CHAPTER XVIII
News of Douglas Pasha
"Bagdad! See it in the distance; watch the rising sun glint on the roofsand minarets!"
It was in a cautious whisper that Geoff drew the attention of his chumto a point some long distance in advance of the spot over which therickety chaise in which von Hildemaller was riding bore them. Verycraftily he had thrust his head out beyond the side of the vehicle, andthough all was still dusk about them, though the night had notaltogether faded, yet, happening to be on a considerable elevation, andlooking down into the distant basin of the Tigris, he had caught justthat faint gleam of the city for which they were making. Balancingunevenly, uncomfortably, and with many a suppressed groan, on the axleand spring of the other side, Phil shot his head out like ajack-in-the-box after Geoff had spoken, and stared ahead hard until hetoo saw flashes from the roofs of Bagdad. Then he gave vent to quite aloud "Jingo!" and instantly ducked his head low behind the back of thechaise, for von Hildemaller moved. Up to that moment, during wearyhours, he had sat in his seat almost without movement, and undoubtedlyhad lapsed into sleep, for his snores, like his breathing, shook theair about him. Now he woke up with a start, stared about him in afrightened manner, and then called to the driver:
"Stop! I heard something. Someone speaking, and close at hand."
Obediently the driver pulled up his tired pony, and, looking back,stared sleepily at his master.
"A voice? Someone speaking? You heard something, master?" he grumbled."No, no, surely; for we have been on the road alone, and not a soul hasbeen near us--not a soul. You have been asleep, Master."
And yet von Hildemaller, the ever-suspicious von Hildemaller, was notsatisfied. He stood up stiffly and with difficulty, gripping the railbehind the driver's seat to steady himself, and causing the light chaiseto rock on its springs. He stared to either side of him, trying topenetrate the dusk of early morning; he even peered over the back of thecarriage, whereat Geoff and Phil ducked even lower, while the former,gripping the axle with those strong fingers of his, made ready to reachup and grapple with the German. But the Teuton's eyes were still heavywith sleep, and, failing to see those two who had clung like limpets tohis chaise throughout the night, he turned, setting the vehicle rockingagain, and stared out before him. A guttural exclamation escaped fromthose broad lips of his:
"Ach! but Bagdad at last. And there, some comfort, some ease, after aterrible experience. But wait, wait! I have been thinking, I have beendreaming. Yes, he who strikes von Hildemaller strikes one who neverforgets, never forgives; and who will repay, however long the interval,however long the debt may be owing."
He sighed deeply, yawned till his jaws threatened to crack, and until hedisplayed a cavity even bigger than that which Geoff had compelled andinto which Philip had thrust the gag with such delight. Then the Germansank back into his seat again, and bade the driver, peremptorily, todrive onwards. Soon, too, heavy breathing just in front of them told thetwo young subalterns that von Hildemaller was sleeping again.
"Rather a near thing that, eh?" grinned Philip, his head now close tohis chum's, and displaying just a little more common sense and caution."What would we have done if he had spotted us that time when he lookedround?"
It was Geoff's turn to smile, a meaning smile, while he stretched outone hand, balancing himself in that uncomfortable position which he hadmaintained throughout the night, and slowly doubled up the fingers ofthe other hand--fingers bursting with muscle and with tendons as strongand as elastic as steel--doubled them up slowly, in a manner whichseemed to emphasize the power within them, whereat Philip sniffed andsniggered. In a moment, in fact, he realized how much Geoff had longedfor another tussle with the German, how he would have almost welcomeddiscovery at that moment.
"I know," he whispered. "I know what you'd have done, and the beggardeserves it. You'd have taken him by the neck, you'd have rememberedDouglas Pasha, and you'd have squeezed the life out of his body."
Of a sudden he gripped the powerful hand held out before him, gripped itand shook it with energy, while he stared hard at his chum.
"Why not?" he asked. "Good idea! Why not? Why not squeeze the life outof him now that we've got him, that is, almost squeeze it out of him.There's nothing to fear, we ain't surrounded by a prison, and we'd soonclear that driver off, or, for the matter of that, force him to do ourbidding. Why not grab this brutal German and squeeze him till his eyesbulge out of his head, till he's choking, till he'll be glad to giveaway that secret of his, till he'll beg and beg and whine to us thathe'll release Douglas Pasha? Why not?"
He could feel Geoff's powerful hand suddenly compressed under his grip,could feel the fingers clench even tighter, while Geoff himself droppedfrom the axle to the road, as if the words had stung him to energy. Itwas what he had done, and Philip too, many a time throughout the night;on many an occasion, when meeting some long rise, they had been glad, infact, to drop from the somewhat uncomfortable perches they had found,and to trudge along behind the carriage. Unbeknown to the German,unsuspected by the driver, yet doubtless to the knowledge of the animalwhich dragged it, they had even helped to propel the carriage up some ofthe risings, accelerating its progress to such an extent that the sleepydriver was amazed at the powers displayed by the animal he drove, and atlength was so struck by its prowess that he wakened sufficiently tothink the matter over and to weigh its value.
"Allah, but this is a strange thing!" he had said to himself more thanonce, at first very sleepily, and then with a little more spirit."Allah, but the beast is possessed! For see, ever before when we havemade this journey and have come to these hills I have had to use thewhip with vigour, even I have had to dismount and walk beside thecarriage. It is wonderful; for see how thin the beast is and old, andnow he pulls like a giant, like a thoroughbred, like an Arab."
It entirely defeated him; the phenomenon was one he could not understandhowever much he puzzled; and puzzling and wondering made him even moresleepy. Thus the long hours of darkness had passed, if not comfortablyfor Geoff and his chum, yet cheerfully enough. Above all, their thoughtswere filled with the engrossing subject of their liberty. They felt likebirds entrapped who had broken from a cage after weeks and weeks ofimprisonment. They were filled with a feeling of wonderful exhilaration,while the knowledge that, though free, they were in the midst of anenemy country, with enemies all about them, added rather a zest to thewhole business.
And now Philip had made a proposition--a proposition of such importanceand so momentous in its results--if the plan were carried out, thatGeoff had felt compelled to leap to his feet and run along behind thecarriage. It was perhaps five minutes later when he plumped himself downon the axle again, trailing his stockinged feet along the dusty surfaceof the road, while he stared out into the rising dusk behind them.
"Eh?" asked Philip, returning eagerly to the subject, knowing well fromhis experience of his chum that no decision was to be expected untilsufficient time had elapsed for our hero to consider the proposition.Perhaps it was that Geoff was possessed of a certain sort of cannyinstinct, perhaps even it was those journeys with Douglas Pasha, thosetravels amongst Arabs and other peoples, which had taught him caution,which had in a certain measure taught him to smother his thoughts, andto hide his feelings from other people. Inscrutable his face never was,nor ever would be, for it shone with healthy, youthful frankness; butthe eyes were thoughtful eyes, eyes which told those who looked intothem that the owner was possessed of some degree of caution, while, aswe have said, Philip, his best and most intimate chum, knew that Geoffwas one not to be hurried.
"Eh?" he asked again impulsively. "You'd strangle the beast easily. Icould with the fingers of one hand. Wait a moment. If we slip out hereand hang on to these back springs we can pull up that old horse in amoment; then we tip the show over, and throw our German friend into thegutter. How's that? I'd love to see him roll."
And so would Geoff, very much indeed, and yet what would be the object?
"Let's just think the
matter out, and chat it over quietly," he told theimpulsive Phil, restraining him with a grip of his strong fingers."Supposing we'd settled with the scoundrel--now I'd just love to."
"And I'd dote on it," Phil chimed in readily.
"We both would," said Geoff soberly; "and as to our being able to do so,pooh! there's no doubt about it. Single-handed I think we could easilyhandle both those beggars, so that we can put that question aside andtake it for granted that we are easily the victors, but--and here comesthe rub--supposing we've cornered the driver, and have squeezed thisGerman's neck till his eyes are bulging, and until, in fact, he'swhining and begging for his life, and ready to do anything forus--supposing we've got to that stage, eh?"
"Yes, supposing we have," Phil grinned, for the very mention ofsqueezing von Hildemaller till his eyes bulged reminded him of thatscene in the cell, when Geoff had gripped the German across the mouth,while Philip stood in front of him. Those cunning eyes had bulged with avengeance then, had bulged horribly, had bulged in a manner which showedthe Teuton's terror. Oh yes, it would be pleasant enough to witness sucha thing again, knowing well how much they owed to this treacherousGerman; but then--"Let's suppose he's collared then," agreed Phil atlength. "Now then?"
"Well, he's collared, he's shouting for mercy, he's perspiring andblowing worse than ever," said Geoff. "He's ready to take us right offto this prison, and ready to hand over his captive. But where are we? Wehave got the German and his driver, and we have got this carriage andthe sorry animal that pulls it, but please remember we are still in whatremains of our khaki. We are obviously aliens and enemies, the firstpasser-by would recognize us and give an alarm, a crowd would collect inno time, even far out in the desert, and long before we could get to theplace where my guardian is imprisoned we should be captured--possiblyshot--at any rate foiled altogether."
It was with difficulty that Phil suppressed a whistle--a whistle ofastonishment, of amazement, and of pride in his comrade. He had alwaysknown Geoff to be a strangely long-headed, logical sort of fellow, butnow, hearing him talk so quietly and on such an occasion, he could nothelp but admire him.
"Spoken like a lawyer," he said at last, and quite seriously, "a fellowcan see that there's nothing but solid reason behind what you're saying.We could, as you tell me, easily do for this German and make himhowl--how I'd jolly well like to hear him--but where's the advantagegained, as you say? Lost altogether by premature action. Only, if wedon't take advantage of the fellow now that he is, as you may say, inour power, what are we to do? for it's getting lighter every minute, andin a little while any passers-by there may be--and people will bebeginning to move once daylight comes--will stop us, and will give thevery warning of which you have spoken."
No doubt the problem was a knotty one, and one requiring a great deal ofconsideration. That Geoff and Philip could remain much longer on theirunsteady and uncomfortable perches was out of the question, and yet,where were they to go? which way were they to turn? and, above all,where could they get refreshment? The sight of a collection of palms tothe right of the road, and almost abreast of them, seemed to decideGeoff of a sudden, for he turned to Phil on the instant.
"Let's drop off here," he said; "those palms up there may give us somesort of shelter, and possibly we may discover food also. Later on we'llgo on into Bagdad, and there I shall be able to find at least one friendwho will give us assistance."
Dropping from the carriage at once, they stood in the centre of theroad in a cloud of whirling dust, listening to the carriage as itrattled onward towards the city; and, as the dust subsided and allowedthem to see farther, they caught once more those gleams of light fromthe roofs of Bagdad--flashes which seemed to signal them onward. For therest, the country-side all about them was still half-hidden in mist,above which the tops of that grove of palm-trees which had attractedGeoff's attention could be seen. Turning towards them without a word,they scrambled their way uphill, till presently they had left the hardgravelly surface over which they had been travelling and entered upon anarea clad in green, over which grass and bushes grew profusely; and,after a little while, found themselves in a thick grove of trees, which,if they promised nothing else, promised shelter once the sun had risen.There, standing beneath the palms, they waited until the morning misthad been dispersed by the rays of the rising sun, and until they couldsee far and wide over that portion of Mesopotamia, and even as far asthe city of Bagdad. Then they turned, and, striding on amongst thepalms, were soon far within them, and in little danger of beingdiscovered by travellers on the high road.
"Hold on a moment," said Phil of a sudden; "I can smell something." Hesniffed the air like a dog, turning in all directions.
"It's over here, behind us, deeper in the palms; there's a fire burning,I'm sure; and, Jingo! I'm positive there's meat cooking."
The aroma came to their nostrils more strongly as the minutes passed,and attracted them like a magnet. Slowly and cautiously they creptbetween the palms, until they gained the edge of a clearing in themidst of which stood a somewhat curious dwelling. It was neither tentnor house nor cottage, but a combination of all three, a domicileconstructed partly of mud walls, partly of palm-leaves, and here andthere finished off, as it were, with stretches of camel-hair material.In front of it a wood fire smouldered, while a thin wisp of smoke roseabove it and was blown into the trees. A rough, iron tripod stood overit, and from it depended an iron pot, in which, doubtless, meat wasstewing. The aroma made Philip's mouth water, and made Geoff quiteirritable and impatient.
"Looks like the habitation of some nomad shepherd," he told Philip;"wonder who it can be, and how many there are in the family? In ordinarytimes I'd have gone straight up to the house and asked for food andshelter, but a fellow can't do that now, and it's more than likely thatwhoever owns the place carries arms with him always."
They stood under the shade of those palm-trees for perhaps half an hour,watching the hut, watching the smouldering fire, and sniffing enviouslyat the steam which blew over towards them. If they had never knownbefore what it was to be really hungry, they knew it well that brightmorning when so close to food, so eagerly desirous of it, and so far, itseemed, from the likelihood of being able to secure it. It made themalmost desperate at last, till they were ready to risk anything; butthen, again, common sense--that fund of caution possessed by both ofthem--held them back, kept them out of sight, and restrained theirimpatience. A man came out of the hut at last--a tall, bronzed Arab,over whose shoulders was slung an ancient rifle, and in whose hand wasborne a long stick which he used to support himself whilst walking.Calling over his shoulder and whistling for a dog, which came boundingout of the hut, he set off along a path which led through the treeswithin some twenty yards of our heroes, so close, in fact, that it was awonder that the dog did not discover them; and when he was gone, andthey could no longer hear his steps, a woman emerged from the hut--anArab like her lord and master. Throwing logs on the fire, andreplenishing the contents of the iron pot with something she carried ina basket, she closed the door of the somewhat dilapidated house, andtook the same path as the man.
"THE ARAB SET OFF ALONG A PATH WITHIN SOME TWENTY YARDSOF OUR HEROES"]
"Better see where she goes," said Geoff. "We'll slink through the treesand make quite sure that they are both out of sight. Shouldn't wonder ifhe's a simple shepherd, and has gone to visit his flock somewhere aboutin this oasis; and it's more than likely that she has gone into Bagdadto buy things for the household. Sounds curious, doesn't it? But you'vegot to remember that people here are very much the same in many ways aspeople back in old England. Commodities of every kind don't grow inhouses; they have to be bought. And stores and shops don't exist in thecountry, so Turkish and Arab women, like the folks at home, have to gooff on shopping expeditions."
Whatever it was that had taken the woman off, it proved, indeed, to be agodsend to these two wandering and hungry subalterns, for the womandisappeared finally down the road leading towards Bagdad, while carefulinvestigation proved that the
man had gone off to the left, where hecould be seen trudging over the grass-covered land quite a mile distant.As for the hut, it looked lonely enough when they went back, anduninhabited, though the fire still smouldered in front, and thatdelightful aroma still reached their nostrils.
"Well, do we stop here in the shade of the trees, and just satisfyourselves with a sniff of that stew cooking in the pot we're lookingat?" exclaimed Philip in somewhat injured, if not impatient, tones, ashe looked out into the sunlit arena in which the dilapidated hut wassituated. "Um!" he sighed; "it's mutton, or--or--or perhaps goat."
He snuffed at the air and projected his head beyond a leafy stem, hiseyes attracted far more by the fire and the cooking-pot above it than bythe hut, and his thoughts occupied with a possible chance of a mealrather than with the possibility of the hut harbouring furtherinhabitants. But the cautious Geoff, even then--his mouth watering atthe appetizing odour of the cooking food, and his hunger made twofold byit--even then was not to be led into a position which might be harmfulto them. Cautious by nature--as we have inferred already--possessed,that is to say, of a certain amount of discretion, which stood him andhis subaltern chum in good stead on many an occasion, he was yet notaltogether deficient in that dash and go which are so common in oursubalterns, which, indeed, make all of them such a valuable asset to theBritish army.
"You hang on here," he told his chum. "I'll skirmish round a little andsee what's doing. Perhaps there's someone else in the hut, and if so weshould look silly, shouldn't we, if we tackled the food and had a fellowfiring into us with a blunderbuss when least expected?"
Rapid strides took him along the edge of the palm-trees, the grassrustling at his feet as he trudged through it, and in a little while hewas behind the hut, to find it rather less prepossessing in rear than itwas in front, dilapidated, broken, and presenting many a ragged opening.Squinting through more than one of these, Geoff could see the interiorquite plainly, for the sunlight was streaming in through the open dooron the farther side. Then he boldly went round one end and entered, tofind, as he had expected, that the place was entirely empty. Turningabout, he and Philip met above the fire, their noses thrust over thecooking-pot, sniffing hungrily.
"Jingo! Mutton, I'll swear!"
"Goat'll taste just as good, just the same, no doubt," Geoff laughedheartily. "Hook it off, Phil, while I go and look for some sort ofplates," he cried, "and let's be slippy, or else the owners will becoming back to dispute our right to make use of their property."
Hook it off Philip did, with a swish, and conveyed the steaming potclose to the door of the hut, into which Geoff had meanwhile plunged andluckily found a few articles of crockery. Not that the owners of the hutwere possessed of a very elaborate suite of furniture, or a verycomplete equipment of other things usually found in houses in Europe andelsewhere; but the needs of your nomad shepherd in Asiatic Turkey aresimple enough--humble enough if you will--and this man and his wifewere no exceptions whatever. A couple of plates there were to be found,both scrupulously clean, so that in a matter of two minutes those twoescaping subalterns might have been found, seated in the sunlight,careless of their surroundings, making use of their fingers as forks,and eating rapidly and heartily.
"Of course one's sorry to go and eat another fellow's dinner," grinnedPhilip in the midst of the meal, as though the thought had only justthen struck him; "but, don't you know, dear boy, a fellow must eat,mustn't he?"
"Looks like it," grunted Geoff, helping himself a second time; "andmighty good this stuff is too. Let's get finished with it."
It took very little time indeed for these two hungry mortals to emptythe steaming pot, whereat Geoff poured some water into it from anearthen vessel which stood outside the hut, and once more slung it overthe fire. A deep draught from the same vessel refreshed them bothwonderfully, when they were again able to look about them and take someinterest in their immediate surroundings.
"'Pon my word, I was so hungry that I couldn't bother about caution anylonger," said Geoff, "but now that that's been put all right I'm goingto get moving--to do all that is possible so that we shall not again becaptured."
"Hear, hear!" came from Philip.
"Then you get off into the trees again and watch for that shepherdreturning. I'm going to look round the hut to see if I can discoversomething which will help us. For look at the two of us; we ain'texactly the sort of people who could march into Bagdad and escapenotice now, are we?" asked Geoff, standing in front of Philip.
"Speaking for yourself, I presume?" came the merry answer. "Well, now,to be quite frank, you know, with you, and with every wish to avoid thesuspicion of being personal, or rude, or what-not, don't you know, mydear Geoff, one couldn't describe your appearance as exactly attractive,hardly prepossessing; in fact, let's say, a trifle dishevelled,distinctly ragged, and frightfully dirty."
Philip wound up with a hearty roar of laughter which bent him double,and then stood up before his friend for examination, an examinationwhich Geoff made with twinkling eyes and smiles which showed hisamusement.
"Dirty has it first with you," he told Philip. "'Pon my word, after thatdrive last night at the back of the chaise, in clouds of dust all thetime, you look rather more like a dust-heap than anything else. My word,wasn't I thirsty! That draught of water was a perfect godsend. But, togo back to what I was saying, we ain't, either of us, exactly the sortof people who could walk into Bagdad in broad daylight and escape theattention of the people. Now, are we? Not likely! They'd spot us atonce; these ragged remnants of khaki uniform would tell against uspromptly."
"It's a facer," said Phil; "we've either got to get a change of raimentor we shall have to sneak into Bagdad during the darkness."
"When we would probably knock up against sentries at the gates and bepromptly captured," said Geoff. "You go and keep a bright look-outwhilst I rummage round this place."
Humble though the occupants of that cottage may have been, and, indeed,undoubtedly were, the interior of the place was, like the crockeryborrowed from it, kept scrupulously clean, and, wending his way from themain apartment into another, which did service as a sleeping-room, Geofffound it much the same--clean and tidy, with nothing distasteful aboutit. But, like the other contents of the place, which were few and farbetween, the store of clothing there was even scantier.
"Sort of shepherd's cloak and hat to match, with sandals for the feet,"said Geoff, as he examined the articles hanging on a wooden peg. "They'ddo for Philip; he'd look fine in 'em. What's this? Just the ordinarytogs worn by a Turkish peasant--perhaps the very things our friend whoowns the hut wears when he goes into Bagdad. Well, as Philip says, it'srather rough to deprive him of them; but then, what else is there to do?And are we to put his feelings and his losses before our own safety?"
Without more ado he brought the garments out of the house into the open,and whistled loudly to Philip. Then, for fear lest the owner of theplace should return from a different direction and discover them, hecrossed the open space, where the fire was still smouldering, andplunged into the trees beyond, where, later on, Philip, returning fromthe point he had reached, and from which he had been able to view theroad beyond and the path taken by the shepherd, joined him.
"Put on those," Geoff told him, "and stick your boots into your belt.We'll sit down here and wait till the afternoon is passed, and then takethe road for the city. Slip on the cloak and the hat over your ordinaryclothes; I'll do the same with these things. They're scanty enough, sothat we shan't be too warmly clad, and therefore there is no necessityto discard our own rags, and perhaps run the risk of having our tracksdiscovered by the shepherd or his dog coming across them."
Taking the opportunity of their enforced stay in the grove ofpalm-trees, and of the shade which it afforded them, they sleptalternately, thus making up for their lost rest during the precedingnight; and it was while Geoff was on watch, and Philip lay full lengthand sleeping heavily, that our hero saw the shepherd return by the sameroute that had taken him away and enter his cottage.
Minutes passed, andthough he came out and stretched himself in the sun, evidently awaitinghis midday meal and the return of his wife, not once did he suspect thatanyone had been there in the interval. Indeed, there was nothing torouse his suspicions, for all was as he had left it, and the twosubalterns had been careful enough to clean the plates they had used andreturn them to their respective positions. The dog, too, much to Geoff'sdelight, curled himself up at his master's feet, though at first he hadsniffed round, and had shown some traces of curiosity, if not ofmomentary excitement.
As for the woman, there was not a sign of her as yet, though when theday had dragged on a little, and the afternoon had nearly waned, Geoffsaw her coming along the road from Bagdad, and watched her as sheturned off towards the grove of trees and finally entered the sunlitarena in which the hut was situated. It was as good as a play then,though he felt rather sorry for it, to watch the woman's amazement whenshe took the steaming pot from the fire, and, having brought two basinsfrom the cottage and placed them upon a ledge just outside, poured somewater into them from it. He watched as the dame dropped the pot andlifted her hands in amazement; and smiled grimly, too, as the man gotlanguidly to his feet, not as yet understanding the situation, and thenfinally, when he realized that his midday meal was not forthcoming,clenched his fists and muttered, and showed his anger. Then bewildermenttook possession of the two of them, and, having asked questions the oneof the other, they stared at the pot as it lay on the sandy ground as ifit were a thing possessed, and even edged away from it.
"But it's a strange thing this thing that has happened," the manmuttered between his teeth. "By Allah, no such thing have I known in thecourse of all my journeyings! You say, wife, that you placed some fleshof a sheep within the pot?"
"Say it?" the woman replied in a shrill, angry, and rather frightenedtone, glaring at her lord and master. "But, as Allah hears me, youyourself saw me add flesh to the pot ere you went, and after you hadgone I added more. What then is this? Ah! A thief, eh?"
That idea had not occurred to either of them before; but now it seizedupon their imagination instantly, and roused them to a pitch of angerand excitement.
"A thief! Yes, of course. Why did we not think of that before? Here,dog, find him."
Geoff bent down and shook the sleeping Philip heartily.
"Come along at once," he told him; "let us slip out into the open andrun for the road. It will be dusk almost by the time we reach it, and ifthat dog doesn't trace us we ought to be able to get clear away. I oughtto explain that the man and his wife returned while you were asleep, andnow, having decided that probably someone has been there at the cottagein their absence, they are sending the dog to search round."
The yelps of the animal could be heard at that moment, as the two slidthrough the trees and out into the open. Then they took to their heels,and, following a hollow down which water no doubt poured in the rainyseason, and which protected them from observation, they gained the highroad within a little while--that rough high road, covered inches thickin sandy dust, along which the ruffianly von Hildemaller had passed inthe hours of darkness.
"We'll walk along steadily, taking notice of no one," said Geoff. "If wepass people, and they address us, leave it to me to answer, and I'llfind some excuse for you. In any case, if I have to stop for a moment,you walk on, for there's nothing else that you can do, and to stop mightprove dangerous."
That evening, after dusk had fallen, and just before the gates of thecity were closed, two rough shepherds from the desert passed into thecity of Bagdad unnoticed, unchallenged, without raising the smallestsuspicion. Passing along the main street which leads to the Bazaar,they turned off sharply into a narrow alley, which led them to an evennarrower street, over which the rows of houses on either side met almostcompletely.
"And now?" whispered Philip. "Where to? Here's Bagdad all right, and afellow begins to feel a little more free. But what's our next move?Besides, there's a meal to be considered."
"And a bed," Geoff told him. "This way. You'll find that we are notentirely without friends in this city. Follow straight up this streetand turn off when I turn into another alley."
Proceeding along that other dark and somewhat noisome alley, Geoffsuddenly ran into an obstacle--an obstacle which rebounded and whichproved to be a man, who was not less startled than himself.
"Pardon!" the man cried, and would have hurried on.
"One moment; your name?" asked Geoff, using the Armenian tongue. "Yourname, my friend, for there is something in your voice that reminds me ofone I have known."
There was silence perhaps for a whole minute, while Philip slid upbehind Geoff, ready to support him, and anticipating trouble. Thensuddenly there came a glad cry of surprise from the individual who hadcannoned into Geoff, and a hand gripped his arm firmly.
"My master, you are Keith Pasha. Yes?" asked the voice--the voice wasEsbul's.
"I am," Geoff told him promptly in tones of relief, for indeed this wasa most happy meeting.
"Then come, my master. I have a place of safety for you; there is onewho will greet you warmly and find food, and space, and raiment for you.Come, my master, for I also have something which will delight yourheart. Listen, Master! I have news of Douglas Pasha."