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@@ -1,39 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Hi Jolly!, by James Arthur Kjelgaard - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Hi Jolly! - -Author: James Arthur Kjelgaard - -Illustrator: Kendall Rossi - -Release Date: December 24, 2012 [EBook #41700] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HI JOLLY! *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan, Jen Haines and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - - - - - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41700 *** HI JOLLY! @@ -44,7 +9,7 @@ http://www.pgdpcanada.net Dodd, Mead & Company New York 1960 - (C) _by Eddy Kjelgaard, 1959._ + © _by Eddy Kjelgaard, 1959._ _Second printing_ @@ -4390,360 +4355,4 @@ Books by Jim Kjelgaard End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Hi Jolly!, by James Arthur Kjelgaard -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HI JOLLY! *** - -***** This file should be named 41700.txt or 41700.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/7/0/41700/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan, Jen Haines and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Hart was the originator of the Project Gutenberg-tm -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For forty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg-tm eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support. - -Project Gutenberg-tm eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the U.S. -unless a copyright notice is included. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Hi Jolly! - -Author: James Arthur Kjelgaard - -Illustrator: Kendall Rossi - -Release Date: December 24, 2012 [EBook #41700] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HI JOLLY! *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan, Jen Haines and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - - - - - - - - - HI JOLLY! - - By Jim Kjelgaard - - Illustrated by Kendall Rossi - - - Dodd, Mead & Company New York 1960 - - © _by Eddy Kjelgaard, 1959._ - - _Second printing_ - - _All rights reserved_ - - _No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without - permission in writing from the publisher_ - - _The general situation and many of the events described in this book - are based upon historical facts. However, the fictional characters - are wholly imaginative: they do not portray and are not intended to - portray any actual persons._ - - _Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 59-6197_ - - _Printed in the United States of America by Vail-Ballou Press, Inc., - Binghamton, N. Y._ - - - - - _Dedicated to_ DOROTHY AND ED HANSEN - - - - -Contents - - - 1. ALI FINDS THE DALUL 1 - - 2. FUGITIVE 21 - - 3. AMBUSH 38 - - 4. THE HADJ 52 - - 5. THE UNPARDONABLE SIN 64 - - 6. THE STRANGE SHIP 78 - - 7. ANOTHER PILGRIMAGE 94 - - 8. TROUBLE 105 - - 9. LIEUTENANT BEALE 120 - - 10. THE EXPEDITION 133 - - 11. THE WILDERNESS 145 - - 12. THE ROAD 158 - - 13. REUNION 174 - - - - -1. Ali Finds the Dalul - - -The first gray light of very early morning was just starting to thin -the black night when Ali opened his eyes. He came fully awake, with no -lingering period that was part sleep and part wakefulness, but he kept -exactly the same position he had maintained while slumbering. Until he -knew just what lay about him, he must not move at all. - -Motion, even the faintest stir and even in this dim light, was sure to -attract the eye of whoever might be near. In this Syrian desert, where -only the reckless turned their backs to their own caravan companions, -whoever might be near--or for that matter far--could be an enemy. - -When Ali finally moved, it was to extend his right hand, very slowly and -very stealthily, to the jeweled dagger that lay snugly sheathed beneath -the patched and tattered robe that served him as burnous by day, and bed -and bed covering by night. When his fingers curled around the hilt, he -breathed more easily. Next to a camel--of course a _dalul_, or riding -camel--a dagger was the finest and most practical of possessions, as -well as the best of friends. - -As for owning a _dalul_, Ali hadn't even hoped to get so much as a -baggage camel for this journey. When it finally became apparent that the -celestial rewards of a trip to Mecca would be augmented by certain -practical advantages if he made his pilgrimage now, he had just enough -silver to pay for the _ihram_, or ceremonial robe that he must don -before setting foot in the Holy City. Even then, it had been necessary -to provide Mustapha, that cheating dog of a tailor, with four silver -coins--and two lead ones--and Mustapha had himself to thank for that! -When Ali came to ask the price, it was five pieces of silver. When he -returned to buy, it was six. - -But the _ihram_, as well as the fifth silver coin which Mustapha might -have had if he'd retained a proper respect for a bargain, were now safe -beneath Ali's burnous. The dagger was a rare and beautiful thing. It had -been the property of some swaggering desert chief who, while visiting -Damascus, Ali's native city, had imprudently swaggered into a dark -corner. - -Though he frowned upon killing fellow humans for other than the most -urgent reasons, and he disapproved completely of assassins who slew so -they might rob, it never even occurred to Ali that he was obliged to do -anything except disapprove. He knew the usual fate of swaggering desert -chieftains who entered the wrong quarters of Damascus, and, when the -inevitable happened, he did not spring to the rescue. That was not -required by his code of self-preservation. So the assassin snatched his -victim's purse and fled without any intervention. Ali got the dagger. - -In the light of the journey he was undertaking, and the manner in which -he was undertaking it, a dagger was infinitely more precious than the -best-filled purse. Mecca was indeed a holy city, but of those who -traveled the routes leading to it, not all confined themselves to holy -thoughts and deeds. Many a pilgrim had had his throat slit for a trifle, -or merely because some bandit felt the urge to practice throat slitting. -A dagger smoothed one's path, and, as he waited now with his hand on the -hilt of his protective weapon, Ali thought wryly that his present path -was in sore need of smoothing. - -He'd left Damascus two weeks ago, intending to offer his services, as -camel driver, to the Amir of the nearby village of Sofad. He would then -travel to Mozarib with his employer's caravan. The very fact that there -would be force behind the group automatically meant that there would -also be reasonable safety. Located three days' journey from Damascus, -two from Sofad, Mozarib was the assembly point and starting place for -the great Syrian _Hadj_, or pilgrimage. It went without saying that, if -Ali tended to his camel driving and kept his dagger handy, he would go -all the way to Mecca with the great _Hadj_, which often consisted of -5000 pilgrims and 25,000 camels. - -Thus he had planned, but his plans had misfired. - -He reached Sofad on the morning scheduled for departure, only to find -that the Amir, at the last moment, had decided to make this first march -toward Mozarib a cool one and had left the previous night. Hoping to -catch up, but not unmindful of the perils that beset the way when he -neared the camp of the Sofad pilgrims, Ali had decided that it would be -prudent to reconnoiter first. It had indeed been prudent. - -Peering down at the camp from a nest of boulders on a hillock, Ali was -just in time to see the Amir and his fourteen men beheaded, in a most -efficient fashion, by sword-wielding Druse tribesmen who'd taken the -camp. Afterwards, the raiders had loaded everything except the stripped -bodies of their victims on their own camels and departed. - -It was a time for serious thinking, to which Ali had promptly devoted -himself. Unfortunately, he failed also to think broadly, and the only -conclusion he drew consisted of the fact that it was still possible for -him to go on and join the _Hadj_. Camel drivers were always welcome. -Sparing not a single thought to the idea that Druse raiders would -rather kill than do anything else, Ali had almost been caught unawares -by the one who had slipped hopefully back to see if he could find -somebody else to behead. Ali had taken to his heels and, so far, he had -proved that he was fleeter than his pursuer. Tenacious as any bloodhound, -the Druse had stayed on his trail until yesterday morning. Now he was -shaken. Ali knew that he was somewhere south of Damascus and, with any -luck, might yet join the _Hadj_. - -Help would not come amiss. Ali drank the last sip from his goatskin -water flask, shifted his dagger just a little, so it would be ready to -his hand should he have need of it, and made ready to address himself to -the one unfailing Source of help. - -Though he had no more water, there was an endless supply of sand. Good -Moslems who could read and write had assured him that this statement -appears in the _Koran_: "When ye rise up to prayer, wash your faces and -your hands and your arms to the elbows, and wipe your heads and your -feet to the ankles." Though it was commonly assumed that one would -cleanse himself with water before daring to mention Allah's name, -special provisions applied to special occasions. For those who had no -water, sand was an acceptable substitute. - -His ablutions performed, Ali faced toward Mecca, placed an open hand on -either side of his face and intoned, "God is most great." Remaining in -a standing position, he proceeded to the next phase of the prayer that -all good Moslems must offer five times daily. - -It was the recitation of the opening _sura_, or verse, of the _Koran_. -Ali, who'd memorized the proper words, had not proceeded beyond, "In the -name of the merciful and compassionate God. Praise belongs to God--" -when he was interrupted by the roar of an enraged camel. - -Ali halted abruptly, instantly and completely, forgetting the sacred -rite in which he'd been absorbed and that had five more complete phases, -each with prescribed gestures, before he might conclude it. When he -finally remembered, he was a little troubled; Allah might conceivably -frown upon whoever interrupted prayers to Him. But Ali remembered also -that Allah is indulgent toward those who are at war, in danger, ill, or -for other good reasons are unable to recite the proper prayers in the -proper way at the prescribed times. - -Surely a camel in trouble--and, among other things, the beast's roar -told Ali that it was in trouble--was the finest of reasons for ignoring -everything else. Not lightly had the camel been designated as Allah's -greatest gift to mankind. To slight His gift would be to slight Him. His -conscience clear on that point, Ali devoted himself to analyzing the -various things he'd learned about when a camel roared in the distance. - -The earliest recollection of Ali, who'd never known father or mother, -was of his career as a rug vendor's apprentice in the bazaar of The -Street Called Straight. His master worked him for as many hours as the -boy could stay awake, beat him often and left him hungry when he was -unable to steal food. But the life was not without compensations. - -Though no longer enjoying the flourishing trade it had once known, -Damascus sat squarely astride the main route between the vast reaches of -Mohammedan Turkey and Mecca, the city that every good Moslem must visit -at least once during his lifetime. The Turks came endlessly, and in -numbers, and since it's only sensible to do a little trading, even when -on a holy pilgrimage, when they reached Damascus, they stopped to trade -at The Street Called Straight. But though the pilgrims were interesting, -Ali found the camels that carried both the Turks and their goods -infinitely more so. - -He knew them all--plodding baggage beasts, two-humped bactrians, the -hybrid offspring of bactrians and one-humped camels, and all the species -and shades of species in between. But though he liked all camels, he -saved his love for the dromedary, the _heira_, the _hygin_, riding -camel, or, as Ali called them, the _dalul_. - -Invariably ridden by proud men and never used for any purpose other -than riding, they were a breed apart. Slighter and far more aristocratic -than the baggage beasts, they could carry a rider one hundred miles -between sunrise and sunset, satisfy themselves with a few handfuls of -dates when the ride ended, and go without water for five days. Their -pedigrees, in many instances longer than those of their riders, dated -back to pre-Biblical history. The owner of a _dalul_ considered such a -possession only slightly less precious than his life. - -It was when he became acquainted with the _dalul_ that Ali invented his -own mythical father. This parent was not a nameless vagabond, petty -thief, or fly-by-night adventurer who never even knew he'd sired a son -and wouldn't have cared if he had, but a renowned trainer of _dalul_. It -was he who went to the camel pastures and chose the wild young stallions -that were ready for breaking. Though they would kill any ordinary man -who ventured near, Ali's father gentled them and taught them to accept -the saddle and rein. Ali determined that he himself must go out with the -camels and promptly ran away from his master. - -Because he was too young to be of any imaginable use, the few caravan -masters who condescended to look at him usually aimed a blow right after -the look. For two years Ali was one of the numerous boy-vagabonds who -infested the bazaars of Damascus. If such a life did not elevate the -mind it could not help but sharpen the wits. - -Then, just after his ninth birthday, Ali got his chance to go out with a -caravan. It was a very small and very poor one, fewer than fifty camels, -and the caravan master decided to take Ali only because he was a boy. As -such, quite apart from the fact that he could safely be browbeaten, it -was reasonable to assume that he had not had time to learn all the -tricks of experienced drivers, the more talented among whom have been -known to get rich, and leave the owners poor, on just one journey. - -Apart from their uses and physical functions, which he learned so -precisely that one glance enabled him to cite any camel's past history, -age, present state of health, and what it would probably do next, Ali -came to appreciate the true miracle of a camel. He was the one in ten -thousand, the camel driver who knew everything the rest did--and much -they did not--and who transcended that to understand clearly the nature -of the camel itself. So fine was his touch and so complete the affinity -between camels and himself, that even beasts thought hopelessly -unmanageable responded to him. - -Nine years old when he made his first trip, Ali had spent the past nine -years on the caravan routes. He'd been to Baghdad, Istanbul, Tosya, -Trebizond. He went where the camels went and never cared if it was two -hundred miles or two thousand. But though every member of a caravan is -entitled to trade for himself, and many a camel driver has become a -caravan master or owner, Ali was as poor as on the day he started. - -Partly responsible for this was his consuming passion for camels and his -negligible interest in trading. Far more at fault was his origin. The -men of the caravans knew him as Ali, and only Allah could know more -about camels. To the merchants, who saw camels merely as the most -convenient method for transporting goods, he remained the orphan waif of -Damascus. They turned their backs upon one who had neither family nor -prestige, who could point to no achievement other than an outstanding -skill with camels. Now, camels were very convenient, but, as every -merchant in a perfumed drawing room knew, they also smelled! - -So Ali had a most compelling reason for deciding to undertake his -pilgrimage at this time. After he'd been to Mecca, like all others who -have completed the difficult and dangerous journey, he'd be entitled to -add the prefix "Hadji" to his name. That alone would never make him the -equal of the wealthy merchants who also had been to Mecca, but it would -surely make him the superior of all who had not. And this was a vast -number, since the life of a merchant is not necessarily conducive to -physical achievement and the journey to Mecca is hard. - -Now, in a desert wilderness, while on the way to Mecca, a camel had -cried out to Ali, and he could not have helped responding, even if the -camel had cried while he was at prayer in the _masjid-al-haram_, the -Great Mosque of Mecca. - -Its roar had already told Ali many things about the beast, including the -exact direction he must take to find it and approximately how far he -must go before locating it. The sound had had a certain timbre and -quality that hinted of regal things and regal bearing, therefore it was -not a baggage animal. However, neither did it have the awesome blast of -a fully-grown _dalul_. It was not challenging another stallion to -battle, but roaring in rage and defiance at something that it did not -know how to fear. - -Ali's hand slipped back to the hilt of his dagger. Unmindful of the hot -little wind that had just arisen, and that would become hotter as the -day grew longer, he started toward the camel. Although he had never been -here before, he had traveled similar country often enough to make a -reasonably accurate guess as to the terrain that lay ahead. - -It was a land of low hills, or hillocks, whose sides and narrow crests -supported a straggling growth of Aleppo pine intermixed with scrubby -brush. There was more than average rainfall, so the trees were bigger -and not as parched as those found in very arid regions. The camel was in -a gulley between the second and third hills. Ali climbed the hill, slunk -behind an Aleppo pine, peered around the trunk and gasped. - -There was a camp in the gulley--and a string of baggage camels and -men--but at first glance Ali saw nothing except the _dalul_. Of a deep -fawn color, which stamped it as one of the Nomanieh dromedaries, it was -still so young that it had not yet attained full growth. Located apart -from the rest, each separate leg was held by a separate rope, and the -bonds were stretched so tightly that the beast could hardly move. A -fifth rope, that encircled its neck, was equally tight. - -Evidently bound in such a fashion for many hours, the young _dalul_ was -weary, thirsty and choking. But, despite its obvious misery, this was -far and away the most magnificent beast Ali had ever beheld. It was the -riding camel he'd often dreamed of when, plodding along some lonely -caravan trail, he'd conjured up mental images of the perfect _dalul_. - -Further examination revealed why the young _dalul_ was bound so cruelly. -Ali's lip curled in contempt. - -The men--he counted nineteen--were part of the same band of Druse -tribesmen who'd pillaged the camp of Sofad and massacred its people. -Evidently they considered themselves safe here, since they kept no watch -at all and seemed to be unconcerned about anything. The twenty-nine -camels on the picket line were all stolid baggage animals such as even -Druse could handle. The young _dalul_ was something else. - -There was no telling just how it had fallen into the hands of the -Druse; a _dalul_ so fine would certainly be carefully guarded. -Regardless of how the raiders had obtained the animal, they could not -handle it. Obviously, it had turned on them and probably hurt -somebody--Ali voiced a fervent hope that the injury was not a light -one--and now the _dalul_ was tightly bound, to insure that it would hurt -nobody else. - -Ali whispered, "Have patience, brother." - -Slowly and thoroughly, beginning at one end and letting his eyes move -alertly to the other, Ali inspected the camp and confirmed an ugly truth -that had already been pointed out by common sense. With eight good men -at his back, and the element of surprise in their favor, he would have a -reasonable chance of storming the camp. But, as things were-- - -He'd help neither the _dalul_ nor himself by joining his ancestors at -this moment, Ali decided. He pulled the burnous over his head, drew the -dagger from its sheath and settled down to wait. - -The light grew, and the heat with it, as the sun climbed higher. Ali -risked moving just enough to pick up a pebble and put it on his tongue. -He had no water, and if the wait proved a long one, the pebble would -help relieve thirst. He must not move again, though. The merest flicker -could be one too many, and certainly a Druse tribesman with even a -baggage camel could run down a man who hadn't any. - -A camel rider, coming into camp from the south, roused not the least -interest among the men already there, and Ali took mental note of the -incident. Doubtless these raiders were flanking the great _Hadj_, but -surely they could not be insane enough to attack it. Probably they -intended to waylay small groups coming from various sources to join the -_Hadj_, just as they had the camp of Sofad. The very fact that the camel -rider came almost unnoticed proved that the raiders had a sentry posted -to the south, and the sentry had somehow advised his companions of the -rider's approach. Apparently, they anticipated no interference from any -other point of the compass. - -Sudden hope rose in Ali's heart. The rider might be bringing news of -another caravan to be attacked, and, if so, he and his companions would -depart very shortly. Since they did not know how to control it anyhow, -they would not take the _dalul_ with them. Ali's eyes strayed back to -the tethered animal. - -It must have come from the very choicest of the riding camels of some -mighty official. Even the Pasha of Damascus would not have many such, -for the simple reason that there weren't many. More than ever, it -represented all the perfection dreamed of by some camel breeder--some -long-dead camel breeder, since the _dalul_ had never been produced in -one generation or during the life span of one man--who knew the desert -and yearned for the ideal camel. - -Watching the _dalul_, Ali found his own mounting thirst easier to bear. -The animal had been without water longer than he and probably was -desperate for a drink--but refused to show it. Ali had learned while -still apprenticed to the rug vendor that camels may be as thirsty as any -other creatures. He turned his eyes back to the men. - -One, in a rather desultory fashion, was mending a pack saddle. Two or -three others were at various small chores and the rest were sleeping in -the shade of their own tents. The hardness flowed back into Ali's eyes. - -No followers of Mohammed, the Druse were devoted to heathen gods and -rituals. It was not for that, or their hypocrisy--a Druse tribesman -going among other peoples usually pretended to accept the religion of -his hosts--or their thievery, or the fact that they seldom attacked -anyone at all unless the odds were heavily in their favor, that Ali now -hated them. He'd have hated anyone at all who mistreated such a _dalul_ -in such a fashion! - -It occurred to Ali that he had neglected the prayer he should have -offered immediately after the sun rose and probably would have to omit -proper ceremonies at high noon, but it did not worry him. Allah, the -Compassionate, would surely understand that there are certain -inconveniences attached to the observance of prayers while in the full -sight of hostile Druse. Nor would He frown upon Ali for refusing to let -the _dalul_ out of his sight. When Ali left the camp, the _dalul_ was -leaving with him. - -Passing the noon mark and starting its swing to the west, the full glare -of the sun no longer burned down on Ali's burnous, and the branches of -the Aleppo pine offered some shade. But since the day became hotter as -it grew longer, with the hottest hour of any being that one just -preceding sunset, there was little relief from the heat. - -Ali lay as still as possible, partly because the slightest motion would -be sure to excite the curiosity of any Druse who happened to glance his -way and partly because moving must inevitably make him hotter. Helping -him to accept with grace what almost any other man of almost any other -nation would have found an unendurable wait were certain talents and -characteristics that had been his from birth. - -Though he'd never even known his own father, Ali was of ancient blood. -Few of his ancestors, throughout all the generations, had ever had the -facilities, even though they might possess the best of reasons, for -going anywhere in a hurry. Ali came of people who knew how to wait, and -added to his inheritance was his experience with the caravans. -Regardless of when a shipment had been promised for delivery in Baghdad -or Aleppo, it lingered along the way, if the camels that carried it -developed sore feet en route. - -In some measure, Ali suffered from heat, and, to a far greater extent, -he knew the tortures of thirst, but he accepted both with the inborn -fatalism of one who knows he must accept what he can neither change nor -prevent. Heat and thirst were passing factors. Unless he died first, in -which event he'd join Allah's celestial family, sooner or later he'd be -cool and he'd drink. - -There'd been little action in the camp all day, but toward night the -Druse stirred. They did so surlily, grudgingly, after the fashion of men -who do not like what they've been doing in the recent past and have no -reason to suppose they'll be doing anything more interesting in the near -future. Rather than build cooking fires, they nibbled dates, meal and -honey cakes, and drank from goatskin flasks. There was no singing, not -even much shouting. The Druse, born raiders who could be happy only when -in the saddle and riding to the attack, must now be unhappy and snarl at -each other because their scouts, who were doubtless haunting every -caravan trail, had brought no news of quarry sighted. - -Night came, and with it a coolness so refreshing that it inspired Ali to -thoughts of the heavenly bath that must be enjoyed by Allah's angels. -The cool night air fell and enfolded him like a gentle flood, but with -no hint of the earth's dross. After a blazing day, it was as welcome as -the sight of green palms ringing an oasis. - -Ali reveled in the coolness, but not nearly as much as he did in the -fact that, with night, the Druse camp quieted. After waiting another -hour, he drew his dagger and went forward. - -The sky was cloudless, but there was no moon and, at this early hour, -very few stars shone. Ali advanced with silent and unfaltering speed, in -spite of the fact that he could see almost nothing. A dozen times during -the day he had marked the exact route between himself and the young -_dalul_. He knew where he was going. - -Ali's fingers tightened on the dagger's hilt. If Allah saw fit to reveal -him to the Druse, he hoped that the All Merciful would see equally fit -to defend himself manfully. When Ali was within a dozen yards of the -_dalul_, the peaceful night was shattered by an alarm. - -"Ho! Wake and arm! There is an enemy among us!" - -Because that was all he could do, Ali began to run. He had cast his lot, -and now all depended on the _dalul_. If he could free it, then mount and -ride, he and the camel would be safe at least until morning. - -Ali was within an arm's length of the _dalul_ when it turned and spoke -to him. It was a guttural sound, and scarcely audible, but as different -from the usual camel's grunt as the scream of a hawk is from the chirp -of a robin. Even as he flung himself forward and started slashing at the -nearest rope, Ali heard and correctly interpreted. - -The _dalul_ had just said that it would kill him if it could! - - - - -2. Fugitive - - -The picketed camels, that never saw any reason to give way to -excitement just because humans did, shuffled their feet, grunted and -went on munching fodder. His warning voiced, the young _dalul_ remained -silent. He would waste no more breath on threats or further warnings; -just let any man who came near enough look to his own safety! His very -silence had all the lethal promise of a poised, unsheathed dagger! - -Ali said, "I hear, oh lord of all _dalul_, and I understand. But behold, -I free you!" - -He spoke calmly, and there was no fear to be detected by the young -camel because there was none in Ali. This young camel driver, who had -seen the shadow of death, or heard death whisper, as frequently as did -all those who ventured forth on the lonely caravan routes, now assured -himself that he was not necessarily looking upon a forbidding being in -this tortured camel. But, be that as it may, he must take the chance. -The incurably ill, the weary old, the oppressed, the mistreated, knew no -friend more kind than Ali. - -However, though he talked slowly and softly, he moved swiftly as a -leaping panther while he cut the first rope and went at once to the -second. The Druse camp was silent, and had been since that first shouted -alarm, but it was alert and the Druse were no fools. Certainly they -would know better than to come yelling and leaping, brandishing weapons -and mouthing threats. - -Far more probable, Ali wouldn't even know an enemy was within striking -distance until he saw--or felt--the pointed dagger that was seeking his -heart or heard the swish of a descending sword. Then, if Allah so -decreed, one less camel driver would return to the caravan routes. - -As he cut the remaining ropes, Ali continued to speak soothingly to the -young _dalul_. Far from nervous, or even slightly excited, the young -rescuer was almost serenely calm. Death would certainly be his portion -if the Druse had their way, and, of course, there was also a good -chance that he would die if he liberated the young _dalul_. But some -deaths are much sweeter than others. - -It would be far easier, and more honorable, to die under the trampling -feet of a good Moslem _dalul_ than under the sword or dagger of a -heathen Druse. Besides, even though the _dalul_ first killed Ali, there -remained the satisfactory probability that he would then turn upon and -kill one or more of the villains. - -Ali cut the final rope, the one about the _dalul's_ neck, and waited -calmly. He lowered the hand holding the dagger. He'd have sheathed the -weapon, except that one or more of the Druse might be upon him at any -moment and a dagger would be a convenient article to have in hand. But -Ali had no intention of fighting the _dalul_, or even of resisting -should it attack him. - -He said calmly, "You are free, brother." - -Not accustomed to freedom after standing so long bound by cramping -ropes, the _dalul_ shook his head and stamped his forefoot. Then he gave -two prodigious sidewise leaps toward the picketed baggage camels and -roared. - -The baggage camels crowded very close together, as though for the -comfort each found in the others, when the _dalul_ leaped. His roar -robbed them of common sense, so that they began a wild plunging. Even -better than Ali, the baggage camels knew the _dalul's_ quality. They'd -have broken their tethers and stampeded had not some of the Druse taken -note of the situation and rushed in to quiet the terrified beasts. - -For the first time, Ali had a few fleeting moments to wonder why he -still lived. It had seemed inevitable that, if the Druse did not kill -him, the _dalul_ most certainly would. Perhaps, during the tortured -hours it had stood as captive, it had marked its enemies and knew Ali -was not among them. More probable, Ali's gift, his ability to -understand and be understood by all camels, had proved itself once -again. - -Ali shrugged. He didn't know, and probably never would know, just why -the _dalul_ had not killed him the instant it was free. But Allah knew, -and it was not for Ali to question or even wonder about His judgments. - -Ali's business was camels. He decided that it was high time he took his -business in hand and called the _dalul_. - -It responded, but before coming all the way to Ali, it stopped twice to -bestow a long, lingering and disappointed look upon the camp of the -Druse. Raging, but bound and helpless, the _dalul_ had promised his -captors a battle as soon as he was free. The challenge still stood, and, -even though the Druse were not accepting, the situation rebounded to -Ali's benefit. While the _dalul_ roamed the camp, the enemy dared not -move freely, and Ali's peril was correspondingly less. - -After his second inspection of the enemy camp, the _dalul_ did not stop -again or even look about him but continued straight to Ali. He halted a -few steps away and grunted a little camel song. Then he extended his -long neck and lightly laid his head on his rescuer's shoulder. Ali -embraced the great head with both arms and pressed his cheek close to -the _dalul's_ neck. - -"Mighty one!" he crooned. "Peerless one! Where is a name worthy of such -as you?" - -The Druse were continuing the hunt, and when and if they found Ali, -they'd be overjoyed to kill him as dead as possible in the shortest -necessary time. But creeping into an armed Druse camp, his only weapons -a dagger and courage, was one matter. Waiting beside the young _dalul_, -whom the Druse had every reason to fear, was quite another. Again Ali -addressed the young stallion. - -"Sun of cameldom! Jewel of the caravan routes! By what title may you be -called so that, wherever you may venture, all men shall know your deeds -when you are called by name?" - -The young _dalul_--and if he had the faintest interest in the name Ali -or anyone else might bestow, there was no indication of that--took his -head from Ali's shoulder to sniff his hand. Obviously, it was high time -for Ali to seek divine assistance in determining a name for the _dalul_, -and it would not come amiss to indicate that haste was in order. Even -Druse tribesmen, knowing Ali was in camp but failing to find him, must -sooner or later deduce that he was with the _dalul_. - -Ali faced Mecca. He began his supplication with the customary "_Allahu -akbar_--God is most great." He ended it at precisely the same place, -more than a little overwhelmed by the speed with which Allah may respond -to even the least of His worshipers. Ali had scarcely started when he -knew the name he sought. He whirled to the _dalul_. - -"From this moment you shall be known as Ben Akbar!" he declared -happily. "Ben Akbar!" - -Transcending mere perfection, the name was a stroke of genius. Ben -Akbar, the unequaled, the peerless, the greatest _dalul_ of any. No -matter how hard they racked their own brains, regardless of the masters -of rhetoric they might consult, no camel rider anywhere would ever hit -upon a name that described his favorite in terms more superlative. - -Now that Ben Akbar bore the only name that truly conformed to his -dignity and power, Ali turned his thoughts to affairs of the moment. - -His entry into the Druse camp, audacious though it had been, never would -have created other than momentary alarm. Freeing Ben Akbar, a confirmed -killer camel in the mind of every Druse, gave a wholly different meaning -to the entire affair. The least of the raiders would happily prowl the -camp in search of Ali. But while darkness held sway, not even the best -of them cared to chance an encounter with Ben Akbar. - -In addition, or so the Druse would think, killer camels made no -distinction among Moslems, Christians, Jews, or men of any other faith. -They killed whomsoever they were able to catch. Since Ali had been near -enough to cut the _dalul's_ bindings, it followed that the killer camel -had been able to catch him. - -Regardless of anything the Druse thought at the moment, Ali knew that -they would not continue to remain deceived after sunrise. The signs, -the tracks, would be there for them to read, and few desert dwellers -read signs more skillfully. Despite anything their minds told them, -their eyes would leave no doubt that Ali and the _dalul_ had gone away -together. - -For a brief interval, Ali speculated concerning the inscrutable ways of -Allah, who had bestowed upon the Druse tribesmen a maximum of ferocity -and a minimum of common sense. Obviously, it was his duty to take -certain most urgent action if he would live to greet another sunset. - -At night, the Druse would have no stomach for attacking, or even coming -near, Ben Akbar. As soon as a new day brought light enough so they could -see, they'd never hesitate. If Ali happened to be near Ben Akbar, where -he had every intention of being, he'd be found. - -Ali said softly, "We go, brother." With Ben Akbar pacing contentedly at -his shoulder, he faded into the darkness. - -Although Ali wanted to go south, where he thought he'd have the best -chance of meeting the great _Hadj_, and the gulley in which the Druse -were camped ran almost directly north-south, he did not go down that -gulley. There was at least one enemy outpost stationed there--and -possibly more. - -Ali climbed the ridge, retracing almost exactly the path he'd followed -when he came to the rescue of Ben Akbar. Rather than stop when he -gained the summit, he went on down into the next gulley and climbed the -following ridge. On the summit of that, he finally halted. Ben Akbar, -who sported neither tether rope nor rein but who was amiably willing to -walk behind Ali where the path was narrow and beside him where space -permitted, came up from behind and thrust his long neck over his -friend's shoulder. Ali reached up to caress the mighty head. - -The baggage animals he'd seen in the Druse camp were just that, -ponderous beasts, bred to carry six hundred or more pounds a distance of -twenty-five miles at a stretch and to bear this enormous burden day -after day. Under ordinary circumstances, they'd be no match for the -_dalul_, but Ben Akbar was more than just tired and hungry. An hour of -the torment he'd endured was enough to sap more strength than an entire -day on the trail. His hump, that unfailing barometer of a camel's -condition, was half the size it should have been. There was no way of -telling when he'd had his last drink of water. - -This last, Ali told himself, was of the utmost importance. Every urchin -on every caravan route knows that camels store water in their own -bodies, and that it is entirely possible for some seasoned veterans of -the caravan trails to plod on, though at an increasingly slower pace, -for three, four, or even five days without any water save that which -they absorb from their fodder. But those are the exceptions. As noted, -given an opportunity, camels will drink as much and as frequently as any -creature of similar size, and a thirsty camel is handicapped. - -So, although Ali might have laughed in their faces had Ben Akbar been -rested and well-nourished, the Druse, who would most certainly be on -their trail the instant it was light enough to see, had more than a good -chance of overtaking them before nightfall. But before Ali could concern -himself with the Druse, there was something he must do. - -"Kneel!" he commanded. - -Ben Akbar knelt, settling himself with surprising grace. Ali mounted. -Though there was no riding saddle, he seated himself where it should -have been and placed his feet properly, one on either side of the base -of Ben Akbar's neck. There was no rein either, but the finest of the -_dalul_ were carefully schooled to obey the spoken word without regard -to rein. Ali gave the command to rise, then bade Ben Akbar go. - -Ben Akbar's gait was as gentle as the evening wind that ruffles the -new-sprouted fronds of young date palms. Ali sent him to the right, then -the left, relying on spoken commands alone and getting a response so -perfect that there'd have been no need of a rein, even if the _dalul_ -wore one. Ali no longer had reason to wonder if Ben Akbar was the -property of a rich man. None except the wealthy could afford the fees -demanded by riding masters who knew the secret of teaching a camel to -obey spoken orders. - -Though he knew he should not, Ali ordered Ben Akbar to run. The camel -obeyed instantly, yet so imperceptible was the change in pace, and so -rhythmically smooth was his run, that he had attained almost full speed -before his rider realized that the change had been made. - -Ali sat unmoving, letting the wind fan his cheeks and reveling in this -ride as he had delighted in nothing else he could remember. The gait of -riding camels varies as much as that of riding horses, but Ben Akbar -stood alone. Rather than landing with spine-jarring thuds as he raced -on, his feet seemed not even to touch the earth. - -Ali had never ridden a smoother-gaited camel...but suddenly it occurred -to him that the ride had better end. Bidding his mount halt, Ali slid to -the ground and went around to where he could pet Ben Akbar's nose. - -"You are swift as the wind itself, and the back of the downiest bird is -a bed of stones and thorns compared with the back of Ben Akbar," he -stated. "But it is not now that you should run." - -Ben Akbar sniffed Ali gravely and blew through his nostrils. Ali -responded, as though he were answering a question. - -"The Druse," he explained, "tonight they are helpless, for even if they -would follow, they cannot see our path in the darkness. But rest assured -that they shall be upon our trail with the first light of morning and -they know well how to get the most speed from their baggage beasts. If -you were rested and nourished, I would laugh at a dozen--nay!--a -thousand such! But you are weary and ill-cared-for, so tonight we must -spare your strength. Tomorrow, you may have to run away from the Druse!" - - * * * * * - -The next day was two hours old, and Ali and Ben Akbar were still walking -south, when Ali glanced about and saw the mounted Druse sweep over a -hillock. - -At the same instant, they saw him and raced full speed to the kill. - -Hearing, scenting or sensing pursuit, Ben Akbar swung all the way -around. He was very quiet, an indication that he would look to and obey -Ali. But there was about him a complete lack of nervousness, plus a -certain quality in the way he faced enemies, rather than turned from -them, that betrayed a war camel. He would flee from the Druse, if that -were Ali's wish, but he would run just as eagerly and just as swiftly -toward them, should Ali decide to attack. - -Nervous, but controlling himself, Ali counted the Druse as they raced -down the hill. There were twenty-three, three more than had been in camp -last night, therefore some must have arrived after he left. They were -not the organized unit they would have been if they expected formidable -resistance. Since there was only one man to kill, and every Druse burned -to kill him, they came in wild disorder, with those on the swiftest -camels leading. - -Though the charge was only seconds old, three of the Druse had already -drawn ahead of the rest. A glance told Ali that all three were mounted -on _dalul_. Since there had been no riding camels in the Druse camp, -obviously these were the three newcomers who had arrived during the -night. The rest were all mounted on baggage camels. - -Because he had had a whole night's start, and the pursuing Druse should -have been hampered by the necessity for working out his trail, Ali had -not expected them before midday. Something had gone amiss. Possibly, -during the night, Ali and Ben Akbar had passed another outpost that they -had not seen, but that had managed both to shadow them and to send word -back to the camp. Perhaps the outpost had even consisted of the three -riders of _dalul_. - -Ali concentrated on the three _dalul_. All were good beasts, but none -were outstanding, and, in an even contest, none could have come near to -matching Ben Akbar's speed. No, however-- - -Ali turned to Ben Akbar and said gently, "Kneel." - -Ben Akbar obeyed. Ali mounted and gave the command to rise, then to -run. He unsheathed the dagger and held it in his hand. The Druse were -armed with guns, which they knew how to use, but there were good reasons -why they would hesitate to shoot one lone man. In the first place, -powder and shot were expensive and to be used only when nothing else -sufficed. In the second, when the odds were twenty-three to one, the -Druse who shot when he might have killed his enemy with sword or dagger -must lose face as a warrior. - -The dagger in his hand was Ali's only concession to the possibility that -he might be overtaken. When and if he was, might Allah frown if at least -one of the Druse did not join his ancestors before Ali did likewise. - -Other than that, the race was not unpleasant. Weary though he was, the -power and strength that Ali had seen in Ben Akbar when the young _dalul_ -stood captive in the Druse camp were manifest now. Ben Akbar flowed -along, seeming to do so almost without effort, and Ali thought with -wonder of the magnificent creature this _dalul_ would be when properly -fed and rested. Only when Ben Akbar stumbled where he should have run on -was his rider recalled to the grim realities of the situation. - -He did not have to look behind him because he knew what lay there. -Having been detected when they appeared over the crest of the far -hillock, the Druse must still descend it, cross the gulley and climb the -opposite hill before they could be where Ali had been when they saw him. -Though they must know that Ben Akbar was not in condition to run his -best, they certainly knew the quality of such a camel. Looking from the -crest of the hill upon which Ali had been sighted and seeing nothing, -they could by no means be certain that camel and rider had not already -gone out of sight on the hill beyond. A terrified fugitive would -logically run in a straight line. - -A third of the way down the hill, Ali gave Ben Akbar the command to turn -left. He was about three hundred yards from the floor of the gulley and -the same distance from its head, where a thick copse of mingled Aleppo -pine and scrub brush offered more than enough cover to hide a whole -caravan. Reaching the thicket, Ali halted Ben Akbar and dismounted. Then -he turned and waited for the Druse to appear. - -Led by the three riders of _dalul_, they broke over the crest at the -exact spot where Ali had been sighted. They did exactly as he had hoped -they would and raced straight on. A smile of satisfaction flitted across -Ali's lips as the advance riders swept past that place where he had -turned Ben Akbar. - -Then something went amiss. - -Though the three _dalul_ had seemed equally matched, one now led the -other two by some ten yards. Reaching the gulley's floor, the leading -rider halted his mount, swung him abruptly and shouted, "He has gone -another way!" - -As the truth forced itself on Ali, his first thought was that the rider -of the leading _dalul_ must be a very giant among the Druse. - -Noted trackers, most Druse would have some trouble trailing a single -camel on a sun-baked desert. But, incredible though it seemed, the -leading pursuer had been tracking Ali while riding at full speed. He had -raced on because he had thought exactly what Ali hoped he would--that -Ali and Ben Akbar were already out of sight behind the next hill. But he -had stopped when he no longer saw tracks. - -While the two remaining riders of _dalul_ swung unquestioningly in -behind him, and the Druse mounted on baggage camels halted wherever they -happened to be, the tracker trotted his _dalul_ back up the hill. His -eyes were fixed on the ground as he sought to pick up the trail he had -lost. - -With Ben Akbar behind him, Ali stole through the thicket toward the far -end. He clutched the dagger tightly. He would mount and ride when he was -clear of the thicket; nobody could ride a camel through such a place. -But it was questionable as to how long he'd ride with such a tracker on -his trail. - -Ali was almost out of the thicket when a man who swung a wicked-looking -scimitar seemed to rise from the earth and bar his path. Ali gazed upon -the countenance of an old acquaintance. - -The man was a Druse that Ali knew as The Jackal! - - - - -3. Ambush - - -Ali took a single backward step that brought him nearer Ben Akbar. The -move could have been interpreted as a wholly natural desire to find such -comfort as he might in his camel, the one friend he had or was likely to -have. But Ali's purpose was more practical. - -Unless every imaginable advantage was on his side, the wielder of a -dagger hadn't the faintest chance of overcoming anyone armed with a -scimitar, but Ali intended to concede no point not already and -unavoidably given by the difference in weapons. When The Jackal swung, -which he would do when he considered the moment right, he would not -miss. But if Ali was agile enough at ducking, and ducked in the right -direction, it did not necessarily follow that he must be killed -outright. - -For a split second immediately following his blow, The Jackal would be -off guard. Before he recovered, always supposing he was still able to -move, Ali might go forward with his dagger and work some execution, or -at least inflict some damage, of his own. All else failing, there was -reason to hope that Ben Akbar would trample his foe after he went down. -Ali studied The Jackal. - -Of medium height and probably middle-aged, he was veiled in a certain -mystic aura that defied penetration and prevented even a reasonably -accurate guess as to how many years he had been on earth. He blended in -a curious manner with the harsh and wild desert background, as though he -had been a part of it from the beginning. His hair was concealed beneath -a hood, but not even a thick beard succeeded in hiding a cruel mouth. -His nose was thin and aquiline, with nostrils that seemed forever to be -questing. His eyes were unreadable, but they possessed certain depths -that combined with a broad sweep of forehead and a vast arrogance of -manner to mark The Jackal as a man apart. - -Ali remembered the first time he had run across him, or rather, evidence -of his work. - -It was Ali's third year with the caravans, and they were going from -Mersin to Erzerum, with seven hundred camels and an assorted load, when -they overtook all that remained of the caravan preceding them. It had -been the entourage of some wealthy Amir, traveling north with his family -and a powerful guard of soldiers. When Ali arrived, The Jackal had been -there and gone, but he had left his trademark. - -All human males, from babes in the arms of his wives to the gray-bearded -Amir himself, lay where they had fallen. The older women and the girl -children were massacred, too. Only the young girls had been carried away -with the remainder of the legitimate booty. - -Savagely cruel though it was, the raid was equally audacious. Of the -many bandit leaders infesting the caravan routes, few had the -imagination to plan a successful attack on a heavily-guarded Amir's -caravan or the courage to proceed, once such an attack was planned. - -Thereafter, at sporadic intervals, Ali found additional evidence that -The Jackal was still at work, and there could be no mistake about his -identity. His raids were noted for cruelty and for the fact that he -never bothered with any except wealthy caravans. Three years later, Ali -met The Jackal. - -The caravan for which Ali was handling camels came to an oasis one day -out of Ankara and found another caravan already encamped. However, -there was ample room for both and no apparent reason for either to -challenge the other. Ali took care of the camels for which he was -responsible, then set about to do something he would have done before -had an opportunity offered itself. - -He had been in Antioch, temporarily idle, when he happened across a -youngster mishandling some half-broken baggage camels. He had stepped in -to bring the situation under control. On succeeding, he discovered that -the young man had disappeared while he was occupied, and an older person -was quietly watching him instead. The older man, whom Ali thought was -the caravan master, invited him to come along as a camel driver. - -Ali had accepted and discovered, too late, that the imperious youngster -who'd been mishandling baggage camels was the real caravan master, which -position he held solely by virtue of the fact that his father was Pasha -of Damascus. He didn't like Ali and he missed no opportunity to -demonstrate his disapproval. Ali had stayed with the caravan until -reaching this oasis for the simple reason that there was no other -choice. If he had left sooner, he would have been one lone man in a land -noted for the brief span of life enjoyed by solitary travelers. But he -felt that he could make it from here to Ankara without difficulty and -he'd had more than his fill of the Pasha's son. He went to the caravan -master's tent to demand his pay. - -He found the youngster engaged in amiable conversation with the man who -now stood before him, The Jackal, who said he was master of the other -caravan. Ali also found that, in the eyes of the Pasha's son, his own -state was less than exalted. He was ordered out of the tent. - -When Ali refused to leave without first receiving his pay, the youngster -unsheathed a dagger and advanced with the obvious intention of having -him carried out feet first. Unluckily for the Pasha's son, Ali also had -a dagger and his skill with the same exceeded by a comfortable margin -any adroitness the other might claim. Ali got his due wages, which he -took from a moneybag, and the Pasha's son had fainted from a series of -dagger wounds in his right arm. - -Ali was on the point of leaving when The Jackal, who had offered not the -faintest interference, rose, complimented him on a superb bit of dagger -work and thanked him for making it easier to sack the caravan. He intended -to do this tomorrow, somewhere between the oasis and Ankara, but the -Pasha's son had presented an awkward problem. The Jackal, who introduced -himself as such, had no fear of soldiers in reasonable numbers but he was -not prepared to cope with the armies that must inevitably take the field -against whoever molested a son of the Pasha--this despite the fact that -the Pasha had no fewer than twenty-nine known sons. The Jackal had been -trying to persuade the young man to leave and go into Ankara when Ali's -dagger had settled the matter in a most satisfactory fashion. - -The Jackal was not ungrateful, and, to prove his gratitude, he would -arrange for Ali to ride into Ankara with a small group of his own men, -who would leave shortly. After they had gone, The Jackal would see to it -that a sufficient number of his own trusty brigands, under such oaths as -might be appropriate, would swear that they had seen the Pasha's son -struck down by an unknown assailant. - -Ali had ridden and so had escaped the next morning's massacre, which -several travelers had reported as taking place after the Pasha's son had -been "_killed by an assassin_." Thereafter, he had waited for lightning -to strike although he had only injured his attacker in self defense, but -so far, it hadn't which meant that The Jackal had kept his lips sealed. -Now it no longer mattered. The Jackal would cut his own mother down if -by so doing he served his own ends. - -Suddenly, "Why hesitate, Abdullah?" somebody growled. - -Another man came from the brush to stand beside The Jackal. Then there -was another...and more...until nineteen men were grouped about The -Jackal and facing Ali. The Jackal stepped aside. Another took his place. - -Ali glanced briefly at The Jackal. He looked at the others, all good -Moslems and all wearing on their turbans the distinctive emblem that -marked them as members of the Pasha's crack personal soldiery. The -present "Abdullah," the former Jackal, wore the same emblem but, until -now, it had escaped Ali's notice because, not in his wildest flight of -imagination had he dreamed he'd ever see it on a Druse. - -The soldier who'd spoken and for whom The Jackal had stepped aside, -evidently the commander of this patrol, spoke again and directed his -words to Ali, "Where found you the _dalul_, dog?" - -Ali answered, "I stole him from some Druse." - -The soldier drew his dagger and spoke again, "Die you will, but choose -whether you die swiftly or slowly. Why are you found in possession of -the finest _dalul_ among two thousand such owned by the Pasha of -Damascus?" - -"I stole him--" Ali began. - -At that moment, out in the thicket, one of the camels being led by the -dismounted Druse as they made their way among the trees and brush, chose -to grunt. The eyes of every man except the officer turned toward the -sound. - -Ali said, "The Druse from whom I stole the _dalul_ are in close pursuit. -They are twenty-three in all." - -Except for the officer, who thoughtfully kept the point of his dagger -pricking Ali's ribs, the Moslems scattered and, a few seconds later, it -was as though they had never been. - -The officer addressed Ali. "Bid the _dalul_ lie down." - -Ali gave the order and Ben Akbar obeyed. Unconcerned as though there -were no Druse within forty miles, but not forgetting to prick Ali's ribs -with his dagger, the officer scorned even to glance in the direction -from which the Druse approached. Ali wondered. Some Moslems yearned so -ardently for the life to come that they set not the least value on the -one they already had, but the officer seemed more practical-minded. - -"The Druse number a score and three," Ali ventured finally. "They come -from the direction where the camel grunted and they cannot fail to see -you should you neglect to hide." - -"I did not ask your opinion," the officer growled. "Be silent!" - -Since the order was emphasized with a sudden jab of the dagger, Ali -remained silent. He composed himself. This, as well as everything else, -was now in the hands of Allah and He alone would determine the outcome. -But it never harmed anything to ponder. - -The rest of the Moslems and The Jackal had disappeared as suddenly and -completely as morning dew when the sun turns hot. Though they could not -be very far away, neither was the end of the thicket. Once out of the -brush, Ali could mount Ben Akbar and ride. If the pursuit were resumed, -and, regardless of who won the forthcoming battle, it would be, it must -still be delayed while the fight was in progress. If Allah would only -see fit to make the officer take the point of his dagger out of Ali's -ribs and go wherever his men had gone, it would be worth Ali's while to -try to break away. - -But the officer entertained no ideas about going anywhere or of using -his dagger for any purpose except to remind Ali how swiftly a painful -situation could become fatal. Ali looked at Ben Akbar, still lying where -he had been ordered to lie, but not liking it. Though reclining, he was -anything but relaxed. His head was up, his eyes missed nothing, his -nostrils quested, and tense muscles indicated both a readiness and an -ability to spring instantly to his feet. - -Ali decided that Ben Akbar did not like these strange Moslems any better -than he had the Druse who captured him, and that he tolerated them at -all only because Ali commanded him to do so. It occurred to Ali that -none of the Moslems had been eager to venture too near Ben Akbar, and, -suddenly, he knew something he hadn't known before. - -Certainly no killer, Ben Akbar was most discriminating when it came to a -choice of human companions. Incapable as the Druse of handling him -properly, the Moslems were wisely leaving him alone. The fierce little -officer never would have told Ali to make Ben Akbar lie down if he -thought the _dalul_ would obey him instead. - -That being so, and if Allah smiled and the Moslems won the forthcoming -fight, Ali felt that he had some hope of staying alive, at least until -the soldiers returned to whatever headquarters camp they had left to go -out on patrol. It would reflect little credit on any emissary of the -Pasha of Damascus to bring a favorite _dalul_ before the eyes of his -master as a raging brute at the end of ropes. If the Moslems could not -take him in except by force, but Ali could, there were reasons to -suppose that Ali would. - -When they appeared on foot, the Druse were led by a sinewy man who -advanced at a trot, and who, in turn, led a _dalul_. Evidently the same -talented tracker who'd followed Ali's trail while riding full speed, the -man strained like a leashed gazelle hound that sights its quarry. The -remaining Druse grouped behind him. - -Ali glanced at the officer. - -That fierce Moslem, who certainly knew the Druse were coming, -contemptuously refused even to look around until the leader was within -thirty yards of him. Then, maintaining enough pressure on the dagger to -remind Ali that he was not forgotten, he swung and shouted insults. - -"Dogs!" he spat. "Eaters of pork! Spawn of flies that infest camel dung! -I have your prisoner and your _dalul_! Come take them if you're men!" - -The leading Druse dropped the reins of his _dalul_, shouted fiercely, -drew his sword and rushed. His followers did likewise, and, even though -some were delayed by frightened camels that plunged to one side or the -other, Ali counted nine sword-waving Druse hard on the heels of their -leader and all too close for comfort. He stole another glance at the -officer. - -Neither taking the dagger from Ali's ribs nor making any move to draw -his sword, he seemed to regard the attacking Druse as he might some -particularly repulsive vermin that might soil his shoes if he stepped on -them. Then it happened. - -From both sides of the trail, where they had concealed themselves as -soon as they knew the Druse were coming, Moslem swordsmen rose. So -complete was the surprise and so overwhelming the shock, half the Druse -were down before the rest even thought of rallying. Ali acknowledged his -approval--and even some admiration--for an officer who could plan so -well. - -The ambushed Moslems must have seen Ali and Ben Akbar when they were at -least as far off as the Druse had been when they were sighted. They had -marked the exact route, which made it unnecessary to do any second-guessing -about the Druse. If they were following Ali, they were tracking him. So -an ambush on either side of the track, an officer to act as bait and -convince the Druse that there was only one man and-- - -The last Druse went down. The Moslems ranged out to catch the scattered -camels and bring in any loot that was worth bringing. Some wounded, but -all on their feet, they arranged themselves and their booty before the -officer. - -"You fought like old women," he sneered. "It is well that there were no -real warriors to oppose you. But now that we have the _dalul_ we set out -to find, we may return." - -"The prisoner?" someone called. - -"He stays." The officer pushed his dagger a quarter inch into Ali's -ribs. - -Because it was an ideal time to think of something else, Ali speculated -about The Jackal. Whatever else he might be, The Jackal was a brave man. -What would happen, if he were detected, to a Druse who not only joined -the _Hadj_ but the Pasha's personal soldiers too, and who was obviously -representing himself as a Moslem, Ali couldn't even imagine. - -He did know that one false step would be one too many for the deceiver. -If The Jackal took that step, he would live a very long while in agony -before voicing his final shriek. Of course, it was a true Moslem's duty -to tell what he knew, but The Jackal had only to speak and Ali would -face the torturers with him. Whatever purpose had brought The Jackal -here, he must be playing for tremendous stakes. - -Ali was considerably relieved, but not greatly astonished, when the -officer withdrew his dagger and sheathed it. He addressed Ali as he -might have spoken to a stray cur. - -"On second thought, we will take you to Al Misri, The Egyptian, and let -him kill you. Bring the _dalul_, dog, and, for your own sake, see that -it does not stray." - - - - -4. The Hadj - - -As soon as possible, which was as soon as their own riding camels -could be brought from wherever they had been hidden, the Moslem soldiers -mounted and prepared to set out. On the point of mounting Ben Akbar, Ali -was knocked to the ground by the flat of the fierce officer's sword and -informed in terms that left no room for doubt that he was Ben Akbar's -attendant. Nobody except the Pasha of Damascus was to be his rider. - -Despite clear grounds for argument, Ali smothered his anger and -comforted himself with logic. There are times to fight, but on this -specific occasion logic indicated clearly that one man armed with a -dagger can hope for nothing except a very certain demise by defying -twenty men who are armed with everything. Ali walked beside the _dalul_, -a rather simple process, since the speed of all must necessarily be -regulated by the pace of the slow baggage camels, and Ben Akbar refused -to leave his friend's side, anyhow. - -With nightfall, they made camp at a water hole too small to be dignified -by the title of oasis. After he had finished eating, the officer -contemptuously tossed Ali the remains of his meal and a silken cord. He -said nothing, apparently he had no desire to degrade himself by speaking -unnecessarily to anyone who was so clearly and so greatly his inferior, -but the implication was obvious. Ben Akbar must not stray. - -Knowing the cord was unnecessary, Ali chose the diplomatic course. He -tied one end of the cord to his wrist and the other around the young -_dalul's_ neck. While Ben Akbar grazed, Ali sat quietly and devoted a -few fleeting thoughts to the various possibilities of a social position -that is approximately on a level with the fleas that torment camels--and -sometimes riders of camels. - -While it was true that the soldiers, grouped about their evening fire, -ignored him as completely as though he didn't even exist, Ali saw no -good reason why he should ignore them in a similar fashion. He breathed -a silent thanks to Allah for blessing him with sharp ears. What those -ears heard as Ali sat pretending to doze, but alert as a desert fox, -might have a powerful influence on his plans for the future. - -There were diverse possibilities. One that had already been considered -most thoroughly and at great length was rooted in the pleasing thought -that Ben Akbar was no longer a tired, hungry and thirsty _dalul_. Given -as much as a five-second start, there wasn't another camel on the desert -that could even hope to catch him. - -If this was to be Ali's choice, tonight was the time for action. But -before committing himself to anything, he wanted to consider everything. - -The patrol, as Ali had learned from the conversation at the campfire, -was one of several dispatched from the great _Hadj_ six days ago. Their -only purpose was to find Ben Akbar; their orders were not to return -without him. - -Ben Akbar had been lost, so Ali learned, through the laxity of a -seven-times-cursed camel driver from Smyrna. His only duty, a task to -which he'd been assigned because he was one of the very few men Ben -Akbar would obey, was to watch over the Pasha's most-prized _dalul_. -Somehow or other--a soldier voiced the opinion that he'd been in -collusion with the very Druse from whom Ali had taken him--he'd managed -to lose his charge. All the soldiers gave fervent thanks to Allah -because their mission was successfully completed. Hunting lost camels -was not their idea of interesting diversion. - -Ali digested the food for thought thus provided and decided, to his own -satisfaction, that his previous deduction had been entirely correct. He -had not been spared because the Moslem soldiers were compassionate, but -because not one among them knew how to handle Ben Akbar without resorting -to force. Furthermore, if Ben Akbar were not greatly esteemed, several -patrols of soldiers who might at any time be needed for other duties -never would have been charged with the exclusive task of recovering him. - -While Ben Akbar moved so carefully that the silken cord was never even -taut, Ali lay back to gaze at the sky and consider the most profitable -use of the information at his disposal. - -If he rode into the desert on Ben Akbar, a possibility that retained -much appeal, he need have no fear of successful pursuit. However, the -Pasha's soldiers would certainly continue their search. As long as Ben -Akbar was with him--and Ali had already decided that that would be as -long as he lived--he must inevitably be a marked man. Unless he rode -into a country ruled by some sultan or Pasha who was hostile to the -Pasha of Damascus--in which event there was a fine chance of having his -throat cut by someone who wanted to steal Ben Akbar--he would lead a -harassed and harried life. - -On the other hand, if he stayed with the soldiers and went into camp, he'd -be doing exactly what he'd set out to do in the first place--he'd join the -great _Hadj_. As there seemed to be few camel drivers who knew how to -handle Ben Akbar, there was more than a good chance that Ali would make -the pilgrimage as his attendant. Since he'd already determined that Ben -Akbar would be a part of his future, regardless of what that was or where -it led him, this prospect was entrancing. In addition, once his holy -pilgrimage was properly completed, he would be entitled to call himself -Hadji Ali and to take advantage of the expanded horizon derived therefrom. - -Only one small cloud of doubt prevented Ali from choosing this latter -course without further hesitation or thought. The Moslem officer's voice -had been laden with more than casual respect when he referred to Al Misri, -or The Egyptian. The casual pronouncement that The Egyptian was to have -the pleasure of executing Ali might be, and probably was, just another -attempt to intimidate him. But this was the Syrian _Hadj_. As such, it -differed distinctly from the Moslem pilgrimage that originated in and -departed from Cairo, Egypt. Every Syrian knew that Egyptians are inferior. -The very fact that a responsible and high-ranking officer of the Syrian -_Hadj_ possessed the sheer brazen effrontery to call himself The Egyptian, -plus the strength and authority to command respect for such a title, was -more than enough to mark him as a man apart. Doubtless he was a man of -firm convictions that were translated into action without loss of time. If -he had, or if he should develop, a firm conviction that Ali dead was more -pleasing than Ali alive-- - -Ali finally decided to go in with the soldiers and trust Allah. His -decision made, he lay down, arranged his burnous to suit him and went -peacefully to sleep. - -In the thin, cold light of very early morning, he came awake and, as -usual, lay quietly before moving. The silken cord that was tied to his -wrist and Ben Akbar's neck was both slack and motionless; the _dalul_ -must be resting. The dagger and pilgrim's robe were safe. Reassured -concerning the state of his personal world and possessions of the -moment, Ali sat up and looked toward Ben Akbar. - -No more than a dozen feet away, the young _dalul_ was standing quietly -where he had finished grazing. An ecstatic glow lighted Ali's eyes. Ben -Akbar's recuperative powers must be as marvelous as his speed and -endurance. He scarcely seemed to be the same spent and reeling beast -that Ali had led into ambush yesterday morning. After only one night's -rest and grazing, even his hump was noticeably bigger. - -Ali joined the other Moslems at morning prayer, stood humbly aside as -they saddled and mounted and started the baggage camels moving and fell -in behind with Ben Akbar. Nobody paid the least attention to him; if he -planned to escape, he would not be fool enough to make the attempt by -day. - -Four hours later, the travelers looked from a hillock upon the great -_Hadj_. - -A sea of tents, like rippling waves, overflowed and seemed about to -overwhelm a broad valley. There were no palms or any other indication of -water. Obviously, this was a dry camp--one of many on the long, dangerous -route--and dry camps were the primary reason why so many baggage camels -were needed. But even with thousands of baggage camels burdened with food -and water, often there was not enough. Falling in that order to thirst, -bandits, disease or hunger--or succumbing to the desert itself--a full -third of the pilgrims with any _Hadj_ might die before reaching the Holy -City. - -Save for a few tethered camels and some horses, there were no animals in -sight. Ali knew that the majority had been given over to herders and -were in various pastures. The picketed camels and horses were for the -convenience of those who might find it necessary to ride. - -For the most part, the camp would rest all day. Only when late afternoon -shadows tempered the glaring sun would it come awake. Then, guided by -blazing torches on either flank, at the mile-or mile-and-a-half-an-hour -which was the swiftest pace so many baggage animals could maintain, it -would march toward Mecca all night long. - -Impressive as the camp appeared, Ali knew also that it was just a small -part--though one of the wealthier parts or there would not have been so -many tents--of the great _Hadj_. There was not a single valley in the -entire desert spacious enough to accommodate the five thousand humans, -and the more than twenty thousand beasts, whose destination was the Holy -City of Mecca. - -After a brief halt, the officer led his men down into the camp. There -were few humans stirring, and those who were regarded the returning -patrol with complete indifference. - -In the very center of the camp, before a huge and luxurious tent that, -together with its furnishings, must require a whole herd of baggage -camels just to transport it, the officer dismounted, handed the reins of -his riding camel to a soldier and entered the tent. The remainder of the -patrol formed an armed circle around Ali and Ben Akbar. - -Wishing he could feel as unconcerned as he hoped he appeared, Ali sought -to ease the tension by observing and speculating. This tent, he -presently decided, was not headquarters for the Pasha himself. Though -the Pasha's tent couldn't possibly be much more luxurious, it would be -surrounded by the camps of other dignitaries, and the whole would be so -well-guarded by soldiers that nobody could have come even near. Ali -guessed that this was the headquarters of Al Misri, and that they were -in a camp of officers and lesser notables. - -Twenty minutes after he entered the tent--Ali guessed shrewdly that he -had been allowed to cool his heels for a decorous interval--the officer -backed out. He bowed, a curious and somehow a ludicrous gesture for anyone -so fiery, and held the tent flaps open. When a second man emerged, the -officer stepped humbly to one side and waited whatever action the other -might consider. - -Short and squat, at first glance Al Misri seemed a shapeless lump of -human flesh that has somehow been given the breath of life. His silken -robe hung loosely open. Uncovered, his massive head seemed to be -supported directly on his shoulders, without benefit of or need for a -neck. It was bald as an egg. He plopped a date into his mouth and chewed -it as the soldiers moved respectfully back to give him room. - -Yet Ali needed only one glance to tell him that Al Misri was far more -than just a funny little fat man who chewed dates in a rather disgusting -manner. His grotesque body was enveloped in an aura not unlike that -which enfolded Ben Akbar. Al Misri commanded because it was his destiny -to command. - -He came near, spat the date pit into Ali's face and spoke to the -officer. The latter conveyed the message to Ali. - -"Even though Al Misri prefers to kill vermin, you are granted your life. -You win this favor, not through compassion, but because you are able to -ride a _dalul_ that kills other men." - -Ali remained silent, as was expected of him. Al Misri gave the officer -another message for the captive camel driver. - -"The other keeper of the _dalul_ let it stray," the officer announced. -"The keeper died in a fire, a very slow fire that was kindled at dawn, -but the keeper still nodded his head at high noon. You are now keeper of -the _dalul_. Take care that it strays not." - -Without another word or a backward glance, Al Misri turned and waddled -back to his tent. The officer disbanded his men. - -Ali led Ben Akbar to pasture at the edge of camp. - - * * * * * - -The travelers came to Tanim, far enough outside Holy Territory so that -there was no possibility of desecrating it, but near enough to furnish a -convenient stopping place for donning the _ihram_, in the cool of early -morning. Not all who had been with the _Hadj_ when Ali finally joined -it--and not all who had since come from one place or another--were still -present. Many good Moslems who would never see the Holy City had died -trying to reach it. - -Ali reflected curiously that some of the more devout were dead, while -some who seemed to regard this holy journey in anything except a pious -light were very much alive. A merchant who had come all the way from -Damascus, and who was about to don the _ihram_, deferred the ceremony so -that he might bargain about something or other with another merchant -from Smyrna. Though they were all Moslems--except for The Jackal, Ali -thought quickly--obviously the true light burned brightly for some and -dimly for others. - -Ali wondered uneasily about the category in which he belonged. He -worried about the fact that he did not feel greatly different from the -way he had felt while out on the caravan routes or in the bazaar of The -Street Called Straight. He thought he should feel something else. - -Though many had died, his pilgrimage had been almost luxurious. He had -nothing at all to do except watch over Ben Akbar, which was simplicity -itself because the powerful young _dalul_ wanted nothing except to be -where Ali was. Though Ali was forbidden to ride, the Pasha of Damascus, -the only human worthy of riding Ben Akbar, had allowed himself to be -carried all the way to Mecca in a sedan chair. Seeing the Pasha once, -and from a distance, Ali decided, to his own satisfaction, at least, -that he had not asked to ride Ben Akbar for the simple reason that he -couldn't. Judging by the Pasha's looks, he'd have trouble riding an -age-broken baggage camel. - -Always together, Ali and Ben Akbar had walked all the way. It had still -been the easiest of walks since, as long as he took care of Ben Akbar -and kept himself in the background, Ali was assured ample food and -water. With the finest of care and nothing to do, Ben Akbar was at the -very peak of perfection. - -With appropriate ceremony, Ali donned the _ihram_ and ran a mental tally -of the things he must not do until the _Hadj_ came to an end. He must wear -neither head nor foot covering. He must not shave, trim his nails--But -there was nothing in the entire list that forbade taking Ben Akbar with -him. Ali remained troubled, nevertheless because, try as he would, he was -unable to achieve what he considered a necessary level of piety. - -Rather than feeling spiritually uplifted by what had been and what was -to be, he could think only that, very shortly, he would have the right -to call himself Hadji Ali. - - - - -5. The Unpardonable Sin - - -Mecca, Holy City of the Moslems, spoke in a strangely subdued whisper -when this particular night finally enfolded it. The great _Hadj_ was -ended--the official termination announced when the wealthier pilgrims -sought barbers to shave them and those without money shaved each other. - -The unofficial, but more realistic, termination came about in a -different manner. - -Whatever their motives, or degree of zeal, an inspired army had gone to -Mecca. With the _Hadj_ ended, suddenly weary human beings thought with -wistful longing of the homes they'd left and the beloved faces that -became doubly precious because they were absent. Thus the sudden silence -in Mecca, where--every night until this one--lone pilgrims and bands of -pilgrims had gone noisily about various errands. However, not all pilgrims -had chosen to spend this night in their beds. - -Ali, now Hadji Ali, stood very quietly in the darkest niche he'd been -able to find of The Masa, The Sacred Course between Mounts Safa and -Marwa. Ben Akbar, never far from Ali's side, stood just as quietly -beside him and Ali wanted no other companion. Hoping to ease a troubled -conscience, he had sought this lonely and deserted spot to try to find -the true significance, which he was sure must exist but had so far -escaped him, of the ceremonies in which he had just participated. - -Perhaps, he thought seriously, he was now confused because he had had no -real understanding of any part of anything from the very beginning. -Nobody had told him why the _ihram_ must be donned and adjusted in a -certain way, with certain prescribed motions, and in no other fashion. - -With Ben Akbar, who followed like a faithful dog but aroused little -comment in this city where camels were the commonest means of -transportation, Ali had entered Mecca in the prescribed fashion, though -he hadn't the faintest idea as to who had prescribed it or why. At -intervals, and solely because all his companions were doing likewise, -he had shouted "_Labbaika_," a word whose meaning he had not known and -still did not know. - -At this point, Ali became so hopelessly entangled in matters he did not -understand that it was necessary to start all over again. However, he -decided not to begin with the _ihram_ this time. The Sacred Course was -also a part of the ceremony, and, being near at hand, it might yield -clues that could not be discerned in that which was far away. - -The Sacred Course, connecting the eminences of Safa and Marwa and locale -of the liveliest and most unmanageable bazaar in Mecca, was four hundred -and ninety three paces in length. It was the Trail of Torment imposed on -Hagar, who ran it seven times in a desperate effort to find water for -her infant son. Pilgrims arriving in Mecca accepted as part of their own -ceremony a seven times running of The Sacred Course. This, as Ali had -seen with his own eyes, was subject to various interpretations. Some -pilgrims ran the prescribed seven times but some would have difficulty -walking it once, for despite the hardships of the journey, some of the -afflicted, aged and the simply lazy arrived with every _Hadj_. Then -there were always the eccentrics. Ali himself had been an astounded -witness when one fat Amir reclined in a cushioned sedan chair which six -sweating slaves carried over The Sacred Course the requisite number of -times. - -Ali tilted his head and stared miserably into the darkness as the utter -hopelessness of his quest for understanding became increasingly -apparent. It had been important that he earn the right to call himself -Hadji Ali, but, in his heart of hearts, he knew that he'd wanted far -more than that from his holy pilgrimage and he had not received it. -Since millions of Moslems who found all they hoped for in Mecca could -not be wrong, it followed that the fault was personal. So-- - -Ali's meditations were interrupted by that which he understood -perfectly. - -Ben Akbar, swinging his head in the darkness as he turned to look toward -something that had attracted him, gave the first sign that they were no -longer alone. Ali had not seen the move, but he knew Ben Akbar had moved -because he always knew everything the _dalul_ did. - -Presently, he knew that a man, or men, were approaching because Ben -Akbar always breathed in a certain cadence whenever men came near. Ali -held very still, hoping the strangers would pass without noticing him. -He knew by their footsteps that there were two of them. - -Ali sighed in disappointment when the pair halted only a few feet away. -He was about to call out and make his presence known, for those who have -reason for silence in the darkness also have reason to expect violence, -when someone spoke. - -"All know of the plan then, Ahmet?" It was the voice of The Jackal! - -"All know," a second man replied. - -Ali stood very still, holding his breath. The fact that The Jackal, -whose intentions were anything except holy, was with the _Hadj_, had -caused Ali some uneasy moments. But, he reminded himself once more, if -it was the obvious duty of a good Moslem to reveal a Druse or anyone -else traveling with the _Hadj_ and pretending to be a Moslem, it was -equally true that The Jackal was in an excellent position to do some -revealing of his own. Ali had decided he would not be the first to -speak. Evidently The Jackal was not talking either. - -"When is the exact appointed time?" the man named Ahmet asked. - -"In another hour, when the followers of Mohammed and the worshipers of -Allah will be enjoying their deepest dreams." - -The Jackal voiced a low laugh, and, despite his anxiety, Ali had to -wonder. In the heart of Mecca, surrounded by thousands of Moslems and -certainly with no hope of fighting his way clear, The Jackal could laugh -as easily as though he were in a Druse stronghold. His companion was -less assured. - -"Speak gently," he cautioned. "Someone may hear!" - -"_Pouf!_" The Jackal scoffed. "The Moslems hear nothing tonight save -the hot wind that shall sing about their ears until they are once again -safe in their homes. The city sleeps, Ahmet." - -Ahmet said uneasily, "Some are always awake." - -"Have you turned lily-livered?" The Jackal asked sardonically. - -Ahmet answered, "I do not think so, but better a lily than a -sword-pierced liver." - -"Have I not planned well?" The Jackal demanded. - -"One who can select thirty-four men, scatter them throughout a Moslem -_Hadj_ and bring all safely to Mecca, has planned as wisely as he chose -men," Ahmet commented. "Just let there be no mistake at this late hour." - -The Jackal said, "The only mistake of which we can be guilty now is in -leaving this place without The Black Stone." - -Ali clapped a hand over his mouth to stifle a gasp. The Jackal was -indeed playing for big stakes, one of the most colossal prizes in the -history of brigandage, and he seemed in a fair position to get it. Fixed -in the wall of The Kaaba, an edifice so ancient that some claimed it was -here even before Mohammed, The Black Stone was possibly the holiest of -Moslem shrines. In common with all other pilgrims, Ali had dutifully -kissed it. As far as its physical aspects were concerned, it was a -small, dark mass that at one time might have been part of a meteor. -Should anyone ever succeed in stealing it, the Moslem world would pay a -fantastic ransom for its safe return. If nobody stopped The Jackal and -his accomplices, each of them could be so wealthy that the Pasha of -Damascus would seem a beggar by comparison. - -Ben Akbar swung his head to nudge Ali's shoulder with an inquiring nose, -and Ali stroked the _dalul's_ soft cheek. Accustomed to spending his -nights in some peaceful pasture, Ben Akbar had no liking for this -confined place, and he was telling his friend so. - -Ali tried to conjure up a mental image of The Sacred Course, but he -couldn't do it, in spite of the fact that he had run its length the -stipulated seven times. Because he had hoped to find that in their faces -which would tell him just why they had come to Mecca, and thus furnish -some sure basis upon which he could build his own right motivation for -coming, Ali had studied his fellow pilgrims and ignored the street. Who -could imagine that he or anyone else might have to leave The Masa by the -nearest and quietest path? - -There had to be a way because there was always a way, but Ali was still -seeking it when Ben Akbar, increasingly eager to be out of the city that -he did not like and into the desert he did, expressed his impatience in -a racking grunt. - -Then there was just one way. Ali drew his dagger and waited. - -Out in the night, there was sudden silence, but the very lack of noise -was as lethal as and somehow remarkably similar to the desert adder that -awaits its prey in complete silence and, in striking, makes no noise -that is ever heard by the victim. Ali considered the situation. - -Since it was most improbable that there'd be a camel at this place and -hour without a camel driver, the conspirators knew they had been -overheard. In addition, since every camel has its own distinctive voice, -The Jackal had probably recognized Ben Akbar. Therefore, he knew that -Ali had overheard him. - -Swiftly, Ali weighed the advantages and disadvantages and considered -possible ways to make the best use of the former, while yielding as -little as possible to the latter. - -Beyond any doubt, The Jackal knew that Ben Akbar accepted certain -favored human beings and rejected all others, unless they foolishly -tried to interfere with him. Then he showed his resentment, often -violently. So only a fool would rush in, and The Jackal was no fool. -Neither, Ali told himself, was he a coward who'd be swerved from his -determined purpose by a threatening incident. He'd face a dozen Ben -Akbars before he'd abandon his plan to steal The Black Stone and seek -refuge in flight, but he'd face them in his own way. Ali took a -calculated risk. - -"Kneel," he whispered in the _dalul's_ ear. - -Ben Akbar obeyed. Stifling a sigh of relief, Ali slipped five paces to -one side and turned so that he was again facing the _dalul_. There had -been a certain unavoidable rattling of pebbles and other small noises -when Ben Akbar knelt, but no sound of a camel leaving the scene. If -Allah were kind, The Jackal would know that Ben Akbar remained where he -had been and would expect to find Ali with him. Rushing in from an -unexpected quarter at the right moment, Ali would have the advantage of -surprise and some hope of victory, in spite of two to one odds. - -Ali thought, but very fleetingly, of calling out an offer to negotiate. -He'd go his way and maintain his silence, if the pair would promise no -interference. But The Jackal had come too far and risked too much to -incur the further risk of a knowing head and a possibly loose tongue; -he'd never accept the offer. Nor could Ali really have brought himself -to make it. - -Even though he had failed to find the assured spiritual awakening he'd -earnestly hoped to discover in Mecca, he could not be disloyal to a -Faith he'd voluntarily accepted. Even though he himself failed to -appreciate the significance of The Black Stone, as a good Moslem, he -could not see it defiled. - -Dagger in hand, Ali stood very quietly in the darkness. Though he was -looking toward Ben Akbar and the _dalul_ was only a few paces away, the -darkness was so intense that he could barely discern the camel's -outline. He neither saw nor heard anything else. It was as though Ali -and Ben Akbar were the only inhabitants of a world suddenly turned -black. - -Ali battled the illusion, for the very silence and the feeling that he -was alone were sufficient evidence that he faced deadly danger. The -Jackal was no amateur who would seek to cow his enemy by hissed threats, -mislead him by thrown stones or other ruses, or indulge in any other -melodrama. He compared favorably with the tawny-maned lion who lays his -ambush at a water hole where gazelles drink. Having decided that killing -was in order, The Jackal would kill with a maximum of speed and -efficiency, brought about by a lifetime of experience. - -Ben Akbar did not even move. He would remain exactly as he was and where -he was until Ali himself gave permission to get up or until circumstances -beyond his friend's control forced him to arise. A lump rose in Ali's -throat. Ben Akbar was far more than just a magnificent _dalul_. He was -Ali's other self, a true brother and to be loved as such. Ali renewed -his vow that, so long as Allah saw fit to spare him, just so long would -he and Ben Akbar face the same winds, traveling side by side. - -Suddenly, seeing his pilgrimage in an entirely new light, it was no -longer a disappointment but more than rewarding. Perhaps, in His -infinite wisdom, Allah bestowed different gifts upon different -pilgrims, according to their true intentions. Ali knew that he was -contented now, for, because of his pilgrimage, he had Ben Akbar. He -would no longer stand alone against the world. - -Presently, Ali became aware of great and immediate danger. - -It was no sudden perception accompanied by sudden shock, but a complete -and whole revelation, the ripening of each separate incident since The -Jackal and Ahmet had appeared. Unless he did something about it, Ali's -senses told him, he would be dead very shortly. At the same time, so -clear was the light that bathed his mind, he was instantly able to -understand exactly how this had come about. - -He had underestimated The Jackal. Hearing Ben Akbar grunt, the man had -identified him instantly. But he had also identified the tiny sounds -made by a camel kneeling and he'd known why Ben Akbar was made to kneel. -The Jackal, had decided, not only that Ali would not await directly -beside Ben Akbar, but also exactly where he would be found. It was what -The Jackal himself might have done under similar circumstances. Now, -dagger poised, he stood directly behind Ali and needed only one more -silent step to carry him into a striking position. - -When Ali moved, he did so swiftly, bending at the knees even while he -swiveled the upper portion of his body forward to make a smaller -target. At the same time, he pivoted on the balls of his feet, so that -he made a complete turn and faced his enemy. He thrust with all his -strength. - -The dagger's point found resistance, but not unyielding resistance. It -bit hungrily into something that was both soft and warm. There was a -gasp, a strangled grunt, then an almost gentle rustle as The Jackal -wilted backwards and his own burnous enfolded him. - -A shout cracked the darkness as a hammer blow might crack a pane of -glass. "Now then! Close in!" - -Bloody dagger still in his extended hand, Ali only half heard either the -shout or the patter of running feet that immediately followed. Aghast at -what he'd done but never intended to do, he remained rooted in his -tracks. This was Mecca, The Holy City, and shedding blood within its -borders was one of the very few sins for which there was no pardon. -Mohammed himself, when making prisoners of some enemies who sought to -hide in Mecca, could carry out his own death sentence only by locking -them in a building and letting them starve. No Moslem was wealthy or -influential enough to attain forgiveness for shedding blood in Mecca. - -So complete was his horror and so shocking, for a short space Ali was -only vaguely aware of rough hands that gripped him. Then someone spoke. -Ali recognized the voice of the fierce officer who had ambushed the -Druse. - -"It is the camel rider who was made keeper of the _dalul_, and he too -has let his charge stray." - -A groan sounded in the darkness. - -"He has done more than that," someone whom Ali could barely see said in -an awed whisper. "He has shed blood in the Holy City." - -"Fool!" the officer said to Ali contemptuously. "We knew who they were -and were ready to take them! I would not care to wear your burnous at -this moment!" - -The single reason why he was not already lying beside the wounded man, -Ali told himself, could be ascribed to the fact that the fierce officer -dared not shed blood in Mecca. Certainly his execution would not be -delayed when they no longer stood on Holy Ground. - -Then the fog that had dulled Ali's brain when he stabbed The Jackal -faded away. He thought of words voiced by the officer, 'the camel rider -who was made keeper of the _dalul_, and he too has let his charge -stray.' Obviously, the soldiers were unaware of Ben Akbar's nearness. -Ali saw his one hope of escape. - -"Ho!" he called loudly and clearly. "Ben Akbar! Come to me! Run!" - -There was a rattling of pebbles as Ben Akbar hastened to obey. -Astonished soldiers, who hadn't even suspected this and needed a moment -to decide what it might be, dodged out of the _dalul's_ path or were -knocked out of it. - -Side by side, Ali and Ben Akbar ran on until the friendly mantle of -night hid both. - - - - -6. The Strange Ship - - -The first light of day was followed almost at once by the first blast -of heat. Then the sun rose, a burning red ball that seemed to roll -across the eastern horizon with steadily increasing speed, as though to -gain momentum for leaping into the sky. - -The rein hung slack and Ali dozed in the saddle as Ben Akbar paced -steadily onward. When the bright sun flashed in his eyes, Ali awakened -and halted his mount with, "Ho, my brother! Let us stop." - -Ben Akbar halted, knelt when commanded to do so, and Ali dismounted. - -As the sun climbed higher and grew hotter, Ali pondered his present -situation, the immediate past and the probable future. In his mind's -eye, he drew a map of the general area and of his approximate position. - -At a rough estimate, Mecca was halfway down the east shore of the Red -Sea, a great sweep of water whose most northerly waves break on the -Sinai Peninsula and whose southern extremity mingles with the Gulf of -Aden, a thousand or more miles away. Directly to the east was the land -of the Arabs. Ali's native Syria was northeast, and beyond Syria lay -Turkey. - -Since it was manifestly impossible to cross the Red Sea without a -suitable ship, Ali's choice of directions were north, south and east. It -was a difficult choice, for, wherever he went, he would still be in a -land of Moslems. Even if he might somehow contrive to cross the Red Sea, -he must necessarily disembark in Moslem Egypt. - -Because he had shed blood in Holy Mecca, he was and forever must be -outcast by all true Moslems. Moreover, with thousands of home-going -pilgrims and each one an indignant bearer of the tale of desecration, -very shortly Ali would be a marked man throughout the Moslem world. Any -Moslem who killed him would be honored, not prosecuted. - -Now all that belonged to the dead past. This was the living present, and -Ali wondered curiously why he was unable to regard that present in the -grave light cast by facts as they were. He'd gained in Mecca the coveted -right to call himself Hadji Ali, and, considering the turn of -circumstances that now meant nothing whatever. It made not the slightest -difference what name he carried. But, far from surrendering to despair -or even giving way to anxiety, Ali felt that the _Hadj_ had brought him -a whole new future and that it had never been so hopeful. - -He stroked the _dalul's_ neck with affectionately understanding hands. -Ben Akbar made happy little noises with his mouth and the rein trailed -in the desert sand. Ali stooped to pick it up. The rein was not -necessary because he could still guide Ben Akbar by voiced commands, -but, since he was setting out on what would most certainly be a long -journey, he had felt that it was desirable to have proper trappings for -his mount. - -As soon as Ali began to plan ahead after his flight from Mecca, he -decided that he must reach the camp of Al Misri, the most accessible -source of camel harness, before the soldiers were able to bring their -news there. He accomplished that by making Ben Akbar kneel when both had -run a safe distance, then mounting and riding at full speed until he was -within a discreet distance of the camp. There--even if he has completed -the _Hadj_, a camel's groom must not be caught riding a _dalul_ reserved -exclusively for the Pasha of Damascus--Ali dismounted and walked the -rest of the way. - -Familiar figures about the camp, the pair attracted only indifferent -glances from the sentries. As though he were acting under orders, Ali -went directly to the supply tent to choose a proper saddle and bridle. -The bridle presented no problem, but Ali was able to find a saddle only -after rejecting a dozen of the biggest ones and finally hitting upon the -largest of all. In superb condition, Ben Akbar's sleek hump seemed ready -to burst. None but the biggest saddle would fit. - -However, foreseeing probable hardship, and the consequent shrinking of -the _dalul's_ hump, Ali gathered up a sufficient supply of saddle pads. -Finally, he chose a goatskin water bag and, as payment for all, left the -single coin that had remained to him after paying for his _ihram_. It -was not enough, and he knew it, but it was all he had. - -Leading Ben Akbar, Ali filled his water bag at the oasis and went on. -The sentries who watched all this but failed to act were lulled partly -by the fact that Ali was a familiar part of the camp and, as far as the -sentries knew, above suspicion. They were further disarmed by the very -audacity of the scheme. Nobody, certainly not a camel's groom, would -walk brazenly into a camp commanded by Al Misri and steal trappings to -equip the Pasha's prized _dalul_, which he also intended to steal! - -A safe distance from camp, Ali mounted and rode. He struck inland, -veering away from the route that would be selected by most of the -home-going pilgrims, letting Ben Akbar choose his own moderate pace all -night long. Nobody could follow him in the darkness, anyhow, and it was -wise to spare his mount. - -Now, as he stood beside the reclining _dalul_ and the burning sun -pursued its torrid course, Ali considered that which was as inevitable -as the eventual setting of the sun. - -It was a foregone conclusion that some tracker had taken the trail as -soon as he was able to see it, and the pursuers would waste no time. Nor -would they ever give up. Who stole a _dalul_ from the Pasha of Damascus -might escape only if he sought and found asylum with one of the Pasha's -powerful enemies. But who desecrated Holy Mecca would never find safety -in any Moslem land. In addition, Ali thought, the officer and all the -men who'd been with him would now make a heretic's punishment a point of -honor, a blood quest from which only death would free them. - -Ali still saw hope that could not have been without Ben Akbar. As -individuals, either was assailable. Together, they were invincible. - -Counting from the time they'd left Al Misri's camp to the first light of -day, Ali gave meticulous consideration to the pace set by Ben Akbar and -the type of terrain they'd traveled. When finished, he knew within a few -rods either way just how far they had come and within a few minutes, -plus or minus, when pursuers could be expected. Ali turned to Ben Akbar. - -"Rest," he crooned, as he removed saddle and bridle. "Rest and forage, -oh Prince among _dalul_. Come to me then, and you shall teach the -Pasha's soldiers the true speed of a _dalul_." - -Ben Akbar wandered forth to crop the coarse desert vegetation. Choosing -the doubtful shade offered by a copse of scrub, Ali lay down and drew -his burnous about him. He slept peacefully and soundly, as though he'd -somehow managed to purge his mind of certain grim prospects for the -immediate future and rest alone mattered. A bit more than three hours -later, as Ali had planned when he chose his bed, the blazing sun shone -directly upon him and its glare broke his slumber. - -He did not, as had been his habit, lie quietly and without moving until -he determined exactly what lay about him and what, if anything, he -should do about it. Ben Akbar, who always knew long before his master -when anything approached--and always let Ali know--made such precautions -unnecessary. The great _dalul_ was grazing quietly and only a few feet -away. - -"To me, my brother," Ali called softly. - -Ben Akbar came at once and Ali replaced the saddle and bridle. About to -take a swallow of water, he decided to wait until Ben Akbar could also -have a satisfactory drink or until thirst became unbearable. In the -latter event, they'd share the contents of the water bag. - -Ali thought calmly of the journey before him. A novice attempting such a -trip would invite his own death, and even an experienced desert traveler -would find such an undertaking very precarious. However, Ali, who'd -spent most of his life on the caravan routes, thought of it as just one -more journey. - -The merciless sun spared nothing. Waves of heat rolled along with -monotonous regularity, as though the heat blanket were a mighty ocean -beset by a steady wind. Ali turned his back to the sun's direct rays and -watched Ben Akbar. He was hot and thirsty, and becoming hotter and -thirstier, but so had he been before and would be again. - -The sun was almost exactly where Ali had decided it should be when Ben -Akbar raised his head and fixed his attention on the western horizon. It -was the direction from which they had come, that from which pursuit -should come. Ali turned to face the same way as Ben Akbar. - -A few minutes later, they rode over a hillock and Ali saw them. They -were a little group of the Pasha's crack troops, superbly mounted on -magnificent _dalul_ and maintaining tight formation behind a tracker. -Ali reached up to fondle Ben Akbar's neck but kept his eyes on the -riders. They were seven, including the tracker, and Ali knew at once why -there were no more than seven and no fewer. - -He was no ordinary outlaw, but a direct affront to all that Moslems held -most dear. He must be brought to justice, and no effort would be spared -to do so. Thus the tracker was the best to be found. The six soldiers -were picked men. Finally, the seven _dalul_ were the very elite of the -almost thirty thousand camels with the _Hadj_. There were no more than -seven pursuers because there was not another _dalul_ to keep pace with -these seven. - -Ali did not have to ask himself if the seven _dalul_ were fresh or -weary; their riders would know how to conserve their mounts. Ben Akbar -had had less than four hours' rest. - -Standing quietly beside Ben Akbar, Ali told himself that he had wanted -and planned to have the pursuit take form in just this way, and he would -not change now if he could. He himself might have ridden much farther in -the hours that had elapsed since leaving Al Misri's camp, but he'd have -done it at the expense of Ben Akbar. The test had to come, and it was -better to meet it in this fashion. - -The soldiers sighted him and urged their mounts from an easy trot to a -swift lope. Ali waited until they were within two hundred and fifty -yards, well beyond effective range of smoothbore muskets, before he -turned to Ben Akbar and said quietly, "Kneel." - -Ben Akbar knelt and Ali mounted. At ease in the saddle, he turned to -watch the soldiers sweep nearer. A momentary doubt assailed him as a -close-up inspection of their _dalul_ revealed the full magnificence of -such animals. Ali put the doubt behind him and told Ben Akbar to run. - -At home in a camel saddle as he seldom fitted in elsewhere, Ali did not -waste another backward glance as Ben Akbar flew on. He knew what lay -behind him, and that he could expect no mercy whether his back or his -face was toward the pursuers. Wherever it struck, the blade of a sword -would be equally sharp and bite as deeply. - -After fifteen minutes, and the blade not felt, Ali knew he'd chosen -wisely when he gave his very life into Ben Akbar's keeping. He still did -not look behind him. _Dalul_ such as the soldiers mounted were not -easily outdistanced, but there was a mighty vein of comfort in that very -thought. Ben Akbar would never again be pursued by swifter _dalul_ or -more skilful riders. If he won this race, he'd win all to come. - -An hour and a half afterwards, Ali finally looked around. With less than -a two-hundred-yard lead at the beginning of the race, Ben Akbar had -doubled that distance between himself and the three swiftest pursuers. -The remaining four, in order of their speed, straggled behind the -leaders. Ali slowed Ben Akbar so that his pace exceeded by the scantiest -margin that of the three leaders. - -When a cool wind announced the going of the day and the coming of the -night, the nearest of the seven pursuers was a mere dot in the distance. - - * * * * * - -The bitter autumn wind that snarled in from the Mediterranean had sent a -herd of tough, desert-bred goats to the shelter of some boulders and -made them stand close together for the warmth one found in another. -Riding past on Ben Akbar, Ali gave the shivering herd the barest of -glances and turned his gaze to the horizon. He missed nothing, a highly -practical talent whose development had been markedly accelerated by -necessity. - -Behind lay an incredible journey. Eluding the soldiers, Ali rode on into -the very heart of the Arabian desert. Always he sought the lonelier -places, shepherd's or camel herder's camps and the smallest villages. At -first his experiences had conformed strictly to what any solitary -traveler might expect. As the news spread and Ali's ill fame became part -of the talk at even the most isolated campfires, his fortunes changed -accordingly. - -He seldom met anything except cold hatred and outright hostility. -Normally it was accompanied by dread, not entirely a disadvantage since, -whatever else they thought, trembling natives who recognized Ali feared -to refuse him food and other necessities. He fought when he could not -avoid fighting, but much preferred to run. Ben Akbar had shown his heels -to more soldiers, tribesmen and just plain bandits than Ali could -remember. - -With an almost desperate yearning for anyone at all who'd exchange a -friendly word, eventually Ali turned to his native Syria, where he hoped -to find a friend. He found a hatred more bitterly intense than anything -experienced elsewhere; every Syrian seemed to think that he must bear -part of the shame for a countryman who had defiled the Holy City. Now -Ali was farther north, in the land of the Turks and riding toward the -port of Smyrna. - -Rounding a bend that brought him in sight of the Mediterranean, Ali -halted Ben Akbar and stared in amazement. - -He was on the shoreside wall of a u-shaped rock ledge that extended into -the sea and formed a natural harbor. Some distance out, a great sailing -ship that flew a foreign flag rode at anchor. Though he could not read -it and had no more than a vague notion that it might be read, Ali could -make out her name. She was the _Supply_. - -Halfway between shore and ship, a scow propelled by oarsmen and carrying -a kneeling camel that seemed to be strapped in position, was making -toward the _Supply_. On the shore beneath Ali, a number of other camels -were tethered. One had lain down, and eight Egyptian camel handlers -seemed interested in making it get up again. - -With a fine contempt for Egyptians generally, and Egyptian camel -handlers specifically, Ali had decided to his own satisfaction that -these last fell back on forceful crudity simply because they were too -stupid to master the right ways of handling camels. Ali's curiosity -mounted because, contrary to their usual procedure, these handlers were -gently trying to make the camel get up. - -Then the scow reached the ship, the men who had been on the scow -disappeared on the _Supply_ and took the camel with them, whereupon the -Egyptian handlers abruptly changed tactics. Kicking together a pile of -rubble, someone started a fire. A pail appeared from somewhere and was -put over the fire. A raging Ali leaped from Ben Akbar and toward the -group. - -He had not intended to interfere. If the Egyptians were stupid enough to -abuse their own camel, then let them be deprived of the beast that much -sooner. Ali would not have interfered if the Egyptian handlers had done -almost anything except what they were obviously about to do--make the -camel get up by pouring boiling pitch over its tail. Hearing Ali, the -eight turned as one and greeted him with hostile stares. - -"Swine!" Ali snarled. "Offspring of diseased fleas! Eaters of camel -dung!" - -He emphasized his insults with a blow to the midriff that sent the -nearest Egyptian spinning, and immediately the seven were upon him. Ali -delivered a smart kick to the shin that left one hopping about on one -foot and howling with pain, landed a clenched fist squarely on the jaw -of another, and then a sledge hammer collided with his own head. - -Night came suddenly. Then light shone through the dark curtain, and Ali -looked up at two men who stood before him. One, a native interpreter, -was foppish in garment and manner. The other, arrayed in clothing such -as Ali had never seen, commanded instant respect. Tall, slim, strong and -young, he had the same air of strength and authority that marked Al -Misri. He spoke in a strange tongue to the interpreter, who addressed -Ali. - -"Lieutenant Porter demands to know why you attacked his men." - -Ali gestured toward the kneeling camel. "They would have made it rise by -pouring boiling pitch on its tail." - -The interpreter conveyed this information to Lieutenant Porter, who -whirled at once on the Egyptians. - -"I've told all of you that I will tolerate no cruelty," he began. - -Not understanding a word, nevertheless Ali listened with mingled awe and -admiration as Lieutenant Porter continued to speak. His words, Ali -thought happily, were a lion's roar, and it was better to be whipped -than to endure them because a whip could not remove skin nearly as well. -The eight Egyptians, like eight beaten dogs, slunk away. Lieutenant -Porter addressed the interpreter, who conveyed the message to Ali. - -"Can you make the camel rise?" - -Ali got to his feet, smoothed his burnous and went to the stubborn -camel. He took hold of the tether rope while he stooped to whisper in -its ear, "Rise, my little one. Rise, my beauty. The trail is long and -the day is short." - -The camel rose and began to lick Ali's hand. Ali addressed the -interpreter. "Where are these camels going?" - -"To America," the interpreter assured him. - -"But--" A bewildered Ali looked from the stately ship to the tethered -camels. "Is a land wealthy enough to have such a ship, so poor as to -have no camels?" - -Treating this question with haughty disdain, the interpreter relayed -another message. "Lieutenant Porter wishes to know if you will go to -America with the camels?" - -Ali hesitated, then asked, "Is America a land of Moslems?" - -The interpreter conferred with Lieutenant Porter and turned to Ali. -"There are no Moslems." - -Ali indicated Ben Akbar, silhouetted on top of the ledge. "May my -_dalul_ come, too?" - -"He may," the interpreter assured him. - -Ali said joyously, "Then we will go." - -He didn't know where America was or what he might find on arrival, but -he was sure that he and Ben Akbar, together, could make their own way -anywhere at all. - - - - -7. Another Pilgrimage - - -Beginning at her stern and bearing to the starboard side, Ali set out -to become more intimately acquainted with the ship. Almost every step -brought to light a fresh marvel. As a camel driver who traveled with -caravans, at one time or another he had been in every port that a -caravan can visit, and he was not unfamiliar with ships. But never -before had he seen anything to compare with the _Supply_. - -A hundred and forty-one feet over all, the wooden three-master had a -main and a quarterdeck. An official United States Navy ship, she was -armed with a battery of four twenty-four pounders. One glance revealed -that her crew of forty officers and men believed in and strictly adhered -to the rules of first-class seamanship; the _Supply_ was as spotlessly -clean as she was trim. - -Had she been a conventional ship, Ali would have considered her -impressive enough. As it was, he found her overwhelming. - -Jefferson Davis, United States Secretary of War, was one of several -outstanding Americans who'd long cherished the notion that camels might -very well help solve some of the troublesome problems of transportation -involved in settling America's vast, arid and little-known Southwest. -Finally, granted official permission to subject this theory to a -practical test, the _Supply_ had been rebuilt for the sole purpose of -importing an experimental herd. - -A well-built stable, sixty feet long, twelve feet wide and not quite -seven feet six inches high, extended from just behind the foremast to -just in front of the quarterdeck. On either side were twenty portholes -that could be left open when weather permitted, but each porthole was -equipped with a panel of glass that closed from the inside in cold -weather and wooden shutters that swung from the outside and were to be -used during violent storms or in heavy seas. Midway was a hatch that -offered direct entry to the stable, and that could be lowered for -loading or unloading and raised when the ship was at sea. - -Front and rear, high enough above the main deck so that even the most -turbulent waves would not wash over them, were other hatches fitted with -wind sails--canvas funnels--that admitted air but excluded everything -else. Thus, even when it was necessary to close the portholes, there was -no danger that the camels would suffocate. - -Every stall was fitted with a harness, so arranged that the stall's -occupant might have complete freedom of movement when the _Supply_ was -in smooth sailing, or be strapped firmly in a kneeling position and -unable to move at all, when the ship was in stormy seas. Further to -minimize injuries that might result from being tossed about, bags filled -with hay were secured to every beam and anything else that a camel might -bump. The stable floor was covered with clean, fresh litter. Reflector -lamps would illuminate the stable if it should be necessary to attend -the camels at night. - -A supply of fresh water was contained in two huge tanks, each holding -thirty thousand gallons, and a fire extinguisher was arranged so that it -could draw on either tank or both. A sterile cabinet held an ample -supply of every known remedy for any aliment that might afflict a camel. -The hold of the _Supply_ was filled to the bursting point with a store -of the finest and cleanest hay and grain. No necessity or luxury that a -camel might need--or that somebody fancied a camel might need--had been -omitted. - -There were twenty camels already in the stable and they were making -themselves at home there. Twenty-four, including Ben Akbar, remained to -be brought on board. - -Thirty-seven of the herd were young females, many of which were with -young. Every one of the forty-three beasts that the American buyers had -selected was an outstanding creature, all in their prime and none with -any blemishes or deformities. But even though he must concede that the -Americans knew how to choose camels, Ali was both baffled and dazzled by -their sending of the _Supply_, obviously representing a tremendous -investment, to carry a mere forty-four of even the finest camels all the -way to America. Few of the desert-roving camel breeders of Ali's -acquaintance would consider it worth their while to drive so small a -herd to market, not even if the market was only four miles away. - -Rounding the front of the stable and continuing sternward on the -opposite side of the _Supply_, Ali felt a tense ripple travel up his -spine and reassured himself that his dagger was at hand when he saw -another camel handler approaching. Eight natives in all, seven besides -Ali, had been retained to accompany this herd to America and Ali hadn't -the faintest doubt that each one knew all the details of his story. But -far from any hostile gesture or incident, nobody had even mentioned -Mecca, to say nothing of the punishment sure to attend any who shed -blood in the Holy City. There was a variety of possible explanations for -such forbearance. Maybe the seven were lukewarm Moslems, who simply -didn't care; perhaps, like Ali, they had personal reasons for wanting to -go to some land where Moslems were few; possibly they intended to take -action but were waiting for the right moment. - -When he was near enough to his fellow camel handler, Mimico Teodara, Ali -said decorously, "I greet thee." - -"And I thee," the other replied. - -Ali relaxed. If Mimico knew his story--and beyond doubt he did know--and -if he were a strict Moslem, he would not have spoken to Ali at all. For -a moment they remained side by side and both glanced toward the tethered -camels that remained on shore. Ali, who somehow felt that Mimico might -become his friend, spoke of the riddle that had been puzzling him. - -"It is strange, almost past understanding, that Americans would send -such a ship, at vast expense, to carry only forty-four camels to -America." - -"Strange indeed," his companion agreed. "Even more to be wondered at is -the fact that, the first time they came, they returned with only -thirty-three camels." - -Surprised, Ali asked, "They have been here before?" - -Mimico nodded. "This is their second voyage." - -"Come," the foppish interpreter said, "this is not a time for idling." - -Ali and Mimico walked silently to the lowered hatch through which the -camels were brought on board and took their places in the boat that was -moored against it. The device employed to bring camels from shore to -ship, Ali felt, was another startling example of American ingenuity. -Twenty feet long by seven wide, the boat used as a ferry was fitted with -a hinged door at each end. A wheeled truck, sturdy enough to support the -biggest camel, could be pushed through either door and secured in such a -manner that it neither moved nor unbalanced the ferry. - -Of very shallow draft, the oarsmen had no difficulty in running the -ferry up on any beach. Then the hinged door was lowered and the truck -run out. A camel was led onto the truck, made to kneel and strapped in -place. The truck was pushed back onto the ferry, the door was raised, -and the launching accomplished. Reaching the _Supply_, the door on the -opposite end was lowered and the ferry brought squarely against the -lowered hatch. Then it was necessary only to push the truck and its -helpless passenger onto the deck of the _Supply_ and into the stable. - -Ali, who thought he knew all the methods of moving camels, had to admit -that he'd never even heard of this one. - -Mimico, who had a fine touch with camels, brought the next passenger. It -was a great Bactrian, or two-humped male. As it was led onto the truck, -made to kneel and strapped in place, Ali wondered. Bactrians were -enormous beasts, some weighing a ton or more, and this was an especially -fine specimen. There was no doubting the strength of a two-humped camel, -but caravan trails were usually long ones. Often, what with delivering -one cargo at one point, picking up another for a different destination, -and there getting still another, a year or more might elapse before a -train of camels finally returned to the home from which they had set -out. Such wandering was certain to be attended by conditions that varied -from lush browse and ample water to scant forage and near drought. A -camel's hump changed accordingly, so that often nothing except the very -skilful application of pads made it possible to keep a firm saddle on a -beast with only one hump. Naturally, a beast with two humps could be -twice the trouble. In addition, Ali thought, Bactrians were less hardy. - -Under the skilful direction of Ali and Mimico, all the camels except Ben -Akbar were finally loaded. On the final trip, Mimico leaped out as soon -as the ferry was beached and went to bring Ali's _dalul_. - -Ali waited, saying nothing. The more they were together, the better he -liked Mimico, who handled camels with consummate skill and never used -words when deeds were in order. Ali waited now to find if his judgment -was sound. If Mimico passed what Ben Akbar considered a respectful -distance, the _dalul_ would show his resentment. If Mimico was the camel -man he seemed to be, he would recognize Ben Akbar for what he was and -halt before he was dangerously near. - -Before Ben Akbar lunged, Mimico halted, turned and beckoned. Ali strode -forward to lead his _dalul_ to the ferry. - - * * * * * - -All sails spread to a stiff and favorable wind, the _Supply_ skimmed -along at a fast eight knots an hour. Leaning against an outside wall of -the camel stable, beside the porthole near which Ben Akbar was tethered, -and through which he was thrusting his nose, Ali kept anxious eyes on -the horizon where land should appear. - -Since that day when the _Supply_ had sliced into the Mediterranean and -the haze-shrouded coast of Turkey had slipped always farther behind and -then disappeared, almost three full months had come and gone. By no -means had they passed swiftly. - -One furious storm followed another while the _Supply_ pursued her course -in the Mediterranean. Much of the time it had been necessary to strap -the camels in place, to keep them from being tumbled about as the ship -listed one way or another. It had been impossible to prevent all injury, -but only three of the forty-four camels had died. - -Two of them were Bactrians, the only two-humped camels in the present -cargo. This gave additional support for Ali's theory that they were less -hardy than their Arabian cousins. He did not draw any positive -conclusions because Lieutenant Porter disagreed with him, saying that -species had nothing to do with it and the two Bactrians merely happened -to be less hardy individuals. Ali offered no argument because of an ever -increasing respect for Lieutenant Porter's knowledge and wisdom. - -In part, Ali was influenced by the fact that Porter was the only man on -board besides Ali himself who had succeeded in winning Ben Akbar's -friendship. But more than that was involved. - -As the _Supply_ lay at anchor off the Turkish coast, it was evident that -Lieutenant Porter was not an authority on camels. But in sharp contrast -with some men Ali had known, the American had proven himself both -willing and eager to learn, and he included the eight native camel -drivers among his teachers. But from the first, to Ali's vast -astonishment and then to his boundless delight, Porter did not find it -necessary to base his behavior upon that pursued by haughty sheiks and -amirs who conversed with camel drivers. - -Nobody on the _Supply_ ever forgot that Lieutenant Porter was in -command, but nobody ever had reason to feel that the officer considered -them inferior. Ali nursed a happy conviction that America must be a -wonderful land indeed if many Americans were like the skipper of the -_Supply_. - -A little distance from Ali, Mimico was also leaning against the camel -stable and waiting for the first sight of land. The pair had become -friends during the voyage, but, after so many days at sea, neither Ali -nor Mimico wanted to do anything except look at some land. - -Presently Ali saw it, the sea rolling up on a flat and treeless shore -and the waves falling back. Then it disappeared, a tantalizing vision -that first enticed and then crushed. But it came again and did not -disappear. Ali's eager eyes drank in as much as possible of this first -look at America. - -The shore was flat and treeless, but not by any means was it deserted. A -great crowd of people, everything from officials come to receive the -camels to the curious who wanted only to look, awaited. There was a -wooden pier and a group of buildings that comprised the town of -Indianola, Texas. - -A lighter that had been lingering at the pier was now making toward -them. The ship met the _Supply_ and drew alongside. A camel was brought -from its stall and a harness was strapped about and beneath it. A cable -dangling from the lighter's boom was attached to the harness and the -kicking, frightened camel was transferred from the _Supply_ to the -lighter. - -Lieutenant Porter gestured to Ali and Mimico, ordering, "Go aboard the -lighter and help out." - -The pair entered a small boat that took them to the lighter, where they -received all the camels as they came. With gentle touch and soothing -voices, they calmed the frightened animals and averted what might have -become a catastrophe. - -Busy with the camels, Ali had time for only the briefest of shoreward -glances. His first close-up impression of America was a restricted -one--a small section of the pier which they were approaching. Standing -on it were two horses, hitched to a light wagon. A red-faced, red-haired -man who had come to see the unloading occupied the wagon seat and held -the horses' reins. - -There was no time for a prolonged scrutiny; the camels must be put -ashore as soon as possible. Mimico climbed from the lighter to the pier -and made ready to receive them. Ali strapped the harness about the first -camel to be unloaded. The boom lifted it. - -Then the horses screamed, the red-faced man roared, and a full scale -upheaval was in progress! - - - - -8. Trouble - - -As soon as the horses began to scream and the man to shout, the camels -quieted. It was what they should do, and Ali would have been astonished -if they hadn't. Taken from familiar stalls and immediately thereafter -swung on the boom, they had been roused to the verge of stampede. But -they had not been hurt and saw no indication that they might be hurt -when the new danger threatened. - -The camels had not detected this fresh peril and were not directly aware -of it, but the screams of the horses and shouts of the driver were -evidence enough that it existed. The camels responded as though they -were part of a caravan under attack. Whatever peril lurked, it might -pass them by if they stood quietly. - -The herd again tractable, Ali put a companionable hand on Ben Akbar's -shoulder and turned toward the pier. His eyes widened in astonishment. - -Mimico had received and was holding the tether rope of the single beast -that had been transferred to the pier. It was one of the young females, -and, like all the rest of the herd, it was standing very quietly. But on -the pier and within a wide radius, Mimico and the young camel seemed to -be the only living creatures that were quiet. - -The terrified horses, bereft of all reason, had wrenched control from -their driver. Whirling crazily, they had missed dashing off the pier and -into the water by no more than a wagon wheel's width. Now, with the -red-haired driver still trying with all his strength to stop them, they -were running away at top speed. As Ali watched, a wheel struck a boulder -and the wagon bounded high in the air. - -To one side, a black-bearded man had been indolently sitting on a gaunt -dun mule, with one foot in a stirrup and the other cocked up on the -saddle, while his chin rested on the upraised knee. Suddenly and -obviously to the man's complete surprise--the mule began an insane -bucking. The startled rider dropped his upraised foot, groped for and -couldn't find the stirrup, and missed the dangling reins when he -snatched at them. He leaned forward to wrap both arms about the mule's -neck and clung desperately. - -Two saddled horses whose riders were among the crowd reared and danced -in a mad effort to break their tethers. A horse that had not been -picketed whirled and, tail high over its rump, galloped away. Everybody -on shore except Mimico seemed to be shouting or screaming, or shouting -and screaming. - -A small boat moved up beside the lighter and more men came aboard. Four -were native camel handlers but the fifth was a quiet young American -named, Ali remembered, Gwynne Heap. With a taste for adventure and a -knowledge of Eastern languages and customs derived from previous -residence in the East, Heap had contributed at least as much as anyone -else to the successful purchase and importation of the camel herd. Now -he took competent command. - -"You have no trouble?" he asked quietly. - -"No trouble," Ali told him. - -Gwynne Heap called to Lieutenant Porter, who had remained in the small -boat, "Everything's under control." - -"Keep them coming," Lieutenant Porter called back. "They must be -unloaded." - -Lieutenant Porter and the men who remained with him joined Mimico and -made ready to help receive the camels. Ali began to harness the next -animal scheduled for unloading. - -He became absorbed in what he was doing, adjusting each strap and -fastening each buckle with a fussy attention to detail that was both -unnecessary and so time-consuming that it drew reprimanding glances from -Gwynne Heap. Ali refused either to hurry or to look toward the shore, -but refusing to turn his eyes toward it in no way obliterated the ugly -thing that awaited there. The resentful crowd was still in an uproar. -Ali thought sadly of the joyous welcome his imagination had created for -these camels, so vital to his own country, when they finally reached -America. - -The harnessed camel was finally swung away on the boom, and, still -refusing to glance shoreward, Ali began to help prepare the next in -line. He tried to console himself with the thought that Lieutenant -Porter was still in command and nobody would dare challenge him, but in -his heart he knew that it was not so. If camels were not wanted in -America, they could not be here. Nobody could force their acceptance. - -Then, as always when facing a problem that seemed to have no solution, -Ali stopped thinking about it. He knew from experience that it was not -wise to borrow trouble. The rising sun shone on not just one but many -different paths that led in many different directions. One could always -find the right way if he was properly diligent in the search. - -One by one, the camels were landed until only Ben Akbar was left. Ali -finally glanced shoreward, to discover that Lieutenant Porter and his -men had rigged a picket line, a long rope stretched across the pier, and -they were tethering the camels to it as they were lowered and -unharnessed. Ali saw also that the herd was again becoming restless, but -this time there was no cause for concern. - -The crowd was still in an uproar and such horses as had not already -broken away were trying their best to do so. The camels had definitely -decided that whatever might be bothering everything else would not -disturb them. However, after many weeks at sea, at last they were once -again on firm footing. That was very exciting. - -His companions stood back while Ali alone harnessed Ben Akbar, then took -hold of the boom and rode with him as the great _dalul_ was transferred -from the lighter to the pier. He saw, even as he descended, that the -tethered camels were fast becoming unmanageable. They both smelled and -saw the earth that lay just beyond the pier and they were frantic to -feel it. For all his skill, not even Mimico would be able to maintain -control much longer. - -The spectators--those with horses had wisely left them behind--had come -nearer and were arranged in a rough U at the end of the pier and on -either side. Lieutenant Porter, who looked more worried than he had -during the stormiest part of the voyage, paced nervously back and -forth. Again and again he searched the crowd, as though expecting to -find someone who should be present but was not. - -Keeping a firm grip on Ben Akbar's lead rope, because he knew that big -_dalul_ was as anxious as any of the rest to feel earth under his feet, -Ali turned to study the crowd, too. Except for a group distinguished by -their uniforms, and further marked as soldiers by their arms and precise -formation, he learned nothing except that Americans wear outlandish -clothes. - -Gwynne Heap came onto the pier and Porter asked anxiously, "Will you see -if you can find Wayne? He should have met us." - -"Right," the other assented. - -Gwynne Heap walked to the end of the pier and mingled with the crowd. A -second after he disappeared, Ben Akbar shivered convulsively and Ali -knew what to expect. - -"I know you long to feel the earth, for I have a similar yearning," he -said. "But wait until the time is here and the word is spoken. Do not -break and run as a half-trained baggage camel might. Do not shame me, my -brother." - -Ben Akbar quieted, but the rest of the camels would not be soothed. They -surged forward, and there was no way to know which one broke the picket -line because all were lunging. Tether ropes slipped off either end of -the broken line as the herd ran forward. - -Maintaining a firm grip on Ben Akbar's tether rope and keeping pace with -the _dalul_, Ali ran with them. He was not worried. This was no -reasonless stampede that might be expected to overrun whatever lay in -its path because fear-crazed camels would take no reckoning of -obstacles. These camels were running for the same reason that a young -horse runs when, after a winter spent in a confining stall, it is -finally freed in a green pasture. The people on the pier were in no -danger. - -The spectators, however, thought otherwise. Most of them were thoroughly -familiar with horses and mules, but camels were as alien as dinosaurs. -Obviously, these berserk beasts were bent on destruction. - -A man shouted in fear and the contagion spread. Those directly in the -path of the running herd surged away, crowding those on either side and -compounding the confusion. Some idiot, fortunately he was too excited to -take proper aim, drew and fired a revolver. Then Ali's eyes widened in -horror. - -Through the gap left open when the crowd parted, the soldiers came on -the run. Their arms were ready. Their obvious intention was to avert -catastrophe by shooting the camels before they overran the crowd. Ali -heard Lieutenant Porter's outraged bellow. - -"No! No, you fools!" - -If they heard the command, the soldiers ignored it. Dispersing smartly, -those in front knelt and those behind were preparing to shoot over their -heads when a newcomer appeared. - -Riding a sleek black horse which he handled so skillfully that somehow -it seemed an extension of himself, he came through the same gap the -soldiers had used. Unmistakably a professional soldier, his present -actions proclaimed that he was accustomed to emergencies. He wheeled his -horse in front of the troops and snapped an order. - -Though they had ignored Lieutenant Porter, either because they hadn't -heard him or because Porter wore the Navy uniform, the soldiers gave -this officer instant obedience. Falling back to either side, they formed -a lane that let the running camels through but kept the spectators out. - -Seconds after the run started, Ali and Ben Akbar left the pier and stood -on the soil of America. - -Back on the pier, Lieutenant Porter heaved a mighty sigh of relief. He gave -formal command of the camel herd over to Major Henry Wayne, of the United -States Army. Arriving in the nick of time, Wayne's prompt and vigorous -action averted the massacre of these animals and insured establishment -of the most colorful and most unique method of transportation ever -attempted in the United States--the Camel Corps. - - * * * * * - -At the very rear of the caravan, where he had been posted by Major Wayne -so that he might keep a watchful eye on all the other camels, a puzzled -and apprehensive Ali sat lightly in Ben Akbar's saddle. Watching the -caravan, only forty-one animals in all, imposed no strain. From Yusuf, -the belled leader who swung along as placidly as though the seven -hundred and fifty pounds he bore on his pack saddle had no weight at -all, to Iba, the little female who walked just ahead of Ben Akbar and -had been relieved of all pack-carrying because of anticipated -motherhood, none had any rebellious ideas or any inclination to do -anything except walk along until they came to their destination. - -Ali saw them as one learns to see the very familiar. With no need for -the fussy solicitude and anxious fretting that marked the soldiers -assigned to duty with the camels, he would instantly discern any -departure from the normal and immediately thereafter he would be making -the proper countermove. Not required even to think about the camels, -Ali's thoughts were occupied by more troublesome matters. - -In this America, to which camels had been brought with so much trouble -and at such vast expense, they had been granted a hostile reception and, -with very few exceptions, there had been nothing but hostility since. -Even those who came only to stare--and throngs of the curious appeared -wherever the camels were taken--did not like what they saw. - -It was true that camels just naturally frightened horses and mules, and -thus were responsible for an unrehearsed but extremely lively rodeo -wherever they made an unexpected appearance. In an attempt to avoid such -incidents, a rider preceded the caravan and warned all that camels were -en route. But the rider never succeeded in warning everyone, and some of -those he did advise insisted on staying around with their horses or -mules, to see for themselves whether he spoke the truth. - -Ali managed a flitting grin as he thought of an incident that had -followed the unloading. The excited camels, savoring their first happy -taste of land after such a long time at sea, were permitted to race -about and frolic as they pleased until they tired themselves out and -could again be herded. Then they were taken to a corral built especially -for them. - -The corral was large enough, and as an enclosure for horses or mules it -would have been satisfactory enough. In this land, however, conventional -building materials were both scarce and expensive. Since prickly-pear -cactus was abundant, the builders had used it to construct their fence. -Far from being repelled by such a thorny barrier, the camels happily ate -it! - -Regardless of other considerations, the very fact that they could eat -such fodder was another indication that they were well adapted to this -American Southwest. Ali already knew that, although he might encounter -problems different from any previously experienced, there'd be none -incapable of solution. Nor was there anything horses and mules could do -that camels couldn't do better. A good pack camel was capable of bearing -five or six times as much as the best pack horse or mule, and, day for -day, he'd carry it farther. He would keep on going, at the same steady -pace, past dry water holes or across drought-shriveled areas where lack -of water would drive a horse or mule to madness. Although it was often -necessary to carry hay and grain for other beasts of burden, a camel -would always live off the country. - -These camels would do all anyone expected from them and then surpass -expectations, but Ali sighed dolefully as he thought of what had been and -what was. Even Major Wayne had been unable to counteract a spontaneous -public rejection of these beasts from a far land. Accosted by skeptics -who doubted a camel's ability to pack anything at all, Wayne had bales -of hay packed on a kneeling camel. The enormous load totaled more than -twelve hundred pounds, but, with no hesitation and no visible strain, -the camel rose and walked away with the load when ordered to do so. - -Compared with the pack animals they knew, it was an incredible feat. -But, although they themselves were eyewitnesses, the onlookers seemed to -regard what they had seen as the trick of some circus master. Seeing, -they neither accepted nor approved. - -The real trouble, Ali thought sadly, was nothing that had yet appeared -or would appear on the surface. Although this country was markedly -similar to his own native land, there were fundamental differences that -had nothing to do with topography. They lay in the hearts and traditions -of people who, for past generations, had looked to the horse, the mule -and the ox for help in building up their land. - -With very few exceptions, even the soldiers assigned to the Camel Corps -resented their new duties. For the most part, they were former mule -skinners who had been chosen because of their outstanding ability to -handle mules. Almost to a man, they yearned to be rid of camels and back -with their mules. Only Major Wayne and a very few others had complete -confidence in the proposed Camel Corps. Fortunately, some of these were -so influential that they must be heard. - -Presently, Ali caught his first glimpse of Camp Verde, the military post -where the camels were to be held until a major expedition was organized. -His heart grew lighter and his troubles less. - -Obviously, Camp Verde had been planned by someone who knew camels. -Glancing briefly at a cluster of adobe buildings, Ali centered intent -scrutiny on the khan, or camel corral. Constructed of stone, wood and -timber, it was patterned after the time-tested khans of Ali's native -country. Rectangular, the north wall angled outward. The gate was in -this wall and a house for the chief camel handler stood beside the gate. -Spacious enough for five times as many camels, the corral differed in a -notable respect from most khans Ali had seen. It was sparkling clean. - -A few camels, some with pack and some with riding saddles, stood here -and there about the camp and more were visible in the khan. Evidently -this was the herd Mimico had mentioned, the thirty-three previously -imported. The new arrivals were halted, stripped of their burdens and -herded into the khan. - -With an affectionate parting slap for Ben Akbar, Ali turned to face a -strange camel handler. Arrived with the first camels and presently -serving as interpreter, he already had Mimico and the six other handlers -in tow. - -"You are to come with me," he announced. - -He escorted the newcomers to a building and lined them up before a desk, -behind which sat a bored-looking clerk. The clerk inscribed each man's -name in his records while the interpreter told each about the wages he -would receive. Ali, last in line, presently faced the clerk. - -"You are to be paid twenty dollars a month and receive full rations," -the interpreter said. - -Without looking up, the clerk asked, "Name?" - -"Hadji Ali," Ali answered. - -"What?" the clerk asked. - -"Hadji Ali," Ali repeated. - -The clerk wrote with his goose quill, and, still without looking up, he -flipped the book around for Ali's inspection. Unable to read or write, -but with no intention of admitting that while the interpreter might -overhear, Ali scanned his written name. - -"Right?" the clerk asked. - -Ali nodded approval. Thus did Hadji Ali cease to be. From that moment, -not only as long as he lived but as history would record him after his -death, Ali would be known by the name the clerk had written. - -It was _Hi Jolly_. - - - - -9. Lieutenant Beale - - -Except for the camels, that never seemed to be affected by any -weather, everything at Camp Verde had sought the nearest shade. It was -hot, Ali admitted to himself. The Syrian sun at its fiercest was not -more 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 Mimico -sat cross-legged in the shade of the camel khan. Wan and weak, Mimico -was still recovering from some devastating malady that had almost cost -his life. For an interval neither spoke. Then Mimico broke the silence. - -"I came to this thrice-accursed camp while winter was still with us," he -growled. "I have been here since, doing the work of a stable boy and as -a stable boy regarded. All this I endured without complaint--" - -Ali smothered a quick grin. Throughout a very monotonous period of doing -nothing worthwhile, as they waited for somebody to decide what should be -done, no voice had declared more loudly or more frequently than Mimico's -that camels and camel men belonged out on the trails. They should not be -restricted to a rest home for obsolete Pashas--Mimico's personal title -for Camp Verde--who could do nothing except talk because they had grown -too 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 a -passing thing. Sooner or later, there would be work for men, and men -would be needed. Now that the opportunity is here--" - -Mimico's voice trailed off into silence, and he gazed moodily at the -sun-shriveled horizon. Ali's heart went out to his friend. - -Camp Verde had indeed proved dull. Ali would have taken Ben Akbar and -gone elsewhere weeks ago, except that he, too, foresaw a need for both -camels and camel men. Now that time was not only at hand, but it -promised to be the most exciting caravan of Ali's life. - -A full-scale expedition was to be commanded by a Lieutenant Beale, an -officer Ali had not met. The object was to survey a wagon road. -According to rumor, a great deal of the proposed route lay through -wilderness, of which none was well-known and much was unknown. There was -more than a fair chance of encountering Indians, America's own savage -tribesmen! - -Most important and most exciting, the expedition was to provide a major -test for the camels. Twenty-five were to go along, with Ali as a sort of -overseer-teacher. Besides handling the camels, he was to instruct others -in their proper handling. - -Ali could well understand his friend's disappointment. Mimico, who -otherwise would have accompanied the expedition, had been declared -physically unfit by the post surgeon and ordered to remain at Camp -Verde. - -Ali offered such comfort as he could. "It is the will of Allah." - -"Save your pious lectures for fledglings who may be impressed!" Mimico -snapped. "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 you -left Mecca in a very great hurry." - -Ali said nothing. Gray November skies had prevailed when he joined the -company on the _Supply_ and had his first meeting with Mimico. This was -June in a new land, and never once had Mimico even intimated that he knew -of 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 not -make 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. "None -of us may truly know what lies beyond this mortal life until we have -taken leave of it and may find out for ourselves. Getting back to -earthly matters, which are the only ones I admit to understanding, I -hear the journey will be long." - -"I have heard the same," Ali declared. "But the longer it is, the -better. I do not like this place." - -Mimico said fervently, "Nor do I! Aside from being wearisome, it has -been most absurd. I wonder at the Amirs who have made it so." - -Ali told himself that that was also true. Major Wayne, in command at -Camp Verde, was a thoroughly competent officer who maintained a smoothly -running organization when left alone. But various officers who ranked -Wayne, of whom few had any real knowledge of camels but all cherished -pet theories, had visited from time to time and insisted on trying -their ideas. - -One had convinced himself--and submitted an official report that he hoped -would convince others--that camels were greatly inferior to horses. He -arrived at such a conclusion by arranging a race, a quarter-mile sprint, -between a racehorse and a riding camel. The horse finished before the -camel was fairly started, it is true, but the officer in question refused -to recognize the sound fact that quarter-mile sprints would not be -especially valuable to the proposed Camel Corps. Nor could he be convinced -that, although a good horse may outdistance a camel in the first half day -of 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 be -going on long after the horse is worn out. - -Another officer had proved conclusively that, due to peculiarities of -the terrain, camels would be worse than useless in the Southwest because -they quickly became sore-footed. This officer derived such an opinion by -requisitioning six camels that hadn't been outside the khan for six -weeks, having them packed and sending them off on a fifty-mile trip. The -camels went lame solely because they had had no trail work to harden -their feet. - -In a similar fashion, it had been demonstrated that the gait of a riding -camel is so stiff and jarring that Americans couldn't possibly get used -to it; that camels are subject to a bewildering variety of ailments; -that they are too vicious to be practical, and that there were a few -dozen other reasons why the whole project couldn't possibly work and the -camels had better be disposed of right now! Throughout, those who had -originally had faith in a camel corps persisted in battling all skeptics -and going ahead. - -At long last, this proper expedition was organized and a true test was -at hand. What happened afterward, Ali told himself, depended in great -measure on Lieutenant Beale. If he was one of those officers whose every -thought is already written in the Manual of Regulations--Ali had seen -for himself that the American Army has a full quota of such--his report -might very well doom future expeditions. If Beale was able to think for -himself, if he was capable of honest analysis and could adapt to new -situations, it was wholly possible that his favorable report would -remove all obstacles and be the making of the Camel Corps. - -Mimico asked wistfully, "What think you of the savage tribesmen, whose -country you are to enter?" - -"I have never met them," Ali answered seriously. "But I have met and -fought 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 is -better to have one honey cake in the hand than to yearn for twenty and -have 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 be -prepared for it." - -"Some have so much fear that they refuse even to be prepared," Mimico -grunted. He named various other camel drivers who found the existence of -Camp Verde ideal, since they had the finest of care and nothing to do. -Asked to accompany the expedition and honestly informed of its nature -and probable dangers, they had promptly terminated their employment and -requested passage back to their native land. - -When Mimico finished his appraisal of this worthless lot, Ali said -simply, "They are Egyptians." - -"They are cowards," Mimico amended. "I have known many old women with -more 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 be -present at all times, for this man is expected to tarry only long enough -to choose his camels." - -Mimico said, "I wish you luck, Ali." - -"And may fortune attend you," Ali responded. - -Halfway across the camel khan, Ali stood grimly unmoving and silently -awaited that which Allah had ordained. At any rate, none but Allah could -now direct the tide of destiny, for Ali himself had tried. - -A former Navy officer whose title derived from that service, and not now -attached to the military, Lieutenant Beale had arrived late yesterday -afternoon. Ali knew that because he had remained at a respectful distance -and witnessed the arrival. It was what he had expected; camel drivers -do not participate in formal welcomes for caravan masters. - -Beale was accompanied by two companions, men so young that they were -hardly more than boys, and all were greeted by and escorted to the house -of Major Wayne. Ali drew his rations and retired to his own house, a -lean-to behind the camel khan. Two hours ago, while the light of a new -day was only a dim promise in the sky, he had been routed out and told -to make ready. - -Shortly thereafter, he met Lieutenant Beale. Again skipping formality, -which did not bother Ali, the introduction consisted of a good look at -his future chief. Ali liked what he saw. - -Edward Beale looked older than his mid-thirties, but it was a look that -experience alone had imparted. A trained surveyor and veteran of numerous -excursions into the wilderness, Kit Carson was one of his many friends. -Beale's knowledge of dangerous situations resulted from facing danger and -finding his own way out. One of the original few who had conceived the -idea of a Camel Corps and then worked tirelessly for it, Beale was a -demanding taskmaster, with a touch of the martinet. However, Ali had -seen 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 rose -considerably in Ali's opinion when his first choice was Old Mohamet, the -wisest and best baggage camel in the herd. Beale followed with Gusuf -and, without a single error selected twenty-four of the best animals in -the 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 camels -with such a discerning eye fail to choose Ben Akbar? The expedition -certainly had the right commander. - -Lieutenant Beale looked from Ben Akbar to Sied, an all-white animal -previously chosen and, next to Ben Akbar, the best _dalul_ in the herd. -A soldier came to advise Major Wayne that he was wanted elsewhere and -the commanding officer of Camp Verde left. Lieutenant Beale, his young -companions and Ali were left alone in the khan. - -After studying Sied thoroughly, a time-consuming process if correctly -done, Lieutenant Beale turned to subject Ben Akbar to the same intense -scrutiny. Ali discarded all doubts he might still have concerning Beale. -Anyone could look at a camel, but few had the knack of looking, seeing -and understanding. - -Ali had known cameleers of great experience who would never bother with -such preliminaries. Faced with two apparently equal _dalul_, they would -accept either, after assuring themselves that both were good. But the -best of the camel men never chose lightly. Among them, an elite few were -entirely willing to spend as much time as necessary to study every beast -in a herd, so that they might finally select the one best fitted to -their requirements. - -Finally, Beale gestured toward Ben Akbar and turned to his companions. -"That red Nomanieh dromedary is superb," he said. "I want a closer -look." - -He started toward Ben Akbar, who was standing quietly near the far wall -of the khan. Ali, who had understood none of the conversation but who -knew all too clearly what Beale's gesture indicated, felt his heart -catch in his throat. - -He whirled toward the gate, and eyes already worried became desperate -when there was no evidence of Major Wayne. Ali turned back to Lieutenant -Beale, already a third of the way across the khan, and he shivered in -terrible indecision. A camel driver did not presume to give orders to -his leader! - -The two young men seemed to have forgotten Ali and kept fascinated eyes -on Lieutenant Beale. Ali ran forward. A camel driver did not command his -chief, but neither did he let him go to certain injury and possible -death. - -Running up behind the officer, Ali grasped his arm. Lieutenant Beale -stopped and swung about, but his eyes were questioning rather than -angry, and he arched interrogatory brows. - -"Well, boy?" he asked. - -Ali remained speechless. Though he could have voiced a warning in Syrian -or any of a dozen Arabic dialects, he did not know how to speak in a -tongue Beale might understand. Presently, and happily, he found the -perfect solution in one of the bits of English he had mastered but sadly -misinterpreted. - -The fists of a constantly brawling soldier had hammered out an unbroken -string of victories. As a result, his companions trod with appropriate -wariness and offered proper respect. Obviously, therefore, the name -bestowed on their pugnacious brother-in-arms indicated that which was -better 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 does -look 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 waited -in his tracks, unable to think of anything else he might do. Lieutenant -Beale passed Ben Akbar's point of no return, and only Allah could help -now. - -Then, even as Ali drew each quick breath with a dreadful certainty that -it must mark Ben Akbar's quick lunge, the _dalul_ stepped forward. He -thrust his head over Lieutenant Beale's shoulder and waited in shivering -ecstasy for his neck to be scratched. - -Ali caught his breath and the look in his eyes was one of profound -respect. 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 the -returning 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 Lieutenant -Beale gave Ali meant that one man recognized another. "I won't be so -stupid again," Lieutenant Beale promised. - - - - -10. The Expedition - - -Ali awakened in the dim light of very early morning. For a startled -moment, he reverted to old habit and lay perfectly still, for he was not -at once sure as to what lay about him. Then came comprehension. - -The many nights he had slept in his lean-to shelter behind the camel -khan marked the longest uninterrupted period of his life ever spent in -any one house. He had become accustomed to it and was momentarily -bewildered to awake in unfamiliar surroundings. Then the days at Camp -Verde seemed to fade away and it was as though he had never slept -anywhere except on bare earth, with the sky his only roof. The fact -that he was wrapped in a blanket rather than his burnous was the only -difference between this and the life he had always led. - -Ali preferred the burnous, but his was becoming tattered and a new -burnous seemed to be almost the only article one could not hope to find -in the rich markets of vast America. Putting the garment away against -some vague future when nothing else would serve, Ali had taken the first -step toward becoming an American by accepting American clothes. - -He raised on one elbow and looked toward the corral. All was peaceful -there, so he settled back down. His plan had worked. - -The camels had not had enough trail work to toughen their feet, and the -journey from Camp Verde to the expedition's base camp near San Antonio -had necessarily been a slow one. Arriving with some sore-footed camels, -in spite of a leisurely pace, the horses and mules that were also to be -part of the expedition promptly took the usual violent exception to -these trespassers from a far land. - -In any other circumstances, Ali could have corrected all trouble simply by -going on with his camels. In this instance, it was not only impossible to -go on, but the camels must travel with the rest of the expedition's -livestock for many days and miles and a full-scale rodeo every day and -every mile was not the way to assure success. Since a definite and final -settlement was obviously indispensable, Ali requested and received -Lieutenant Beale's permission to put the camels in the same corral -with the horses and mules. - -The immediate result was pandemonium. Though the camels again refused to -give way to excitement, just because everything about them was hysterical, -and remained serene, the horses and mules did everything except tear the -corral apart. Since no flesh and blood could maintain such a pace, -eventually they had to quiet down because they were too tired to do -anything else. Now, although the camels formed their own group and stood -apart from the rest, all was still peaceful. East and West had finally -met, and, even though neither considered the other socially acceptable, -at least they had become acquainted. What might have been a major -problem was already solved. - -Some distance away from the corral, a herd of more than three hundred -sheep were bedded under the watchful eye of a Mexican herder and his -dog. The sheep were also to go with the expedition, Ali neither knew nor -cared why. There were to be eight big freight wagons, each drawn by six -mules, and two smaller wagons for personal effects and Lieutenant -Beale's engineering equipment. There was a total of fifty-six men, most -of them soldiers who had discarded conventional uniforms in favor of -more practical buckskin garb. There was a miscellany of livestock, to -serve wherever extra animals were needed. - -Some of the soldiers were to help with the camels. Ali knew nothing -about any of them except that they knew nothing about camels. Some, as -usual, resented such duty but, for once, resentment of Ali and his -charges posed no problem. Though relations were on a congenial and -informal basis, nobody had the faintest doubt but that Lieutenant Beale -commanded. - -Foremost among the enthusiastic advocates of the proposed Camel Corps, -Beale had taken a strong liking to Sied, the white _dalul_, and Ali had -already given him a few riding lessons. In addition, whenever he could -spare the time, Beale was sitting at Ali's feet and doing his best to -learn Syrian, so that he might address the camels in a tongue with which -they were already familiar. - -Known as a fair-minded man, Beale also had a reputation for meting out -deserved punishment with anything except kid gloves. Thus there was -small probability that smoldering resentment would be expressed in -hostile action, as had been the case at Camp Verde. One of the camels, -that had somehow escaped from the khan and strayed, died shortly after -she was recovered. Subsequent examination disclosed that she had been -hit on the neck with sufficient force to fracture the bones. Nobody ever -found out who did it. - -Presently, Ali got up and carefully folded his blanket. He laid it -beside the spare clothing and few personal articles that belonged to him -and wrapped all in a square of canvas. Though he hadn't the least -trouble carrying all his worldly goods in one hand, it never even -occurred to Ali that he lacked anything. On those rare occasions when he -gave the matter any thought, the contents of his bundle were wealth -indeed compared with what he'd had on the night he rode Ben Akbar away -from Al Misri's camp. - -Leaving the bundle where it lay, Ali devoted himself to the first solemn -duty of every morning. He walked toward the corral. Seeing him, Ben -Akbar detached himself from the little herd of camels and came to the -fence. Ali dug in his pocket for a lump of sugar, a delicacy that only -the wealthy could enjoy elsewhere but that was available to even the -poorest in America. Ben Akbar licked it from the palm of his hand and -made gusty smacking noises as he chewed. Ali scratched the big _dalul's_ -neck. - -"We are on the way," he murmured. "The camp of idleness lies behind, and -once more the caravan routes are ahead. It is well." - -Only the cook, a sour individual who must necessarily be astir long -before anyone else if breakfast was to be eaten in time for an early -start, had been up before Ali. He greeted the young camel driver with a -grunt, but heaped a plate with food and filled a mug with coffee. Ali -had finished his breakfast when the rest of the camp began to stir. - -Returning to the corral, Ali looked past Ben Akbar to the remaining -camels. A troubled frown creased his brow. - -The horses and mules were none of his responsibility, for which he was -duly thankful. The camels were, and Ali's frown deepened as the problem -he must solve assumed its correct proportions. On the trip from Camp -Verde, the camels had carried little except their bells, harness and a -few gay trappings to add color. In spite of that, and a leisurely pace, -some had come in sore-footed. - -Because Lieutenant Beale was determined to forestall any possible -accusations to the effect that there had been no fair test, every camel -was to carry a full load from this camp on. Though all were in superb -condition in every respect save one, that single lack could be serious -and perhaps disastrous. Since their feet were still soft, sore-footed -camels were not only to be expected but were practically inevitable. -Until such time as they were again trail-hardened, camels that might -otherwise have left a favorable impression on a highly-skeptical public -would make a dismal showing indeed. - -Ali shrugged. There was nothing for it except go on, hope for the best -and trust Lieutenant Beale. - -Entering the corral, Ali saddled and bridled Ben Akbar and tied him to -the top rail. It would help nothing if some soldier who decided he could -handle Ben Akbar as he might a fractious mule were trampled and mauled -for his pains. - -Presently the soldiers came. All had considerable experience in -conventional Army transport and all would have known exactly what to -do if they were about to deal with conventional beasts of burden. As it -was, none had the vaguest notion of the correct procedure with camels, -and their lack of knowledge was expressed in a lack of confidence. They -were awkward and self-conscious, and, at the same time, they were trying -to conceal their uncertainty beneath a mask of indifference. - -"Here we are, pal," the leader informed Ali. "What's next?" - -Ali grinned, understanding nothing but having been previously informed -that his helpers would need instruction. Before anything else, he pointed -to Ben Akbar. As Lieutenant Beale had instructed, he said, "Bad one. Stay -away." - -The soldiers regarded Ben Akbar with respect plus challenging interest. -All had met the bad ones and none had stayed away, but they had been -handling beasts with which they were familiar. This time, at least until -they had a better idea of what they were doing, it might be well to take -this camel driver's advice. They turned expectantly back to him. - -Ali saddled Mohamet, seeming to do so with a few deft motions, but years -of experience and great skill were his invisible helpers. None knew -better than he that a camel must be saddled with absolute perfection. If -anything less, a slipping saddle will be certain a chafe a tender hump. -It was an unwise practice, even if one had no regard for the animal -itself; sore-backed camels cannot carry packs. - -When Ali finished, each soldier selected a saddle and set about to -practice the lesson he had just learned. Busy with a second camel, Ali -pivoted when the air was split with a thunderous, "You ornery, -slab-sided, no good, devil-begotten son of nothing!" - -One of the aspiring cameleers was reeling back with both hands over his -eyes. The camel he had been trying to saddle was standing quietly, -apparently interested in nothing but a dreamy contemplation of the -horizon. The soldier wiped his eyes. - -"The critter spit at me!" he ejaculated. Again, and as though he didn't -quite believe, "The critter _spit_ at me, and got me square in the -eyes!" - -Ali went patiently to the aid of the agitated soldier. If he had known -how, he would have explained that improperly handled camels will not -only spit, but are uncannily accurate. Wilder beasts than these would -bite. - -Two hours later, an anxious Lieutenant Beale entered the corral. "How's -it going?" he queried. - -Ali indicated the few saddled camels that were tied to the rail and the -many unsaddled ones that were presently dodging about the corral and -rather deftly eluding amateur packers. It would be necessary to catch -every one. Since nobody except Ali had yet succeeded in bringing a camel -and a camel saddle together, it followed that Ali would have to saddle -every one after he caught it. - -Lieutenant Beale nodded and left. - - * * * * * - -Back pillowed against a boulder, Ali sprawled in the warm sun and -watched the camels browse. Far more than a pleasant sight, he thought, -it was a vision that could not fail to lift the heart of anyone not too -dull to be inspired. For to see the camels as they were--and where they -were--meant that a great victory was won. - -It was no small victory. - -The camels had arrived at the expedition's base camp on the twenty-first -of June. Departure was scheduled for the next morning. But with camels -already driven wild by inexperienced help and rapidly getting wilder, -they hadn't even succeeded in saddling all of them on that day or for -several days thereafter. - -Not until June the twenty-fifth were they finally under way, and Ali could -not recall a sorrier caravan. The soldiers had acquired just enough skill -so they could put a pack on a camel and have some assurance that it -wouldn't fall off. In accordance with Lieutenant Beale's wish for a -thorough test, the minimum load for any baggage animal was seven hundred -pounds. That was far more than should have been carried by animals whose -exercise in recent months had consisted of shuffling about the khan. - -There were immediate complications. Freight wagons drawn by six mules, -conveyances not noted for speed, whizzed past sore-footed and overloaded -camels and seemed swift in comparison. To the unrestrained hilarity of -those who came to watch--and presently of the country at large when news -sources got hold of the story--the camels functioned in every way except -efficiently. Far from reaching the Colorado River at the California -border, the end of the survey, it became increasingly apparent that -Beale and his camels would be fortunate indeed if they were trapped in -the suburbs of a growing San Antonio. - -Then the outlook changed. - -Though it did not happen overnight, eventually the camels became -trail-hardened. Weary and sore beasts that had plodded into camp hours -after the mule wagons were already there during the first harassed days -began arriving at the next night's camp hours before the wagons were -even sighted. Two camels so ill that they were abandoned on the trail, -rejoined the caravan, apparently as well as ever, a few days -afterwards. - -Baggage camels that staggered under over-heavy loads on the day of -departure, now bore equally-heavy burdens without the least effort. They -proved as indifferent to drenching rains as they had been to blazing -sun. They not only ate but thrived on any forage they found; the -expedition's store of grain never had to feed starving camels. - -Soldiers who hadn't known the first thing of camel transport had -acquired a liberal education. Most had come to like these strange -beasts. Some turncoats had even been heard to declare that camels were -far better than mules in any way anyone might compare the two species. - -Probably the outstanding triumph belonged to Lieutenant Beale. Growing -ever fonder of Sied, Beale had ridden the white _dalul_ at every -opportunity and even Ali admitted that he had become a very skilful -rider. Near Albuquerque, Beale had news that a friend, Colonel Loring, -was in the vicinity. - -Mounting Sied, Lieutenant Beale set out to find his friend. The camel, -whose only nourishment since leaving San Antonio had consisted of -whatever forage the trail offered, not only carried his rider to Colonel -Loring, but when Loring accepted an invitation to visit the expedition's -camp, outdistanced the grain-fed horses of the colonel and his men on -the return trip. - -All was well, Ali thought dreamily, and may Allah have mercy on whoever -was unable to see sublime beauty in the camels as they were and where -they were. For they were still fat and healthy and they were at Fort -Defiance. The pedestrian and least interesting part of the journey was -behind. Fort Defiance was a true frontier post. Unless they turned back, -which was unthinkable, they must go ahead. - -And ahead lay the unknown. - - - - -11. The Wilderness - - -The trail was rough, but Ben Akbar's saddle remained a veritable bed -of feathers as the big _dalul_ continued at the same swift trot he had -started two hours ago. Ali turned in the saddle to look behind him. - -There was nothing there, but neither was there anything ahead except the -same boulder-strewn, scrub-grown, sun-baked land that he saw when he -glanced around. The place had no visible attractions, but it did -furnish reason anew to marvel at the vastness of America. Ali knew some -self-contained nations, complete from Pasha to slaves, that were not as -large as this forbidding corner of America wherein the entire expedition -was presently lost. - -Never jarring his rider, Ben Akbar continued without a noticeable -variation in gait. Ali turned back to face the west. - -The anxiety that clouded his eyes deepened, but it was not for himself -that he worried. As far as he personally was concerned, by far the -happiest days of his life began when the expedition left Zuni, west of -Fort Defiance and the last settlement this side of California, on the -thirty-first of August. That day, a lifelong dream finally came true. - -Illiterate, Ali had developed skills vital to those who may never consult -written records. When necessary to do so, he had only to close his eyes -and see in memory a map of all the caravan routes he'd ever traveled. It -was invariably in proper detail--the shortest route was never omitted and -the longest was never extended beyond correct proportions. Every mile -of every trail was again as it had been when Ali went that way with -the camels. - -For various reasons, some of those journeys had been very exciting. But -this promised far more than any other trail Ali had traveled. - -Wild and dangerous though they had been, and some still were, the camel -trails of Ali's native country were almost as ancient as the land itself. -Caravans had certainly been traversing them since recorded history, and -fable told of camels on the march long before any recording. Thus there -had never been even a faint possibility of doing anything that had not -already been done over and over, or of going anywhere not already visited -by multitudes. - -This route must forever stand apart. Even though people had come this -way, with very few exceptions, they were wild as the wild beasts that -slunk from their path. Certainly there had never been a caravan, and for -that reason alone there must be the challenge of the mysterious and -unknown. In addition, Ali found something else he'd never known before. - -Here were no petty Amirs, with an endless array of petty decrees. -Confining Camp Verde was far behind; there wasn't even a camel khan. -Space was limitless, and freedom was restricted only by a need for -caution. Obviously, when at last one had all the room he needed for -growing and roaming, he would not do a great deal of either if he fell -prey to either the savages or the elements. - -Ali knew that even this parched and barren country was not repulsive to -his eyes. He must consider it forbidding, or at least undesirable, -because of its current threat to the expedition. - -Fighting a sudden powerful notion that he had missed something and had -better turn around again, Ali looked steadfastly ahead. He hadn't missed -anything and knew it, but he would anxiously grasp any straw as he neared -the place where he must turn about and hope faded. - -Largely because, in Ali's eyes, Lieutenant Beale's stature had long since -exceeded that of any other man and was rapidly nearing heroic proportions, -Ali could not blame his leader for the present dilemma. The signs had been -present; any man who had good camels should think seriously as to the -wisdom of bringing horses and mules too into a land where water was -uncertain. - -Ali was unable to blame his leader for anything, and, anyhow, the guide -was directly at fault. After leading the entire expedition astray--as -yet nobody knew how far--the guide offered only a sheepish grin as an -excuse when he finally admitted choosing the wrong landmarks. He'd -risked everyone's life but he'd never know, Ali thought, how close he'd -come to paying for his carelessness with his own life. Ali had been -watching Lieutenant Beale's eyes when the guide confessed his error. The -guide had been looking at the ground. - -Except for the strict rations allotted each man, they had run out of -water shortly afterwards. The camels were in no trouble, but the horses -and mules were already frantic with thirst. Had Ali been in command, he -would have shot the horses and mules and gone on with camels only. But -Ali was not in command, and because Lieutenant Beale wished to find -water for his suffering beasts, Ali could not wish otherwise. Even -though they still had rations, some of the expedition's men were already -apprehensive. - -The sun was almost at that point where Ali must turn Ben Akbar and go -back. His heart grew heavier as it became increasingly evident that he -would have no news of water. Such failure was all the more galling -because he never doubted but that he'd been close to success. - -There was no use in comparing this with his own country, since this -specific problem could never arise there. All the water holes were -known. A thirsty traveler who found one dry, simply went on toward the -next one. If he got there, he drank. If he did not, he died. However, it -was reasonable to suppose that some fundamental rules applied in -America, even as they did throughout the rest of the world. - -Where there was water, there should be green foliage. Of course, he must -not expect to find familiar date palms. There must be some other trees -indigenous to this parched area, and any that received water would be -green, and any color at all in such drab surroundings would glow like a -candle at midnight. - -Reaching the place where he had been ordered to turn around, a reluctant -Ali halted Ben Akbar. For a moment he sat the saddle, searching -everything still ahead and hoping desperately to see a splash of green -that must mark an oasis. He saw only more desert. The last feeble spark -of hope almost flickered out. - -Then, suddenly, it flared. Though Lieutenant Beale had told him when he -must return, he had not said that Ali must come back by the same route. -Some distance to the south was a series of rocky ridges from whose crests -it would surely be possible to see much new country. Ali swung south. - -With a much clearer understanding of the expedition's true purpose, Ali -lauded the wisdom that had prompted it. If some of this Southwest was -bleak and forbidding, some was as fine and rich as anything Ali had ever -seen. Villages and even cities might thrive here and there would still -be ample grazing for flocks and herds. - -Almost without exception, however, the few white men who had dared enter -the region cared for nothing except high adventure and possible riches, -with high adventure accorded a definite priority. Far from taming the -wilderness, they much preferred it untamed. Their opposites, who would -bring settlement and civilization, must first be provided with some -means of access. Though the wild men could live by their rifles and from -their saddlebags, families could not. - -Following the 35th parallel, except wherever circumstance, such as -terrain unsuited for wagons, made it wise to deviate from that line, -the expedition was to lay out a wagon road between Fort Defiance and -the California border. Besides opening new country, the road would -close the final gap in a transcontinental highway. - -Ali, who knew something about roads, had only unstinted admiration for -the course so far. That camels could travel it was not open to question, -for camels were breaking the trail. Lieutenant Beale, however, was -choosing the route so carefully and with such skill that the heaviest -and clumsiest wagons could hereafter follow where the camels led. - -It was an admirable road, and the fact that the entire expedition was -lost at the moment would be of no consequence if it were not for lack -of water. Even that would be no more than a minor annoyance, except -that horses and mules must drink or find it impossible to go on. - -Ali's hopes, that had burned brightly when he turned south to swing -along these ridges, flickered dimly as time passed and no oasis was -sighted. The appointed rendezvous for this evening's camp--at least it -would be a rendezvous if the struggling mule teams were able to come so -far--was only a few miles ahead and night would fall soon. Ali put Ben -Akbar to a fast lope. - -Suddenly he wheeled and rode back. He'd seen something--or thought he -had--for it was so faintly traced that he could not be sure. It was -worth a second look. Returning to the place where something had caught -his eye, Ali halted Ben Akbar, dismounted and knelt to study the ground. - -He had seen something, but it was not to be wondered that he had almost -passed without seeing it. A small, unshod horse, traveling at a fast -trot, had passed this way within the hour and gone directly southeast. -Ali frowned thoughtfully. - -Every one of the expedition's horses was shod and none had so small a -hoof. This animal was either separated from its companions and trying -to find them, or it carried a rider. Wandering horses do not travel -fast and straight. - -Ali rose and remounted Ben Akbar. Since the horse did not belong to -the expedition, obviously it was the property of someone else. The -only human inhabitants of this forsaken waste were Indians. Though -he had seen nothing except the track of one horse, Ali knew the Druse -and the brigands of the caravan routes too well, and had fought them -too often, to shrug it off as meaningless. One Druse going somewhere -in a hurry could either be running from enemies or going to join some -companions bent on raiding. - -Since there was no indication of pursuit, obviously the Indian was not -fleeing. But in Ali's opinion and experience, there was every reason to -believe that any group of brigands anywhere would sack the expedition -if they could. - -So a group of bandits were assembling for the purpose of attacking the -expedition. Or, Ali admitted, they were not assembling. He was certain -only that there was at least one horse in the area and equally certain -that there was water not too far away. The whole thing should properly -be reported to Lieutenant Beale, but Ali remained indecisive. - -If Beale knew what Ali knew, he would most certainly insist on a personal -investigation at the earliest moment. Never doubting that his chief was a -renowned and experienced warrior, Beale was also one to rush in where -anything else feared to tread. Should one with so many distressing problems -already on his mind be further burdened? Finally, and conclusively, the -expedition might do very well without Ali. It couldn't possibly succeed -without Lieutenant Beale. Therefore, who should logically run the risk? -There was only one choice. - -Ben Akbar trotted into camp where the remaining camels were contentedly -feeding on greasewood. Sied was among them. Lieutenant Beale, who had -also scouted for water, must have returned. He proved to be one of the -little group who stood watching the agonized approach of the mules. -Nobody had found water; if they had, they would not appear so downcast. - -Dismounting, Ali removed Ben Akbar's trappings and the big _dalul_ -joined the feeding herd. Ali turned toward the oncoming wagons. - -Heads bent, tongues lolling, the mules swayed in their traces and moved -at a slow crawl. When the wagons finally drew up, the mules remained as -they were when halted and did not so much as glance to one side or the -other, even when stripped of their harnesses. - -His mules unharnessed, but so nearly finished that they retained their -team positions, the first driver went to his wagon and lifted down the -water keg. He turned to Lieutenant Beale and spoke in a husky whisper, -"Nary a drop left. Must of sprung a leak and--" - -The mules came alert with a frantic rush and were upon him in a wild -scramble. Surrounding the driver, their eager grunts and harsh gasping -seemed the voice of madness itself as they fought each other for the -privilege of licking the dry keg's bung hole. Unable to look, the -soldiers turned away. Lieutenant Beale remained the leader. - -"We can't move from here without water," he said quietly. "We'll try -again tomorrow." - -Ali offered, "I'll go again at dawn." - -Beale continued to speak softly. "Any preferred direction?" - -Ali gestured toward the horse track and Lieutenant Beale nodded -permission. "Be back by sundown." - -It was so early that the dim gray light still made for uncertain -observation when Ali halted Ben Akbar and dismounted. He bent very near -the earth, unable to see until he did so. The track was here, he had not -erred. Leading Ben Akbar, he followed, slowly at first, then faster as -the strengthening light permitted. From the crest of one hill, he looked -over the top of another and finally saw what he so desperately wanted to -see. - -It was the topmost branches of a full-leafed tree, and here, in this -place of no color, it was startling as snow on a naked cliff. - -Ali turned his mount and said softly, "Kneel." - -The big _dalul_ knelt. Ali crawled forward. On the summit of the hill -over which the tree top appeared, he crouched in a nest of boulders and -verified his preconceived opinion that he would see more than water when -he finally beheld the oasis. - -Water there was, a limpid pool, shaded by one great tree and a cluster -of small ones, and seeping underground to bring life to a patch of -grass. Sixty-one horses cropped the grass, and sixty-one Indians lazed -about. - -Though he knew where he was and who these men were, Ali felt as he had -when spying on the Druse tribesmen. Even external differences between -burnous-clad Druse and half-naked Indians did not set them so very far -apart. If the Indians were not bent on raiding, there would be women -and children among them. The expedition was the only prize worth the -assembly of so many warriors. At present, they were idling away their -time until a scout reported. - -The scout appeared, as Ali was sure he would, from the direction in -which the expedition was encamped. Ali waited for the scout to reach his -companions. When he did and began his report, Ali returned to Ben Akbar. -He rode first toward the camp, so that he was between the warriors and -the expedition. Then he put Ben Akbar up a hill, but not quite over it. -He wanted only to look down on the path taken by the scout and which, by -all reason, should be the path of the warriors. - -Presently they appeared, as Ali had prayed they would, and, obviously, -the scout had reported well. In no hurry at all, it was clear that the -Indians knew of the distress in camp. The time to take it was now, with -most of the animals unfit, all of the men uncertain, and some so near -the breaking point that a little more stress would break them. When the -Indians were directly beneath him, Ali spoke to his mount. "Ho! Now!" - -Ben Akbar shot over the crest and unhesitatingly did as Ali wished, he -charged the mounted column. The leader, a fiercely painted young warrior -whose thoughts were pleasantly filled with an easy conquest and ample -loot, had time for only one good look before his horse took charge. - -The panic spread like wind-driven fire in dry grass. Ali halted Ben -Akbar and gave himself up to complete enjoyment, for indeed it was -enjoyable. Sixty-one horses, as was customary with horses of America, -took instant leave of their senses when confronted by a _dalul_ of -Syria. For the first time since arriving in America, and the last, this -was one unscheduled rodeo for which a camel would never be held to -accounting. - -Two hours later, bulging water bags tied wherever Ben Akbar's saddle -offered a buckle or knob to tie one, and two more over his shoulders, -Ali rode back into camp. He halted near Lieutenant Beale, who had just -come in on Sied, and grinned amiably as teamsters snatched at his load -and ran to their parched animals. - -When he and Ali were alone, Lieutenant Beale asked, "How did you locate -it, Ali?" - -"First," Ali said, "I saw a green tree." - -"What next?" - -"Then I saw some Indians," Ali reported, "but they all ran away and are -not at the water now. We may go take as much as we need." - - - - -12. The Road - - -When he came to the California bank of the Colorado River, Ali halted -Ben Akbar and surrendered to complete astonishment. Reason told him he -had been this way before, but so drastic were the changes and so little -was as he remembered it, that he challenged reason itself. Ali took a -deep breath and tried vainly to assure himself that this really was -Beale's Crossing where, two years ago and fifty days out of Fort -Defiance, the expedition's work had been successfully completed. - -Ali and Lieutenant Beale, on Ben Akbar and Sied, had reached the river -on the seventeenth of October. They were met by a horde of Indians, all -of whom were so deliriously excited at their first sight of camels that -any English they might have known was submerged in the shock. Two days -later, Ali had proved that camels can swim by swimming Ben Akbar across -the Colorado. The rest of the expedition had followed. Some horses and -mules, which the Indians promptly retrieved and ate, were drowned. All -the camels had crossed safely. - -Ali's dazed mind strove to reconcile that scene of the past and this -one. - -On the opposite bank, where the Indians had grown their corn and melons, -covered wagons with canvas tops that billowed in the little wind that -stirred were lined up as far as the eye could see. Horses, mules and -oxen rested in the traces while awaiting their turn on a ferry that was -presently in mid-river, its cargo a wagon and a six-mule team. Adults -gossiped and children played about the waiting wagons. There was a -barking of dogs, a cackling of fowl, a lowing of cattle, all the noises -that accompany a nation on the march. - -Transfixed, Ali could not move. Then the spell that gripped him was -broken by a shout. - -"Hey you! Move that blasted camel!" - -Glancing toward the ferry, Ali saw the six mules dancing skittishly and -two men trying to quiet them. Ali moved downriver. In some ways, all had -changed and in some, nothing had; camels still panicked livestock. - -Presently, Ali halted and turned back to watch, appalled by this monster -that he had somehow helped to spawn. The road had seemed a good thing, -but all the people who would ever use it, or so Ali thought, were not -half as many as the multitude awaiting the ferry. - -For a while he sat entranced as a wild deer that cannot turn its eyes -from some fascinating thing, then his flight was sudden as the deer's -when the intriguing but unknown object is abruptly recognized as a -dreaded enemy. Wheeling Ben Akbar, Ali rode downriver at top speed. He -did not dare look around, and he did not think of slackening the pace -until even Ben Akbar could no longer maintain it and slowed of his own -accord. Instantly contrite, Ali drew his mount to a halt. - -"I'm sorry, oh brother, that I could let you run so far and fast," he -apologized. "Great fear stole my senses. Perhaps I am becoming craven." - -The panting Ben Akbar nosed his arm and accepted and ate a lump of -sugar. Ali dared look back up the river. He heaved a mighty sigh of -relief. - -Not only had Ben Akbar run far beyond the sight of any wagons, but far -beyond hearing. Here was only the peaceful river, its tule-lined banks -disturbed by nothing except a horde of waterfowl and an occasional -ripple that marked the wake of a great fish hunting smaller ones in the -shallows. - -Ali grinned sheepishly. Certainly there had been no real danger; he had -fled from shadows. Tongues would wag along many caravan routes if it -were known that Hadji Ali had run away from nothing. Just the same, Ali -liked this better. He decided to ride farther down the riverbank before -crossing. - -The farther he went, the lonelier it became and the better he liked it. -Presently, his wild flight seemed more amusing than otherwise, and Ali -chuckled throatily, but he had no thought of going back up the river. He -rounded a bend and saw a dwelling. - -Built of driftwood and roofed with adobe, it was a one-room affair. -Glassless windows had been cut in such a manner as to admit the morning -sun. An adobe fireplace was built against an outside wall and an adobe -chimney rose a little above the flat roof. - -Ali halted Ben Akbar. He was no longer afraid. There had never been -anything about such houses to frighten him. However, if there was any -livestock about, he would avoid argument by circling around. If not, it -was safe to go directly past. - -Then a man came from the house and hailed him, "Come on, stranger! Come -on an' light!" - -Ali rode ahead to meet a wiry, fierce-eyed man whose uncut hair and long -beard were snow-white, but who fought the advancing years as furiously -as he had once battled advancing Indians. Everything about him, from -his buckskins to the way he had built his house, marked him for what he -was. Here was one of the wild men, who had gone where he wished and done -as he pleased, and never fretted about anything if he had a gun in his -hands and a knife at his belt. Grown too old for such a life, he had -chosen to spend the rest of his days here in this isolated spot. - -Ali dismounted and the old man extended his hand. "I'm Hud Perkins an' -you're welcome." - -"I'm Hi Jolly." Ali gave the Americanized version of his name. - -Hud Perkins said, "I looked out an' saw a man comin' on a camel, I -couldn't believe it! Of course, lots of men come, hardly a week passes -but what somebody goes up or down river, but not on camels. Is he tame?" - -"Tamer than he was at one time," Ali answered. "He has been among so -many people that almost anybody can pet him now." - -Hud Perkins said, "Don't know as I'd hold with pettin' him, but such a -critter sure makes a man think. On my way out here, I run across a -passel of 'em." - -Ali's interest quickened. "You did? Where?" - -"On the Heely River," Hud Perkins stated, "an' there wasn't rightly a -passel. There was five, but five such critters look like a passel. Will -yours stay about or do you picket him?" - -"He'll stay." - -"Then take his gear off an' let him fill up. Plenty of grass hereabouts -an' nary a critter to eat it most times." - -Ali removed Ben Akbar's saddle and bridle and the big _dalul_ padded out -to forage. Intrigued by his host's reference to five camels on the Heely -River, Ali straightened to ask for more information and found Hud -Perkins staring at Ben Akbar. - -He turned to Ali. "What's wrong with him?" - -"What do you mean?" - -"Is he good's a horse or mule?" - -"Much better," Ali stated. - -The old man shook a puzzled head. "That don't hardly jibe with those -camels on the Heely. Wasn't nobody payin' them no mind, 'cept some -heathen Papagoes that was fixin' to eat 'em. I was tempted to ketch one -an' see how it rode, but a cowboy said they wasn't worth ketchin'. The -Army fetched 'em from some place in Texas, he said, an' turned 'em loose -on the Heely on account they was more fuss than worth." - -Ali's heart sank at this first news in more than two years of the camels -left behind at Camp Verde, but he told himself that he should have -expected nothing else. He drew some comfort from a quick assurance that -neither Mimico nor Major Wayne could possibly have accompanied any -expedition that would abandon camels. Whoever had loosed those five in -the Arizona desert, where they would certainly find conditions to their -liking, knew nothing of camels and cared less. - -Ali said, "Who left those camels did not know what he was doing." - -"Might be I ought to have caught me one anyway, eh?" - -"You'd have found it worth your while," Ali assured him. - -"Well, I didn't an' I don't know as it would of been doin' me or the -camel any favor if I did. Ridin' anythin' don't set like it used to. -Come on in, Hi. I'll rouse up some rations." - -Ali walked with the old man to his house and sat down on a wooden bench -while Hud Perkins busied himself preparing fish from the river and -vegetables from his garden. He queried, "If I might ask, where ye been?" - -Ali answered, "For the past two years, I've been here in California." - -"_Hmm-ph._ Didn't know they landed any such critters out thisaway." - -"They didn't," Ali informed him. "Lieutenant Beale brought twenty-five -camels with him when he surveyed the wagon road from Fort Defiance." - -"_Wagh!_" Hud Perkins ejaculated. "Then 'tis so!" - -"What's so?" - -"I heard tell of such when I was leavin' Santa Fe to come here," his -host informed him. "Some fool, 'twas said, was goin' from Fort Defiance -to Californy, usin' camels to lay out a road. Not many believed it. Of -them as did, nobody thought the camels would get a pistol shot from Fort -Defiance." - -"It's true," Ali said. "I was with the expedition." - -"Well tie that one!" Hud Perkins marveled. "So camels did come to -Californy! What happened to 'em?" - -Ali had no immediate answer, for after reaching California, nothing -worthwhile had happened. The camels had been shown in various places, -including Los Angeles, and had attracted the usual onlookers and sparked -the usual stampedes. A few months after arriving, Lieutenant Beale took -fourteen of the animals and started back along the surveyed road. - -The rest of the herd, with Ali as keeper, had been sent to and was still -at Fort Tejon, where Army brass amused itself by putting camels through -the usual meaningless paces. Seeing no opportunity for a change, and -with all he could stomach of Fort Tejon, Ali had taken Ben Akbar and -departed. - -Ali answered his host, "They're at Fort Tejon." - -Hud Perkins snorted. "Don't blame you for leavin', got no use for Army -posts myself. You goin' east?" - -"Not all the way," Ali said. "Too far east is no better than too far -west. I think I'll go back along the road. I saw a lot of free country -there." - -Hud Perkins was silent for a long while, then he said quietly, "You saw -it two years ago." - -"But--" Ali was startled. "It isn't all taken?" - -"I don't know," Hud Perkins spoke as a bewildered old man who no longer -knew about anything. "Was a time when I figgered the West'd never settle -an' a man would always find room. But--Anyhow it's two years since I -come out." - -Ali asked gravely, "Have there really been so many others?" - -His host answered moodily, "I've seen a passel of wagon roads opened up. -Whenever there was one, people boiled along it like water pours out of a -busted beaver dam." - -The specter Ali had seen lurking behind the wagons at Beale's Crossing -was again present and again threatened panic. - -"Perhaps," he said doubtfully, "I'd better go somewhere else." - -"If you can still find such a place," Hud Perkins replied. "Still, like -I said, it's two years since I come out. I could be wrong. Why not find -out?" - -"How?" Ali asked. - -"Ride back along the road," Hud Perkins advised him. "See for yourself -if it's what you think it is. It's the one way you'll ever know." - -Ali said, "I'll do it." - -When the leading team of mules swung around the sandy butte, Ali turned -Ben Akbar away from the road. It was somehow different from the numerous -times he'd swung to one side or the other, so that wagons might pass -without the panic that always resulted when livestock met a camel. This -time there would be no turning back. - -Ali and his mount were swallowed up in a pine forest before anyone saw -them. Except for the leading mule team, that spooked when they smelled -Ben Akbar's fresh tracks, nobody in the whole train suspected that a -camel had been here. - -Riding due south, Ali did not look around even once. Again he was -fleeing, but this time he knew why. At one time, the wagon road had -offered everything he wanted. Now it offered nothing. - -The wagons lined up and awaiting their turn on the ferry at Beale's -Crossing had seemed an overwhelming multitude only because there had -been no basis for comparison. After nineteen days on the wagon road, Ali -was able to fit them into their proper niche, one small ripple in a -surging tide. He still did not know how this had come about, although he -could not have believed unless he saw it. Two short years after the -camels had composed the first organized caravan to come this way, -everybody seemed to be following. - -Besides an endless stream of wagons on the road, there were ranches -beside it. The flocks and herds that were sure to come some time seemed -to have grown overnight, as though they were mushrooms. There were -homes, villages, towns, even the cities that, Ali had once thought, -might arise after several generations. - -Swimming Ben Akbar across the Colorado at Hud Perkins' house, Ali -circled to come back on the road well east of Beale's Crossing--and -found more people. Unwilling to believe what became increasingly evident -and hoping to find even one place that was as it had been, he rode east. -Hope died when he found a village in the very heart of the desert where -the expedition had been lost. The village's source of water was the same -water hole from which Ben Akbar had stampeded the Indians. He rode on -only to find a better place for leaving the road, and now he had left -it. - -When he finally halted Ben Akbar and made camp, Ali knew that he had -acted wisely. Once again he was at peace, for, even though the old trail -was closed, nothing was ever lost as long as a new one beckoned. The -next morning, he resumed his southward journey. - -The pine forest was long behind him, the desert all about, when Ben -Akbar mounted a hill from whose summit Ali finally saw the Gila River. -He dismounted, standing a bit in front of the big _dalul_ and holding -the camel's rein lightly as he studied that which he had come so far to -see. - -Here in the desert, the Gila was sluggish, lazy and silt-laden. It had -nothing in common with the clear and sparkling streams that have -inspired poet and artist alike, but it belonged in this hot desert, even -as the others fitted their rugged valleys. Who could not see beauty in -the Gila, could not see. - -For no special reason, Ali glanced at the rein in his hand and a vast -mortification swept over him. While working for the Army, he had never -even thought about certain essential needs because Army pay and rations -provided all he needed. Now he had neither, though food was still no -problem because everybody in this land was happy to share whatever food -he might have. But man could not live by bread alone. - -True, not a great deal more was necessary and Ali attached little -importance to his own threadbare clothing and battered shoes. But his -very soul revolted when he looked at Ben Akbar's worn rein, a sorry -thing, unfitted for even the poorest baggage camel. Ali must somehow -contrive to earn some money. But the peace that had come to him when he -finally turned from the wagon road did not desert him when he remounted. -He had come to the Gila with a plan. He would find and catch the -abandoned camels and hire out as packer--and surely packers were -needed. All would be well. - -Two days later, in a delightful little haven where the Gila periodically -overflowed its banks and ample water brought luxurious growth, Ali found -the camels. He smiled with happiness when he noted Amir, an old friend -from Camp Verde, and two more old acquaintances in a pair of the young -Camp Verde females. The herd numbered seven and not five, as Hud Perkins -had told him, but Ali remembered that the old man had come this way two -years ago. All five camels he'd seen must have been from Camp Verde. Two -had been killed by something or other--Hud had mentioned Indians--and -the four were Amir's daughters and son. - -They watched nervously--and probably would have run if approached by -anyone else. Ali, who knew how to converse with camels, advanced slowly, -talking as he did so. - -Amir himself finally trotted forward to renew old friendship. - - * * * * * - -Riding Ben Akbar and trailed by his string of camels, there were eleven -now, Ali did not look back. The eleven would follow, just as they always -followed him. Nor were they at fault because their sorry rewards had -never equalled their unswerving devotion and loyalty. - -Maybe nothing was really at fault, but the mine owners to whom Ali had -offered his services and that of his camels were either too poor to hire -any packer; or so rich that they might hire what they chose, and they -chose mules. There was no use in going even near the ranches, camels -terrified cattle, too. Finally, reduced to packing water, Ali found that -those whose need was most desperate were almost never able to pay. -Unable to go on because of maximum expense and minimum income, Ali must -now do the best he could for his baggage animals. - -When he came to the meadow on the Gila where he had found the original -seven, he led his herd far into it. Then, still not looking behind, he -whirled Ben Akbar and was off at top speed. Though they would still try -to follow, the baggage camels could not match Ben Akbar's speed for very -long and must soon fall behind. - -There must be another journey along a new trail. Ben Akbar's rein was no -longer even a rein, but a piece of rope found at a water hole. His -saddle was falling apart and Ali must do something, but this time he -would. - -He had heard of much gold in the northern desert. - - - - -13. Reunion - - -The village of Quartzite was never calculated to overwhelm with -metropolitan sweep or impress with architectural grandeur. Completely -surrounded by the Arizona desert, sometimes it was oddly like a captive -village, a prisoner of the desert. But in a very real sense Quartzite -was a true monument, a tribute to the human beings who first had the -courage to trespass in such a forbidding land and then dared build homes -and live there. - -The men gathered at a Quartzite inn varied in various ways, but all bore -the stamp of the desert. Tiny wrinkles etched the eyes of each man, and, -though none were aware of it, even here in the cool and shaded inn, -they squinted. That was something they learned in the desert, where they -faced a blazing sun for hours on end and squinted to shield their eyes, -until the habit became so ingrained that they never forgot to practice -it. The door opened and another man entered. One of those present -greeted him with, "Welcome, stranger!" - -The newcomer grinned. "Thought I'd best have me a look at civilization, -been away so long that the other day I found myself talkin' with a pack -rat. Saw the darndest thing when I walked in." - -"What?" - -"A camel." At once the newcomer was the center of interest. "A big red -camel." - -"Go on!" his friend exclaimed. - -"It's true," the newcomer insisted. "He's right where Boney Wash crosses -Skull Canyon. Layin' down, he is, like he might be sick or hurt. But -he's there." - -The only man present who did not gather around the speaker had been -sitting alone and unnoticed. He rose. An old man with snow-white hair -and beard, there was that about him which spoke of many burdens carried, -and yet he bore the weight of his years with a certain assurance. When -he walked to and opened the door and slipped into the overcast early -spring afternoon, his absence went as unnoticed as his presence had -been. - -Ali closed the door behind him. Safe from prying eyes, he quivered with -excitement. - -The last arrival was a prospector, one of many original optimists who -constantly roamed the desert, engaged in prodigious labors that were -seldom granted the smallest reward and never once doubted that they had -only to keep on and all the desert's dazzling riches would be yielded up -to them. Recently, he'd been working in hills to the north, and his best -way to Quartzite would be down Skull Canyon. - -A red camel, the man had said, lay at the junction of Skull Canyon and -Boney Wash. Ali couldn't remember how many times his own prospecting -trips had taken him up Skull Canyon. He left the village and started to -run, but his legs were no longer capable of running far, so he dropped -back to a walk. The increasingly cooler evening wind, one of various -reasons why Ali had finally turned his back on the desert to live with -generous friends at Quartzite, he scarcely noticed. - -He had gone to live at Quartzite six years ago, three years before the -turn of the century and a few days before his seventieth birthday. Ben -Akbar was old too, but even if he'd been welcome in Quartzite, he -wouldn't have been happy there. Ali's last trip into the desert had been -for the sole purpose of taking Ben Akbar to the most isolated spot he -knew--and no man knew more than Ali about the wildest and most -inaccessible areas--and leaving him there. - -Escorting camels into the desert and turning them loose was nothing new. -Twenty times in years gone by Ali had thus disposed of beasts he was no -longer able to support. Invariably, however, he either went and got them -again or found some new herd for some new venture. Though not one other -person in the entire Southwest shared his conviction that camels would -eventually triumph--Ali's faith never flickered. - -He'd loosed all the camels in the best places he knew. Ben Akbar, -however, was a special case. - -Though camels thrived in the desert and might have multiplied, as far as -anyone knew, only camel ghosts had come to the water holes in recent -years. Finding them gentle and easy to approach, Indians and white men -alike killed them for food, and sometimes merely for killing's sake. -Many had been captured and were with various circuses or zoos. Ben Akbar -was both the last to have been in any active and useful service and the -last American camel not in confinement. - -There were still rumors of desert-roaming camels, but all such were born -in somebody's imagination and there were no reliable reports. Nor had -there been since Ali loosed Ben Akbar, which might mean that Ali had -succeeded in taking him so far away that nobody had yet found him. Or it -might mean that he was no longer to be found; passing years had -probably not spared the camel any more than the master. - -Just before nightfall, the wind lulled and then died down. A bright moon -rode high, lighting the path but softening harsh angles and shadowing -into gentle harmlessness all that was seen as hard and harsh under the -sun's pitiless glare. Presently, every cactus was bedecked in a sparkle -of rare jewels as moonlight glanced from frosty branches. Ali's thoughts -went to a snug cave he knew, plenty big enough for a camel who was no -longer as restless as he once had been. - -Ali walked on, resentful of both his necessarily slow pace and a growing -skepticism that came over him as he drew farther from the town and -deeper into the desert. A red camel, the prospector had said, but there -had been several red camels with the herd and there was still seventy -miles of desert to cross before reaching the place where Ben Akbar was -freed. Though there had been a time when seventy miles would have meant -no more than a pleasant jaunt, could an aging Ben Akbar walk so far? - -Then Ali came to the junction of Skull Canyon and Boney Wash. He -stopped--and instantly he knew! - -At this point, Skull Canyon was about fifty yards from the base of one -rocky wall to the foot of another. Boney Wash had been born when -torrential rains crumbled a rift in the east wall. The flood that had -poured through then had ripped a ragged ditch in the canyon floor. -Above the ditch, the canyon was level, for the most part pebble-strewn, -but here and there was a boulder or copse of cactus. Under the gentle -moonlight, the canyon became gentle. - -All four legs curled beneath him and head cushioned against his flank, -apparently Ben Akbar had been on his way down the canyon and had lain -down to rest when forbidding Boney Wash gaped before him. Ali's eyes -softened, for it seemed no accident that on this night the moon should -glow in such a fashion. The Ben Akbar Ali had last seen had shown the -sunken cheeks, shriveled neck, worn teeth and stiffened joints of the -aging. Under the magic moon, the Ben Akbar he met might have been the -proud young _dalul_ he had rescued from the Druse and who, in turn, had -rescued him. Even the many hairs that were no longer red, but white, -could have been sparkling with frost. - -Ali went a step nearer and crooned, "I greet thee, oh prince among -_dalul_." - -There was a ripple along flanks and ribs, but only after a marked -interval was Ben Akbar able to raise his head. Ali dropped beside him -and eased the proud head into his lap. He stroked it gently. - -"We meet again, oh, brother," he murmured. "It is well." - -He continued to caress Ben Akbar, and, under the soft moon, a thoughtful -expression came over his face. There had been a very long time and a -very long journey since he had boarded the _Supply_. Now he sat in the -desert, comforting the last remaining camel of all that were brought to -America. How could such an auspicious beginning lead to this end? - -The failure could not be charged to the camels. Lieutenant Beale himself -had declared that any one of them was worth any six mules. Then who, or -what, was to blame? Ali considered various explanations that had been -advanced. - -Some declared that the entire experiment was fore-doomed by anonymous -but invincible forces interested in perpetuating large profits derived -from horse and mule trading. Their combined strength overwhelmed the -advocates of camel transport. These reports were partly right, Ali -conceded, but not entirely so. He could not imagine Major Wayne or -Lieutenant Beale yielding to the combined power of anything. Anyhow, it -went without saying that these forces had done all they could to prevent -the importation of camels in the first place. They had not succeeded. - -It was true that neither Major Wayne nor Lieutenant Beale had been -active in the Camel Corps for years, and Jefferson Davis no longer -mattered after the Confederacy he headed lost the War between the -States. But adverse influence alone had never defeated the camels. - -Many contended that the War itself was responsible. Nobody had time for -camels while the battles raged and nobody was interested when peace -came. Another part truth, Ali decided, but by no means a whole truth. To -say that the War between the States doomed camels was as absurd as -declaring it doomed railroads. - -Even the popular refusal to accept camels--that sometimes mounted to -flaring resentment against them--was not to blame for their downfall. -That which has practical worth cannot forever remain unnoticed and -camels had proved themselves superior to any other beast of burden. - -Ali bent his head and crooned softly in Ben Akbar's ear. The big _dalul_ -sighed softly and pressed his chin hard against his friend's knee. Ali -resumed caressing the camel. - -What ill wind, he wondered, had blown the day these camels were finally -aboard and the _Supply_ set sail? They had come and they had proven -themselves, but far from any conquest they had found only oblivion. Why? - -Ali straightened unconsciously as he thought of the day Lieutenant -Beale's expedition had left Fort Defiance and started west. His mind -became a screen upon which appeared a complete review of every single -day that had followed. Ali lived again, as he had before, the whole -exciting caravan into unknown wilderness. - -Then, skipping his two years in California, Ali rode Ben Akbar back to -the Colorado and the massed wagons awaiting ferry transport. There -followed, in complete detail, his return ride over the road. Again he -saw the burgeoning civilization that had overrun a virgin wilderness. -Finally, he knew the right answer, and knowing, must question no more. - -The camels had not yielded to any petty thing, but had bowed to a force -so powerful that nothing could stand against it. All the armies of all -the world could bring human progress to no more than a temporary halt, -and not even the swiftest _dalul_ could hope to keep pace with the -breathtaking march of civilization as America knew it. If the camels had -been imported fifty years sooner, or if America had been satisfied to -wait fifty years longer to develop her wilderness, then indeed would all -Americans know the true worth of camels. - -As the course was run, most Americans would know camels only as -legendary ships of the desert or exotic imports whose proper abode was -the circus or zoo. Those few who did learn about the Camel Corps, might -hear of it as a glaring example of the hare-brained schemes that may be -dreamed up by scatter-brained people. Nevertheless, Ali was suddenly -happy and again knew a complete peace. - -He and Ben Akbar were reunited never to be parted again, and he, at -least, knew the true story of the Camel Corps. Nothing anyone might say -or do could change in the smallest detail what had already been done. -The people who spilled over Lieutenant Beale's wagon road might never -know that the pillars of their churches, the foundations of their -schools, their homes, their very way of life, were anchored on -long-forgotten camel tracks. But they would not be there if camels had -not led the way. - -Given only one real opportunity, the camels had contributed more than -their full share. Ali knew finally that, if he might return over the -years and once more look at camels being taken aboard the _Supply_, and -if he might also look ahead and see all the future, he would again do as -he had done and come to America. - -The journey had not been in vain. What had seemed to be heartbreaking -failure showed its true colors under the correct light. Triumph was -complete. - -Ali stood up. "Rise," he said. - -Slowly, Ben Akbar rose to his feet and the two started along the silvery -path together. - - - - -JIM KJELGAARD - - -was born in New York City. Happily enough, he was still in the -pre-school age when his father decided to move the family to the -Pennsylvania mountains. There young Jim grew up among some of the best -hunting and fishing in the United States. He says: "If I had pursued my -scholastic duties as diligently as I did deer, trout, grouse, squirrels, -etc., I might have had better report cards!" - -Jim Kjelgaard has worked at various jobs--trapper, teamster, guide, -surveyor, factory worker and laborer. When he was in the late twenties -he decided to become a full-time writer. He has succeeded in his wish. -He has published several hundred short stories and articles and quite a -few books for young people. - -His hobbies are hunting, fishing, dogs, and questing for new stories. He -tells us: "Story hunts have led me from the Atlantic to the Pacific and -from the Arctic Circle to Mexico City. Stories, like gold, are where you -find them. You may discover one three thousand miles from home, as in -_Rescue Dog of the High Pass_, or, as in _The Spell of the White -Sturgeon_, right on your own door step." And he adds: "I am married to a -very beautiful girl and have a teen-age daughter. Both of them order me -around in a shameful fashion, but I can still boss the dog! We live in -Phoenix, Arizona." - - * * * * * - -Books by Jim Kjelgaard - - - _Big Red_ - _Rebel Siege_ - _Forest Patrol_ - _Buckskin Brigade_ - _Chip, the Dam Builder_ - _Fire Hunter_ - _Irish Red_ - _Kalak of the Ice_ - _A Nose for Trouble_ - _Snow Dog_ - _The Story of Geronimo_ - _Stormy_ - _Cochise, Chief of Warriors_ - _Trailing Trouble_ - _Wild Trek_ - _The Explorations of Pere Marquette_ - _The Spell of the White Sturgeon_ - _Outlaw Red_ - _The Coming of the Mormons_ - _Cracker Barrel Trouble Shooter_ - _The Lost Wagon_ - _Lion Hound_ - _Trading Jeff and His Dog_ - _Desert Dog_ - _Haunt Fox_ - _The Oklahoma Land Run_ - _Double Challenge_ - _Swamp Cat_ - _Rescue Dog of the High Pass_ - _Hi Jolly!_ - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Hi Jolly!, by James Arthur Kjelgaard - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HI JOLLY! *** - -***** This file should be named 41700-8.txt or 41700-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/7/0/41700/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan, Jen Haines and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Hi Jolly! - -Author: James Arthur Kjelgaard - -Illustrator: Kendall Rossi - -Release Date: December 24, 2012 [EBook #41700] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HI JOLLY! *** - - - - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan, Jen Haines and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - - - - - -</pre> - +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 41700 ***</div> <div class="figcenter"> <img src="images/tp.jpg" alt=""/> @@ -229,7 +190,7 @@ http://www.pgdpcanada.net <p class="center">Dodd, Mead & Company New York 1960</p> -<p class="center">© <i>by Eddy Kjelgaard, 1959.</i></p> +<p class="center">© <i>by Eddy Kjelgaard, 1959.</i></p> <p class="center"><i>Second printing</i></p> @@ -4687,381 +4648,6 @@ Phoenix, Arizona."</p> <p style="margin-left: 40%;">Hi Jolly!</p> - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Hi Jolly!, by James Arthur Kjelgaard - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HI JOLLY! *** - -***** This file should be named 41700-h.htm or 41700-h.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/1/7/0/41700/ - -Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan, Jen Haines and the -Online Distributed Proofreading Canada Team at -http://www.pgdpcanada.net - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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