ is mine."
"Do you know what you are doing?"
"I think so."
"You are committing a crime! I have never harmed you. I am a helplessgirl. You look like a gentleman. I appeal to your manhood, your honor!Before it is too late, turn back and set me free. Have no part in thiswicked deed. Bunol has lied to you. He has led you to think he has beenwronged. It is false! He is a scoundrel of the blackest dye, and he hascommitted all the wrongs. My brother is back there in Cairo. He will bedistracted. My friends are there. They will be pained. Take meback--please take me back! I beg--I entreat----"
She fell on her knees, seeking to clasp his hands.
"My dear lady, I beg you rise. It pains me to see you thus distressed."
"You will listen? You will take me back to my friends?"
"I will take it into consideration. In the meantime do not fear for yourpersonal safety. No harm shall befall you while you are on the _Kayala_.I give you my word. Do nothing rash, but wait and trust."
He was anxious to get away, and he bowed low once more, hastening fromthe cabin.
Nadia fell at full length on the floor.
"Heaven protect me!" she moaned. "He will do nothing, and I am in thepower of Miguel Bunol!"