CHAPTER IX--THE STRUGGLE AT THE STATION
"Well, that certain was an adventure, all right," laughed Brad, whenthey were again seated in their compartment and the train was moving.
"I don't know what I'll do with you boys!" exclaimed Professor Gunn,with an air of exasperation. "You keep me on pins and needles all thetime. I surely thought those Arabs would slice you up when they saw yougo after the old sheik. They thought you were defiling the dead."
"But the old boy was grateful when he learned that we had pumped thebreath back into him," said Dick.
"He pretended to be," nodded the professor; "but that is no sign."
"Why not?"
"He's a Mohammedan, and they think it no harm to do anything to aninfidel. They may deceive him, lie to him, steal from him, even killhim, without committing a sin. Richard, do not take any stock in thewords of that old rascal."
"I don't have to," said young Merriwell; "for it is not likely I'll eversee him again. All the same, I seemed to feel that he was sincere whenhe expressed his gratitude."
"It's evident he's a gent of some authority in his tribe," put in Brad."All the rest of his particular bunch seemed to stand in awe of him aplenty."
Their interest in the strange country, together with their recentadventure, gave them food enough for conversation, and the journey wasnot nearly as long as they had expected it would seem.
At last, as the train approached Damascus, they found themselves in anarrow valley that was almost a gorge. Through this valley a clearstream rushed and roared over an exceedingly rocky bed. This streamdrove a number of mills, the entrances to which were always surroundedby donkeys and camels, these animals having brought little loads ofgrain to the mills to be ground.
On the outskirts of the city they passed a group of Turkish villas,which looked very picturesque and attractive. These, they were told,were occupied by exiled officers of the Turkish government, who hadcommitted offenses of some sort or had excited the distrust of thesultan. Instead of ordering them beheaded, their imperial master hadsent them to Damascus, where they could be closely guarded.
Finally the train drew into the station at Damascus.
"Say, just have a look!" cried Brad. "I opine the whole town has turnedout to meet us."
There was a great crowd at the station--Arabs, Assyrians, Armenians,Turks, Jews, Greeks, Egyptians, and people from many desert tribes. Theywere all in a great tumult and uproar. A fence prevented them fromcrowding close to the track, but behind this fence they were packedthick as sardines in a box, staring, talking, pushing, gesticulating,and making a great hubbub.
"I wonder if this is the usual thing," said Dick. "Perhaps some notedperson is on this train."
"Not likely that has brought them here," declared the professor. "Thearrival of a train is an event, and probably all the idle men in townrush to the station to see it come in."
Their compartment door was flung open.
With alacrity the two boys descended to the platform.
"There they are!" cried a familiar voice that gave Buckhart a thrill.
"Oh, Dick! Hey, Brad!" called another voice.
Dick located the person who called to him. He grasped Buckhart's arm andpointed.
"There they are--Budthorne and his sister!" he exclaimed.
In the midst of the crowd beyond the fence, being jostled about by theswaying mob, were Dunbar Budthorne and Nadia, whom they had last seen inItaly.
Professor Gunn was calling to the boys.
"Hold on, you kittenish young rascals!" he croaked. "Don't be in such ahurry. Help look after this baggage."
But the professor was forgotten in the excitement of what followed. Dicksaw the wild crowd separate Dunbar Budthorne and his sister. He saw thetwo forced apart. Nadia was whirled aside. Then two men grasped her, oneplacing a dusky hand over her mouth to prevent her from shouting, whileshe was swept off her feet and literally borne away.
Dick shouted to Brad. He made a rush for the fence. Up into the air hesailed in a great leap that carried him over the obstruction and intothe midst of the crowd.
The American boy seemed like an infuriated animal, for he hurled peopleto the right and left like one possessing the strength of a giant. Heripped a pathway through that crowd in a most amazing manner.
Nadia Budthorne was struggling vainly with her captors, who were on thepoint of lifting her into a carriage, when the American boy reachedthem.
Dick struck one man a blow that caused him to release the girlinstantly.
But another swarthy fellow appeared and sought to seize the boy, whilestill one held fast to the girl.
Nadia, however, managed to get her mouth clear of the smothering handthat had been pressed over it.
She uttered a scream.
That cry was answered by a roar in the voice of Brad Buckhart, who wasfighting his way through the crowd.
As the second ruffian reached for him, Dick managed by an agile twistand dodge to escape the fellow's hand. Then he tripped the man and wentat the one who was seeking to force Nadia into the carriage.
"Drop her, you cur!" he palpitated.
This fellow, who was the biggest one of the trio, flung the girl intothe arms of yet another, then whirled on Dick, whipping out a knife.
The giant made a quick, forward, ripping stroke with the knife.
Again Merriwell's quickness on his feet saved him, for he squirmed asideso that the blade of the knife simply pierced the loose part of his coatthat swung from him when he made that rapid movement.
The next instant Dick seized the dark man's hand with his left hand,held it firm, struck sharply with the lower edge of his right hand,which landed on the other's wrist.
That man's wrist was broken as if it had been a pipestem, and the knifefell to the ground.
Dick had broken it by a trick, knowing just exactly how to accomplishthe feat.
A howl rose from the wretch, but the boy gave him no further attention.
He turned to look for Nadia.
Fortunately Brad Buckhart had reached the girl and in an encounter ofthis sort the Texan was second only to Dick Merriwell. In fact, Bradfought with more slashing fury than did Dick, but not with the samequick wit and instant decision on the right course to pursue.
The Texan had proved assistance enough, however, for he had rescuedNadia and knocked down the man who was seeking to force her into thecarriage. The latter fell under the feet of the horses. The animalsreared and trampled on him. He screamed, and the horses plunged away,the black driver apparently letting them go, instead of seeking to stopthem.
The moment the carriage was gone the men who had attacked Nadia seemedto be swallowed by the crowd that surged round. The one with the brokenwrist vanished, and even the fellow who had been trampled by the horsecould not be found. It was easy for the other two to disappear in thecrowd, for any one of a hundred men there might have been taken foreither of them.
Dunbar Budthorne, pale and shaking with excitement, finally reached hissister, finding her clinging to Brad, who was supporting her with onearm.
Dick was on the other side of Nadia.
"Sister!" exclaimed Dunbar huskily; "have those brutes----"
"I'm all right, brother," she hastened to declare. "They did handle meroughly, but----"
"The brutes!" he grated. "Is there no protection for respectabletravelers in this wretched city? This is the third offense, and this wasmore outrageous than the others. I couldn't do a thing. Before Irealized it the crowd had forced us apart."
"It's fortunate Dick and Brad were able to reach me," she declared. "Iwas helpless in the hands of those black ruffians. I believe they wouldhave forced me into that carriage and carried me off before all thiscrowd only for the boys."
Budthorne now shook hands with the boys, expressing his thanks andgratitude.
Buckhart was highly indignant over what had occurred, and he wanted toknow why Dunbar had not appealed to the authorities for protection.Budthorne explained that he had appeal
ed, but that foreigners wereliable to insult anywhere in Damascus, and that often they were roughlytreated.
This was true. The Moslems of that city are proud, but illiterate. Theyhave come to know of the advancement of other peoples whom they regardas inferior, and they resent it. For four thousand years Damascusoccupied an important position in the world, but now it is a place ofvery little importance, much to the indignation of its citizens.
But Budthorne knew the treatment accorded himself and his sister did notarise wholly from the fact that they were foreigners. There was anotherreason, which he explained later.
Professor Gunn came fluttering through the crowd, in a great state ofagitation.
"Bless my soul! bless my soul!" he stammered. "This is dreadful! Is thisthing going to continue wherever we go? If so, I'll just have to takethese boys back home. It's scandalous! My nerves are completely upset!"
"Where is our baggage?" asked Dick.
"I had to leave it."
"Unguarded?"
"Yes."
"Well, we'll be lucky if we ever see it again. Brad, stay with Nadia andDunbar, while I go with the professor to look after that baggage."
Fortunately not a piece of the baggage had been stolen. Dick wasclear-headed, and he soon learned what to do with it, although Zenasrendered absolutely no assistance. There was a German hotel in the city,and a representative of the house took charge of all the luggage afterit was pointed out, assuring them that it would be taken to the hotelwithout delay. Another man escorted our friends through the crowd to acarriage that ran to the hotel.
Once in the carriage they breathed easier. Away they were whirledthrough the narrow streets of the strange, old city, leaving the stationand the motley crowd behind.
The houses of Damascus are mainly of sun-dried clay with flat roofs,surrounded by low copings. This roof serves for many purposes. Often itis used as a dining room, while during the hot summer months it servesas a bedroom at night. On warm evenings people sit on the housetops toenjoy the air. When the muezzin appears on the balcony of a minarethundreds upon hundreds of faithful Moslems mount to their housetops andgo through the gymnastic contortions of Mohammedan worship.
But not all the buildings of Damascus are low and flat-roofed. There aresome towers, and temples, and minarets, besides a few modern buildings,with roofs of bright corrugated iron, which glisten in the sunshine.
Compared with most American cities, Damascus lacks trees and foliage.Compared with the desert surrounding it, however, it is a perfect bowerof shade and rest.
A look of disappointment crept over the face of Brad Buckhart as hegazed around him on the way from the station to the hotel.
"I opine this is the worst part of Damascus?" he observed.
"On the contrary," said Dunbar Budthorne, "it is far from being theworst part. This is quite respectable--almost swell, to use a vulgarword."
"Well, I certain am a plenty disappointed," muttered the Texan. "Sheisn't just as I expected her to be."
Dick questioned Dunbar about the annoyance to which he and Nadia hadbeen subjected since arriving in the city.
"I may as well tell the cause of it," said Budthorne, although Nadiashowed confusion and shook her head warningly. "It's all right, sister.You were not to blame."
Brad wondered at her confusion and detected her in the act of casting aglance of apprehension toward him.
"On the steamer coming from Smyrna to Beirut," said Dunbar, "we chancedto meet a very handsome and distinguished-appearing Turkish gentleman,who was called Hafsa Pasha. Although scarcely more than thirty years ofage, he had traveled a great deal and had spent two years in the UnitedStates. He was educated, cultured, refined in manner, and a splendidtraveling companion. Both Nadia and myself enjoyed his company verymuch. He told us he was bound for Damascus on business that concernedthe Turkish government. He had been here before, and, therefore, he wasable to give us much information of value and save us many pettyannoyances.
"I confess that we both became exceedingly interested in this man. Hewas a scholar and could quote Shakespeare and Burns--even Longfellow! Ithink he had read Byron, but he confessed a natural prejudice for thegreat English poet who became the idol of Greece.
"At first neither Nadia nor I saw anything offensive in his manners.True, he was inclined to quote Burns to Nadia whenever he could find theopportunity, but she thought nothing of that until he made love to herpointblank."
Buckhart gurgled a little deep down in his throat.
"Then," continued Budthorne, "Nadia began to grow alarmed. She tried toavoid him, but every way she turned he seemed to bob up before her. Shetried to keep him at a distance without offending him. Before we reachedBeirut he proposed outright."
Again Buckhart gurgled.
"He would not take no for an answer. In every way possible he sought toinduce her to consider his proposal. At last he seemed to lose controlof himself. In an hour we would be in Beirut. He found her alone on theafter deck. I came up just in time to see him catch her in his arms andtry to kiss her. We had an encounter, and I confess that he got ratherthe best of it, although I hit him in the face. That blow seemed toarouse a sleeping savage in him, for he cursed me and called me a dog ofan infidel, swearing he would make me weep drops of blood for thatinsult.
"Well, we hastened out of Beirut and away to Damascus; but the day afterwe reached this city Hafsa Pasha appeared. His manner seemed againaltered, and he was very polite and humble. He entreated pardon andbegged to have an interview with Nadia. She declined to see him. Beforehe left, he laughingly told me that she would have to see him before shecould get out of this city.
"That was our first annoyance in Damascus. The following day we wereshopping in the bazaars when suddenly Hafsa Pasha and a number of mensurrounded us. I was jostled aside. Hafsa Pasha talked to Nadia like aman deranged. He tried to plead with her, he offered her wealth andposition, and then he threatened. I don't know what might have happened,but a party of English tourists came along and I appealed to them. Therecame near being a free fight in that bazaar, but the Turk and hisfollowers finally retired and the Englishmen escorted us back to thehotel.
"Then came the letter that stated you would arrive in a day or two. Wehave been watching the trains since then, and that is how we happened tobe at the station to-day. You know what happened. I am satisfied thatHafsa Pasha was the instigator of this assault upon us. It seems nowthat he actually contemplates carrying Nadia off by force. We must getout of Damascus right away, or I fear he will find a way to accomplishhis evil purpose."