9. Lieutenant Beale
Except for the camels, that never seemed to be affected by anyweather, everything at Camp Verde had sought the nearest shade. It washot, Ali admitted to himself. The Syrian sun at its fiercest was notmore savage than this blazing sun of Texas. But it was not unendurable.
Since for the present there was no reason to endure it, Ali and Mimicosat cross-legged in the shade of the camel khan. Wan and weak, Mimicowas still recovering from some devastating malady that had almost costhis life. For an interval neither spoke. Then Mimico broke the silence.
"I came to this thrice-accursed camp while winter was still with us," hegrowled. "I have been here since, doing the work of a stable boy and asa stable boy regarded. All this I endured without complaint--"
Ali smothered a quick grin. Throughout a very monotonous period of doingnothing worthwhile, as they waited for somebody to decide what should bedone, no voice had declared more loudly or more frequently than Mimico'sthat camels and camel men belonged out on the trails. They should not berestricted to a rest home for obsolete Pashas--Mimico's personal titlefor Camp Verde--who could do nothing except talk because they had growntoo old or too fat to ride.
Mimico saw the grin and lapsed into a sulky silence. Then he resumed,amending his narrative to conform with truth.
"All this I endured with little complaint, for I knew that it was apassing thing. Sooner or later, there would be work for men, and menwould be needed. Now that the opportunity is here--"
Mimico's voice trailed off into silence, and he gazed moodily at thesun-shriveled horizon. Ali's heart went out to his friend.
Camp Verde had indeed proved dull. Ali would have taken Ben Akbar andgone elsewhere weeks ago, except that he, too, foresaw a need for bothcamels and camel men. Now that time was not only at hand, but itpromised to be the most exciting caravan of Ali's life.
A full-scale expedition was to be commanded by a Lieutenant Beale, anofficer Ali had not met. The object was to survey a wagon road.According to rumor, a great deal of the proposed route lay throughwilderness, of which none was well-known and much was unknown. There wasmore than a fair chance of encountering Indians, America's own savagetribesmen!
Most important and most exciting, the expedition was to provide a majortest for the camels. Twenty-five were to go along, with Ali as a sort ofoverseer-teacher. Besides handling the camels, he was to instruct othersin their proper handling.
Ali could well understand his friend's disappointment. Mimico, whootherwise would have accompanied the expedition, had been declaredphysically unfit by the post surgeon and ordered to remain at CampVerde.
Ali offered such comfort as he could. "It is the will of Allah."
"Save your pious lectures for fledglings who may be impressed!" Mimicosnapped. "If the will of Allah were truly what men proclaim it to be,you would have been shriveled by His wrath on a certain night when youleft Mecca in a very great hurry."
Ali said nothing. Gray November skies had prevailed when he joined thecompany on the _Supply_ and had his first meeting with Mimico. This wasJune in a new land, and never once had Mimico even intimated that he knewof the incident in Mecca. Mentioning it now was a breach of etiquette,but Ali did not forget that Mimico was both sick and heartbroken.
After a moment, "Forgive me, my friend!" Mimico implored. "I shall notmake my own hurt less painful by inflicting hurt upon you!"
Ali said, "It is forgotten."
"I care not what you or anyone else did in Mecca," Mimico went on. "Noneof us may truly know what lies beyond this mortal life until we havetaken leave of it and may find out for ourselves. Getting back toearthly matters, which are the only ones I admit to understanding, Ihear the journey will be long."
"I have heard the same," Ali declared. "But the longer it is, thebetter. I do not like this place."
Mimico said fervently, "Nor do I! Aside from being wearisome, it hasbeen most absurd. I wonder at the Amirs who have made it so."
Ali told himself that that was also true. Major Wayne, in command atCamp Verde, was a thoroughly competent officer who maintained a smoothlyrunning organization when left alone. But various officers who rankedWayne, of whom few had any real knowledge of camels but all cherishedpet theories, had visited from time to time and insisted on tryingtheir ideas.
One had convinced himself--and submitted an official report that he hopedwould convince others--that camels were greatly inferior to horses. Hearrived at such a conclusion by arranging a race, a quarter-mile sprint,between a racehorse and a riding camel. The horse finished before thecamel was fairly started, it is true, but the officer in question refusedto recognize the sound fact that quarter-mile sprints would not beespecially valuable to the proposed Camel Corps. Nor could he be convincedthat, although a good horse may outdistance a camel in the first half dayof travel, the camel will overtake and pass the horse before night.Furthermore, the camel will be fresh for the next day's start and will begoing on long after the horse is worn out.
Another officer had proved conclusively that, due to peculiarities ofthe terrain, camels would be worse than useless in the Southwest becausethey quickly became sore-footed. This officer derived such an opinion byrequisitioning six camels that hadn't been outside the khan for sixweeks, having them packed and sending them off on a fifty-mile trip. Thecamels went lame solely because they had had no trail work to hardentheir feet.
In a similar fashion, it had been demonstrated that the gait of a ridingcamel is so stiff and jarring that Americans couldn't possibly get usedto it; that camels are subject to a bewildering variety of ailments;that they are too vicious to be practical, and that there were a fewdozen other reasons why the whole project couldn't possibly work and thecamels had better be disposed of right now! Throughout, those who hadoriginally had faith in a camel corps persisted in battling all skepticsand going ahead.
At long last, this proper expedition was organized and a true test wasat hand. What happened afterward, Ali told himself, depended in greatmeasure on Lieutenant Beale. If he was one of those officers whose everythought is already written in the Manual of Regulations--Ali had seenfor himself that the American Army has a full quota of such--his reportmight very well doom future expeditions. If Beale was able to think forhimself, if he was capable of honest analysis and could adapt to newsituations, it was wholly possible that his favorable report wouldremove all obstacles and be the making of the Camel Corps.
Mimico asked wistfully, "What think you of the savage tribesmen, whosecountry you are to enter?"
"I have never met them," Ali answered seriously. "But I have met andfought the Druse, and I know well the bandits of the caravan routes.It is difficult to suppose that these savages are more fierce."
"Difficult indeed," Mimico said. "I am most envious, Ali."
Ali said, "There will be a chance for you."
"There is already a chance for you," Mimico pointed out, "and it isbetter to have one honey cake in the hand than to yearn for twenty andhave none. It is said that you will enter desert country."
"I am no stranger to the desert," Ali said.
Mimico asked, "Have you no fears at all?"
"Only fools go without fear," said Ali. "To fear the unknown is to beprepared for it."
"Some have so much fear that they refuse even to be prepared," Mimicogrunted. He named various other camel drivers who found the existence ofCamp Verde ideal, since they had the finest of care and nothing to do.Asked to accompany the expedition and honestly informed of its natureand probable dangers, they had promptly terminated their employment andrequested passage back to their native land.
When Mimico finished his appraisal of this worthless lot, Ali saidsimply, "They are Egyptians."
"They are cowards," Mimico amended. "I have known many old women withmore courage. When does the leader of this expedition arrive, Ali?"
"I do not know the day, but it will be soon. I have been asked to bepresent at all times, for this man is expected to tarry only long enoughto choose his came
ls."
Mimico said, "I wish you luck, Ali."
"And may fortune attend you," Ali responded.
Halfway across the camel khan, Ali stood grimly unmoving and silentlyawaited that which Allah had ordained. At any rate, none but Allah couldnow direct the tide of destiny, for Ali himself had tried.
A former Navy officer whose title derived from that service, and not nowattached to the military, Lieutenant Beale had arrived late yesterdayafternoon. Ali knew that because he had remained at a respectful distanceand witnessed the arrival. It was what he had expected; camel driversdo not participate in formal welcomes for caravan masters.
Beale was accompanied by two companions, men so young that they werehardly more than boys, and all were greeted by and escorted to the houseof Major Wayne. Ali drew his rations and retired to his own house, alean-to behind the camel khan. Two hours ago, while the light of a newday was only a dim promise in the sky, he had been routed out and toldto make ready.
Shortly thereafter, he met Lieutenant Beale. Again skipping formality,which did not bother Ali, the introduction consisted of a good look athis future chief. Ali liked what he saw.
Edward Beale looked older than his mid-thirties, but it was a look thatexperience alone had imparted. A trained surveyor and veteran of numerousexcursions into the wilderness, Kit Carson was one of his many friends.Beale's knowledge of dangerous situations resulted from facing danger andfinding his own way out. One of the original few who had conceived theidea of a Camel Corps and then worked tirelessly for it, Beale was ademanding taskmaster, with a touch of the martinet. However, Ali hadseen enough men to know Beale as very much of a man.
The sun was just rising as Ali followed Major Wayne's party to the khan,so Lieutenant Beale might select the animals he wanted. He roseconsiderably in Ali's opinion when his first choice was Old Mohamet, thewisest and best baggage camel in the herd. Beale followed with Gusufand, without a single error selected twenty-four of the best animals inthe herd. Finally, he fixed his eyes on Ben Akbar.
"That's as fine a _dalul_ as I've seen," he remarked. "We'll take him."
Ali nodded, not even slightly surprised. Could anyone who chose camelswith such a discerning eye fail to choose Ben Akbar? The expeditioncertainly had the right commander.
Lieutenant Beale looked from Ben Akbar to Sied, an all-white animalpreviously chosen and, next to Ben Akbar, the best _dalul_ in the herd.A soldier came to advise Major Wayne that he was wanted elsewhere andthe commanding officer of Camp Verde left. Lieutenant Beale, his youngcompanions and Ali were left alone in the khan.
After studying Sied thoroughly, a time-consuming process if correctlydone, Lieutenant Beale turned to subject Ben Akbar to the same intensescrutiny. Ali discarded all doubts he might still have concerning Beale.Anyone could look at a camel, but few had the knack of looking, seeingand understanding.
Ali had known cameleers of great experience who would never bother withsuch preliminaries. Faced with two apparently equal _dalul_, they wouldaccept either, after assuring themselves that both were good. But thebest of the camel men never chose lightly. Among them, an elite few wereentirely willing to spend as much time as necessary to study every beastin a herd, so that they might finally select the one best fitted totheir requirements.
Finally, Beale gestured toward Ben Akbar and turned to his companions."That red Nomanieh dromedary is superb," he said. "I want a closerlook."
He started toward Ben Akbar, who was standing quietly near the far wallof the khan. Ali, who had understood none of the conversation but whoknew all too clearly what Beale's gesture indicated, felt his heartcatch in his throat.
He whirled toward the gate, and eyes already worried became desperatewhen there was no evidence of Major Wayne. Ali turned back to LieutenantBeale, already a third of the way across the khan, and he shivered interrible indecision. A camel driver did not presume to give orders tohis leader!
The two young men seemed to have forgotten Ali and kept fascinated eyeson Lieutenant Beale. Ali ran forward. A camel driver did not command hischief, but neither did he let him go to certain injury and possibledeath.
Running up behind the officer, Ali grasped his arm. Lieutenant Bealestopped and swung about, but his eyes were questioning rather thanangry, and he arched interrogatory brows.
"Well, boy?" he asked.
Ali remained speechless. Though he could have voiced a warning in Syrianor any of a dozen Arabic dialects, he did not know how to speak in atongue Beale might understand. Presently, and happily, he found theperfect solution in one of the bits of English he had mastered but sadlymisinterpreted.
The fists of a constantly brawling soldier had hammered out an unbrokenstring of victories. As a result, his companions trod with appropriatewariness and offered proper respect. Obviously, therefore, the namebestowed on their pugnacious brother-in-arms indicated that which wasbetter left alone. Ali gestured toward Ben Akbar.
"Sad Sam," he pronounced.
"What?" Lieutenant Beale's quizzical frown became an engaging grin.
"Sad Sam," Ali repeated.
Lieutenant Beale turned to glance at Ben Akbar. "Sad Sam, eh? He doeslook a bit melancholy at that. I'll see if I can make him smile."
Pulling away from Ali, he resumed walking toward Ben Akbar. Ali waitedin his tracks, unable to think of anything else he might do. LieutenantBeale passed Ben Akbar's point of no return, and only Allah could helpnow.
Then, even as Ali drew each quick breath with a dreadful certainty thatit must mark Ben Akbar's quick lunge, the _dalul_ stepped forward. Hethrust his head over Lieutenant Beale's shoulder and waited in shiveringecstasy for his neck to be scratched.
Ali caught his breath and the look in his eyes was one of profoundrespect. This man was indeed to command. There would be no failure.
Major Wayne shouted suddenly, "Ned! Watch yourself!"
Still scratching Ben Akbar's neck, Lieutenant Beale glanced toward thereturning Major. "What's up?"
"That's a killer dromedary. Didn't anybody warn you?"
"Somebody tried but I guess I didn't understand." The look LieutenantBeale gave Ali meant that one man recognized another. "I won't be sostupid again," Lieutenant Beale promised.