mournful sounds came from many sidessimultaneously. Through the boy's mind the thought flashed that thesemight be Arabian guards surrounding the ravine and summoning aid withwhistles. His heart began to beat. He glanced once and again at theSudanese, hoping that he would behold consternation on their faces; butno! Idris, Gebhr and the two Bedouins calmly chewed biscuits, onlyChamis appeared a little surprised. The sounds continued. After a whileIdris rose and looked out of the cavern; returning, he stopped near thechildren, and said:
"The sands are beginning to sing."
Stas' curiosity was so aroused that he forgot that he had determinednot to speak to Idris any more and asked:
"Sands? What does it mean?"
"It happens thus, and means that for a long time there will be no rain.But the heat will not distress us, since as far as Assuan we will rideonly during the night."
And no more could be learned from him. Stas and Nell listened long tothese peculiar sounds which continued until the sun descended in thewest, after which night fell and the caravan started on its furtherjourney.
XIII
In the daytime they hid in places concealed and difficult of access,amid rocks and chasms, and during the night they hurried, withoutrespite, until they passed the First Cataract. When finally theBedouins discerned from the situation and form of the khors that Assuanwas behind them, a great burden fell off Idris' breast. As theysuffered already from want of water they drew nearer to the river ahalf day's distance. There Idris, concealing the caravan, sent all thecamels with the Bedouins to the Nile in order to water them well andfor a longer time. Beyond Assuan the fertile belt along the river wasnarrower. In some places the desert reached the river; the villages layat a considerable distance from each other. The Bedouins, therefore,returned successfully, unseen by any one, with a considerable supply ofwater. It was necessary now to think of provisions. As the animals hadbeen fed sparingly during the past week they grew lean; their neckslengthened, their humps sank, and their legs became weak. The durra andthe supplies for the people, with the greatest stint, would suffice fortwo days more. Idris thought, however, that they might, if not duringdaytime then at night, approach the pastures on the river banks andperhaps buy biscuits and dates in some village. Saba already was givennothing at all to eat or drink, and the children hid leavings of foodfor him, but he somehow managed to take care of himself and camerunning to the stopping places with bleeding jaws and marks of bites onhis neck and breast. Whether the victim of these fights was a jackal,or a hyena, or perhaps a desert fox or a gazelle no one knew; it wasenough that there were no signs of great hunger on him. At times alsohis black lips were moist as if he drank. The Bedouins surmised that hemust have dug deep holes at the bottom of the ravines, and in thismanner reached water which he scented under the ground. In this mannertravelers who get lost dig the bottoms of chasms and, if they do notoften find water, they almost always reach damp sand and, sucking it,cheat in this way the pangs of thirst. In Saba, however, considerablechanges took place. He still had a powerful breast and neck, but hissides were sunken, through which he appeared taller. In his eyes, aboutthe reddened whites, there was now something savage and threatening. ToNell and to Stas he was as attached as previously and permitted them todo with him whatever they pleased. He still at times wagged his tail atChamis, but he growled at the Bedouins and Sudanese or snapped with histerrible teeth, which at such times clashed against each other likesteel nails. Idris and Gebhr plainly began to fear and hate him to theextent that they would have killed him with the captured rifle, were itnot that they desired to bring this extraordinary animal to Smain, andwere it not also that they had already passed Assuan.
They had passed Assuan! Stas thought of this continually, and doubtthat the pursuit would ever overtake them stole gradually into hissoul. He knew, indeed, that not only Egypt proper, which ends at WadiHaifa, that is, at the Second Cataract, but the whole of Nubia was upto that time in the hands of the Egyptian Government, but he alsounderstood that beyond Assuan and particularly Wadi Haifa the pursuitwould be more difficult and the commands of the Government would beexecuted carelessly. His only hope was that his father with Mr.Rawlinson, after making arrangements for the pursuit from Fayum, wouldgo to Wadi Haifa by steamer, and there securing troops of thecamel-corps, would endeavor to intercept the caravan from the south.The boy reasoned that if he were in their place he would do just this,and for that reason he assumed that his supposition was very probable.
He did not, however, abandon the thought of a rescue on his ownaccount. The Sudanese wanted to have powder for the captured rifle andwith this object decided to disjoin a score of the rifle cartridges, sohe told them that he alone was able to do that, and that if any one ofthem should undertake the task unskilfully, the cartridge would explodein his fingers and tear off his hands. Idris, fearing Englishinventions and unknown things generally, determined finally to entrustthe boy with this undertaking. Stas went at it willingly, hoping in thefirst place that the powerful English powder at the first shot wouldburst the old Arabian rifle to pieces, and, again, that he might beable to hide a few cartridges. In fact, he succeeded more easily thanhe expected. Apparently they watched him at the work, but the Arabsbegan at once to talk among themselves and soon they were more occupiedwith their conversation than with their supervision. Finally thisloquacity and inbred carelessness permitted Stas to conceal in hisbosom seven cartridges. Now all that was necessary was to secure therifle.
The boy judged that beyond Wadi Haifa, the Second Cataract, this wouldnot be a very difficult matter as he foresaw that as they drew nearerto their destination the Arabs' vigilance would relax. The thought thathe would have to kill the Sudanese, the Bedouins, and even Chamis,always caused him to shudder, but after the murder which the Bedouinshad committed, he did not have any scruples. He said to himself thatthe defense, liberty, and life of Nell were involved, and in view ofthis the lives of his adversaries did not deserve any consideration,especially if they did not surrender and it came to a fight.
But he was anxious about the short rifle. Stas resolved to secure it bystratagem, whenever the opportunity presented itself, and not to waituntil they reached Wadi Haifa, but perform the deed as soon as possible.
Accordingly he did not wait.
Two days had elapsed since they passed Assuan, and Idris finally at thedawn of the third day was forced to despatch the Bedouins forprovisions, which were totally lacking. In view of the diminishednumber of adversaries Stas said to himself: "Now or never!" andimmediately turned to the Sudanese with the following question:
"Idris, do you know that the country which begins not far beyond WadiHaifa is really Nubia?"
"I know. I was fifteen years old and Gebhr eight, when my father tookus from the Sudan to Fayum, and I remember that we rode at that time oncamels over the whole of Nubia. But this country belongs still to theTurks (Egyptians)."
"Yes. The Mahdi is only before Khartum and you see how foolishly Chamischattered when he told you that the army of dervishes reached as far asAssuan. However, I shall ask you something else. Now I have read thatin Nubia there are many wild animals and many brigands who do not serveany one and who attack alike the Egyptians and the faithful Mahdists.With what will you defend yourself, if wild animals or brigands attackyou?"
Stas purposely exaggerated in speaking of wild animals, but, on theother hand, highway robberies in Nubia, from the time of the war,occurred quite frequently, particularly in the southern part of thecountry bordering upon the Sudan.
Idris pondered for a while over the question, which surprised him, asheretofore he had not thought of these new dangers, and replied:
"We have knives and a rifle."
"Such a rifle is good for nothing."
"I know. Yours is better, but we do not know how to shoot from it, andwe will not place it in your hands."
"Even unloaded?"
"Yes, for it may be bewitched."
Stas shrugged his shoulders.
"Idris, if Gebhr said that, I would not
be surprised, but I thoughtthat you had more sense. From an unloaded rifle even your Mahdi couldnot fire--"
"Silence!" interrupted Idris sternly. "The Mahdi is able to fire evenfrom his finger."
"Then you also can fire in that way."
The Sudanese looked keenly into the boy's eyes.
"Why do you want me to give you the rifle?"
"I want to teach you how to fire from it."
"Why should that concern you?"
"A great deal, for if the brigands attack us they might kill us all.But if you are afraid of the rifle and of me then it does not matter."
Idris was silent. In reality he was afraid, but did not want to admitit. He was anxious, however, to get acquainted with the English weapon,for its possession and skill in its use would increase his importancein the Mahdists' camp, to say nothing of the fact that it would