CHAPTER XIV
The Broad Sahara
There was no way around the caravan without going into the desert, andthe car was too close to turn around. They were trapped!
Rick hurriedly took the cat from his pocket and stuffed it down behindthe cushion of the car, pushing until it was well hidden. He knew hewould be searched; why else would Youssef come? He hoped a search wasall there was to worry about.
Hassan leaned out of his window and shouted imprecations in Arabic, towhich the Arabs paid no attention. They closed around the car, and Rickrecognized two who had taken part in the attack at the museum--theSudanese and the big Egyptian who had worn a tarboosh. He alsorecognized the one he had beaned with the kitten in the pyramid.
He was not among friends, he thought grimly.
Youssef opened the door. "Please get out," he requested. "It will beeasier if you co-operate."
Rick looked at the odds and had to agree. He got out. Hassan was rightbehind him, still shouting in Arabic.
An Arab stepped up behind the guide and slugged him. Rick started toyell a protest, then a burnoose was tossed over his head and wrappedtightly around his chest, blocking out the light. He struggled, and waspushed to the ground. In a moment he was rolled over and knew they werewrapping him in a blanket or a rug.
He felt pressure as ropes bound him tight, then he was lifted and placedon something hard, stomach down, like a sack of meal on a chair. Thechair lifted and rocked, and he heard loud groans, as though of a soulin mortal pain.
He was on one of the camels, and the beast was protesting!
Swaying motion began, and he knew his ungainly steed was underway.
For a moment he seemed to see himself from a distance, wrapped likeCleopatra in a rug, tossed on a camel like a bag of old clothes, andcarted unceremoniously away by a band of Arabs. The picture was soridiculous that he had to grin, in spite of the discomfort and the foulair that reached him through the dirty burnoose.
Then realization hit him. Youssef was in charge, and Youssef was a toughprofessional thief who intended to get the cat. Where was the thieftaking him?
Sudden fear ran through his thoughts.
The camel swayed and jogged along for what seemed hours to Rick. Now andthen he could hear voices, but he made no sense out of the Arabic. Thecamels complained constantly, and he felt like moaning with them. Hisstomach hurt from the constant rubbing across the saddle and both legswere asleep from the tight wrapping. His head dangled down, and now andthen his nose banged when the camel lurched. He couldn't remember everhaving been so uncomfortable for so long.
It seemed forever before the camel stopped. Rick hung over the saddleunprotestingly. There was nothing he could do but wait. Finally thecamel lurched forward and Rick thought he would be thrown off, then theanimal leveled again. The camel had knelt, still complaining.
Hands pulled Rick from the saddle and he felt someone at work on hisbonds while the hands held him upright. Suddenly the burnoose waswhipped off, and the brilliant sunlight made his eyes water. He squintedagainst the glare.
_Hands pulled Rick from the saddle_]
An Arab finished unwrapping him and stood back. He would have fallenexcept for the hands that still held him from behind. He looked over hisshoulder and the big Sudanese grinned at him. He didn't feel likegrinning back.
When his eyes were adjusted to the sun, he looked around. There wasdesert in all directions, no sign of civilization anywhere. Immediatelybefore him was an ancient stone structure, nearly buried by the sands.
Youssef walked around one of the camels carrying a desert water bag. Thethief lifted it, and water poured into his mouth in a thin stream. Ricklicked his lips. "I'd like some of that," he said.
Youssef recorked the bag. "Doubtless," he agreed. "Mr. Brant, I size youup as what you Americans term a stubborn case. However, I am prepared todrop this whole affair right now--if you will turn over the cat withoutfurther trouble."
"We gave you a cat," Rick reminded.
"Yes. But not the right one."
"How do you know it isn't the right one?" Rick demanded.
Youssef smiled. "Shall we say that I had a cat expert examine it? Let itgo, Mr. Brant. We both know you still have the one I want."
"But why do you want it?" Rick asked. He couldn't help asking, eventhough this obviously was not the time for friendly banter.
"I want it. That is enough. Will you give it to me?"
"I can't," Rick explained. "It must be turned over to Moustafa." Hedidn't say which Moustafa.
The thief sighed. "Then I was right. You are stubborn. Well,stubbornness is like starch. It does not last. In this case, we will letthe desert and thirst take the starch out of you. After a few days hereyou will beg me to take the cat. But it is all so foolish, and sounnecessary! Why not be reasonable?"
Rick looked around at the endless, shimmering dunes of the Sahara, andhe wanted desperately to be reasonable. He couldn't. "Sorry," he said.
"Very well. On your head be it." Youssef called in Arabic and two menlifted down a huge bundle from one of the camels. They unwrapped it, andHassan swayed and blinked in the glaring sun.
"You shall have company," Youssef stated. He gestured at the surroundingwastes. "We leave you to do what you wish. You might even try to walk tocivilization. I will leave no guard. However, I do not recommend it,because when I return it might not be possible to find you in time ifyou should leave here. When I come back I will have writing materialsand you will send a note to your friend Scott, telling him to give methe cat. When I have the cat, I will see that your friends are told howto find you."
The thief swung to a kneeling camel, and his men followed suit. Acommand and the camels rose, mouthing their complaints. Youssef waved,and the caravan raced away with long, smooth strides across the desert.
Rick turned to Hassan. "Are you all right?" he asked anxiously.
The dragoman put a hand to his head. "Hurts like fire, but I okay. You?"
"I'm fine."
"What we do now?"
Rick saw the camels disappear behind a dune, then emerge again. It was apretty, romantic picture, but one he couldn't appreciate.
"We wait," he told Hassan. "We wait, and I guess we hope. There'snothing else we can do."