HORROR
Turning in the direction the sound came from, George saw it was the third man close by him who had whispered the word. Here was a surprise; but a light began to dawn on him as he answered with alacrity—
"Allah is good!"
"And ever watchful!" said the man at once.
So Naoum's power was already working. Evidently this fight was a planned affair between thesetwo men, and Helmar waited wonderingly for what was to happen next.
The moment the fellow had given the sign he stooped down and quickly cut the ropes from the prisoner's feet and hands, and whispered, "Come! we will stay this Abdu's hand and give him a lesson!"
George sprang to his feet instantly, and the two men dashed at the struggling pair. Abdu's assailant, doubtless prepared for this, at once relaxed his hold and, before the enraged little officer could deliver a home thrust with his knife, he was seized by Helmar and his friend, and the weapon wrenched from his grasp.
The two guards now seemed inclined to leave the affair in the white man's hands, for the moment Helmar had got a firm grip on Abdu they fell back.
"So, traitors," screamed the maddened little man, bursting with fury, "you have turned on me and released your prisoner! By Allah! I swear you shall pay for this! You are in league against the great Pasha Arabi, and your lives shall pay the forfeit!"
All the answer he got to his ravings was a stolid smile of triumph from both men, and, to stay his tongue, Helmar gripped his throat until he almost choked with a spluttering cough.
"Never mind about traitors," said Helmar, in Arabic. "We are just going to read you a lesson; retribution has come to you sooner than youexpected. See!" he went on, turning to the others, "pass that rope along and we will bind him!"
The two men did as they were bid, and together they secured the officer in no very gentle manner. His hands were folded behind his back and bound in that position, so that when his feet had been secured also, he looked like a trussed fowl.
"I'll be more merciful than you were," said Helmar, laughing, as he forced him to lie full length on the floor. "I will not provide you with a pillow—but," as Abdu opened his mouth to speak, "if you utter a sound unbidden, I will fasten you to that chain and let you hang outside the door for the rest of the journey."
Abdu ground his teeth with rage, but kept silent. His eyes gleamed murder at the two men who had sold him and released his prisoner. This, however, in no way seemed to trouble them, for they only grinned defiance; whilst one of them drew his knife and felt its sharp point, as if meditating giving the little wretch a taste of it.
The humour of the situation appealed to George; all thoughts of revenge had gone, and he merely intended to keep the little man a prisoner in punishment for what he had done to him. After watching the contortions of his captive's face for a few moments, George turned to the two men.
"Well, what do you think is best to do?" he asked, wishing to find out what their instructions were. "I suppose it is no use to attempt escape.If we were to manage to jump from the train, it could only end in disaster."
"No, no," said one of the men. "There can be no escape. Abdu would have killed you had we not interfered. Our orders were to see that no harm befell you by the way, so while he sat beside you, we planned that little affair."
"And very well done it was," replied George, laughing. "But what will happen when we reach Cairo? You will be shot!"
"No," said the man, complacently. "It is all arranged. Abdu is a servant of Arden's, and although the master has ordered that you shall not be killed, yet has Arden ordered differently, and appointed Abdu to carry out his orders for him. Therefore, what we have done will bring us in favour with our chief, and Abdu will be punished—probably hanged," he added in a loud tone so that the prisoner could hear.
"Oh, I see," replied Helmar. "Then you will take him where you take me, and hand him over as a prisoner too, for attempting to murder me against Arabi's wish. That is decidedly smart. Do you hear, Abdu?"
All three men laughed, but the victim of their plans gave no sign. George was astonished at the workings of Naoum's power. He had already established a safeguard for him, even on the short journey to Cairo; what then would he do when at that place where Mariam Abagi was? The feelingof relief at this fresh instance of his protector's watchfulness filled him with a sense of security that he had not yet felt, and he blessed the man who was so kindly disposed towards him.
The rest of the journey passed uneventfully, and, as the train pulled up at its destination and Helmar and his guards alighted on the platform, he was glad to leave the stuffy, heated atmosphere of the place in which he had had such an exciting time.
Abdu and he marched from the station side by side. The difference between them was that Abdu's hands still remained bound, while he was allowed to walk unfettered. His guards hailed a conveyance, and the four were immediately taken to the prison.
This precaution was necessary, as Helmar soon discovered, for as they passed along the thoroughfares he saw that the whole city was in a ferment. The streets were thronged with a shouting cosmopolitan mob even at that early hour of the morning. Armed rebels were parading the streets, jostling and hustling any with whom they came into contact. There was not the slightest doubt that his white face would have served as a red rag to a bull in that mixed assembly, and he would never have reached his destination alive.
He remarked on this to his guards, and his surmise was at once confirmed.
"Your life would not be worth a minute's purchase exposed to view," replied the man he addressed. "For that matter, even natives have to be mostcareful, the place is almost in a state of riot. Egypt cannot last like this, we shall eat ourselves up."
Abdu was furtively watching the seething thoroughfare from the window, and, as the man finished speaking, he endeavoured to attract some one's attention outside by holding up his bound hands. The instant he did so, the guard flung himself upon him and forced him down; but it was too late, the mischief was done. With a cry, two or three of the crowd elbowed their way, at a run, towards the hack. Helmar glanced with apprehension at his guards, and noted the fear expressed in their faces, while Abdu was grinning with the most intense malice.
The driver evidently saw danger threatening his vehicle and whipped his horses up, but apparently some signal had been passed along the road, for the number of pursuers was momentarily increasing to a howling crowd.
What the issue would have been it is doubtful to say, but just at that moment they reached the citadel, parts of which were being used as prison cells, and, with intense relief, Helmar heard the gates of the courtyard close behind them.
The moment he alighted he was conducted by two evil-looking warders to his cell, whilst the guards, with Abdu, were taken to an office.
As soon as he found himself alone, Helmar looked round his prison. It was a decidedly uninviting place. Although much cleaner than the onein which he had been confined at Damanhour, it was bare of all furniture, except a sort of wooden trestle, evidently intended for his bed. This occupied one side of the room, which was a narrow apartment, about eight feet long by five in width. A dim light was allowed to penetrate into this dismal hole through a heavily-grated window high up in the wall. As George surveyed the place he came to the conclusion, from the solid construction of the walls, that he was in no ramshackle makeshift. There was none of the filth and dirt of his previous experience, and he felt that here at least he could lie down on the hard and uncomfortable boards without being eaten alive by loathsome insects.
He felt tired after his long journey, and his appetite was keen. He fancied that no matter what his diet might be, he could do ample justice to it when it should be brought along.
Using his coat as a pillow, he stretched himself out on his trestle and waited patiently for some one to come. Every now and then he burst out laughing, as his thoughts went back to the journey to Cairo.
What stunning fellows those two guards had proved themselves—and how smartly they had fooled Abdu! He wondered where they were, and if they would be allowed to look after him. Such luck, he was afraid, could not be. No, he would probably be waited upon by one of those twosurly fellows who had conducted him to his present abode.
An hour passed, and at last he heard a footstep outside; he wondered if it was the much-desired breakfast, or a summons before Arabi's tribunal. The steps came nearer, and a key was placed in the lock of his door. A moment later a warder entered with some bread and coffee.
The man silently advanced. Helmar's eyes watched his movements closely; he set the tin of coffee on the floor and the bread beside it, and thus, without a word, turned to depart.
"I say," cried George, as the man neared the door, "is this all a hungry man is to have? Why, hang it all, I was treated better by Arden!"
George had spoken in English, thinking it wisest not to air his Arabic before this man.
The warder only shook his head, to signify that he did not understand.
George then tried him in French, but with no better success. At last, seeing that his chance of a better breakfast was slipping from him, he repeated his remarks in Arabic.
"Bread and coffee is too good for a dog of an unbeliever," replied the warder, in a surly tone, "better food is only for the sons of the Prophet. The white dog will soon not need anything in Egypt."
As he finished speaking he left the cell, slamming the door behind him, as if to emphasize his disgust at waiting on a white man.
"The surly pig," muttered Helmar, when the man had gone. "It's scant favour I shall get from him. Heigho! my troubles seem never-ending, but there—upon my word, I am getting used to them now. Bread, eh?" he went on, picking up the hunk of stale, black, husky-looking stuff before him. "I could make better bread myself out of bran."
He picked up the tin of coffee and tasted it.
"Ah, that's a bit better. I must say they do understand making coffee." Without more ado he ate his bread ravenously, and, in spite of its blackness and heaviness, felt very much refreshed when he had finished. The coffee was certainly good, and George drank it sparingly, lest it should be long before he got any more.
After this he lay down to take a nap. Sleep was not long in overtaking him, and despite his troubles, despite his hard uncomfortable bed, he slumbered peacefully.
It seemed to him he had not slept five minutes when he was rudely awakened by some one pulling at his leg. It was his gaoler.
"Come on, you're wanted," he said, with an unpleasant smile; "they're going to ask you some questions."
"Eh, what? Who's going to ask me some questions?" said George, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. "Eh?" as he looked at his gaoler in greatsurprise. "Oh yes, I remember now—all right, lead on, I'm with you."
He sprang from his hard couch, and stretched himself as he spoke. He had not yet had time to think or he would scarcely have answered as cheerily; neither had he seen the unpleasant look on the man's face, which portended anything but something pleasant awaiting him. However, he followed his guide, who led him out of the building across the courtyard he had entered in the morning, to a sort of miniature tower standing alone. The place was of peculiar structure, and there was no doubt that it was not built by European hands. So interested was he in the place that he drew the warder's attention to it.
"What place is this? part of the prison?"
"Ay, it's part of the prison, but a part not much used—until now," and he turned to the door, fumbling with a great key in the lock.
Helmar's curiosity was still further aroused. The man's words conveyed hidden meaning.
"Yes, but what is it for? Does it contain another series of cells?"
"You will soon find out what it is for unless you are sensible, and it certainly contains another series of cells," replied the man, flinging back the heavy iron-studded door, which creaked and groaned as if it hadn't been opened for years.
Without another word the warder led the way in. The air was musty and dark, and Georgeshuddered as he stepped into the dark passage that lay before him. As soon as he had passed in the gaoler turned and closed the door, and then proceeded to guide our hero to the head of a flight of stone steps. Here he took a lighted lantern from the wall, and together they descended into the depths below.
The moment he put his foot on the first step of the stairway, George remembered Naoum's words. Was this the place in which theinterrogationwas to be carried out! The very thought of it sent a cold shiver of terror down his back, but he knew that it would be worse than useless to fight against the inevitable; even if he refused to go farther his retreat was entirely cut off, and doubtless his gaoler could summon aid to force him to the tribunal. No, he would endeavour to put a bold face upon it, and trust to circumstances and Naoum's help to see him through. Keeping close to his guide he steadily descended. The staircase wound round and round, and as they got lower and lower the steps became more and more damp and slippery, until at last he had to cling to a sort of rough wooden balustrade for support. At last the end of what seemed an interminable journey was reached, and the two men stood in front of an iron door. This, with some difficulty, the gaoler opened, and proceeded along a short narrow passage which ended in an archway covered by some rough damp fabric. Pulling this aside, the man led the way.
Helmar stood where he was, just inside the archway, while his guide proceeded to light several lanterns which hung round the walls.
As the light spread over the room, a frenzy of terror seized Helmar, and he stood rooted to the spot.
IN THE HANDS OF THE PHILISTINES
The feeling of terror passed off as quickly as it had come. As the light spread luridly over the dismal room it exposed to our hero's gaze the unmistakable signs that the place was to be used for the administration of tortures. Instruments and tools of all sorts lay about in every direction, bottles were stored on a shelf in one corner, whether containing medical material, or stuff of a more deadly nature, George had no means of discovering. In another corner ofthe dungeon stood a brick forge, with various irons scattered about on it, which were doubtless used for branding purposes. His attention was drawn to a pile of manacles and chains, amongst which he detected iron collars, anklets, iron bars of enormous weight, all cruel-looking and of dreadful portent.
In one wall was placed a series of rings with ropes attached, while close by lay a heavy thonged lash; the nature of these things left him in no doubt concerning their use.
As his eyes rested on them in turn, George again felt the terror coming on him; involuntarily he trembled, and it was only by a supreme effort he was able to cast it from him. The tension of his feeling was so great that to relieve it he turned to his gaoler.
"But why am I brought here? They cannot torture a prisoner of war!" he exclaimed. "But perhaps," as an idea struck him, "they intend to frighten me."
The gaoler guffawed in a sepulchral manner at what he considered his prisoner's simplicity; he did not understand that George was trying to convince himself against his own better judgment.
"Frighten, eh?" he said at last, when his gruesome merriment had ceased, "they'll not waste their time in trying to frighten a Christian dog! These things are not for show, but use. Since the white people came to this country, this place," he went on, with a comprehensive sweep of his hands, "has not beenused, but kept more as a curiosity than anything else; now the Egyptians again rule, they will once more adopt the methods of our forefathers."
"Oh, yes," replied George, with growing irritation at the man's undisguised hatred for the white people in general, and himself in particular, "I know all about themightyEgyptians and their forefathers. I've heard all about that before, but it has nothing to do with bringing me down here. What I want to know is, why I'm brought here."
At the sneering tone George used when speaking of the Egyptians the expression of the gaoler's face lowered and his eyes shot fire, and as he ceased speaking the man turned away, and busied himself with setting a great arm-chair in position in the centre of the room.
"You know a great deal about Egypt besides," he said in slow, measured tones, wiping cobwebs from a cumbersome piece of furniture, "and that is the reason you are brought here. Those who will not speak must be made to speak."
"I am ready to tell them all I know, and I can assure you it isn't much."
"About the British troops and their Commander's plans?" asked the man, with a stolid look of surprise.
Helmar burst out into a laugh, although he felt anything but like doing so.
"Why, man, how should I know anything about it—I am not an officer!"
The gaoler smiled grimly. He had expected this,and refrained from comment, contenting himself with shrugging his shoulders in an approved Eastern style.
Seeing that nothing further was to be gained from this unintelligent pig, Helmar gave up the attempt, and examined more closely the instruments of torture, wondering in a hopeless sort of way what was to be his fate. Unable to come to any decision, he flung himself into the chair his gaoler had set in the centre of the room, a prey to a horrible despair.
He had hardly seated himself when he became aware of the sound of approaching footsteps. They did not come from the passage by which he had entered, but from the opposite side of the room. At that moment the gaoler approached, and, seizing him roughly by the shoulder, attempted to hustle him from his seat.
"This is for another; we will find something less comfortable for you."
Helmar detested being pushed about, and as he expected to be handled badly later on, he determined to put up with none of it now. He sprang in a bound from his seat and, turning, dealt the great Egyptian a smashing blow on the face, and was about to follow it up with another, when a door, which he had not seen, suddenly opened, and a procession of dusky figures entered. Instantly two of the new-comers sprang forward and, before George could continue his chastisement, had him securelypinioned, his flashing eyes indicating the storm of rage that was going on within him.
Realizing that now, if ever, he must be calm, he stifled back his feelings, and waited for the next act in the horrible drama. Six men had entered, and one of them seated himself at once in the arm-chair George had vacated. He was a powerful, thick-set fellow and evidently, by the deference the others paid him, a man of considerable importance. His expression was one of fixed malignity, and George rightly surmised that he need look for no mercy from this individual. He wondered who and what he was. Was he a magistrate, or some potentate of Arabi's army? He did not give him the idea of being a military man. His costume was decidedly that of the native civilian, and yet there was an air of stern command about the man that puzzled him.
At a sign from the new-comer, the two men who held him proceeded to divest Helmar of his coat and shirt. This done, his hands and feet were fastened, and he was then thrown on the floor face downwards, while the bigger of his two custodians stood by, handling the deadly kourbash.
There was no mistaking their vile intentions; he was to be interrogated with a vengeance, and George eyed the cruel thong as it lay idly resting on the ground beside the great Arab. The horrors it conjured up in his mind were too appalling for words. Already in fancy he could feel its relentless blows on his bared back, and he shuddered againand again. He shut his teeth and, to use his own phraseology, determined to "die hard." He would show these inhuman monsters that a white man could stand without a sign anything they could think of to reduce him to submission. In bitterness he felt that this mockery of interrogation was only an excuse to vent their hatred of the European, and that in reality they did not hope to discover anything from him, and, in fact, knew that he had no information to give.
The dreaded kourbash, he was determined, should do its fell work with no response from him, terrible as he knew that punishment would be; they might kill him, they might flay him alive, but they could not reduce his stubborn pride as no doubt they hoped to do. This spirit bore him through those few moments that preceded the first words of his mock interrogation, but he felt himself shrink on the floor when he saw the slightest movement on the part of his executioner. The torture of that short period was the refinement of cruelty, but never for one moment did he waver from his fixed determination to face his inquisitors like a man and a son of his fatherland.
At last the man in the chair spoke; his tones were calm and dispassionate, but there rang in them an undercurrent of intensity that warned George, whose mental faculties were painfully acute, that the latent feeling of racial hatred was only held in check by the power of an iron will, and that like a boilingvolcano it needed but the faintest extra aggravation to make it burst forth and overwhelm its surroundings. The man's words fell on his ears like the knell of doom, and ere he replied he braced himself for the inevitable result of his answer.
"Being a secret agent of the British, you possess information that will be of use to the great Pasha now ruling the land of the faithful!"
Though the words were an assertion, the tones in which they were delivered were undoubtedly those of a question. While yet considering his reply, George saw out of the corner of his eye the fearful kourbash raised from the ground. Quickly making up his mind that no subterfuge would hold him, Helmar replied—
"I am not a secret agent, neither do I possess any information whatsoever of the British movements. How should I? Have I not been a captive ever since Arabi was expelled from Alexandria?"
Notwithstanding the fearful position in which he stood, George could not resist this little bit of sarcasm at the expense of Arabi's prowess. Apparently his interrogator had no sense of humour, for although Helmar could not see the man he was convinced that he gave some sign. There was a horrid swish in the air, and the kourbash fell across his bare shoulders with ruthless force, and a great wale was raised where it struck. George uttered no sound, but, bursting with indignation and in great pain, waited for the next question.
It came quickly, and in the same even tones.
"Your retort is untimely, and will bring retribution upon you. The faithful require no comments from the Christian dog. Answer the questions put to you, simply, that your punishment may be less severe. We would mercifully save you more pain than is necessary. It is known that you are aware of the point at which the forces of the great Pasha are to be attacked. The English dogs are slow, but they are cunning. Where will their men-of-war be concentrated?"
"How can I tell you that—I don't know," replied Helmar irritably.
The last words were scarcely out his mouth when the kourbash again fell with terrific force on his flesh, this time twice in rapid succession. The pain was intense, and as each blow fell George hollowed his back involuntarily as if by doing so he would lessen the force of the dreaded thong. His back was scalding, and the sting of the cruel lash pervaded his whole body, but he only shut his teeth the harder and waited for what next was to come.
"Where will the concentration take place?"
The words came like the knell of doom, the monotony of their tone was appalling.
"I do not know," replied George again.
Again the lash fell, with another cut added—again he writhed in pain, pain that was anguish of mind as well as of body. He felt as if his brain was bursting with the dreadful slowness of the proceedings.It seemed to him that if he were to receive a hundred lashes in quick succession he could easily stand it, but the torture of the delay was fearful.
Again the fiendish inquisitor asked his question, and again our hero replied in the negative. Four more frightful cuts of the inexorable kourbash fell on his rapidly-scarring back. The torture he endured was frightful, not a single blow from the raw-hide thong but was timed to produce the utmost effect; his back was waled in large ridges, and with a fiendish cruelty the inhuman executioner with unfailing aim had smote and re-smote him in the same place. Already he could feel that the skin had burst, and it came almost as a relief as he felt the flow of blood down his back. Again and again the malignant man in the chair asked his question. Again and again the answer came from our hero, followed quickly by the increased number of lashes from his executioner.
The terrible punishment was beginning to tell; already George had passed from the defiant stage to one of patient endurance. As the torture continued his body began to feel numbed, and he became light-headed; he caught himself counting in a foolish manner the number of strokes he had received, and as each one fell, he would add two or three according to whether he felt it more or less than its predecessor. Once he even laughed as the man struck him on a part of his body that wasclothed, with the effect that the executioner, enraged at the levity, redoubled his merciless attack.
The light-headed stage passed off and was replaced by a feeling of horrible despair. He wondered when these monsters would have vented their spite sufficiently; he wondered if he would be alive at the end of the castigation, or if they would flay the flesh from his body. He thought of the ignominious ending it would be to his brief career with the fighting line.
[Transcriber's note: Illustration not available.Caption: "He was already beyond crying out. All sense of feeling had left him!"]
His head was buried in his arms, and he was becoming indifferent to how frequently the kourbash fell on his shoulders. Had he but known it, it was the beginning of unconsciousness; he uttered no sound, he cared nothing for what was going on; he no longer, as the blows were rained on him, shut his teeth to bear the pain—it was not necessary, he was already beyond crying out. All sense of feeling had left him.
Now and again he could hear, as if a long way off, the voice of the inquisitor repeating his question, but it had no meaning for him, the words were blurred and indistinct to his mental faculties, and he made no attempt to answer.
Presently the blows ceased to fall; his body lost all feeling as his legs became cramped, and he fell into unconsciousness. Suddenly he was aroused from his torpor by angry voices. Far away they sounded, but still they penetrated to his dulled and aching brain. He could hear a high-pitched, shrill,screaming sound that struck on his almost senseless nerves with a shock.
Vaguely he became aware that his flogging had ceased, and that something had gone wrong with his persecutors.
With a supreme effort he roused himself, but he was too weak and feeble to be able to grasp the meaning of what he heard, and quickly sank down to full length again, as he felt a warm touch on his hands.
A FRIEND INDEED
The oblivion into which our hero had fallen did not last long, the suspension of brain-power was but passing and soon gave place to dreams. With that extraordinary irony of reduced mental power these dreams were of the most beautiful description; all the agony he had suffered had passed away, and he dreamt that he was in a gorgeous garden on the banks of his beloved Danube; all around him the most beautiful fountains played, and people were wandering about terraces and lawns dressed in lovely white flowingrobes. Many of the faces he saw about him were those of the friends of his earlier associations, and they smiled and bowed to him as they passed by where he was reclining. No one seemed to speak, and a silence too peaceful and delightful for words reigned everywhere.
In the distance beyond the limits of this perfect place, he saw many dark shadows, in each of which he could distinctly trace the figures of dusky Egyptians vainly endeavouring to reach him, but, as each one made the attempt, he was beaten back by the heavy fall of some terrible weapon. Suddenly the scene changed and he was seated on a throne. On every side the white-robed figures stood waiting for him to speak; this he was vainly attempting to do, but at each effort a terrible pain passed over him and the words remained unuttered. At last a big fountain began to play in front of where he sat, and the spray, in falling, played over his throne, saturating him and every one around; then his tongue seemed released, and he suddenly awoke to find himself lying upon a comfortable bed, with Mariam Abagi stooping over him bathing his back. The moment he regained consciousness the agony of his position burst upon him with terrible force. Racking pains shot all through his body, until he felt that he must shriek aloud; he could move neither hand nor foot, for, at each effort, his pain was redoubled, and he lay still, moaning piteously.
At last the bathing that Mariam was administering began to soothe him, he felt easier, and his moans lessened. As time went on they ceased altogether, and the bathing was at once discontinued.
He was now aware of everything that had happened, and longed to ask his nurse to tell him all that had occurred after the flogging had ceased. Once he made an effort to speak, but Mariam restrained him by giving him something to drink. After that he slept.
When next he awoke there were several people in the room. Mariam was seated at his side, and Naoum stood near, while several dusky figures were waiting in the background. He found that he had been turned on to his back, and he felt very little pain until he attempted to move, when he at once realized that he had better make no further effort in that direction.
"Where am I, Mariam? In prison still?" he asked in feeble tones.
The old woman's face relaxed from its stern expression and became wreathed in a wrinkled smile, which set George's heart at rest before she uttered a word.
"Yes, my son, still in prison, but with those around you who will no more allow harm to reach you. We only found you out just in time, or you would have seen the light of day no more. Your enemies were clever, and attacked you quickly to prevent our interference, but the news was broughtto us and we hurried to your assistance. You are now in safety."
George thought for a moment, his eyes resting on Naoum's face, everything became quite clear to him, and he remembered, though indistinctly, the angry tones he had heard before he became unconscious, and was wondering if they were Mariam's.
"Did you come yourself?" he next asked her. "Ah," as she nodded, "I remember your voice."
"Yes, I was indeed angry, and had to exert all my power before the wretched Pasha would release you."
The old woman's look as she uttered these words was one of intense hatred, and boded, as George thought, but little mercy should ever opportunity arise for the man who had attempted to defy her. Again he caught himself wondering at the power of these two strange people. His reflections were put a stop to as the sound of Naoum's voice fell on his ear.
"I will leave you, mother; he will recover now, and, under your administering, rapidly. See that you tell him the news I have brought you. There is much work for us all, and his share of it will require a healthy body."
As he finished speaking, Naoum turned and left the room, followed by the rest of his onlookers, whom Helmar quickly surmised were servants.
Mariam alone remained, intent upon the care of her patient. Her eyes never for one moment leftthe thin and drawn face on the pillow before her, anticipating, with the solicitous care of a mother, every need for his comfort.
"How long do you think it will be before I can get up?" asked George suddenly, after a long pause. "My back feels much better already. To-morrow?"
"No, no, my son. Not to-morrow or the day after, neither will you get up for some days to come," replied the old woman, shaking her head. "You have been injured almost unto death, and your recovery must surely be slow. As Naoum said, there is work to be done in which you will have to bear your part, and, to that end, we must take the greatest care of you. Now, listen, to-night I shall come again, when I shall have news of the greatest importance to communicate to you; by that time you will be sufficiently refreshed to listen, and for the while you must sleep."
She then administered an opiate and left him. In a few moments he was again buried in profound slumber. It was not until the morrow that he awoke; it was broad daylight when he did so, and while he waited for the coming of Mariam he scanned the apartment in which he was a prisoner. Evidently it was a room unused for the retention of people in custody, for it was fitted up in luxurious style. The walls were hung with heavy tapestries, and the floor was carpeted with Eastern rugs. The window he observed was unbarred, and this alone brought him a sense of comfort and repose that hecould never have felt, in spite of Mariam's assurances, had the ominous gratings obtruded their sinister presence. The window was sheltered from the intense rays of the burning sun outside by a protecting lattice, and this kept the atmosphere pleasantly cool within; he sighed as he mentally thanked his kindly friends for their goodness to him—a stranger. Several times his thoughts reverted to the wretches who had so cruelly flogged him, and vividly he traced his arch-enemy Arden's hand in all his sufferings; he was too weak to rouse himself to indignation, but he could not forget his inhuman treatment.
Presently his nurse entered, and his wounds were at once attended to. After submitting to the process he felt much relieved, and lay back, prepared to listen to the promised news, when his protectress should be disposed to deliver it.
"And now, Mariam, what about the news you have to tell me? I am quite strong enough to listen."
"Yes, I think I can safely tell you. You must not let anything I have to say excite you." She paused for a moment, as if to think how best to express herself, but, as she observed her patient's growing irritation at the delay, plunged into the subject at once.
"The information you were supposed to possess has already been communicated to Arabi. The silence and apparent inactivity of the British Commandershave now taken the form of a definite plan, and the Pasha is aware that they intend advancing against him from the direction of Port Said, through Ismalia on the canal. Against this Arabi will bring his army to meet them at some place on the railway, in the hopes of driving them back to the Suez. If this succeeds he will then destroy the canal, the further to hamper their movements."
"Yes, but is he aware of his opponent's strength? Surely they would not advance unless in overwhelming numbers?" George broke in. "Psha! The man must be mad to hope for success!"
"That of course remains to be seen," said Mariam slowly. "Naoum's people bring us word that soldiers have been landing ever since the beginning of the war, but Arabi's people, probably to encourage the rebellion, say no, that the British army is but a puny affair."
"What fools!" said Helmar. "They'll find out their mistake before long, and get such a smashing up that they won't forget in a hurry."
"Yes," said the old woman, "that we know, but all this will take a long time, and by the time the blow is ready to fall, I must get you well enough for the work before you."
Mariam paused, as if weighing her words. George was at once all interest. Something was coming, he felt sure, that was of even greater importance than the conflict and probable overthrow of Arabi. Mariam, he knew, never spoke lightly,and when she hinted at work that, apparently, could only be carried out by himself, it must indeed be of an urgent character.
"But what is this work you speak of in such solemn tones? Surely, it cannot be as important as the downfall of this arch-rebel, Arabi?"
"Listen, and I will tell you; then you can judge for yourself as to its importance. Naoum's people have discovered a cruel plot. Arabi, influenced by his wicked advisers, has arranged that, should he fail in his campaign against the British, should he receive one overwhelming defeat, then, to avenge himself upon his conquerors, at a word from him, Cairo will be burned to the ground."
"The villain!" exclaimed George. "He would ruin thousands of his own people for the sake of revenge on others! And this is the man to whom the misguided Arabs trust the emancipation of their country!"
"You must not excite yourself, my son," said Mariam, alarmed at the effect of her words on the invalid. "What I have said is the truth, but the scheme can be stayed through you. Naoum and I, whose interests do not entirely lie in this city, intend to thwart him for the sake of humanity, but without you our object will be difficult to accomplish."
"Yes, yes," said George, impatiently. "But how can I stop it? I am at best but one man, and a prisoner, and," ruefully glancing at his nurse, "bythe present signs, not likely to be able to get about for a month."
"All that we have taken into consideration," replied Mariam, calmly. "Your help in our plans will not be needed for some days yet, and by that time I hope to have you well and strong; but, in the meantime, we cannot care for you too well, for your enemies are powerful, and Naoum will have to keep an impenetrable shield over you while you lie here on a bed of sickness."
Helmar remained silent, thinking of the deep significance of Mariam's words. Evidently, he gathered from them, there was some very desperate enterprise in which they required him to take part. What was the nature of a scheme that could require such a solemn preamble?
"And what is required of me?" he asked, presently.
Mariam smiled, with a look of maternal affection in her calm, hollow eyes.
"In the first place to get well as soon as possible. Do not delay that desired end by worrying about the future. Everything that can be done by us for your safety will be attended to, and when the time comes, you shall be acquainted with what is required of you. You must rest content with what I have told you. The reason for telling you so much and no more is that you must see the importance of getting well as soon as possible."
George had to be content; no persuasion coulddraw from her anything more of the scheme with which she and her son determined to thwart Arabi. Many times he tried to get her to speak, but she would only shake her head and refuse to reply, so at last he gave it up and devoted himself to recovering from the effects of his flogging.
His recovery, despite the unremitting attention of his nurse, was somewhat slow; the frightful mauling he had received from the cruel kourbash had done its work well, but at last his terrible lacerations began to heal. His constitution did wonders for him; he was young and of strong vitality, and this, aided by Mariam's wonderful skill, brought him to the turning-point, and finally safety was reached.
It was some days, however, ere he rose from that bed of sickness, and when he did, the stalwart young athlete was hardly recognizable when he staggered from his bed to a chair. Notwithstanding his stern old nurse's fortitude, there was no mistaking the look of relief in her worn face when that day arrived. All her patience, all her untiring energy had not been in vain, she had helped to save his life, as she hoped to save, through him, the lives of thousands of poor souls in the beautiful city of Cairo.
George's strength came apace; every day saw him nearer the desired end. His bones, which at first had been almost bursting through his skin, quickly regained their wonted appearance, and hebegan to feel now that if there was any work for him to do there must be no further delay.
One evening he was seated beside the open window, Mariam was busying herself with arranging his supper, when he broached the subject that was ever in his thoughts.
"Mariam," he said, without turning his head, "tell me about the work that you and Naoum require of me. Is there yet time, or has my recovery been too long delayed?"
The old woman ceased in her preparations and came beside him. Just as she was about to speak a draught blew across her face, and she at once stepped to the window and closed it.
"The wind blows cold in the room to-night," she exclaimed, with a troubled look on her face. "I like it not. To-morrow we shall have you laid up again."
She looked round the room as she spoke, as if to discover where the draught came from. Failing to discover its source, she turned again to her companion.
"The time is even now at hand," she said, with deliberation. "To-morrow, Naoum will be here, when he will explain everything that you should know. Remember, every word that he speaks with you must be graven on your heart, nothing must be forgotten, for the lives of thousands of innocent souls depend upon your undertaking."
At this moment a sound attracted her attentionand she turned round with a look of uneasiness in her eyes. Presently she continued—
"I ask not, in my own name, that you should do aught to show the gratitude you may feel for what has been done for you, but if you feel that gratitude you have so often expressed, show it by carrying out Naoum's instructions to you as if your life depended upon it, and the debt will be largely on our side."
Without waiting for reply, she left the room.
So engrossed were these two in the subject of their conversation, that neither observed the shaking tapestry on the wall, or the faint exclamation that proceeded from it, as Mariam took her departure.