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- float: left; - margin-right: 1em } - -.align-right { clear: right; - float: right; - margin-left: 1em } - -.align-center { margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto } - -div.shrinkwrap { display: table; } - -/* SECTIONS */ - -body { margin: 5% 10% 5% 10% } - -/* compact list items containing just one p */ -li p.pfirst { margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0 } - -.first { margin-top: 0 !important; - text-indent: 0 !important } -.last { margin-bottom: 0 !important } - -span.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.1em 0 0; line-height: 1 } -img.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.5em 0 0; max-width: 25% } -span.dropspan { font-variant: small-caps } - -.no-page-break { page-break-before: avoid !important } - -/* PAGINATION */ - -.pageno { position: absolute; right: 95%; font: medium sans-serif; text-indent: 0 } -.pageno:after { color: gray; content: '[' attr(title) ']' } -.lineno { position: absolute; left: 95%; font: medium sans-serif; text-indent: 0 } -.lineno:after { color: gray; content: '[' attr(title) ']' } -.toc-pageref { float: right } - -@media screen { - .coverpage, .frontispiece, .titlepage, .verso, .dedication, .plainpage - { margin: 10% 0; } - - div.clearpage, div.cleardoublepage - { margin: 10% 0; border: none; border-top: 1px solid gray; } - - .vfill { margin: 5% 10% } -} - -@media print { - div.clearpage { page-break-before: always; padding-top: 10% } - div.cleardoublepage { page-break-before: right; padding-top: 10% } - - .vfill { margin-top: 20% } - h2.title { margin-top: 20% } -} - -/* DIV */ -pre { font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.9em; white-space: pre-wrap } - -</style> -<title>GUNBOAT AND GUN-RUNNER</title> -<meta name="PG.Rights" content="Public Domain" /> -<meta name="PG.Title" content="Gunboat and Gun-runner" /> -<meta name="PG.Producer" content="Al Haines" /> -<link rel="coverpage" href="images/img-cover.jpg" /> -<meta name="DC.Creator" content="T. T. Jeans" /> -<meta name="DC.Created" content="1914" /> -<meta name="MARCREL.ill" content="C. M. Padday" /> -<meta name="PG.Id" content="46460" /> -<meta name="PG.Released" content="2014-07-31" /> -<meta name="DC.Language" content="en" /> -<meta name="DC.Title" content="Gunboat and Gun-runner A Tale of the Persian Gulf" /> - -<link href="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" rel="schema.DCTERMS" /> -<link href="http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators" rel="schema.MARCREL" /> -<meta content="Gunboat and Gun-runner A Tale of the Persian Gulf" name="DCTERMS.title" /> -<meta content="gunboat.rst" name="DCTERMS.source" /> -<meta content="en" scheme="DCTERMS.RFC4646" name="DCTERMS.language" /> -<meta content="2014-07-31T17:41:50.202428+00:00" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" name="DCTERMS.modified" /> -<meta content="Project Gutenberg" name="DCTERMS.publisher" /> -<meta content="Public Domain in the USA." name="DCTERMS.rights" /> -<link href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46460" rel="DCTERMS.isFormatOf" /> -<meta content="T. T. Jeans" name="DCTERMS.creator" /> -<meta content="C. M. Padday" name="MARCREL.ill" /> -<meta content="2014-07-31" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" name="DCTERMS.created" /> -<meta content="width=device-width" name="viewport" /> -<meta content="EpubMaker 0.3.20 by Marcello Perathoner <webmaster@gutenberg.org>" name="generator" /> -</head> -<body> -<div class="document" id="gunboat-and-gun-runner"> -<h1 class="center document-title level-1 pfirst title"><span class="x-large">GUNBOAT AND GUN-RUNNER</span></h1> - -<!-- this is the default PG-RST stylesheet --> -<!-- figure and image styles for non-image formats --> -<!-- default transition --> -<!-- default attribution --> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="clearpage"> -</div> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="align-None container language-en pgheader" id="pg-header" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>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 </span><a class="reference internal" href="#project-gutenberg-license">Project Gutenberg License</a><span> -included with this eBook or online at -</span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">http://www.gutenberg.org/license</a><span>.</span></p> -<p class="noindent pnext"></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<div class="align-None container" id="pg-machine-header"> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>Title: Gunboat and Gun-runner -<br /> A Tale of the Persian Gulf -<br /> -<br />Author: T. T. Jeans -<br /> -<br />Release Date: July 31, 2014 [EBook #46460] -<br /> -<br />Language: English -<br /> -<br />Character set encoding: UTF-8</span></p> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst" id="pg-start-line"><span>*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK </span><span>GUNBOAT AND GUN-RUNNER</span><span> ***</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst" id="pg-produced-by"><span>Produced by Al Haines.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span></span></p> -</div> -<div class="align-None container coverpage"> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<div class="align-center auto-scaled figure margin" style="width: 76%" id="figure-46"> -<span id="cover-art"></span><img class="align-center block" style="display: block; width: 100%" alt="Cover art" src="images/img-cover.jpg" /> -<div class="caption centerleft figure-caption margin"> -<span class="italics">Cover art</span></div> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<div class="align-None container frontispiece"> -<div class="align-center auto-scaled figure margin" style="width: 64%" id="figure-47"> -<span id="the-bunder-abbas-comes-upon-a-large-arab-dhow-in-the-very-act-of-landing-guns"></span><img class="align-center block" style="display: block; width: 100%" alt="THE *BUNDER ABBAS* COMES UPON A LARGE ARAB DHOW IN THE VERY ACT OF LANDING GUNS." src="images/img-front.jpg" /> -<div class="caption centerleft figure-caption margin"> -<span class="italics">THE </span><em class="italics">BUNDER ABBAS</em><span class="italics"> COMES UPON A LARGE ARAB DHOW IN THE VERY ACT OF LANDING GUNS. </span><em class="italics">Page</em><span class="italics"> </span><a class="italics reference internal" href="#id1">105</a></div> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<div class="align-None container titlepage"> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="xx-large">Gunboat and -<br />Gun-runner</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="x-large">A Tale of the Persian Gulf</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">BY</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="large">SURGEON REAR-ADMIRAL T. T. JEANS, -<br />C.M.G., R.N.</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="small">Author of "John Graham, Sub-Lieutenant R.N." -<br />"On Foreign Service" "Ford of H.M.S. Vigilant" -<br />&c.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><em class="italics medium">Illustrated by C. M. Padday</em></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="large">BLACKIE & SON LIMITED -<br />LONDON AND GLASGOW -<br />1914</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<div class="align-None container verso"> -<dl class="docutils"> -<dt><span class="small">BLACKIE & SON LIMITED</span></dt> -<dd><p class="first last pfirst"><em class="italics small">50 Old Bailey, London</em><span class="small"> -<br /></span><em class="italics small">17 Stanhope Street, Glasgow</em></p> -</dd> -<dt><span class="small">BLACKIE & SON (INDIA) LIMITED</span></dt> -<dd><p class="first last pfirst"><em class="italics small">Warwick House, Fort Street, Bombay</em></p> -</dd> -<dt><span class="small">BLACKIE & SON (CANADA) LIMITED</span></dt> -<dd><p class="first last pfirst"><em class="italics small">1118 Bay Street, Toronto</em></p> -</dd> -</dl> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><em class="italics small">Printed in Great Britain by Blackie & Son, Ltd., Glasgow</em></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold large">Preface</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>For many years the fierce, unruly tribes beyond -the north-west frontier of India have only been able -to obtain rifles from the Arabian coast. Arab dhows -bring them across the Persian Gulf and adjacent -waters, and caravans of camels convey them to their -destination through the mountain passes of Baluchistan.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ships of the Royal Navy and the Royal Indian -Marine, armed launches manned by officers and men -lent from the Royal Navy, and ships' armed cutters -cruise and patrol these waters from one year's end to -another, overhauling dhows, landing men to search -villages suspected of concealing arms, and ceaselessly -striving to put a stop to this trade.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My story describes the conditions of service in one -of these armed launches, and is based on actual -occurrences which took place some ten years ago. Most -of the incidents have been described to me by -participators in them. The proof-sheets have also been -revised by officers who have themselves taken part, -during more recent years, in the suppression of -"gun-running".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As a result, the story is, I trust, free from errors -and improbabilities.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>T. T. JEANS,</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Surgeon Rear-Admiral, Royal Navy.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold large">Contents</span></p> -<p class="noindent pnext"><span class="small">CHAP.</span></p> -<ol class="upperroman simple"> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#a-splendid-appointment">A Splendid Appointment</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-story-of-the-twin-death">The Story of the "Twin Death"</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#skipper-of-the-bunder-abbas">Skipper of the "Bunder Abbas"</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#adrift-in-a-dhow">Adrift in a Dhow</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#my-first-capture">My First Capture</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-edge-of-civilization">The Edge of Civilization</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-battle-of-the-paraffin-can">The Battle of the Paraffin Can</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#ugly-rumours">Ugly Rumours</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#trapping-a-caravan">Trapping a Caravan</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-fight-in-the-coffee-cup">The Fight in the "Coffee-Cup"</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-cobra-bracelet-again">The Cobra Bracelet Again</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#mr-scarlett-bares-his-arm">Mr. Scarlett Bares his Arm</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#rounding-up-a-prodigal">Rounding up a Prodigal</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#we-deal-with-jassim">We Deal with Jassim</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#a-tragedy-of-the-telegraph">A Tragedy of the Telegraph</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-siege-of-jask">The Siege of Jask</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#jassim-takes-his-revenge">Jassim Takes his Revenge</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#to-the-rescue">To the Rescue</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-grey-eyed-lady-decides">The Grey-Eyed Lady Decides</a></p> -</li> -</ol> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold large">Illustrations</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-bunder-abbas-comes-upon-a-large-arab-dhow-in-the-very-act-of-landing-guns">The "Bunder Abbas" comes upon a large Arab dhow -in the very act of landing guns</a><span> . . . </span><em class="italics">Frontispiece</em></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-four-of-us-tried-to-haul-the-yard-and-sail-on-board-hauling-for-all-we-were-worth">The four of us tried to haul the yard and sail on -board, hauling for all we were worth</a></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#looking-through-my-loophole-i-saw-a-tall-fine-looking-arab-peering-into-the-chasm-beneath">Looking through my loophole I saw a tall, -fine-looking Arab peering into the chasm beneath</a></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#bowing-in-the-most-dignified-manner-to-the-prodigal-son-and-ourselves-they-squatted-in-a-circle-round-us">Bowing in the most dignified manner to the -prodigal son and ourselves, they squatted in a -circle round us</a></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="a-splendid-appointment"><span class="bold xx-large">GUNBOAT AND GUN-RUNNER</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER I</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">A Splendid Appointment</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>At the time this yarn commences I was a lieutenant -of four years' seniority, a "watchkeeper" aboard -H.M.S. </span><em class="italics">Russell</em><span>, longing earnestly to see the world, -but with no probable prospect of my desires being -realized.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I had been serving in the Channel and Atlantic -Fleets, continuously, for seven years—appointed from -one ship to another, from a battleship to a destroyer, -from a destroyer to an armoured cruiser, and from -her to the </span><em class="italics">Russell</em><span>. In fact, I began to wonder -whether my whole naval career was to be spent -plodding round the British Islands, and the limits of my -world were to be bounded by an occasional view of -the coast of France, and a still more infrequent sight -of the rugged headlands of Spain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then, by a lucky stroke of good fortune, my chance -did at last come.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I happened to be on forty-eight hours' leave in -London, and at my club, the "Junior", met a -captain under whom I had served a year or two -previously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We talked about our former ship, and I told him -how tired I was of sticking at home, and how anxious -I was to see some foreign service. He jerked out, -in the abrupt way he had: "Why, man, clear out!—get -along to the Admiralty!—full speed!—off you -go! I was talking to the Second Sea Lord not half an -hour ago, and he'd just heard that a lieutenant was -wanted for the Persian Gulf. Give him my card. -Why, bless my rags, I haven't one!" and he scribbled -his name on the back of a club envelope and hustled -me out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I found myself jumping into a hansom (there were -no taxis available then as now) and driving to the -Admiralty before I fully realized what I was about -to do.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, the Second Sea Lord won't see nobody," -a porter at the Admiralty told me; adding, -mysteriously: "The First Lord 'as just a-been an' sent -for him. You 'ad better see Mr. Copeland, 'is -sec-re-tary."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I always feel overawed at the Admiralty—merely -being in the same building with their "Lordships" -is enough to overawe any humble lieutenant—so I -meekly followed the porter into a waiting-room, -pacing up and down restlessly till he came back -again, beckoning me with a confidential air. "'E'll -see you, if you step this way. 'E is in a middling -good temper this morning—ain't 'ad many to worry 'im."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My interview with Mr. Copeland was short and -sharp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you want?" he said curtly, more or less -as if I was a pickpocket or a beggar asking for -a penny.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I hear there's a vacancy for a lieutenant in the -Persian Gulf. I'm Martin—Paul Reginald Martin -of the </span><em class="italics">Russell</em><span>, four years' seniority next May—and -I want to go there. My late captain gave me this -for the Second Sea Lord;" and I handed him the -envelope with the pencil note: "Give this chap the -job if you can", and his signature.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The secretary glanced at it, threw it on his desk, -and looked at me suspiciously. "Yes, yes! I don't -know how he came to hear of it. Collingwood, of -the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>, has died of sunstroke. Quite -right! quite right! I'll put your name down for -her—if you wish."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Please!" I said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you know what the job is?" he asked, as if, -did I know, I should not be so keen to go.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not in the least," I answered; "and I don't mind, -so long as I can get abroad and out of the Channel -Fleet."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He smiled unpleasantly. "It's a patrolling job, -and a lonely one."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He said this as though—officially—he ought to -warn me, though—individually—he didn't care a -button whether I went or not.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That gave me some idea of the job.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The gunner's gone mad too. We'll have to send -another out, I suppose—confound him!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I could not help smiling at the idea of a mad -gunner being left there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He cut my smile short with a sharp: "I'll put your -name down. Good morning!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I backed clumsily out of the door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>?" I asked the porter -outside.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The </span><em class="italics">Bunder Habbas</em><span>!" he corrected me, repeating -the name to give himself time to think.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Something in the Persian Gulf?" I said, to aid -his memory.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But he didn't know—none of the other porters -knew; so he rang up some mysterious individual -on the telephone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There's a gen'l'man 'ere wants to know what the -</span><em class="italics">Bunder Habbas</em><span> his. </span><em class="italics">Habbas—Bunder Habbas</em><span>—hout -in the Persian Gulf."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had a slight argument about pronunciation and -spelling, and then turned to me triumphantly. "She's -a harmed launch, sir, that's what she his, a-looking -out to stop them Arabs a-gun-running," and hastened -to answer a bell, pocketing the half-crown I gave him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I hurried away down the corridor, and was so -excited that I did not notice my former captain until -he tapped me on the shoulder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've just come round," he said; "will see the -Second Sea Lord myself—put in a word for you—thought -I might fix it up at once—good luck to you -if you get it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you very much, sir," I said gratefully, -and hurried out into Whitehall.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Armed launch! Skipper of an armed launch—Collingwood -dead of sunstroke—gunner gone mad," -and I grinned to myself and walked along like a bird.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Fancy getting away from all this!" I thought, -and looked round at the babel of traffic and the -throngs of people. Fancy getting away from the -Channel Fleet for a time! I thought of my ship, the -</span><em class="italics">Russell</em><span>, lying under Portland Bill, with other huge -grey monsters; and thought of the tense readiness -for war aboard them, and the strain of it, month after -month. In a few weeks, with luck, I might be three -thousand miles away, patrolling the Persian -Gulf—free as air—with a good launch under me, and -probably a 4.7-inch gun in her bows, ready to tackle -any gun-running Arab dhow which came along. -Prize money, too—there'd be a chance of that as well.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was grand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Collingwood, poor old Collingwood—I'd known -him in the </span><em class="italics">Britannia</em><span>—dead of sunstroke, and the -gunner gone mad! That didn't sound as if the job -was exactly a bed of roses. But Copeland had put -my name down—the die was cast; I didn't mind if -the whole crew had died of sunstroke and plague -combined. I rather hoped that they had, and that any -other chap who applied for the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> -would—well—feel a little less keen about her when he -heard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I didn't notice the rain or the mud splashed on my -trousers from the roadway. I could have whooped -with joy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All these silly clothes my tailor bothered to make -tight here or loose there, to show more or show less -of the waistcoat, as silly fashion changed—why, with -luck, in a month's time, a pair of flannel trousers and -a cricket shirt would be all the wardrobe I should -want. I'd be my own skipper, with a dozen -blue-jackets, and a stout launch under us; that 4.7-inch -gun—or perhaps it would be a twelve-pounder—shining -in the bows under the awning. Wouldn't -it shine, too! There'd be nothing much else to do -but burnish it, and burnished it should be till I could -shave by it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All that afternoon I waited patiently at the club for -the evening paper, and directly the waiter brought -it into the smoking-room I pounced on it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Sure enough, under "Naval Appointments" was -my name—"Paul R. Martin appointed </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>" -(she was one of the cruisers on the East Indies -Station) "for armed launch </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I gave a shout of delight, which rather startled -some old fogies there; and a man sitting near—a -naval doctor whom I knew slightly—laughed at me, -wanting to know what was the matter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I pointed out the appointment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look at that! Isn't that grand?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"</span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>," he said, as we lay back in the -luxurious chairs—they really did feel comfortable now -that I was going out to the waste parts of the world. -"That was Collingwood's launch. What's become -of him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Died of sunstroke," I told him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Really, now?" the doctor went on; "he's only -been there three months. I knew him slightly; he -relieved a chap who had beri-beri, or one of those -funny tropical diseases—sometimes you swell, sometimes -you do the other thing. I forget now which he -did before he was invalided home. I did hear; it was -quite interesting. So you're off there? Well, good -luck! Are the 'footer' results in that paper?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"D'you want any tips for the Persian Gulf?" he -asked presently, when he had finished reading the -football news. "Whatever you like to eat, don't -eat it. (You can't get it, so you needn't bother to -remember that tip.) And if you want gin or whisky, -or any comforts like that, chuck them over the side: -they may kill the sharks; they won't kill you. In -fact, my dear chap, whatever you like doing and -want to do, there's only one tip to remember if you -want to keep fit—don't do it!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you get beri-beri," he called after me as I fled, -"you might let me know whether you swell or do the -other thing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I packed my bag, not in the least disturbed by -anyone's gloomy remarks, and went back to my ship at -Portland.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My orders came next day.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was to take passage in a P. & O. mail steamer, -sailing in twelve days' time (a luxury I never -expected), and join the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> at Aden, where further -orders would be given me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A fortnight later I was tumbling and churning -through the "Bay" in the P. & O. </span><em class="italics">Java</em><span>, as happy -as a king, without a care in the world.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A lieutenant named Anderson shared my cabin. -He was going out to join the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> as one of her -watchkeepers. As, but for him, I should probably -never have survived to write the account of what -happened to us later on, I will give an idea of what kind -of chap he was. First of all, he was known to his -chums as "The Baron" or as "Baron Popple Opstein", -though why these nicknames ever stuck to -him I don't know.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was a great lumbering, clumsy giant, with a -long red face, a big hooked nose, and a large mouth, -always smiling, and showing the whitest set of teeth -I have ever seen. He had laughing blue eyes, which -saw everything except people's faults, and a mop of -yellow, silk-coloured hair which grew down his great -red forehead in a quaint triangular patch pointing to -his nose. His whole face beamed good humour and -kindliness; he was the simplest, happiest soul -alive—one of those men with whom it is good to live. He -never did much talking, and never wanted anyone to -talk much to him; but would sit smoking his old, -disgracefully charred pipe, and beam by the hour, just -happy to have the dancing sea under his feet and the -fresh salt air in his lungs. He really was a -splendid-looking fellow, but by some odd twist in his mind -imagined he was ugly. This made him rather retiring -and bashful. He would sooner try to stop a mad dog -than be introduced to a lady. "My dear old chap," -he would say, if I wanted to introduce him to one of -the lady passengers, "what on earth can I talk to her -about? She doesn't want to hear about scrubbing -hammocks, or the gunnery manual. I can't think of -anything else to talk about."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The result was that we both kept pretty much to -ourselves, and amused ourselves watching the others.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was a major on board going out to India—a -fussy, conceited individual who imagined that all the -ladies must be head over heels in love with him. He -tried to patronize us, but we gave him the cold -shoulder, and so did a little pale-faced, rather -nice-looking girl about twenty-two, with hair the very -same shade as the Baron's. She was not English—I -could tell that by the way she talked—and she kept -almost entirely to herself. I never spoke to her during -the voyage, but once I overheard her snub the major -in broken English, in the most deliberate, delightful -manner, and as he went away, with a silly expression -on his face, our eyes met. There was such an -irresistibly humorous twinkle in hers that I smiled -too—I really could not help it. At that her smile died -away, as if ashamed of itself, her pale face flushed, -and I followed the major, feeling like a naughty boy -who had been caught prying.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At Port Said we picked up Mr. Thomas Scarlett—Gunner, -R.N.—serving in the </span><em class="italics">Jason</em><span>, which was doing -guardship there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I had seen his appointment to the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> in -the newspapers, and, as we should have to live -together for the next two years, I was anxious to know -what manner of man he was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He certainly looked a queer chap, tall and thin, -with stooping shoulders, bushy black eyebrows -meeting across his forehead, two piercing black eyes -deeply sunk beneath them, a beaked nose over very -thin tight lips, and the blackest of hair, moustache, -and pointed beard. He looked very much like a -vulture, with his long thin neck stretching out from -a low collar, much too large for him. When he -talked, the words tumbled out, one after the other, -so quickly that, until one became used to him, it -was difficult to understand what he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We soon found out that he had been in the Persian -Gulf many times in the course of the last few years, -so Baron Popple Opstein and I used to take him -along to our special corner on deck, and ask him -questions. He gave us the impression that he did -not wish to go out there again, and whenever he -talked of the Persian Gulf and of his former -experiences there he seemed nervous and very ill at ease. -But, once we made him talk, his stories of pirates, -pearl-fishers, slavers, and gun-runners were as -absorbing as one could wish. Old Popple Opstein's -face would grow purple with excitement. Mr. Scarlett, -too, would often work himself into a great pitch of -vehemence as he told some especially thrilling yarn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You might be an Arab yourself," I said one -night, when he had brought a story to a climax, -leaving us breathless and fascinated with his -glowing, fiery description.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am almost, sir," he said. "My father was the -constable of the Residency at Bushire, and my mother -was half-Arab."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That explained his dark complexion, and why, in -the middle of a yarn, he would often slide off his -chair and sit Moorish fashion—cross-legged. He -could always talk more easily in that attitude.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ever since he had joined the Navy he had served, -off and on, in the East, his knowledge of all the -languages and different dialects of those parts, picked up -when he was a boy, being so useful.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One night, four days out from Suez, we were making -him tell us all he knew about gun-running. It was -very warm, damp, and unpleasant, so he took off his -coat. In doing so he happened to pull the shirtsleeve -of his left arm above his elbow. By the light of a -lantern overhead we saw something glittering round -his arm. My chum peered forward to look at it, but -the gunner hastily pulled his sleeve down.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What the dickens is that?" we both asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>First glancing fore and aft, to see that no one was -near, he very reluctantly pulled up his sleeve.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He held his arm so that the lantern light fell upon -it, and we saw that the thing round his arm was a -small snake, marvellously enamelled—a cobra it was. -The joints, even each separate scale, seemed flexible, -and as he worked his muscles underneath it the snake -seemed to cling more tightly to his skin, in the most -horribly realistic fashion. Two greenish-tinged opal -eyes blinked at us as the light overhead flickered in them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Baron leant forward to touch it, but Mr. Scarlett, -with a sudden look of horror, shot out his right hand -and clutched the Baron's hand so violently that he -cried out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't touch it, sir! For God's sake, don't touch -it. There's poison enough in that thing to kill a -dozen men!" he gasped fiercely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is it—what do you mean? Tell us!" we cried.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Some passengers coming along the deck, he -instantly covered it with his sleeve.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I generally wear a bandage over it," he said -nervously. "The night was so hot that I took it off."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, tell us about it," we urged him. "Where -did you get it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Jassim gave it to me," Mr. Scarlett answered, his -black eyes burning strangely as he looked round to -see that no one could overhear him. "I'll tell you when -and how that snake came here. It's a long story—and -a sad one. When you have heard it you will -know why I do not want to go back to the Persian -Gulf. But, for God's sake, sirs, don't ever mention -it to a soul!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We promised—we would have promised anything -to learn its story.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-story-of-the-twin-death"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER II</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">The Story of the "Twin Death"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"It was nearly thirty years ago when I first saw that -bracelet," Mr. Scarlett began in a strained voice. -"I was only a boy then. It was brought to my -father's house, at Bushire, by a Banyan jeweller—a -friend of his—who showed it to him as one of the -most marvellous and curious pieces of workmanship -in the East. I remember how frightened I was to -hear the stories he told of it, and to see them -examining it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"When the jeweller had gone, my father, who -knew its history, told me that, when it was pulled off -the arm which wore it, it would writhe and strike with -the poisoned fangs in its head, and kill both the -wearer and the person who tore it off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is an Arab song, nearly two hundred years -old, which sings of it. The song is about the woman -who first wore it. She was the favourite wife of a -murdered Sultan of Khamia, and fell alive into the -hands of his Persian conqueror. He wanted to -marry her because she was so beautiful, and she -dared him, if he would win her, to tear the bracelet -off her arm—dared him in front of his Court—and -he was so mad with love that he did so, although he -knew what would happen. The snake struck them -both, and they died. In that Arab song she is -supposed to sing several verses after the fangs struck -her, but," Mr. Scarlett's voice trembled hoarsely, "I -know that she had not time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You don't mean to tell us that this is the same -one?" the Baron asked breathlessly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is, sir. I wish it wasn't."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But how did you get it?" he asked again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let the gunner spin his yarn," I told him impatiently.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well," he went on, "it has always been worn by -the chief wife of the Sultan of Khamia. It is her -privilege to be the only wife who follows her husband -at his death. She had to kill herself by tearing it off -her own arm, and if her courage failed her a slave -stood by to do it, and the two would die. The slave -was not likely to fail her, for to die by 'the twin -death' was supposed to be a sure way of attaining -Paradise, and not many slaves ever thought that they -would have the chance to get there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Some of this my father told me, and the rest, and -many other things besides, I learnt afterwards from -the Arabs up and down the coast.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I saw it next eight or nine years afterwards. I -was an ordinary seaman in a gunboat lying off Muscat, -and, happening to be ashore one afternoon, with -nothing to do, I noticed that there was quite a crowd -of natives gathered on the shore.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They told me that the Sultan of Khamia was just -going to embark on his way to Mecca, so I stopped -to see him, knowing that he was the worst brigand -and pirate in the whole of the Gulf, and wishing to -see what kind of chap he was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Presently he came down with a crowd of -attendants to guard him—a fine-looking fellow he -was—and after him followed some hooded cages or -palanquins. Inside these, hidden from view, were, I knew, -his favourite wives, accompanying him as far as -Jeddah. Out of the first stretched a beautiful arm, -and on it was that snake bracelet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I half expected to see it, and recognized it at -once. You should have seen that crowd of natives -give way and fall back. Everyone knew what it was, -and what it meant. They edged away as if it was -the devil himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The closed cages were taken on board a lighter; -the lighter was towed out to a little steamer rolling in -the mouth of the harbour between the two old Portuguese -forts, and I soon forgot all about the bracelet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Five years afterwards fate brought me to the Gulf -again. I was a petty officer in the gunboat </span><em class="italics">Pigeon</em><span> -then, and everywhere we went we heard the name of -Jassim, the now Khan of Khamia—the absolute -despot of the south-western part of the Persian Gulf, -the head of the Jowassim tribes of slavers and pirates, -and the terror of the seas. Not a dhow dared leave -any port without first paying tribute to him, and the -tales of his atrocities made our blood boil with rage; -because he was not satisfied with being master of the -Gulf, but he'd swoop down on coast towns, demand -tribute from them, and, if there was any resistance—even -hesitation in paying—he would kill every man, -woman, and child in ways so callously brutal that -you could not imagine a human being capable of -inventing them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"His latest exploit had been to capture the whole -fleet of pearl-fishing dhows and trading baggalows[#] -inside Muscat harbour. He filled them with his -rascally followers—Bedouins chiefly—and thought -himself strong enough to tackle the English.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] Baggalow=large ocean-going dhow.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"We soon heard that he was preparing to seize the -pearl-fishing dhows which were then fitting out at -Bahrein—under the English flag and the English -guns of the fort there—to sail for the pearl banks, -down south.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The </span><em class="italics">Pigeon</em><span> and the old </span><em class="italics">Sphinx</em><span> were therefore -ordered to search for Mr. Jassim and teach him a -lesson.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, after dodging in and out of the bays in that -rocky coast, shoving our nose in, finding nothing, -and shunting out again, we found him, one morning, -anchored at the head of a shallow bay with all his -fleet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Four hundred and twenty-two dhows we counted, -their sloping masts and yards showing up like a -forest against the shore. Every one of them was -flaunting the red flag with a white border, the flag -of the Jowassims. The whole place was a-flutter -with them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"At the top of the bay Jassim had built himself a -fort, and lived there, we found out afterwards, in great -style, with his harem, sheikhs' sons to wait on him, -gold plates to eat off, and everything simply tiptop.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Four hundred odd dhows were there, manned for -the most part by dare-devil Bedouins, with a fair -sprinkling of Beni Ghazril, Ballash, and Ahmed -tribes—all low-caste tribes not too keen on fighting. -Armed they were with old smooth bores—nine-pounders, -there or thereabouts—and the little </span><em class="italics">Pigeon</em><span> -was equal to taking on the lot if she could only have -fetched in close enough; which she couldn't, as she -drew too much water. We had to anchor five miles -away from these dhows—five miles if a yard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Out came a sheikh or a khan—some big swell—to -say that Jassim was only waiting for a change of wind -to come out and eat us up. As it was blowing a -steady shamel (you two gentlemen will know what -that is before you've been out here long), blowing -right into the bay, and not likely to ease down for -two or three days, we didn't trouble about them -trying to escape. Well, the skipper sent that sheikh -chap back with a flea in his ear, and presently Jassim -himself came along in a grand barge, flying the -Turkish flag—like his cheek!—and as cool as -anything comes up the side and gives our skipper two -hours to clear out of it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The cheek of the man amused the skipper, who -merely took him aft into his cabin, kept him there for -two hours, talking and drinking coffee, showed him -his watch and that the two hours had gone by, told -him he would have hanged him had he not been -flying the Turkish flag, and sent him back to his -fleet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The tide rising presently, we chanced our luck -and moved in a bit closer. Directly we moved, those -dhows, hundreds of them, let rip at us with their old -pop-guns, the shot plunking into the water half-way, -and not even the 'ricos' reaching us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That was just what the skipper was waiting for. -He opened fire with our four-inch guns, keeping it -up from four o'clock that afternoon till six, and -setting a good many of the dhows on fire. Just before -the sun went down, along came the old </span><em class="italics">Sphinx</em><span>, -paddling furiously, and chipped in with her -old-fashioned guns, till neither of us could see a thing -to aim at, except flames occasionally. The whole bay -was a mass of smoke from the dhows we had set on -fire with our shells.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was a fine sight as the sun set behind the great -mountains inshore, and the dark shadows of them -came racing across the plain and the harbour, -showing up the flames still more brightly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you ever cruise along that coast don't miss that -sight—the sight of those shadows as the sun sinks -behind the mountains," Mr. Scarlett interrupted his -yarn to tell us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, all that night we and the </span><em class="italics">Sphinx</em><span> fired -occasionally to keep the Arabs' nerves on edge, and -made all ready to send in every boat we possessed, at -daybreak, to see what we could do.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That was the longest day's work I ever did, and -the worst—the worst," Mr. Scarlett hissed out, -apparently waking up and altering his voice, as if he -had been somebody else telling the yarn before, or as -if he had suddenly turned over a fresh page in a book -he was reading, remembered the terrible ending, and -wanted to shut it up.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Baron and I almost jumped out of our chairs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, the worst. My God! it was the worst." He -jumped to his feet, looked ashamed of himself, sat -down, and went on to tell us in a strained voice, as -though the ending was too terrible, how the crews of -the </span><em class="italics">Pigeon</em><span> and </span><em class="italics">Sphinx</em><span> had pulled ashore in their -boats, like midges round a horde of elephants. He -said that two of the bigger dhows, placed end on end, -would be nearly as big as the </span><em class="italics">Victory</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We did not believe him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He told us how, as one boat would clap alongside -a huge towering dhow, her demoralized crew would -clamber down the other side to their boats or jump -overboard. The bluejackets had brought tins of -paraffin, with which they set on fire each dhow they -boarded, adding still further to the terror and disorder, -until the crews of all those four hundred odd junks -abandoned them and clustered at the edge of the -shore, behind the walls of Jassim's fort, shouting -bravely and shooting off their crazy rifles in defiance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So the bluejackets left off their work of destruction, -the boats pulled ashore together, the men wading -as soon as their keels grated on the beach, whilst the -Nordenfeldts and Gardner guns in their bows fired -point-blank into the demoralized crowd of Arab scum. -There must have been fifteen thousand of them on the -beach; but panic broke out among them, and they -melted away from the shore and from the fort, scurrying -away inland in front of that handful of bluejackets -until they had taken refuge in the defiles and crevasses -of those barren mountains, where (as Mr. Scarlett told -us) you could hardly believe it possible for a goat to -live, but where they sought shelter like frightened -sheep.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When he had come to this point Mr. Scarlett paused -a little, as if he was reluctant to go on. Then he started -again hurriedly:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And we came back, very slowly back, panting, -our feet red-hot and our tongues swollen with thirst, -the blazing sun on our backs. And we found Jassim -squatting on his prayer mat on the sloping shore, his -back turned to the sea and his burning ships, his face -turned to the sun.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A woman crouched at his feet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"These two were alone, the only living things -there; no other human being had stayed with him; -she alone of all his harem and his people remained -to share his fate. I was sent for to act as interpreter; -and our skipper—a tender-hearted man—had pity on -Jassim now that his power was absolutely broken, -and gave him the choice of coming on board or -staying where he was. Jassim chose to stay, answering -proudly and defiantly, as though he was still lord -of a powerful fleet, or as though his spirit was not -broken. Then it was that I saw this hateful snake -for the third time—it was on that woman's arm."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett's voice began to tremble, and as he -coiled cross-legged on the deck, and put his hands -to his forehead, we could see his dark, burning eyes -gazing outboard, across the deck and the deck rails, -to where the sea and the blackness of the night sky -met each other, a dark rim beyond the moonlit sea -surrounding the ship. His face was haggard and -drawn, as if he saw what he was about to tell us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, he was there! Jassim was there, his head -bowed beneath a coarse burnous[#]; and whilst the -rest of us went away to loot the fort and destroy the -guns, a seaman and myself were left as guard on -those two.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] Burnous = loose Arab cloak.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"I spoke to him in his own tongue, told him to -cheer up, that his luck was 'out' now, but that it was -fate, and a better time would come. He seemed not -to hear; he just sat gazing at the sun as it sank lower -and lower towards the rim of the mountains, where -all his men had disappeared; and his wife crouched -moaning before him, putting a hand out now and -again to touch him, just to remind him that she was -there and suffering too. Presently she bared her left -arm, and moaned to him not to allow himself to fall -into the hands of the infidel, but to seek Paradise and -take her with him, holding out her arm with the snake -coiled round it, imploring him to pull it off and set -them both free.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Jassim never answered her, never looked down -at her, never moved a muscle of his face, and never -looked at that bracelet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But the sight of it was too much for the seaman -left on guard. Poor fool! he thought it would be -a fine curio, and before I could stop him he strode -forward, bent down, and seized it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The woman gave one shriek of agony as he pulled -it from her arm, and with an oath I saw him throw -it down in the white sand, where it coiled and writhed, -whilst he looked at the back of his hand and wiped -away two tiny spots of blood.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Suck them, for God's sake, suck them! The -thing's poisoned!' I yelled, and, springing to the -woman, bent down and sucked two little marks on -her arm just below the shoulder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Jassim never moved an eyelash.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The woman jerked herself from me as if the touch -of an infidel defiled her, and as if she courted death. -She had scarcely dragged herself again to her knees -before she began to writhe with pain, and her arm -became a dusky swollen purple, spreading upwards -over her shoulder as I watched.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The seaman, cursing, was staggering down to -the sea, but swayed and fell half-way, rolling -convulsively, clawing at the sand and jerking himself -towards the edge of the water.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I could do nothing for either, and I could not -take my eyes from that woman. She was appealing -to Jassim to make the snake kill him, so that they -should not be separated, and she implored him to -hold her, so that she could die in his arms. Never -a muscle did he move; and she cried piteously for -him to look at her, just one look. But Jassim would -not look at her. Her face was dusky now, her swollen -tongue came out of her mouth, and in her agony her -pride was broken, and she asked me for water. It -was the last word she spoke, poor soul! I had some -in my water bottle, so knelt down and held it to her -lips. But she could not drink, so I poured a little -into her mouth and over her face. Her dark eyes, -dark as velvet they were, gave me one dumb look -of gratitude; then the life went out of them and she -was dead.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"As I knelt, Jassim must have stooped down and -picked up the gold snake, for he suddenly flicked it -round my arm, saying in a deep guttural voice: -'Blessed is the giver of water—above all men. -Allah, the great, the compassionate, gave water to -those that burned in Hell, even as thou gavest! -Thy reward shall be great; only become a true -believer, for this is the key of Paradise.'</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I jumped to my feet, half-dazed, and dared not -touch the thing as it clung to me, snuggling tightly -round my arm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The woman was dead. I ran to the sea; the -bluejacket's body was moving gently as the tiny -waves rolled in. I knew that he was dead, and I -turned to implore Jassim to take it off if he knew -how to do so without killing me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"As I turned, the lower edge of the sun touched -the top of those awful mountains, and Jassim, crouching -on his prayer carpet, a little patch of red on the -sloping white beach, with the dead woman in front -of him, suddenly raised himself to his knees, held -wide his hands, and called: 'Allah ho Akhbar', as -though summoning the faithful to prayer and his -contemptible followers back to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then he prostrated himself, and, raising himself -again, commenced: 'Bismillahi! Rahmanni! -Raheem!' whilst I stood awed as he recited the prayer, -till the upper rim of the sun disappeared, and those -dark shadows came again down the sides of the -mountains and along the waste of sands, rushing -like evil spirits towards us....</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The first lieutenant was at my side shaking -me. He had his hand on the snake, as if to take it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'What the devil do you mean by looting?' he -said; but I gave a shriek, and sprang away, striking -up his hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"As I retreated backwards, step by step, I told him -what had happened. He did not believe me; he -thought me mad—that I had a 'touch of the sun'. -But he let me be, presently, and I covered that thing -up with the sleeve of my flannel as best I could—and -found myself back again on board the </span><em class="italics">Pigeon</em><span>. -Perhaps I was mad, for I could never remember how -I did get aboard, and I was on the sick list for many -days, lying in a cot, covering the snake with my free -hand, and moaning for people to let it be—so they -told me afterwards."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The gunner stopped talking, breathed heavily, and -wiped his forehead.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He began speaking in his ordinary composed way:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Since then, thirteen years ago—aye, thirteen years -it is next June—an unlucky year—that thing has -coiled round my arm and never left it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My chum's eye had been gradually starting more -and more out of his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now he gasped out:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Never! Do you really mean it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, never," Mr. Scarlett groaned.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But, man, a pair of long pincers seizing the head -and neck and sliding a sleeve of thin tin or something -like that underneath—next your skin—why, there are -heaps of ways you could get it off—safe ways—if you -really wanted to do so."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't you think I've been tempted, sir; dozens of -different ways have been suggested. All seemed safe, -but there was just the chance that the thing would -strike somewhere—and—and—I'd seen those two die, -and put off trying for another day, till now I'm almost -used to it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look," the gunner said, pulling up his shirt -sleeve and holding out his arm so that the moonlight -showed the snake. "Watch its head!" and he very -softly began to push one finger underneath a coil. As -he did so, the head began to raise itself from his skin, -and a tiny dark line, not visible before, showed across -the end where the mouth was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stop!" we both cried, perspiration pouring from -me and running down my back, the Baron's mouth -wide open with fear. "Take your finger away." And -he uttered a hoarse, gasping laugh as he knew that -at last we were convinced. He drew back his finger, -and the head lay back again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now you can guess why I don't want to come -back to the Gulf. This bracelet is known to every -Arab there. The Sultan of Khamia is certain to find -out, sooner or later, that I have it, and then there will -be an end to me. Why, sirs, he would give half his -wealth to get it back, and once it becomes known that -I have it he will get it somehow or other. Getting it, -I must die."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Man alive," the Baron cried, "why don't you try? -A thin sheet of tin or something pushed under it, -then seize the head with pincers! Why, man, it -simply couldn't bite you! There'd be no risk whatsoever."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I can't," Mr. Scarlett almost moaned. "I -can't face it. If anything did happen—I've seen -those two die—remember that. It seems part of me -now—thirteen years it has been there—and I've been -brought up amongst Arabs—my mother was half an -Arab, and there's something in my blood which won't -let me try. It's fate—Kismet—and I dare not fly in -face of that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Baron fell back in his chair hopelessly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then why didn't you back out of coming here? -Why didn't you explain?" I asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then his manner changed again. He had come -out of his dreams, and began talking hurriedly as if -his lips were shaking.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Truth is, gentlemen, I'm a born coward. I was -too frightened to let on that I was frightened of -coming out this way again. It's the same thing with -many things I do. I'm too frightened to let on as -how I'm frightened, and up to now things have gone -all right. I'm a coward, sir, and I don't mind telling -you," he said, turning to me. "We have to live -together for the next two years—if I'm spared—and -you'll find that out before you've known me many -weeks, so you may as well know now. Feel my hand, sir!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I felt it. It was cold and clammy and trembling. -His dark face looked a ghastly mud colour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's simply because I've been talking about it, -and it reminds me of things which have been—and -might be again."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come down below and have a brandy-and-soda," -I said, and we took him down below, rather glad to -get into the noisy glare of the smoking saloon, even -though it was so hot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We always slept on deck, the Baron and I, but that -night, whether it was the heat or the effects of the -gunner's story, precious little sleep did we get; so, -after tossing about restlessly for an hour, we gave up -trying, and leant over the deck rails and talked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm sure it would be as easy as winking," my -chum said. "One could lash wire or even string -round its head, so that the mouth could not open. -The fangs couldn't come out then.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wonder what became of that man Jassim," he -broke in presently. "He's probably dead, so no one -could possibly know that the gunner has it. If he -keeps it covered up he will be as safe as anything."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He gazed out over the sea, thinking.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And probably what poison is left in it wouldn't -kill a canary now," he burst out again—neither of us -could take our minds off the snake. "Thirteen years -ago! It must have lost its power by now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We went to our beds after a time and tried to sleep. -Baron Popple Opstein was soon snoring, but presently -jumped up, shrieking, and I saw him trying to pull -something off his arm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I shook him until he woke up, very much ashamed -of himself. He was perspiring like a drowned rat, -and it made me feel queer and shaky. I did not like -the mystery of the beastly thing. I had to live with -the gunner and it. If he was going to fill me up with -many more such stories, I should soon be frightened -of my own shadow.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="skipper-of-the-bunder-abbas"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER III</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">Skipper of the "Bunder Abbas"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Two days later we arrived at Aden, and found the -</span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> anchored close to Steamer Point, looking -cool and comfortable under her white awnings and -white paint. The officer of the "guard", coming -across for her mails, took the Baron and myself back -with him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As skipper of the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> I felt a somewhat -important personage, but Commander Duckworth, the -captain of the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>, a short, red-faced, wiry man, -full of energy, soon disabused me about that.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was terrifically hot in his cabin, and he was not -in any mood for talking.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Eh, yes, Martin—you are Martin, are you?—so -you've come to take poor Collingwood's job. I won't -shake hands—too hot. Well, passages have been -booked for you and your gunner in that steamer," -pointing to a disreputable little steamer I could see -through the gun port. "She leaves to-morrow -morning at daylight. You will go aboard her to-night. -We lent Wilson, one of our fellows, to the </span><em class="italics">Bunder -Abbas</em><span>, until you came. You'll find him at Jask—only -too anxious to see you, I expect. You'll take -her over from him, and the boss at the telegraph -station—a kind of political agent—will pass on any -orders to you. You are, more or less, lent to the -Indian Government, you know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I did not know, but that was nothing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His letters were brought in then, and he nodded for -me to leave. However, I was so fearfully keen to -learn more that I blurted out:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Any chance of picking up a dhow or anything -like that, sir?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course there is always a chance," he said -energetically. "Wilson will tell you all about -everything: good morning!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I went away to the ward-room, hoping to get more -information there; but the place was a litter of -newspapers, and everybody was busy reading letters and -paid little attention to me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"</span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>. What size is she?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, about as big as that table!" was all that I -could get out of them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Baron and I parted company that afternoon, -when I went aboard the little steamer—the </span><em class="italics">Ras-al-Musat</em><span>. -I found the gunner already there, and also -that solitary little lady, with the yellow hair and -humorous grey eyes—the little lady who had snubbed -the fussy major—and me. She also was bound for -Jask, of all places in the world, and, as at meal times -she sat on the captain's right and I on his left hand, -we had to talk. However, she was much more -interested in Mr. Scarlett and his stories of Arabian life -than in me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At daybreak of the fifth morning we dropped -anchor two miles off Jask, and I strained my eyes -to catch a first glimpse of the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>, though -in the hazy light I could not distinguish her amongst -a cluster of dhows, anchored close inshore. All I -could see was a wide sweep of yellow sand and a -low-lying peninsula, jutting out into the sea, with some -glaring white square buildings at its end.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The place—if it really was an inhabited place—seemed -absolutely asleep, until, presently, some small, -crazy lighters, full of jabbering natives, came slowly -off to unload whatever cargo we had for them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Half an hour later I spied a tiny little tub of a -dinghy pulling our way. As she drew closer I saw -that Wilson was in it. I had known him when he -was a sub-lieutenant, and I met him at the gangway.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Jolly glad to see you," he burst out. "Everything's -all right aboard the </span><em class="italics">B.A</em><span>. I've ordered a -chunk of goat for your breakfast—couldn't get -anything else. I told the political chap, up at the -telegraph station, that you'll be coming to see him. -He will tell you anything you want to know. Here's -the 'signal book' and the 'cruising order book'. -Sign your 'tally' there. There are no more -confidential books to hand over."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I signed the receipt for them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now you're the skipper of the </span><em class="italics">B.A</em><span>. I've finished -with her, thank Heaven! Griffiths, in the dinghy, can -take you back now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Having so satisfactorily (?) concluded the formalities -of handing over command, Wilson took some letters -which I had brought for him, and went off to read -them. I presumed that he was going to Karachi to -catch a steamer back to Aden, but did not take the -trouble to ask him before the gunner and myself left -the </span><em class="italics">Ras-al-Musat</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If you had seen us being pulled inshore in that -tiny dinghy to join my first command you would -have laughed. The dinghy's stern was nearly level -with the water, and her bows so cocked up in the -air that Mr. Scarlett had to creep for'ard to "trim -the dish".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As we gradually drew nearer the shore, I noticed -a weird odour in the air.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's that?" I asked the bluejacket, sniffing it in.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All them Arab or Persh'un places smell like that, -sir," he said. "You'll not notice it in a week's -time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I sucked it in through my nose. At last I had -come to the edge of things, and cut myself adrift from -civilization. It was grand, and I felt as happy as a -bird—and looked like one, too, I expect, perched as -I was on the top of my two cases.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's 'er, sir," the bluejacket said presently, -jerking his chin over his shoulder. Then I saw -the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> for the first time. She and I -were to have many exciting experiences together -during the next few months.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As I saw her then she looked draggled to a degree. -Her sides were a positive disgrace—paint off in large -patches; her awnings were dirty and badly spread -on bent, crazy-looking stanchions; and her rusty -unpainted cable hung drearily out of a most -disreputable hawse-pipe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In her bows, under the awning, there was a gun, in -a dirty canvas cover—a six-pounder I guessed—and -aft two Maxims were cocked up at different angles, -in the most slovenly manner. Their water-jackets, -which should have been so bright, were painted a -beastly mud colour, and from the muzzle of one -dangled a bunch of green bananas.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Your own mother won't know you in a week's -time, my sweetheart," I chuckled to myself, as the -bluejacket tugged at one oar and twisted the dinghy -alongside.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I swung myself aboard, to be met by a bearded -petty officer with a shifty, crafty face, who saluted -me about a dozen times in the first two minutes. -Five or six disreputable-looking sailors peered round -the corner of the engine-room casings to take stock -of me, and some lascars sitting jabbering round a -stew-pot took no notice whatever.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I looked round. The deck was littered with -rubbish; men's clothes were stretched on it -everywhere—to dry; burnt matches and cigarette ends -lay in every corner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We ain't scrubbed decks yet," the petty officer -said, following my eye, his hand bobbing up and -down to his forehead all the time. "Wouldn't you -like to see the orficer's cabin, sir?" he added hastily, -to distract my anger, and led me up a ladder, through -an opening in the fore awning, to a platform round -the mast and funnel. On this platform deck, for'ard -of the mast, were the steering-wheel, compass, and -engine-room telegraphs, also a tiny little signal-locker; -aft of the funnel was a diminutive deck-house, about -half the size of a railway compartment. It had a -low bunk on each side, with scarcely room to stand -between them, a few shelves, lockers under the bunks, -and a cracked looking-glass. Overhead the paintwork -was blackened by an oil lamp which swung -from the roof and looked as if it had not been cleaned -or trimmed for years.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Outside the cabin there was just enough deck space -for a small folding table and a couple of canvas -folding chairs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Them chairs belonged to Mr. Collingwood, what -died of sunstroke, and the gunner, what went off 'un -'is 'ead," the petty officer explained.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I made a grimace.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'll 'ave a cup of corfee?" he asked, rubbing -his hands together and smiling ingratiatingly as a -dirty unkempt Indian boy (a Tamil I found out -afterwards) brought two cups of horrid-looking coffee and -a tin of condensed milk with milk congealed down -one side of it. "Mr. Wilson 'as ordered your -breakfast, and this 'ere boy—Percy we calls 'im—looks -arter you two orficers."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nothing seemed to stop his talking machine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I snorted—it was the only way I could express my -feelings—and looked round to see what had become -of Mr. Scarlett, who had disappeared.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's your routine on board?" I asked, going -down the ladder again to that six-pounder in the bows.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We ain't exactly got none," the petty officer -answered. "Mr. Collingwood, 'im what died of -sunstroke, 'e didn't 'ave no regular routine—an' -Mr. Wilson didn't alter nothing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He said this in a half-fawning, half-defiant manner, -as much as to say: "Don't you come making trouble."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett joined us, his black eyes gleaming, -stepping through the little crowd of lascars and -scattering them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They won't hang any more bananas on my guns," -he chuckled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I had heard a splash, so guessed what had happened, -and smiled until that petty officer, hanging -round to join in the conversation, explained that -"They were a bunch Mr. Wilson bought yesterday, -off a Karachi dhow, and 'ung 'em up there to get -a bit ripe for you two orficers." He looked so -cunningly pleased that I told him sharply to clear -out of it and I'd send for him when I wanted him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I smothered my anger, went up to the little cabin, -and began to stow away as much of my belongings -as I could cram into the two shallow drawers under -the bunk, kicking out "Percy", who wanted to help. -He did not seem to mind, and was back again in a -minute. If he was dirty, he had a cheerful little face -and a pair of big dog-like eyes. He pleaded with -them so hard to be allowed to stay and help that I -had not the heart to kick him out again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That "chunk" of goat soon disappeared, once -Mr. Scarlett and I settled down to breakfast. Whilst we -were busy with it a European-built boat pulled past -us from the steamer, with our little yellow-haired -friend under the awnings. I almost felt inclined to -wave to her, but, not wanting another snub, did not -do so.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I expect she's going to live at the telegraph -station. She won't find many comforts in this place," -Mr. Scarlett said grimly, pointing to the various -square, white-faced buildings at the end of Jask -peninsula.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Down on the low ground, where the peninsula -joined the coast line, there was a neglected-looking -red-brick building among some palm trees (Mr. Scarlett -said it was a fort), and another, larger and -more imposing, some little way inshore. With the -exception of these there was precious little to see -except sand-hills, a few scattered palm trees, and -perhaps a hundred native huts dotted among them. -We could see the track which led inland to the town -of old Jask, though the town itself was not visible. -On the horizon the misty outlines of barren -mountains rose high into the burning sky. Even at this -hour the sun was very fierce.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently that European boat came pulling off to -the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> with a note for me from the -Englishman in charge of the telegraph station—the -acting political agent—asking me to breakfast with -him and not to bother with formalities.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Off you skip, sir," Mr. Scarlett advised me. -"They calls their lunch 'breakfast'. I'd like to -have a few kind words with the men whilst you are -away." So on shore I went, landing on a broad, -sandy beach, where crowds of Arabs or Persians, -and niggers of sorts—every sort, I should fancy—were -unloading those wretched lighters and some -large dhows lying half out of water. Donkeys, as -patient as donkeys are all the world over, and camels, -as supercilious and discontented as they, too, always -are, were being laden with bales of merchandise.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One of the boat's crew—a Zanzibar nigger he was—led -me through them, away from the shore and the -native huts, through a small grove of palm trees, -where that old fort stood, and across an open -cultivated space, sloping gently upwards towards the -telegraph station. At the top of this was a double -line of wire entanglements extending from side to side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I opened my eyes as I saw these, and still more -when he led me through some roughly-designed -earthworks, evidently meant for protection. Then we -came to the big barrack-like telegraph buildings -themselves, with a line of iron telegraph posts running -from them down the peninsula and then along the -edge of the shore to the east'ard as far as my eye could -see. My guide led me to a building surrounded by -a strong stone wall, with loopholes through it, and at -the entrance a short cheery man with a round red face -and a scrubby, yellow moustache was waiting to welcome me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was the political agent—Fisher by name. He -introduced me to his wife, who came out to join -us—a tired-looking little woman—and on the veranda, in -the shade, which we hurriedly sought, was my little -lady friend from the steamer, talking to a tall, -good-looking chap. The political agent explained that this -was Borsen, his right-hand man, the only other -European there, and that she, his sister, had come -out to keep house for him and be some company for -Mrs. Fisher.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They are the only two women here, and it is very -noble of them to come to such a place as this," he said, -speaking as though it might be jolly unselfish of them -but that he wished they were not there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you think of your new ship?" he asked, smiling.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You won't know her in a month's time," I smiled back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Shan't have the chance," he answered. "I have -a very pretty job for you along the coast—keep you -busy for the next three months."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I brightened up and wanted to hear more; but the -head "boy"—a "perfect" old chap in a yellow silk -turban—announced breakfast, and until we had -finished there was no chance of my learning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then Mr. Fisher took me into his work-room, -brought out charts, and explained things to me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look," he said, pointing to the Arabian coast at -a place called Jeb, some forty miles to the north'ard -of Muscat. "I have information that several thousand -rifles have been brought down there. The Arabs will -be bringing them across at the first opportunity, and -it was only yesterday that I heard that camels are -being collected in two villages not far from here. It -is fairly certain that somewhere between those two -villages they mean to land them. You see that -headland jutting out—look—close to Kuh-i-Mubarak—thirty -miles to the west'ard. There are two creeks; -one just to the south'ard of it, the other about eleven -miles to the north'ard. They are favourite places for -landing arms, and those camels—a hundred or -more—are somewhere close by.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The chart does not show it properly. I'll draw -you a rough sketch-map."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He drew a sketch and explained it. A hill -named Sheikh Hill (there was a sheikh's house or -fort on its summit) and the cliffs opposite it made -an anchorage safe from any wind, but the creek -leading from a little inlet past the village of Bungi -(where half those camels had been collected) was very -shallow indeed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>South of Sheikh Hill—eleven miles south—there -was deep water right up to the shore under -Kuh-i-Mubarak, and the creek there was deep, winding -among sand-hills until it opened out into a "khor" -or basin, with the village of Sudab on its edge. Here -was the remainder of the camels.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The two creeks—the shallow one to the north and -the deep one to the south—were connected up at the -back of the sand-hills and behind the two villages by -a channel some thirty yards broad, but so shallow that -only at high water could even the native boats use it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Behind all, some eleven miles inland, the Persian -mountains towered up, and passes between them led -to the desert table-lands behind.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The track to Baluchistan and the north-west -frontier of India lies across those table-lands," -Mr. Fisher said, making a groove with his finger nail. -"I want you to patrol from one creek to another, -examining every dhow which comes along. I hope -you will have luck. Remember that if a 'shamel' -blows, the dhows will probably be driven south and -make for the deep creek at the base of Mubarak.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Gun-running has been very brisk lately. A -caravan of rifles actually passed last month within -sight of the old town of Jask, on its way to the Indian -frontier."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then he told me more about this trade: how the -restless tribes on the north-west frontier of India will -give almost any price for a military rifle; that they -live by brigandage, looting peaceful villages on the -British side of the frontier, or, when not so employed, -fighting among themselves. They cannot get rifles -from India except by creeping up to a British picket—natives -or white men—shooting or stabbing, and stealing -rifles in that way; so the Arabs ship them across -the Gulf, and take them up on camels through the -Baluchistan deserts. So many rifles are now captured -by our cruisers, gunboats, and steam-launches that -the demand is always greater than the supply; and as, -directly they have been run safely into Baluchistan, -rifles which originally cost three pounds are worth -thirty to thirty-five each, the temptation to deal in -arms is enormous.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But who sells the Arabs these rifles?" I asked. -The business was quite a mystery to me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The political agent shrugged his shoulders.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You'd better not ask. We both of us have to -obey orders, and neither of us had better ask questions. -Get away as soon as you like. The </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> is coming -from Aden in a week's time, and will meet you off the -coast, but I want you there as soon as possible."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll go back at once," I said eagerly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He nodded approvingly, and took me to wish the -ladies good-bye.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do be careful," his wife said earnestly. "It was -terrible about poor Mr. Collingwood and his gunner; -everyone was so upset."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I nearly waved to you when you passed the -</span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> this morning," I told Miss Borsen, -"but was afraid you'd think me forward—think me -like that fussy major."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She laughed merrily.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You were quite right. You never wished me -good-bye when you left the steamer, so I should not -have waved back."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The political agent accompanied me part of the way.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That looks as if you expected to be attacked," -I remarked, pointing to the earthworks, breastworks, -and lines of wire entanglement.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's all over for the present. Some wandering -brigand tribe did make it unpleasant for us once, but -that's ancient history now. Good-bye! Look! my -wife and Miss Borsen are waving good-bye."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I waved my helmet, and strode down the path -feeling quite a hero, my head full of my new job.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As my boat ran alongside the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> Mr. Scarlett, -with a grim smile, received me, whilst Moore -(the petty officer), looking as sulky as a bear, "piped" -me over the side, and the crew, lascars as well, stood -to attention.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've had a few words with 'em. Told 'em the -</span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> wasn't a Plymouth ash-boat but a -man-of-war, and they'd behave as such," Mr. Scarlett -chuckled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We have to get up steam and start hunting dhows -as soon as ever we can," I burst out enthusiastically, -telling him what were my orders.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I expected him to be as pleased as I was; but his -face fell and he would not look me in the eyes. I did -not understand him yet—not in the least. However, -there were many difficulties in the way of sailing -immediately—chiefly due to the shortage of fresh -water for the tanks and boilers. Moore did not know -where to get any on shore. He said sullenly that it -wasn't any use trying during the hot hours of the day, -that everyone on shore slept then, and that the crew, -too, generally slept. "It was a-working in the 'eat of -the day what killed Mr. Collingwood, 'im what died of -sunstroke," he muttered, reminding me of the latter's -fate for about the tenth time since coming on board.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I told him to "Get out of it and go to Jericho!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Fortunately there was a splendid fellow on board, -Webster, the corporal of marines, who knew how to -get water on shore. He, the Persian interpreter (a -stolid, aristocratic individual in spotless white clothes -and a black fez), and myself went ashore in the dinghy -and made ourselves extremely unpopular, disturbing -an Arab contractor and waking half the village (if you -could call it a village). But we got our water -alongside in a couple of hours and on board half an hour -later. Oh, my head was hot! On shore the sun -seemed to strike right through my helmet, glaring at -me from the dusty, sandy ground and hitting me from -every white mud wall. I had never been so hot in my life.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last everything was ready. We hove up our -rusty cable and slipped out through the cluster of -dhows anchored near us. The sun was low, and as -I set my course from a tall signal-mast at one corner -of the telegraph buildings, the white walls were -tinged a rosy red. At the foot of the flagstaff I -thought I saw the figures of two women. Risking -another snub from the little lady with the yellow hair -and grey eyes, I waved my helmet. Sure enough, -two white handkerchiefs fluttered for a moment. I -smiled, pleased that she had forgiven me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then the sun sank in a glory of red gold, and off -we steamed, whilst I smoked my pipe and watched -the lonely telegraph buildings and the sand-hills -behind them gradually sink below the horizon.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was so happy that I would not have changed -places with all the kings of England from William -I—1066—that I could remember.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For the first few hours, as we jogged along, a -half-moon gave plenty of light; but it set by midnight, -and the night was dark, with hardly a breath of wind.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Several times dhows glided by noiselessly and -mysteriously, with a phosphorescent glow along their -water-lines, and each time one passed I felt as excited -as a child. I was much too excited to sleep; kept -Mr. Scarlett's watch, and gradually edged to the -eastward so as to be about halfway between those two -creeks, and five miles or so off the land, at sunrise.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That first sunrise—the flood of marvellously -changing shades of delicate colours, spreading upwards -from behind the Persian mountains—was magical. -Even though my thoughts were full of other things, -I almost held my breath as I watched it. Away -inshore, to the south-east, was the little headland of -Kuh-i-Mubarak, with a peculiar-shaped rock (marked -on the chart) on its top; and to the north-east was -Sheikh Hill and the cliffs which the political agent -had sketched for me. Between them the shore and -the low sand-hills were, as yet, invisible, and not a -sail was in sight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, here we are, Mr. Scarlett," I said with -satisfaction, as he came to relieve me after a sound -night's sleep. "We're just where I wanted to be. -We'll go and have a look at that creek leading to -Bungi."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In half an hour we had shoved the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> -within a few hundred yards of the foot of Sheikh Hill, -with its old dilapidated fort perched on top, and some -white-robed figures squatting on the rocks outside -it. I went right in, almost under the high cliffs on -the opposite side of the little bay, until the mouth -of the creek came in view, with a number of native -boats drawn up on the sand, and, far inland, the tops -of a few palm trees.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett, looking nervous and anxious, spotted -a dirty-looking chap looking down at us from the -tops of those cliffs. "He has a rifle," I said, -handing him my glasses, and had hardly spoken before -a spurt of water jumped up under our bows with a -"flop", and a bullet, smacking against the anchor, -squealed past us. I saw Mr. Scarlett's face turn grey, -and his hand shook as he hurriedly gave back the -glasses.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He's an Afghan," he said; "an Arab would not -fire without some excuse. We'd better get out of -it, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man had flung himself down among the rocks -at the top of those cliffs, almost over our heads. We -could not have hit him with rifle, Maxim, or -six-pounder; so, as I had seen all that was to be seen, -I turned the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> round and went to sea -again. The Afghan, or whoever he was, fired once -or twice after us, but he was a wretchedly bad shot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Queer beggars, them Afghans," Mr. Scarlett -said, recovering his equanimity when we were out -of rifle range. "It don't matter where they are, -but they'll take a pot-shot at a white man, even if -they know they'll be scuppered the very next moment. -You may bet your life, sir, that as there are some -of them hanging round here, here they mean to land -them rifles."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was not a breath of wind to be felt, and no -dhow could possibly run in for the next few hours, -so I sauntered down to look at the creek near -Kuh-i-Mubarak, eleven miles to the south. Here the water -was very deep right up to the shore, and in the creek. -I steamed up it for a mile and a half, winding between -bare sand-hills, which concealed any view behind -them, until it widened suddenly into a great basin -or "khor" that shoaled rapidly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There won't be any water for us," Mr. Scarlett -said, fidgeting.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Bother the water! I wanted to see all I could, so -pushed on. I had not seen a single living thing -or sign of habitation, so crept along, sounding as -I went, until the sand-hills opened out and showed -a wide plain dotted with palm trees, a few huts close -to the water, and many boats drawn up in front of -them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look!" I shouted. "Look! Look at all those -things under the trees—camels, as sure as -ninepence!" Through my telescope I could see fifty or -sixty yellowish-brown things kneeling, like lumps -of mud, under the shade of those palms, moving -their long necks, and some human beings were -walking about among them. At any rate I had seen -one lot of camels. I was quite satisfied, backed the -</span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> out until there was room to turn her -round, and put to sea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All the rest of that day, the next night, and for -three more days and nights we patrolled up and -down from one creek to another, and not a sign of -dhow did we see.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Those days were busy enough. Mr. Scarlett and -I between us had "shaken up" the crew with a -vengeance. Moore wished he'd never been born. -I had the whole crew "fallen in" and said a few -words to them, letting them know that I was going -to stand no nonsense, and that until the </span><em class="italics">Bunder -Abbas</em><span> was clean above and below, inside and out, -bright work polished and paintwork clean, nobody -would have any afternoon sleep whatever.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The trouble of it all was that there were so few -of them that either they were on watch or standing off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The whole crew consisted of only ten white men, -besides myself and the gunner: Moore, the petty -officer; Dobson, a quiet, determined-looking leading -seaman; four able seamen—Andrews, Jackson, Wiggins, -and Griffiths; a signalman named Hartley—the -laziest man on board; and three marines—Webster, -the corporal, and Jones and Gamble, privates. Picked -men they were, I knew, though they had been allowed -to get "out of hand". Webster, the corporal, was, -as far as I could judge, the best man among them. -He did the duties of ship's corporal, steward, -sick-berth steward, and writer—and did them well too.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In addition to these there was Jaffa, the Persian -interpreter, silent and dignified, always spotlessly -clean—a good-looking fellow if he had not had a -cataract in one eye. Jaffa was far and away ahead -of all the other natives. He gave you the impression -that he was the descendant of Persian emperors, -brooding over the deserted grandeur and humbled -state of his country at the present time. In fact, -I treated him with the greatest respect from the very -first day.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There were three lascar drivers and nine lascar -firemen to look after the boilers and engine, their -own lascar "bundari" or cook, another cook of some -unknown nationality, and his boy, to cook for the rest -of the crew. These two were the most depressed, -dirty-looking objects I had ever seen. One or the -other, generally both, could be seen at any hour of -the day—or night, I believe—crouched on the deck, -outside the little galley, swishing a dirty cloth round -the middle of a saucepan or dish, gazing dejectedly -across the sea, and looking as if they longed to jump -into it and finish all their worries. Last but one was -a snuff-coloured Goanese carpenter; and, last of all, -Sinamuran, our Tamil boy from Trincomalee, who -"did" for Mr. Scarlett and myself, and soon began -to look quite respectable. We never had to call -"Percy" a second time, day or night, before he had -glided, silent as a ghost, to our elbows, looking with -solemn black eyes to see what was wanted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was the strangely-assorted crew collected in -the little </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>—thirty in all, and speaking -half a dozen languages. The white crew lived aft -and the coloured men for'ard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The bluejackets' uniform consisted of white, -mushroom-shaped helmets or topees, white-coloured -singlets, and duck "shorts". At night they wore their -ordinary ship's caps, flannel jumpers, and duck -trousers. I don't believe there was a yard of blue -serge in the launch; so the "bluejackets" were not -anything like the bluejackets one sees in England. -The armament of the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> consisted of -that six-pounder in the bows, the two Maxims in the -stern, ten rifles and sword-bayonets, ten cutlasses, -and twelve revolvers. We had plenty of ammunition. -So now, perhaps, it is possible for anyone to -picture us as we patrolled slowly up and down that -coast, keeping well away from shore in the -sweltering daytime and creeping closer during the -comparatively cool nights.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For four days and nights there was scarcely a puff -of wind to ruffle the surface of the sea—certainly not -enough to move a dhow; so we saw nothing. But -on the evening of that fourth day a fair breeze sprang -up, only to die down again before midnight. Just -before daybreak Mr. Scarlett woke me. As I jumped -to my feet he pointed seawards, and there, sure -enough, even in the indistinct light, was a dhow, -about four miles off, crawling inshore with a fitful -breeze behind her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's no proper trader," Mr. Scarlett whispered -hoarsely, his voice shaking a little. "Look what a -wretched thing she is! The Arabs never run arms in -a new or big dhow: the risk of capture is too great. -See that signal?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I looked ashore to where he was pointing. We -were abreast Sheikh Hill, and on it we could see a -red light being moved about.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's a warning signal," Mr. Scarlett said, "and -she hasn't seen it yet."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Off we go!" I chuckled, my heart thumping with -excitement. "Get the guns cleared away."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aye, aye, sir," Mr. Scarlett answered bravely, but -his voice trembled and his face turned that muddy -colour again. He would not catch my eye, and went -down on deck. I bit my lip with vexation. If I could -not depend upon him at a pinch, what was I to do?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Percy brought me a cup of coffee, smiling, and -looking at the dhow. I drank it at a gulp. -Extraordinarily thirsty I was, and the air had a peculiar -"dry feeling".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Griffiths happened to be at the wheel. I nodded, -and he turned the launch towards the dhow, whilst -I called down the voice-pipe to the engine-room and -ordered more steam.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="adrift-in-a-dhow"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER IV</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">Adrift in a Dhow</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The crew of that dhow sighted us long before the -puffs of black smoke from our funnel showed that the -lascars down in the stokehold were pitching on more -coal. The queer-looking craft turned up into the -breeze, hung there for a moment, as if hesitating -what to do, and then paid off, turning to the -south'ard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Off we went after her, gathering speed—Griffiths -at the helm, I standing by him, and the others down -below, under the awnings, round their guns. I -noticed that there was no dew on the awnings or -decks—usually it was very heavy; the air, too, was -extraordinarily dry, and a splash of water which fell -on the deck as Percy brought my shaving water to -the cabin dried in no time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Griffiths was sniffing to wind'ard. "A 'shamel's' -coming, sir, that's what it is—a big one, I fancy; the -air's allus like this a 'our or two before they comes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A "shamel"! I had read about a shamel—the -Sailing Directions for the station was full of it: a -changeable, boisterous gale from the north-west, -coming when least expected, sometimes blowing with -terrific force, and often lasting for five or six days; -but I was too excited just then to worry about it, even -when Mr. Scarlett, putting his head up through the -gap in the awning, called out huskily: "Bad weather -from the north-west, I fear, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sun shot up from behind the Persian mountains, -its face blurred and hazy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aye, it's a shamel all right, afore long!" I heard -Griffiths mutter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Well, if it came, it came; I did not care what -happened, so long as I got alongside that dhow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In half an hour we were close enough to see that -she was of about eighty tons, high in the poop, low -in the bows, and very ill found. She had her big -sail drawing full, and was streaking through the -water. Presently she began to haul it farther and -farther aft, still keeping on her course.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah! the breeze is backing," Griffiths muttered; -"that's another sign we're in for it all right, sir. It's -going to be a tidy one too."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We were now about a thousand yards from the -dhow, and were rapidly closing. I ordered -Mr. Scarlett to fire a six-pounder shell ahead of her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The little cloud of smoke spurted out from beneath -the awning, and the shell burst fifty or sixty yards -in front of her bows. She took not the least notice, -except to ease away the big sail again, still keeping -on her course to the south'ard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The shamel's coming, sure enough; she's reckoning -on that," Griffiths muttered under his breath. -"When it comes, those chaps will carry on till they -lose their mast. They have rifles, or they'd have -lowered their sail. If they're caught, it means six -months' 'chokey' for them, besides losing the dhow, -so they're going to have a run for their money. -That's what they're going to do."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was so excited that I could hear my heart -drumming in my ears.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The hardly ruffled surface of the sea now began -to lose its clearness, and a little spray sprinkled the -fo'c'sle, drying almost as it fell.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I called down to the fo'c'sle, and Mr. Scarlett fired -a second gun, whereupon the crew evidently thought -it wiser to haul down their big sail. Down it came, -and, as we ran alongside, a little cur of a dog, -running backwards and forwards, kept jumping up on -the gunwale and barking at us. We could not help -laughing at its absurd fury.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Any fight in them?" I asked Griffiths.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not by a jugful, sir. They'll be as quiet as lambs. -You'll 'ave to be mighty 'nippy' a-searching of 'er, -sir; the shamel's coming."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As our sides grated together I clambered on board -her, Jaffa, the interpreter, Dobson, the leading -seaman, Jackson and Wiggins following me. The little -dog snapped at us, then went howling aft to where -the crew of the dhow—nine or ten of them—were -squatting, glaring at us. There were two big hatches, -one for'ard and the other aft of the mast, both covered -with several layers of timber planks, securely lashed -down. Beneath them were my rifles. I felt sure that -she must be full of rifles, and that they were mine -already. As Jaffa followed me aft, the others began -to make the launch fast alongside with ropes thrown -to them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tell the nakhoda[#] to show his papers; tell him -to get his hatches uncovered," I told Jaffa; and he, -perfectly accustomed to this job, began jabbering to -a saturnine, bearded old villain who sat on the raised -poop-deck between the tiller ropes.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] Nakhoda = captain.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The dog snarled and barked from beneath the poop, -but the nakhoda and the rest of the crew sat there -absolutely silent, not moving a muscle, just looking -steadily at us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I cursed them, but the only effect was to make the -old villain smile—a curious smile, which I could not -understand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Send everyone you can spare to clear away the -hatches," I shouted to Mr. Scarlett. "They won't -show their papers, and won't do anything."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Three lascars and the Goanese carpenter (yellow -with fright) climbed on board with axes, and all -my people began hacking at the ropes and hauling -away the balks of timber on top of the main-hatch -cover.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I yelled myself hoarse to make the Arabs come and -lend a hand; Jaffa, too, was trying to persuade them. -I pulled out my revolver and flourished it. Still no -one budged an inch, except the nakhoda, who kept -turning his head to the north-west.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was half an hour's work to clear the main-hatch -cover of all that timber, and we were about to start -knocking out the securing wedges when I looked -towards the land. Sheikh Hill was now six miles to -the north; its outline was indistinct, and the water -under it had a peculiar greyish, muddy appearance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I caught the nakhoda's eye, and saw that triumphant -smile again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hurry up, men! it's coming on to blow," I -shouted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett's voice, very shaky, called:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I shouldn't open those hatches, sir. We're a long -way to leeward."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Little I cared how hard it blew. Little you would -have cared if you had been in my place, on board -my first capture, feeling certain that there were -hundreds of rifles and thousands of cartridges under those -hatches.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Dig out, men, dig out for blazes!" I shouted, and -then saw Mr. Scarlett lean over the side of the launch -and be violently sick—with fright, I presumed—and -was madly angry with him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That line of muddy-grey water was rushing towards -us now; Sheikh Hill was shut out in a blurred haze, -and as the lascars were hammering at those wedges -the "shamel" struck us. It was like a wall of solid -wind. With a rush and a roar it swept down upon -us, and I should have been blown overboard if I had -not been holding on to a shroud. It struck the high -poop of the dhow, and swung her and the </span><em class="italics">Bunder -Abbas</em><span> round like a top. Spray whirled in front of -the "shamel", and drenched us to the skin. The -big sail began lashing furiously from side to side, -but not a move did the Arab crew make; the little -dog had fled back under the poop, and the nakhoda -was laughing in his beard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett shouted for me to cover up the hatch.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luckily we had not yet opened it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I yelled to my men to get hold of the sail, to lash it -to the yard and to haul taut the main sheets, the big -block of which was banging about in the most -dangerous manner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Whilst we were doing this another squall struck -us. The dhow's bows paid off before it; the sail -partially filled and bore her over until the lee -gunwale was awash, then bore her down against the -</span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>, the yard of the big sail tearing away -the after awning and crumpling the stanchions. The -lascars and the Goanese carpenter, frightened out of -their lives, jumped into the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> or were -knocked overboard into her. Jackson fell into the sea -between the two. I expected him to be crushed, but -saw them drag him safely into the launch—waiting -their chance. Mr. Scarlett and a couple of "hands" -were lowering the hatches over the engine-room and -stokehold; others on board her were battening down -for'ard, as the seas poured over the bows.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was marvellous what a sea had risen in such -a short time. Waves, striking the side of the dhow, -surged up and topped aboard the launch; she was -half-buried in them. The Arabs, crouching nearer -together under the weather gunwale, pulled their -cloaks over their heads to protect themselves, -chattering volubly and peering to wind'ard; the nakhoda, -clinging to one of the tiller ropes, chuckled to himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The dhow fell off again broadside to the wind, seas -began washing right over her waist, and one by one -those balks of timber were hurled overboard. The -launch was to wind'ard, now, banging against her -side. I did not know what to do. I could not bring -myself to abandon the dhow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Whilst I was trying to make up my mind, the dhow -gave a tremendous lurch, and the strain on the for'ard -rope to the launch was too much for it. It rendered, -and before another could be secured the dhow had -swung away from her. Another wave fell aboard her; -the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> was almost hidden in water; the -damaged awning stripped and thundered to leeward, -and she heeled over so much that for a moment I -thought she would capsize. Then the stern rope -parted and we drifted away from each other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I yelled to Mr. Scarlett to come alongside again -(my voice hardly reached my own ears), but a cloud -of steam rushed hurriedly up from the boiler-room, -and I knew what that meant—her fires had been put -out, and she was perfectly helpless.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For a moment I wondered whether she could live -in that sea. It flashed across my brain that I'd made -a fool of myself and lost her; then a wave soaked me -to the skin and half-smothered me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By this time we were a quarter of a mile apart, the -dhow with her tall sides and mast drifting to leeward -much more rapidly than the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>. As I -watched her, wallowing deeply, the after awning tore -away completely, whirling and twisting. It was carried -up in the air like a dry leaf, and was actually borne -right over the dhow before it fell into the sea. I saw -the nakhoda still smiling from under his burnous—he -knew perfectly well that neither the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> nor -her guns mattered now—and I realized that Dobson, -Wiggins, and myself were alone with those Arabs in -a crazy dhow, with a gale blowing harder every -moment, and no possible means of leaving her. I -did not count Jaffa, the interpreter; it was not his job -to fight, and if it came to a scrap he certainly did not -look as if he would be of any use.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We'll have to take her into Jask, sir," Dobson -roared in my ears. "Right to lee'ard it is, sir. This -breeze will take us there in next to no time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What a chap! This "breeze"! Call this tearing, -roaring fury of a gale a breeze!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My aunt; so we would! I'd never thought of that. -We'd take her into Jask. Yes, we would! But there -were those Arabs to be reckoned with, and they might -have something to say about that. We should have -to master them first and make them help us or the -dhow might not weather the gale. We could do that, -Dobson, Wiggins and I; we had our revolvers, whilst -they seemed to be unarmed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With something definite to do, and with the relief -of not having yet lost my captured rifles, I really -minded but little what happened. Those rifles were -mine, and sooner than lose them—I'd go down with -them. Take her into Jask! Of course we would. -But first I must stand by the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> until she -had raised steam again and was in safety. She was -all right so far—a thousand yards to wind'ard, rolling -horribly. Someone began semaphoring, and I read, -"Fires washed out—am getting out sea anchor—will -follow as soon as possible;" so Mr. Scarlett, or Moore, -or somebody, was keeping his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We must try and work her up to wind'ard," I -bawled in Dobson's ear, but he shook his head and -bawled something back which I could not hear. I -meant to try, and the first thing to do was to get -control of the helm, though how to do that with all -those Arabs squatting there, glaring at us, I didn't -know.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tell them to get for'ard," I yelled to Jaffa, and -saw him crawl aft and shout something at them, -gesticulating in a commanding way, though those -infernal fellows only smiled and sat still, half a dozen -of them holding on to the tiller ropes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Dobson looked at me and bawled in my ear:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll get hold of the helm tackles—just you shoot if -any of them tries any of their tricks."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No! I'll go," I yelled, ashamed to funk the job.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I waited till the dhow was steady for a moment, -worked my way along the weather gunwale, dodging -those balks of timber which were being washed about -the deck, until I was right in the middle of them. -That beastly little dog snapped at my bare feet as I -grabbed one of the tiller ropes to steady myself, and I -kicked him back under the poop.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I yelled and waved to the crew to get for'ard, staying -among them and kicking two of them in the ribs to -make them let go of the ropes. They took not the -slightest notice. The nakhoda was just behind me, -and I feared, every moment, that I should feel a knife -in my back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa came scrambling to join me—I never thought -that he would have the pluck to do so.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tell the nakhoda that if the crew don't go for'ard -in two minutes I'll shoot him," I roared.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The nakhoda looked impassively to wind'ard whilst -I pointed my revolver at his head and held up my -wrist watch, so that he could see it, and waited.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A minute went past—Jaffa looked nervously round; -the nakhoda folded his burnous more closely round -his head. Two minutes went by—not a single one -in all that stolid group moved; they still clung to -the tiller ropes. I gave him three minutes. Three -minutes went by, and that Arab nakhoda knew perfectly -well that I would not shoot him in cold blood.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nor could I. I let go the tiller rope and crawled -for'ard again, absolutely not knowing what to do -next.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We were driving and twisting, screwing and yawing -before the gale like a bit of driftwood, seas toppling -over the bows and the waist and washing right across -the decks. And that crowd refused to budge—would -not have done anything to save their own lives, I -believe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If they had only taken the offensive and attacked us -I should have whooped with the joy of fighting—that -cargo of rifles down below was worth fighting for—but -they would not.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Dobson it was who settled the question.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With a "Look out, sir, I'm going for 'em", he took -the opportunity of a moment when the dhow was on -a level keel and rushed into the middle of them. He -seized the burnous over the nakhoda's head, and before -that malignant brute could get his hands free he had -hauled the loose folds across his throat, choked him, -pulled him off the poop on to the deck, and began -hauling him for'ard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In a trice those Arabs were on their feet, throwing -off their upper clothes, and snarling like a lot of -dogs. Two of them caught Dobson's foot, and tried -to throw him. Wiggins and I were among them in -a moment, hitting right and left, until my knuckles -were bleeding. In a jumbling, struggling crowd, -with that dog barking and biting round us, we were -thrown from port to starboard, as the dhow rolled; -but somehow or other we managed to get between -the Arabs and Dobson, who had never let go of the -old man's neck.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A wave washed over us, and for a moment we had -a breathing spell, and in that moment I saw the -nakhoda free one of his hands. He had a knife in -it, so I grabbed his arm, forced his wrist back, and -gave him a blow on the back of his head with the -butt end of my revolver which knocked him as limp -as a rag.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As he fell, the crew, like one man, bent down to the -folds round their waists, drawing knives. Two of -them had pistols, and before either Wiggins, -Dobson, or myself could use our revolvers they had -fired, and a bullet had whizzed past my head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A pistol went off behind me; one of the Arabs—one -of the two with pistols—threw up his hands and fell. -The others yelled and rushed for us; but we were -ready now. I chose the second man with a pistol, -fired, and missed him; another shot from behind -knocked him over. I saw two more fall. I got a -slice over the head, the man who did it being -knocked down by Dobson before I knew he had -touched me, and the rest had had enough of it, and -scrambled for'ard. The dog tried to follow them, -but made the mistake of attempting a last snap at -Dobson's leg. Before you could wink, that little cur -was whirling through the air overboard. In two -minutes after Dobson had garrotted their nakhoda, -we were masters of that dhow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I felt rather rocky, and sat down, holding on to -a rope, with blood simply pouring over my ear and -shoulder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then it was that I saw Jaffa. I had forgotten him. -He was standing behind me, calmly re-charging a -Mauser pistol in the most matter-of-fact way -possible, and I realized that it was his shots that had -killed the two pistol men. I tried to show that I was -grateful. "Well shot, Jaffa!" I shouted. "Tell -them to take their dead and wounded for'ard."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently the six Arabs still on their legs crawled -and slunk aft, and dragged the two dead bodies away, -helping the wounded man along the deck, and then -sitting in a ring round the foot of the mast, -motionless and mute as bats, drawing their cloaks round -them to protect them from the seas.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The nakhoda was still unconscious, so we secured -him to a ring to prevent him being washed overboard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Someone lashed a handkerchief round my head and -stopped the bleeding. That made me more comfortable, -and I was able to take stock of our position.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Kuh-i-Mubarak, that hill near the southern creek, -was now abreast us, just visible through the gale. -The shamel roared down on us more fiercely than -ever, driving in front of it a wild, jumping, short sea, -twenty feet high, with boiling crests. That such -waves could have been whipped up in such a short -time seemed incredible.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Every now and then the launch's white side and -her yellow funnel and mast showed up against the -dark sky to wind'ard; so she was still safe. But we -were more than two thousand yards to leeward of her, -and how I was going to beat up against that wind -and sea in this crazy dhow I didn't know.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, I was not going to leave the launch helpless; -I knew that she could not raise steam for a long -time, and determined to make the attempt.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm going to hoist that sail—part way up—see if -we can work to wind'ard," I bawled to Dobson.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He shouted back: "She'll never do it, sir; not in -this sea."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We should have to try anyway; so we rolled up -and lashed the foot of that huge sail as firmly as we -could, and, having done that, all four of us clapped -on to the main-halyard purchase and slowly raised -the big yard about three feet. What canvas was now -free lashed about ferociously, giving us stern way.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stand by your main sheets," I yelled. "Stand -by to ease and haul your tiller hard a-starboard."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Dobson and Wiggins dashed aft to obey, and, as -the rudder was put over, our bows began to pay off -from the gale, and, doing so, the full force of it broke -on the beam; that scrap of sail filled, and bore us -over until our bows were buried in the sea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Midships the helm!" I shouted, and watched to -see how the dhow would behave. A squall struck -her, and a wave of great height, leaping over us, -surged on board—solid water. The dhow heeled -over till we could not stand, and those lashings round -the foot of the sail gave way like pistol shots, one -after the other; the whole of that huge sail shot out -like a balloon, and we gave a tremendous lurch.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Where the bows had been was now a churning -mass of water; the lee gunwale and the foot of the -lee shrouds were out of sight; I was up to my waist -in water; one of the Arabs was washed overboard, -and the nakhoda would have been had he not been -lashed to that ringbolt.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I struggled to the main sheet, yelling to Dobson -to ease it, but it was under water and had jammed; -no one could get at it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I thought that unless the mast carried away we -must capsize.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Cut it, for God's sake, cut it!" I roared, and -Dobson hacked away at one of the thick ropes. -Whilst he was sawing away—his knife was blunt -and would not cut—Jaffa, quick as lightning, pulled -out his Mauser pistol, put the muzzle up against the -rope, and fired in quick succession.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With a leap and a shriek the rope gave way, the -running parts lashed through the sheaves of the -"purchase", the sail flew out to leeward, and the -dhow began to right herself, shaking the water from -her like a dog.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Thank God we had not opened the hatch cover! If -we had done so we should have sunk like a stone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As it was, we were in a bad enough plight. The -huge sail was beating madly, one second half-buried -in the sea, the next whirled as high as the masthead, -and cracking with a noise like thunder, the -big block on the standing part of the main sheet -attached to the sail being hurled about like a stone -on the end of a rope. This block kept on sweeping -over the stern, where we were taking shelter, -splintering the railings like matchwood, and it was all we -could do to dodge it. If it had struck anyone, that -would have been the last of him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Perhaps, for most of the time, the sail, or the lower -part, was in the water, and the dhow could not lift -it out or herself on an even keel; like a huge bird, -with one wing broken, we went rolling and reeling -to leeward, waiting for the mast to carry away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To have attempted to drag the sail on board and -smother it would have been sheer lunacy, even if we -had twenty men to do it. It would have been as easy -to try to stop a wounded elephant tearing up trees -round him by lassoing his trunk with twine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To add to our troubles, the seas were beating against -the rudder, which was wrestling with the tiller ropes -and trying to shake itself free.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jask! I wasn't thinking of Jask then, or of Mr. Scarlett -and the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>. What was to happen -in the next half-minute was quite enough for me. We -could not stand without clinging to something, the -dhow was lurching too much, and sea after sea, four -or five feet deep, in foaming cataracts, poured over -the dhow's waist.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We had to do something: we tried to lower the big -yard, struggling waist-deep in the sea to reach the -foot of the mast, where those poor wretches of Arabs, -in the last stage of fright, were clinging for dear life. -We could not move it or its clumsy rope "sleeve", -securing it to the mast, and Wiggins was banged -against the mast by a wave—flattened against it like -a fly on a wall. It was all we could do to prevent his -being washed overboard. He broke two ribs, though -we did not know that until afterwards.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As we scrambled back to the poop we saw the -rudder head wrench itself free from the tiller ropes, -and to the noise of the gale and the thundering of -that mad sail now came the grinding noise of the -rudder breaking itself to pieces under the stern. -Thank goodness, it broke away before it had knocked -a hole in our bottom, floating up and threatening to -come inboard on the top of the next wave. However, -we drifted away from it like a feather from a piece of -seaweed, and had soon left it out of sight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Why that mast did not go over the side I cannot -think. The strain on it and the weather shrouds must -have been enormous.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If it had broken we should have been perfectly helpless, -and the end—well, as I said before, we were too -busy with each succeeding half-minute to worry about -anything beyond that.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We were drifting to leeward at a tremendous rate; -Kuh-i-Mubarak was below the horizon, and the gale -showed no signs of lessening.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If this goes on much longer we'll find ourselves -blown a hundred miles out to sea," Dobson roared in -my ear. "We'd best cut away the mast. She'll ride -more easy and won't drift so quick."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I looked to wind'ard. Even though the gale howled -as fiercely as ever, the sky showed signs of clearing; -the line of the horizon was certainly clearer than it -had been the last time I looked. I knew that these -gales often died down as quickly as they rose; the -fiercer they were the quicker over, and I still hoped -to sail into Jask. I even began to think how best -to rig a "jury" rudder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So I shook my head at Dobson, and determined to -keep the mast unless things became worse, and we -hung on, dodging the waves and the block on that -main sheet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently the sail began to give way, great rents -showing in it when it lifted, spreading and ripping, -and flying to leeward in long streamers, which one by -one tore themselves clear and spun madly down wind.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As each strip parted it eased the strain, until, after -a time, the dhow came on a more even keel, and in -the hollows of the seas wallowed less deeply.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Somehow or other we felt that the worst was over, -and began to look round us and shift into more -comfortable positions. The old nakhoda—half-drowned -he was—began to recover consciousness, and the -Arabs ventured a little farther aft, crouching for -shelter under the weather gunwale.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was now no sign whatever of the </span><em class="italics">Bunder -Abbas</em><span>—we had drifted out of sight of her long ago—but -the sky overhead was clearing; large blue patches -showed between the clouds, and though the gale still -shrieked down on us with unabated violence, our -spirits rose considerably.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The edge of civilization! Yes, I was there, with -a vengeance! What an extraordinary change seven -weeks had made, after my long seven years in home -waters! I could not help picturing the Channel -Squadron anchored, as I last saw it, under Portland -Bill, and wondered whether it was still there, -thanking Heaven that I was not keeping a monotonous -day "on".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To make things still more comfortable for us, that -big wooden block, in a last furious endeavour to dash -our brains out, banged itself to pieces against a big -wooden bollard on the poop, so we had no longer -to dodge it. But to level up things we began to -realize how horribly thirsty we were. We found -some water, or rather Jaffa found some, under the -poop, in an old kerosene tin. It tasted horrid, and -was so brackish that it did little to quench our thirst. -My head, too, now that I had not so much to think -about, began to throb and ache. Wiggins began to -complain of his side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We've got to stick it out, that's all," I called -to them; and Dobson smiled cheerily, shouting back -that he thought "this 'ere shamel wouldn't last long; -it was too blooming strong at the start."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He talked about a shamel as if it was an old -acquaintance—sometimes in a good, but now in a very -bad temper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I began to feel that the wind was not so strong; -waves were certainly not breaking over the dhow so -frequently nor with so much force. The lee gunwale -was well clear of the sea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I thought that now it might be possible to capture -the remnants of that sail, so, making a rope fast round -my waist, and telling Dobson to come with me, I -scrambled to the foot of the mast. Whilst he stood -by to "pay out" I chose a moment when the big -yard over my head was still, climbed on to it, swung -myself across it, and, holding on with arms and legs, -worked my way along it slowly. It tried to shake -me off every half-minute. Once it managed to get -rid of my knees, whilst I clung like grim death, my -legs dangling almost in the water. Then it tossed -me like a feather, and I caught it again with my -knees, waiting a moment till it was possible to -wriggle along still farther. I managed to crawl -almost twenty feet from the mast. That was far -enough for my purpose. I wanted to secure my rope -to it there—the rope round my waist—but that was -the trouble; directly I let go with one hand, off I -was jerked, just as if the beastly sail and yard were -waiting their opportunity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For a second I hung by one arm, my body actually -in the water, then the sail, billowing up, lifted me with -it, and I clung to that yard like a fly. There was a -gap just below me, beneath the yard, where the sail -had torn itself away from its lashing. I wriggled -through it and over the yard again, the rope of course -coming along after me, and by waiting my -opportunity I managed another wriggle round the yard. -There I was, with a turn of the rope round it and -myself, secured to it like a pig lashed to a pole. -However, I could not be jerked off and could use one hand. -Looking down I saw Dobson yelling encouragement; -the Arabs were looking at me with frightened faces.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Dobson paid out the rope very handsomely, and in -a couple of minutes I managed to take another turn -round the yard, secure it, and unlash myself. Then, -shinning and clinging like a limpet as the yard -waved about, wriggling backwards when it was -quiet, I managed to reach the mast and clambered -down on deck.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's done 'im in the eye right enough!" -Dobson shouted enthusiastically, as he grabbed me -by the feet. '"Im" was the shamel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Together we led that rope aft, passed it through -a block under the lee gunwale, took a turn round a -cleat, and the four of us tried to haul the yard on -board, hauling for all we were worth.</span></p> -<div class="align-center auto-scaled figure margin" style="width: 62%" id="figure-48"> -<span id="the-four-of-us-tried-to-haul-the-yard-and-sail-on-board-hauling-for-all-we-were-worth"></span><img class="align-center block" style="display: block; width: 100%" alt="THE FOUR OF US TRIED TO HAUL THE YARD AND SAIL ON BOARD, HAULING FOR ALL WE WERE WORTH." src="images/img-080.jpg" /> -<div class="caption centerleft figure-caption margin"> -<span class="italics">THE FOUR OF US TRIED TO HAUL THE YARD AND SAIL ON BOARD, HAULING FOR ALL WE WERE WORTH.</span></div> -</div> -<p class="pnext"><span>We won a few inches at a time, between squalls, -and another turn round the cleat would prevent the -yard dragging them out again. Slowly, inch by -inch, the end of it came closer to us, and at every -inch the dhow would heel over a little more. -However, I knew how much she would stand by now, so -cared not a jot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, at last the yard and sail beat us. It was -all we could do to hold in what we had won; not -another inch could we gain. Then, to our intense -delight, the six Arabs came aft and clapped on too.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Go it, lads!" I yelled, and, working like one -man, we pulled the yard towards us until the peak -of it was close to the railings round the stern.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Dobson scrambled up with a coil of rope, lassoed -it, and captured it for good and all.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was grand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now lower it!" I yelled, and we scrambled for'ard -to the mast, Arabs and all, slacked off the main -halyards, and down it slid.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The remnant of the sail made a last attempt to -escape, then draggled over the lee side, hanging -down in the water—beaten.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>No one wanted an order; Dobson, Wiggins, Jaffa, -and myself, and every one of those Arabs, flung -ourselves on to it to prevent it filling again, clutching -and pulling till, in a minute or two, it was all on -board, lashed to the yard, and as harmless as a -handkerchief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The dhow now came on a level keel, and, her stern -paying off before the wind, our bows pointed into the -sea. You can imagine what a relief this was after -we had been rolling over on our beam-ends for so long.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, she could not face the seas, and we were -soon being spun round and round again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A sea-anchor; that's what she wants!" Dobson -shouted. "That'll steady her, sir; she'll be like a -cradle when she's got one."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was plenty of timber on the fore hatch, so -we unlashed it, and, making half a dozen long balks -fast to a big grass hawser we found in the bows, we -tipped them overboard, or allowed the seas to wash -them overboard—whichever happened first—one after -the other. As the dhow drifted to leeward so much -faster than they did, the hawser soon tautened out, -and brought our bows round into the wind.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jolly proud we all were of that sea-anchor. It -sounds easy enough to make, but if you had seen -us trying to prevent those planks and balks of timber -taking "charge" whilst we were passing the grass -hawser round each one singly, leaping away as they -tore themselves out of our hands and tried to break -our legs, you would realize that it was not the simple -matter it sounds.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We must have been struggling with it for at least -an hour, up to our waists in water most of that time, -and were thoroughly exhausted by the time we had -paid out the whole of the hawser.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But we were now riding head to sea, our decks -were not washed by the waves, and when we gathered -on the poop to rest after our exhausting work we -were as comfortable, as Dobson said, "as fleas in -a blanket".</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="my-first-capture"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER V</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">My First Capture</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>With that sea-anchor keeping our bows up to -wind'ard, the worst of our troubles seemed to be over. -My wrist watch had been broken in that first mêlée, -so we did not know what time it was. From the -height of the sun we guessed it to be nearly noon.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I climbed to the mast head. Not a sign of the -</span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> could I see; in fact, the whole circle -of the horizon was empty but for ourselves, and as -there was absolutely nothing to be done (for it would -have been madness to hoist a scrap of sail, and as for -trying to make a jury-rudder, we simply could not -have done it whilst we were pitching and tossing so -violently) we four sat comfortably on the poop, dried -ourselves, and watched the Arabs squatting close to the -foot of the mast. They had asked Jaffa's permission -to search for food, and had found some dried dates. -They seemed to enjoy them, and the sight of food of -any sort made us remember that we had not had any -that day, and that we were as hungry as hunters.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa found a large store of these dates under the -poop, and, though they looked unappetizing to a -degree, we enjoyed them hugely, washing them down -with another drink out of that kerosene tin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was so hungry that I could have eaten a cat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sun was now blazing down on us. Unfortunately -we had not brought our helmets or topees, -having left the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> at daybreak. Our -caps were little, if any, protection from it, in spite -of our constantly dipping them into the sea, and my -head was burning and throbbing. Salt water got -into that wound, and I did not dare to take off the -handkerchief for fear of it bleeding again. Wiggins -complained a good deal of his ribs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The nakhoda, too, recovered consciousness, and -begged for water, sitting up and moaning when he -saw all the wreckage round him. He had such a -cruel, cunning face that I could not trust him for'ard -with the crew, but kept him aft with us. He looked -as if it would have given him a great deal of joy to -cut our throats, and no doubt it would.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Every half-hour or so Dobson or I would go -for'ard to see that the hawser to the sea-anchor was -not chafing in the "fairway," taking stock of the -weather at the same time. Every time I said: "I -think it's easing off," Dobson would shake his head; -"'E ain't finished with 'is tantrums yet, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, at last I felt sure that the gale was -moderating. There were not such high waves, they -did not boil down on us so furiously, they were longer -too, not so steep, and we were certainly riding more -easily. Dobson at last agreed: "'E's in a good -'umour, I do believe."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The nakhoda's wicked old face was a good enough -barometer. As the wind and the sea fell, so did his -face look more glum, until at last, when there was no -manner of doubt that the gale was fast dying down, -he scowled angrily. What idea he had in his -cunning old head, I did not know.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We'll be able to start rigging a jury-rudder -soon," I told Dobson, "hoist a bit of sail, and bear -away towards Jask."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I had given up any possibility of beating up to the -</span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>. If I could get into Jask the political -agent would soon charter me a dhow to go back and -look for her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Well, we made that jury-rudder. It took us two -hard-working hours, and without the help of the -Arab crew we could not have made it. A clumsy -thing it was; a triangle made of balks of timber, with -one long projecting plank at each corner for the -steering ropes. We also managed to secure the lower -after end of what remained of the sail, binding a rope -round it to act, later on, as a sheet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There were still six able-bodied Arabs, not counting -the nakhoda. The wounded man (the one who could -not walk) had been washed overboard by the first big -sea which struck us. The wounds of the others were -not worth troubling about. As far as I remember, -Dobson's fists had made them; certainly they had -not been struck with bullets, because Jaffa was the -only one on board who had shown himself able to -hit a haystack at ten yards.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Having completed the jury-rudder we rested until -the falling wind and sea allowed us to use it. We -took it "turn and turn about" to keep watch, Jaffa -and I, Dobson and Wiggins—nothing to do and two -to do it. The only thing we had to do was to keep -an eye on the treacherous old nakhoda.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The afternoon slipped by; the sun began to set in -all its grandeur, and only a few gloriously-tinted -clouds, scudding across the sky, were left to remind -us that nature had been in such an angry mood. The -wind and the sea seemed to sink to rest with the sun; -only an occasional sobbing gust moaned through the -rigging, and, rising from the sea, a huge full moon, -like a burnished silver plate, set deep in a dark indigo -sky, flooded us with light.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was now possible to try to bring the dhow -under control; so, first of all, overboard went the -jury-rudder, with two hawsers lashed to those -projecting planks, and led to either side of the poop. -Then we hoisted a little of our tattered sail, cut away -the grass hawser to the sea-anchor, and, the breeze—it -was only a breeze now—blowing steadily and softly -from the north-west, filling the sail gently, we squared -the yard and let her "rip".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But the jury-rudder would not act as a rudder. It -was too clumsy, and the ropes attached to it too heavy. -Twenty men on each would have been scarcely sufficient -to work it. However, it kept our stern to the -wind—acting as a drag on the dhow—and we scudded -merrily away to the south-east at about three knots. -I imagined that we were about eighty miles to the -south-west of Jask, and hoped that as the breeze backed, -as it generally did for some time after a shamel, we -should be presently blown away to the east.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Up to now the Arab crew had been helping quite -willingly: but whilst they were working aft with the -jury-rudder I noticed that the sly old nakhoda took -every opportunity of speaking to them, and that -afterwards, though they still worked, they worked sullenly -and unwillingly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I had thought of allowing him to go for'ard with -them, but after this, and after Jaffa had warned me -not to do so ("He only make a mischief," he said), I -kept him aft where he was, much as I disliked his -company.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I rather fancy that that knock on the head had made -me sleepy. I could hardly keep my eyes open during -my first turn of watch-keeping. It was beautifully -cool, the "shamel" was now nothing more than a -respectable breeze, and the long subsiding swell made -a most heavenly sight in the moonlight. Jaffa and I -talked—it was the only way we could keep awake—he -telling me more about the peculiarities of the winds -which blew in this region. Then he went on to tell -me some of the experiences he had had during the -nine years he had served in the British service as an -interpreter. Though they were very interesting I -was more interested in him and in his quiet -aristocratic method of telling them. After the wonderfully -cool way he had handled his Mauser pistol that -morning he was not to me the same Jaffa who had boarded -the dhow with us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Dobson and Wiggins relieved us presently. "The -jury-rudder is keeping our stern into the wind well -enough," I told Dobson; "the sea is nearly smooth, -the wind mostly gone, and the Arabs are all sound -asleep—the nakhoda under the poop, the rest for'ard."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then I slept like a log until Dobson called me for -another spell of watch, and Jaffa and I were again on -duty.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was as wonderful, enchanting a sight as I have -ever seen. Above us the great, dazzling, silent -moon; around us the sea, a rippling surface of silvery -white, stretching away to the circle of the horizon. -The little dhow, with her white deck and black -shadows, was the centre of it, her sail a great patch -of white, casting its clear-cut shadow to starboard -over the bows and over the water under them, as -sharply cut where it fell on the water as across the deck.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the bows, beyond the foot of the sail, the sleeping -Arabs lay in its dark shadow; in the stern, in the -shadow of the poop, Dobson and Wiggins were soon -fast asleep—the nakhoda had crawled under the poop -and slept there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was all so silent and so beautiful—the embodiment -of all that is lovely and peaceful and good in -nature—that the perils and tragedies of the day before -seemed almost unreal, and it seemed impossible to -realize that, unless we kept wideawake and alert for -the first suspicious movement, we might have our -throats cut at any moment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What we could realize—only too painfully—was -that we were very hungry.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Probably that helped to keep us awake more than -anything else.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At any rate we did keep awake until I thought that -two hours had gone by, when I woke Dobson, coiled -down on deck again, and was asleep in a second.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Something touched me. I woke up. Dobson was -bending over me. "There's summat going on -for'ard, sir. I don't like the sound of it. I've been -for'ard under the foot of that 'ere sail twice in the -past 'arf-'our, and those noises leave off. I find them -Arabs a-lying there as quiet as mice in a nest, and I -don't understand it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I rubbed my eyes, sat up, and rose to my feet—very -stiff I was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sea was absolutely calm now; the moonlight -flooded our decks. Every seam and knot in the -planks was distinct; every stitch and ragged tear -showed out clearly in the drooping sail, whose -shadow swallowed up the whole of the bows.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Listen, sir!" Dobson whispered, pointing for'ard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I heard a soft rasping sound, as if pieces of rough -wood were being drawn across each another. I crept -for'ard close to the gunwale, and had not taken two -paces before the noise ceased.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Dobson joined me. "It always leaves off directly -I start to go for'ard, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come along," I said, and we both walked along -the deck, and, lifting the foot of the sail, peered -underneath. When our eyes were accustomed to the -darkness we could see the figures of Arabs huddled -up close together on top of the fore hatch. We waited -for several minutes, but no one stirred.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We crept back again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where's Wiggins?" I asked, and Dobson pointed -under the poop. "He felt so bad with his ribs, sir, -that I told him to go and lie down."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"See if the nakhoda is under there," I told him, -and he crept in.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He came back again, white in the face. "'E's not -there, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I crawled under myself, crawled all over the beastly -place. He certainly was not there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I never saw 'im go, sir!" Dobson whispered -apologetically.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, he was gone; there could be no doubt -about that. He was certain to have crept for'ard -among his men, and it was as certain that mischief -would be brewing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We'll turn 'em out and see what it is," I said, -pulling my revolver from its holster and opening the -breech to see that it was loaded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We went for'ard again, and as we bent down under -the sail, our revolvers in our hands, there was a rush -of bare feet and the whole crowd of them leapt at us. -Three or four were clinging to me, throttling me -round the neck, clutching my arms to my sides, and -pulling my legs from under me. In spite of all my -struggles I was thrown to the deck on my face; -someone bent back my wrist to wrench the revolver -away, but before it was dragged out of my hand I -managed to get my finger on the trigger and pulled -it. As my head whirled with the choking of those -iron fingers round my throat I did not know whether -I had actually fired it or not. I was banged on the -deck, twisted round and round under a heap of -grunting Arabs; something was forced into my mouth; I -nearly lost consciousness, but when the grasp on my -throat was relaxed I managed to draw a breath of air -and found myself next to Dobson, both of us lashed -up like mummies, lying on our backs on some coils of rope.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We were both gagged, unable to speak, much less -able to shout and wake Jaffa and Wiggins—lying -perfectly helpless.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Two Arabs were squatting on their haunches on -either side of us. Like a fool I tried to struggle, and -the one near me bent down and drew something -across my forehead—a knife; I felt its edge jag along -the bone and the blood running down the side of my -temples and matting on my eyebrows.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I lay still, terrified lest the next time I moved that -knife would be across my throat. I really was horror-struck.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I saw the remainder of those brutes stealing aft -noiselessly, under the sail into the moonlight, and -had an awful fear that in our struggles we had made -so little noise that Wiggins and Jaffa would not have -waked, and that they, too, would be caught unawares. -I did not know whether my revolver had fired or not. -I tried to imagine that it had, but everything was too -horribly blurred for me to be sure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then my heart gave a great bound of relief, for, as -the last of those Arabs had stooped down and shown -himself in the moonlight, I saw a flash and heard -Jaffa's Mauser pistol—and a louder one, Wiggins -firing too. Shots banged out close to us, from the -foot of the sail. An Arab gave a yell of pain, and -the others came stampeding into the shadow again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Thank Heaven! They had not caught them asleep.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Two of the Arabs—two with revolvers, mine and -Dobson's I imagined—knelt down by us and hunted -for more ammunition, pressing the muzzles against -our foreheads to keep us quiet. The muzzle slipped -into that gash; how it did pain! I had no more -cartridges—none, thank God! Dobson had an -unopened packet of twelve rounds, and we saw them -carefully dividing these between each other. A -cartridge dropped between us, and they hunted for it -among the coils of rope, pulling us away roughly. -An Arab pounced on it with a hiss of delight. I saw -the Arab with a revolver take it and place it in his -chamber, so I knew that they only had twelve rounds -between them. Then these two armed men crept -along, one on each side, to the edge of the shadow -of the sail, stooping down to see under it, whilst the -others, with knives in their hands, lay flat down on -the deck between them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was half-dazed and mad with mortification and -rage. I would have given my life to have known -what Jaffa and Wiggins were doing at the other end -of the dhow. There was a dark shadow under the -poop platform, I knew, and trusted with all my heart -that they had retreated there. But not a sound came -from aft; they might both have been hit for all I -knew. And not a sound did the Arabs make either. -The only noise was the creaking of the yard against -the mast and its huge sleeve of rope. The sail -drooped down absolutely motionless, blotting out the -moon.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>How long this silence lasted I have not the least -idea. It seemed ages.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They have only twelve cartridges," was the only -thing I could think of, and waited to count the shots, -holding my breath for fear the thudding of my heart -would prevent my hearing them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The dark figures of those Arabs suddenly seemed -to stiffen, and then, from either gunwale, where the -shadows were darkest, the revolvers flashed and -banged, twice on my right, three times on my left.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Seven cartridges now, only seven," I thought -joyfully, and each flash had been answered by more -flashes from aft, and bullets ripped along the deck -close to where Dobson and I lay.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>An Arab gave a low sob, and I heard a revolver -clatter to the deck on my left. A dark arm stretched -out to pick it up, where it lay in the moonlight, and -as the dark hand seized it and hurriedly drew back -into the shadow a bullet splintered the deck where it -had been.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A long period of silence followed. Except for an -occasional groan from one of the Arabs, and the -creaking of the yard above us, no sound came to -relieve the extreme tension of my ears.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Seven more they had. How many had Jaffa and -Wiggins? That was all I could think about. -Wiggins would probably have very few, but Jaffa—I -knew nothing about him. My ears were throbbing -with the strain of listening to count pistol shots -which never came. Then they crept aft again. I -thought they were going to kill us. They dragged -us aft until we lay among them, just in the edge of -the shadow of the sail, and one of them began calling -out. Though there was no reply from aft, I knew -well enough that they were telling Jaffa that he would -probably hit us if he fired any more.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So long as these Arabs did not recapture the dhow, -I did not care in the least whether I was hit or not.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The answer came with a single pistol shot from -aft. As it flashed, both the Arab revolvers went off. -Probably they were waiting for this, and fired at the -flash. I was too dazed to count the number of shots. -Was it two or three? Had they five or four cartridges -still? My brain was whirling and numb. I could -not be sure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They were probably as bad shots as ourselves, and -appeared to be getting nervous.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was a hurried consultation among them; they -drew back farther into the shadow, and all of a sudden -began stripping off their loose cloaks, five of them, -two with revolvers, the others with knives, and I -could make out the figure and beard of the nakhoda -as he gesticulated and encouraged them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I knew that they were standing by to make a rush -aft, when suddenly they gave a hoarse cry and stiffened -where they stood, pointing over the sea. They stood -like dark statues for a moment, and then the whole -darkness disappeared. They stood out in the glare -of a searchlight, naked to the waist, their eyes glittering, -their lips drawn back in fear, showing their white -teeth, and their shadows thrown against the now -lighted sail.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In another moment the searchlight—for it was a -searchlight—had passed and it was dark again. -Jaffa and Wiggins fired half a dozen rounds very -rapidly; the bullets did not come for'ard, so probably -they were firing in the air; they yelled, too, and back -the searchlight swept and remained, whilst a small -shell, bursting with a roar close to the bows, threw up -a column of fire and water. In a second those Arabs -had dropped on their knees, crouching below the -gunwales and hiding from the glare of the light—all -except the nakhoda, who, yelling something like -"Allah", rushed at me with a long knife.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He would have stuck it into me had not the others -thrown themselves on him and pulled him to the deck.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As they did so Jaffa and Wiggins, shouting and -cursing, rushed forward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In a minute I was free, Dobson was free. Wiggins -had cut the ropes, whilst Jaffa stood guard over -the Arabs, and as I staggered to the deck, bleeding -like a pig again, a boat rasped alongside, and Popple -Opstein's great red face appeared as he climbed over -the gunwale, followed by half a dozen men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Four more! They've got four more—or is it -three?" was all I could think of to say as he came -for'ard. I had to sit down to prevent my legs giving way.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank God you came along in time!" I said, as -he shook some sense into me and gave me something -to drink.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was all right again in a few minutes, and whilst -the Arabs were being securely tied up, to prevent any -unpleasant mistakes, I was able to tell him what had -happened.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What about your edge of civilization, Martin, old -chap?" he laughed. "You nearly toppled over the -edge of it that time, eh? We spotted you in the -moonlight, and saw the revolver flashes, so knew -something was wrong. We never thought it was you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Man, she's full of rifles. I'm dead certain she is," -I burst out, "and I haven't been out here ten days! -Isn't it splendid?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You don't look very splendid," my chum smiled -grimly. "The sooner you get on board to our doctor -the better."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I really felt almost intoxicated. I could not stop -talking. "Look at that one-eyed interpreter of mine," -I babbled, turning to Jaffa, who was leaning up against -the gunwale cleaning his Mauser pistol. "Look at -him! He saved the whole show. He's simply grand -with that pistol of his. Aren't you, Jaffa?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He smiled his inscrutable, dignified smile.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You saved all our lives. We should not have -pulled through without you," I went on, and for the -life of me I do not know whether he looked pleased or -not.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The </span><em class="italics">Intrepid's</em><span> men were going round collecting the -knives which the Arabs had dropped on deck. Dobson -and I found our revolvers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For the life of me I could not keep silent.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How many cartridges are there in yours?" I asked -him, opening my breech. "There are only two in mine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not a blessed one, sir!" he grinned; so, after all, -I had miscounted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How many have you?" I asked Wiggins.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not a blessed one either, sir! I did have two, but -fired 'em when we sighted the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>—that 'ere -Pershun told me to!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Commander Duckworth of the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> now came -on board the dhow, and I had to tell him the yarn all -over again. In spite of feeling absolutely "played -out", I talked as if I should never stop, telling him -detail after detail, imploring him to go right away and -hunt for the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>. I rather fancy I suggested -that he should leave us in the dhow to sail into Jask.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, I found myself, Dobson, Wiggins, and -Jaffa climbing down into his boat and being pulled -across to the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>. I know that I talked to them -all the time, and to Nicholson, the staff surgeon of the -</span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>, whilst he was probing and stitching those -wounds of mine. When he had finished these he -stuck the needle of a syringe into my arm. "That'll -send you to sleep all right," he said, looking at me -curiously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When I went aft he was commencing work on three -wounded Arabs who had been brought over. The -rest of them were in the battery surrounded by inquisitive -bluejackets. The old nakhoda squatted on deck -by himself, covered up in his burnous, with only his -eyes showing. He did not even deign to look at me. -The </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> was already steaming ahead, her boats -hoisted, and the dhow ("My dhow, old chap," I said, -slapping old Popple Opstein on the back) was safely -towing astern; I could see her mast.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Rifles, my dear chap! She's simply chock-full -of them!" I laughed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was famished—starvingly hungry—and they got -food for me down in the ward-room, although Nicholson -tried to make me lie down. The ward-room chaps, -in their pyjamas, sat round me as I talked to them. -I could not leave off talking, and I found that I didn't -like anything they had on the table, so could not eat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nicholson took hold of my wrist and shoved another -beastly syringe needle into my arm. He made the -fellows go away too, although I had not told them -nearly all that had happened, and in a little while I did -let Nicholson take me to a cabin—just to humour him. -That is the last I remember—I certainly don't -remember undressing—but I woke in broad daylight to -find myself in pyjamas belonging to somebody else, -feeling rather shaky, my head covered in bandages, -and Nicholson standing over me with a satisfied smile -on his fat face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My aunt! how hungry I was!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Food, Nicholson, that's what I want," I said. -"I haven't had anything worth speaking about for -twenty-four hours."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He felt my pulse, smiled, and went away. I called -him back. "How about the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>? Have -you found her yet?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She's been alongside us for the last forty hours or -more," he said. "We are anchored off Sheikh Hill. -She's all right."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I looked puzzled. I had not noticed that the engines -were not working.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My dear chap, you've slept solidly for nearly three -days. I've seen to that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Popple Opstein came in, looking anxious, until -Nicholson told him that I was as "right as rain". -"Man, you are lucky!" he cried, his face growing -violet with excitement; "she had nearly four hundred -rifles on board. Look! I've brought you one," and -he held up a brand-new Mauser rifle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I handled it lovingly—my first capture. "You -won't 'pot' at any poor wretched sentry on the Indian -frontier, my beauty," I thought.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How did you find the </span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>?" I asked; and my -chum explained that the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> had taken my dhow -in tow, steaming to the north'ard; that at daybreak -the launch had been sighted, and though she had -raised steam again she could not use her engines as -something had fouled her propeller, below the waterline -of course, where Mr. Scarlett could not get at it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The result was," old Popple Opstein went on to -tell me, "that we had to tow her as well, and when -we anchored here sent our divers down to clear it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Later on Nicholson allowed me to dress, Percy -smiling out of his great eyes when he brought me -some clean clothes. Afterwards I went aboard the -</span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> to hear Mr. Scarlett's account of what -had happened and to see what repairs were still -necessary. I found people from the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> busily -straightening the bent stanchions and fitting a new -after-awning cut from an old awning belonging to the -cruiser.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She'll look all right in a couple of days," Mr. Scarlett -said, as he and I watched the last few boxes -of ammunition being hoisted up through the dhow's -hatches and transferred to the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid's</em><span> battery deck. -It was a most comforting sight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thought I'd seen the last of you, sir, when that -big squall struck the dhow, and thought you'd seen -the last of the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> when she half-filled -herself with water, her fires had been put out, and that -hawser coiled itself round the screw.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My, sir, but I was being sick every few -minutes with pure fright—I was that frightened that -I wanted to jump overboard and get the drowning -over quietly, without a lot of lascars howling and -clawing round me—as I was waiting for 'em to do -when she did sink. We made some kind of a -sea-anchor with what was left of that awning and some -spars, got her head to the wind, and baled her out -with buckets—with buckets, sir! Three mortal hours -that took, and another six to raise steam again, the -lascars all preferring to drown up on deck, so not -a blessed one would go below.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We never noticed that hawser round her screw -till we let the steam in her engines, wound a few -more turns round her screw, and brought them up -all standing. Thank God! we hadn't cast off our -sea-anchor, or we'd have had all the making of -another over again—and dead tired, tired as dogs, -we all were."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was this to say for Mr. Scarlett—I never -doubted him. Whenever he told me of anything, -I felt perfectly sure that he had told me all. -However, I was inquisitive to know how he himself had -actually behaved, so could not help asking Corporal -Webster later on what kind of a time they had had, -hoping that he might have something to say about him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Awful weren't the word for it, sir; the worst time -I've ever had in my life. We none of us thought -she'd float, and she wouldn't have but for the -gunner—sick one moment, working like half a dozen men -the next. Why, sir, when we steadied her into the -wind, an' baled her out, he laid the fires in the boilers -himself, no one else knowing how to do it, them -lascar chaps funking going below, and we chipping -up a mess table (the only dry bit of wood on board) -and passing the bits down to him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I learnt still more of that extraordinary man by -watching Percy, the Tamil boy. His eyes showed -the most unbounded admiration for the gunner. He -simply slaved for him all day long, and seemed to -be perfectly happy so long as he was doing something -for him: pipeclaying his helmet, or washing -out his vests—anything, in fact.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I don't pretend to be a judge of character—luckily—and -he certainly puzzled me. That gale had told -me more about Mr. Scarlett, Dobson, and Jaffa than -I should have learnt in six months of ordinary cruising.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-edge-of-civilization"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER VI</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">The Edge of Civilization</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>For two more days the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> remained at anchor, -three miles off Sheikh Hill, within sight of the open -shallow creek running up to Bungi village and of -those cliffs from which the Afghan, a week before, -had wasted ammunition on the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>. The -launch remained alongside of her and the dhow -astern. Why we were thus delayed I am not certain, -but from the many curious and inquisitive questions -Nicholson continually asked me, and from the many -times I caught him watching me, I imagine that it -was principally on my account, and that Commander -Duckworth would not send me away cruising by -myself until Nicholson had reported favourably.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the end of this time both the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> and -I were in first-class condition: the bandage which -covered my wounds had been replaced by what -Nicholson called a collodion dressing, and the </span><em class="italics">Bunder -Abbas</em><span> showed no signs whatever of her recent hard -usage. I was ordered to tow my empty dhow out -to sea, set her on fire, and sink her. This I did with -very great regret, for, although she was old and rotten, -she was my first capture, and I wanted her to be -condemned and sold properly by a prize court. However, -it was not to be; so she was burnt to the water's -edge, and her stone ballast quickly sank her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We all knew that her cargo of arms and ammunition -represented not a tenth of the great number -reported to have been brought down to Jeb for -shipment to the Makran coast, and everybody felt certain -that sooner or later—probably sooner—more dhows -would endeavour to run across.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We were therefore very grateful when we did at -last receive orders for patrolling between the two -inlets.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Two cutters belonging to the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>, with a -Maxim gun in the bows of each, had to patrol the -creeks, keeping out of rifle shot from shore during -the day and running close in at night. My chum, -Baron Popple Opstein, commanded No. 1; and Evans, -a little rat of a lieutenant, full of "go", but all nerves, -No. 2.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was ordered to patrol from one to the other, -backwards and forwards, on a line about six miles from -the shore, during the daytime, and to close to within -a mile of the shore at sunset. I was also ordered -to communicate with both cutters each morning, as -soon after daylight as possible, to receive reports -of any happenings during the preceding night. Still -farther out to sea the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> herself would patrol -a line twenty miles long, also closing at dusk to -within sighting distance of a Very's light, should we -want to communicate with her by firing one.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All being ready, Evans, Popple Opstein, and I went -aboard the cruiser, fully expecting that Commander -Duckworth would give us a great deal of unnecessary -advice, as though we were a lot of babies, not to be -trusted a hundred yards from him; instead of which -he simply asked us if we understood his written -orders, and when we answered that we did, merely -said: "Right you are! You can get away as soon -as you like. Good night!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He's a splendid chap to serve under," Evans said -in his nervous, hurried way of talking. "He's always -just like that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was grand to be sent away entirely on one's own, -without being tied down this way and that before -ever the conditions which might conceivably happen -had happened.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Imagine anything like this in the good old Home -Fleet!" my chum said as we parted. "We should -be fathered and mothered day and night."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So, an hour before the sun set, I took the two -cutters in tow, dropped </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> No. 1 close under -Sheikh Hill, and steamed down to Kuh-i-Mubarak -with No. 2, leaving her there in the mouth of the -deep creek running up to Sudab, the village where -I had seen the camels.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good night and good luck!" I shouted, as I -steamed off to sea to commence my own job.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>No one expected a dhow to slip across during those -first days, because there were so few hours of -darkness; but the moon, of course, was rising later each -night, and every twenty-four hours increased our -chances.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, nothing came in sight, and on the -seventh day—a Thursday it was—according to my -orders, I fetched </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> No. 2 back to the anchorage -off Sheikh Hill, and found the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> herself -anchored there, with my chum's boat already alongside.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I made fast to her, and immediately began the job -of filling up with coal, water, and provisions; whilst -the crews of the two cutters went inboard in order to -get a good meal and a comfortable sleep whilst their -boats were being revictualled. Sleep in a cutter -crammed with gear is not a success. It does not -matter how comfortable you try to make yourself, -there is always something sticking into your back; -and a chum's foot in your face, though quite an -unimportant detail, does not induce slumber, -especially if the owner happens to be restless.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I went aboard to have my wounds dressed. Nicholson -took out the stitches, and said that both gashes -were healing well. I wanted him to let me take -Wiggins back again. I had had to leave him behind -with his broken ribs (very much against his wish), -but he was not yet well enough to rejoin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then my chum came aboard the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> -and smoked his dirty old pipe with me on the little -platform deck outside my cabin. We sat in those -two easy canvas chairs under the awning and had -a good time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Enjoyed the week?" I asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Splendid," he said, beaming and showing his -white teeth. "Splendid."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did that Afghan chap have a shot at you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Once or twice," he nodded. "He's a rattling -poor shot."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Shoot back?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Once or twice; never hit him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was on board for three hours, and I don't -believe he said another word (as a matter of fact he -slept most of the time); but as he was going away -he wanted to know whether I had seen Mr. Scarlett's -snake again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I had not. He kept a bandage round it now. If -he did uncover it, he did so at night.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Popple Opstein was evidently still very interested -in it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wish he'd let me try that dodge of a pair of -pincers and a bit of tin slipped under it, or wiring its -head or something," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I shook my head, and told him that it was useless -to suggest that again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Just before sunset I towed both cutters back to their -positions, leaving them there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nothing happened during that week, although the -darkness was very favourable for any dhow to try to -creep in. At sunrise every morning I waited inshore -to see that the two cutters were safe and had nothing -to report, then pushed farther out to sea to steam -slowly up and down, whilst the men not on duty -scrubbed decks, cleaned guns, or washed and mended -their clothes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was fearfully hot all this time, and I learnt that -Moore was right after all, and that one could hardly -keep awake in the afternoon. From noon until four -o'clock the heat, even under the awnings, was at -times almost unbearable. I could not keep awake -myself, so had to let the men sleep too, and Moore -did not hide his satisfaction at my first defeat. The -crew was so small, and, what with men on watch and -those wanting extra sleep after a night's watch, there -were seldom more than three or four "hands" to -employ at odd jobs, so precious little cleaning was done -either, and I even began to wonder whether it would -not be wiser to paint the water jackets of the Maxims, -and even the six-pounder, as they were so difficult to -keep bright.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is either too much wind or not enough" is -a sailor's saying about the Persian Gulf; and although -we were actually outside the Gulf itself, yet the saying -held true enough here. Hardly a puff of wind ruffled -the glassy, glaring surface of the sea for those first -fourteen or fifteen days: the sun blazed at us all day -from an absolutely silent, monotonous, burnished sky. -I began to curse it when it rose, and when it did set, -and give me a chance to cool down, to dread its -reappearance and the heat of the next day.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett told me that I should soon become -accustomed to it. He himself simply revelled in it. -He advised me to drink as little fluid as possible, if -I did not want to be covered with prickly heat, and -I did my best to follow his advice, although the desire -for liquid was sometimes almost unbearable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Another Thursday we spent alongside the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>, -my chum coming aboard me to sleep and smoke, and -occasionally make some contented remark. Then -back we went to our stations for another week of -patient watching.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On Sunday morning I edged in as usual, to see -whether the Baron had anything to report.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was about half-past four, still dark, but the -darkness rapidly disappearing, when he flashed a signal -lantern, and I answered him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In ten minutes he was alongside. He had a sick -man whom he wanted me to take on board, so we -hoisted him in and put him down below.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's only a touch of the sun," the Baron said; -"but we can't make him comfortable here. You can -give him back to-morrow."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This occupied perhaps ten minutes. It had become -appreciably lighter, and I could see the sheikh's -house or fort looming above our heads as I started -off to go along to Evans.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We had not steamed a mile before we heard a -Maxim firing very rapidly. Looking inshore I could -see the cutter pulling in under those cliffs from which -that Afghan had fired at us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Put your helm over and wake up the engine-room -people," I ordered, and round we swung. The -cutter had now disappeared round the base of the cliffs, -but as we hurried after her we could still hear the -Maxim firing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We all were grandly excited—all except Mr. Scarlett. -As he went down to see that our guns were -ready I saw that his face was a muddy, grey colour. -He would not look me in the face, and his hand was -shaking as he steadied himself by the rail. My former -feeling of contempt for his cowardice came back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Percy came up with two cups of cocoa and some -biscuits, grinning delightfully; but his face fell when -Mr. Scarlett refused any—he thought that he had not -made it properly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was quite light now, and I steered wide of the -cliffs, in order to be able to look up the creek more -quickly and to be able sooner to help the Baron if he -was "busy".</span></p> -<p class="pnext" id="id1"><span>Then, as the mouth of the creek opened out, there -was a shout from for'ard of "Look, sir; look there!" -and I was astonished to see a large dhow—a very -large dhow—lying half in, half out of the water on -the beach, two thousand yards away. A red flag was -trailing down from her ensign staff, and her bows -were surrounded by a great crowd of camels and -natives. The cutter was about nine hundred yards -away—between us and the dhow; pulling like mad -her men were, and tut-tut-tut-tut went the Maxim in -her bows. I could see the line of bullet splashes, first -in the water, then in the sand among the camels, then -in the water again. They were making bad shooting—a -Maxim is always a troublesome weapon in a -moving boat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Give them a shell!" I yelled down to Mr. Scarlett. -The little six-pounder barked, and its first shell burst -in the water, but the second sent up a cloud of smoke -and sand right among a tangled mass of camels and -men. We saw some camels struggling on the ground, -and broke into cheers as the rest of them were driven -frantically up the beach and the sand-hills, to disappear -behind them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A few chaps, their loose cloaks flapping about, -scampered after the others, until not a single living -thing was left in sight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She's a fine dhow that," Mr. Scarlett said, coming -up the ladder to me, his voice very shaky. "We -shall have to be very careful, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Careful!" I shouted. "Why, man alive, they've -run away! There's not a soul to stop us. Look at -the cutter, man; they're almost up to her."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett looked and shivered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I saw that the cutter had taken the ground. Her -bluejackets, with their rifles in their hands, were -jumping into the water and wading ashore, racing -ashore, my chum struggling to get ahead of them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Go it, Popple Opstein!" I yelled, unable to control -myself, and wished that the old "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" would -go faster, so that I could be alongside him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My aunt! What luck! Two dhows in less than -a fortnight!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We shall be millionaires in no time," I said, -turning to Mr. Scarlett, to cheer him up; but he had -gone down on deck again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then I had to stop my engines. I dared not go in -any closer; there was not a foot of water under my keel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I shouted for the dinghy to be lowered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Baron and his men—eight of them—were on -the firm sand now, running along towards the dhow, -cheering and whooping, when suddenly I heard -rifle-firing—rifles from behind the tops of those sand-dunes, -rifles from the tops of those beastly cliffs, and saw the -sand spurting up all round them as they ran. Through -my glasses I could see heads peering over the -sand-dunes and rifles firing over them. I yelled to the -men to leave the dinghy and open fire again with the -six-pounder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then two of those running figures fell; one rose -and went on, the other lay where he fell.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lie down and shoot back, or you'll all be killed," -I shouted, like a fool, as if they could hear me eight -hundred yards away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then I realized that if they could reach the dhow -they would obtain some shelter from the fire.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I saw my chum fall, sprawling, and get up again, -stoop to pick up his revolver—he never would put -the lanyard round his neck—and go on again, slowly, -limping. Two men stopped to help him, but I saw -him waving them to leave him, and they dashed to the -side of the dhow, flung themselves flat down, half -in, half out of the water, and commenced shooting. -My Maxims were busy now, and keeping down the -fire a little; but for a couple of seconds poor old -Popple Opstein was alone on the beach, with bullet-spirts -jumping up all round him. Those two seconds -seemed like ages, till, with a gasp of relief, I saw him -gain the shelter of the dhow and throw himself down -among the others.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Thank goodness! he could not be very badly wounded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But the dhow only gave shelter from the men -behind the sand-hills; my chum and his people were -still entirely exposed to a dropping, long-range fire -from the tops of those cliffs, and bullets still splashed -and spurted all round the dhow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The six-pounder shells were bursting well along -the tops of the sand-hills, and three men, left behind -in the stranded cutter, were also peppering them with -their Maxim. These two guns kept the people on the -beach fairly quiet, so I cocked up my two Maxims -and opened fire on the cliff, the people up there -immediately paying attention to us. A bullet -splintered the deck close to where I was standing, several -whistled through the awnings, others flattened -themselves against the funnel. Griffiths and I were -standing there by the wheel and compass absolutely -exposed. I do not know how I looked, but I do -know that I was chiefly frightened lest I should look -as frightened as I felt. I wondered what Mr. Scarlett -was doing. He was under the awning, so I could -not see him. A bullet smashed Percy's coffee-cup and -broke it to atoms—bullets were flying all round us. -There was nothing for me to do; that was the worst -of it. To relieve the strain of being idle, I sent -Griffiths to bring up a rifle and some ammunition, and -took the wheel myself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Before he came back I saw the figures close to the -dhow rise up and dash into the water, wade round her -stern, and disappear from view. Seven figures I -counted; that little white heap halfway along the -sand only made eight; so another must have been -badly hit. But now they were safe for a time, entirely -sheltered by the dhow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The natives, Afghans, Baluchis, whatever they were, -thereupon turned more rifles on to us and that stranded -cutter—both from the sand-hills and from the cliffs. -The range from the sand-hills was well over twelve -hundred yards, and most of the firing was very wild; -but one of our chaps, Jones, a marine, working one of -the Maxims, was shot through the arm about this time. -However, our high gunwales kept off most of the -bullets.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was very different with that stranded cutter. She -was not more than six hundred yards away from the -sand-hills, closer still to the foot of the cliffs, and almost -immediately one of the three men still working her -Maxim fell and was pushed aside or crawled away—I -couldn't see which.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Griffiths came up with his rifle. "Go on, fire -yourself!" I shouted, and he lay down and began potting -at the people on the cliff, over our heads. The -shooting now slackened from there, and I quickly -understood why, for I saw fifty or sixty natives scampering -down a cliff path and wading through the shallow -mouth of the creek. By the time I had ordered a -Maxim to swing round on them most of these had -joined the others behind the sand-hills. We bagged -two or three, however.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I knew that we were in a horrid mess, and didn't -want Mr. Scarlett to come up to me—absolutely yellow -in the face—and tell me so. Just as he was blurting -and stuttering out something about a falling tide and -getting that cutter afloat, people down below began -shouting: "Look! Look!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Griffiths, peering over his shoulder with frightened -eyes, pointed, and I saw a regular horde of Afghans -pouring over the tops of those sand-hills and racing -down the beach, straight for the stranded cutter. I -looked at her. Only one man was now working that -Maxim, or trying to do so, and making a bad job of it. -Something had gone wrong with the belt. He tried -desperately to jerk it clear, failed, then gave it up, -caught sight of the yelling Afghans charging down -on him, and hid under the gunwale.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The six-pounder fired as rapidly as it could, and -must have killed many, but one of our Maxims had -jammed and the other would not bear. Mr. Scarlett's -piercing voice was shrieking for me to turn the </span><em class="italics">Bunder -Abbas</em><span> round so that he could use the second Maxim. -I gave the wheel a turn and rang down to the -engine-room. Before I was able to turn her side farther -towards the beach that fierce rush had reached the -water's edge. Scores of wild Afghans were splashing -through the sea. We could hear them yelling as they -waded knee-deep—waist-deep—towards the cutter. -Then we saw the two men still alive in her peer over -the gunwale, and one seized a rifle and began firing, -but the other crawled across the thwarts, let himself -down over the stern, and commenced to swim towards -the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A six-pounder will not stop a rush: its shells are -not deadly enough. I thought the Maxim would never -fire. Looking at the dhow to see whether our people -were safe, I saw rifles sticking out from under her -poop railings, so knew that Popple Opstein and his -men had climbed on board. They, too, were firing -on the Afghans charging through the water. On -these came; they were not thirty yards from the cutter; -the man inside it had his face turned appealingly to us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then Mr. Scarlett started the Maxim. He found -the range in a twinkling—he only had to follow the -splash of the bullets till they fell amongst the natives, -and then wobble the gun—and it was impossible to -miss. Their shouts of triumph changed to wild -shrieks of terror. It was just as if a scythe had swept -over them. They subsided under the water—they -disappeared—only a few, crouching till their heads -hardly showed above the surface, regained the beach -and the protection of the sand-hills.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no time for thinking of this sickening -slaughter; my chum and his men had to be brought -off, his cutter had to be refloated, and that dhow had -still to be destroyed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Land and help him!" The thought did come -into my head for a second, but it would have been -idiotic. We should only be putting our heads into -the same trap that he was in.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Afghans had had such a terrible lesson that for -a short time only a few ventured to the edge of the -sand-hills to fire on us. The fire from the cliffs, whilst -our Maxims were no longer keeping it down, became -somewhat more vigorous, and I knew that now was -my chum's chance to rush back along that beach and -regain the cutter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I shouted to the signal-man to semaphore across to -him, but he must have also realized that this was his -opportunity, for almost immediately we saw the -bluejackets sliding down the dhow's side—two had to be -helped down—and then they all—seven of them— -came back along the water's edge. Very slowly they -came, for one man was being carried and my pal was -limping badly, though managing without assistance. -Only a few Afghans were firing at them, and these we -stopped by mowing the edges of the sand-hills with -Maxim bullets wherever a head showed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They seemed to be taking hours. I found myself -yelling to them to try to go faster. They kept on -stopping to fire at the sand-hills. Then, at last, they -began wading out, and we cheered as we saw them -climb aboard the boat without further loss, get out -their oars, and try to push off. Our joy died down -when we saw that they could not move her. The -tide had fallen, and the cutter was on top of a -sandbank with not a foot of water covering it. They -jumped out again into the shallows and strained and -heaved, but not an inch could they shift her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All this time the Afghans on the cliff were firing at -them. They clambered back into the boat and replied -to this fire with rifles: something had evidently gone -wrong with their Maxim. Afghans now appeared over -the sand-hills immediately behind the cutter, where -we dare not fire for fear of hitting my chum's people. -These, too, opened fire on the cutter, and the water all -round it was alive with bullet splashes. Another man -fell down in the boat and his rifle overboard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Unless something was done very quickly they would -all be killed. I yelled for volunteers to pull the dinghy -across and take them a rope. Dobson, the leading -seaman, and Webster, the corporal of marines, jumped -into her first. "Take the wheel and don't go farther -inshore," I called to Griffiths, and rushed down on -deck to supervise the rope being passed into the -dinghy and coiled down in her stern-sheets. On my -way I saw Jaffa, standing at the foot of the ladder, -aiming at the top of the cliffs with a rifle. He was as -calm as ever.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The dinghy was on our shore side, away from the -cliffs and sheltered from fire. We coiled all the -ropes we had into her stern, bending one to the end of -the next. I rushed back to the wheel and moved the -</span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> in towards the cutter until my bows -touched the sand. Then I gave the word to Dobson -and Webster and they shot ahead of the bows, the -rope uncoiling and paying out as they pulled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Directly they had cleared our bows the whole of the -rifle fire was turned on them, and they had not taken -fifty strokes before Dobson was hit. He dropped his -oar, but grabbed it again, pulling with one hand. A -moment later he was struck a second time and fell -forward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Webster seized his oar and went on, but I shouted -to him to come back, and with a brilliant thought he -made fast the rope and we hauled him back. As the -dinghy came near I saw that Dobson was dead. We -lifted him out and Mr. Scarlett jumped in.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm going, sir," he said, and I was so astonished -that I could say nothing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We laid Dobson on deck and jumped back to work -our guns, whilst Mr. Scarlett and Webster pulled -madly towards the cutter, paying out the rope and -steering wildly. We yelled with delight when they -reached the cutter and passed the rope inboard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In a moment the cutter's crew had clambered into -the water again to lighten the boat. They held up -their hands to signal my rope made fast.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I gave the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" a touch astern and stopped her -engines, the rope tautened, the cutter's crew shoved -and pushed and yelled that she was moving. In half -a minute we had her afloat, her men scrambling in as -she slid into deep water; in ten minutes we were out -of range, and in half an hour she and the dinghy were -both alongside, and I had dropped anchor two miles -from the cliffs and out of sight of the dhow. The -cutter was peppered with bullet holes, her gunwales, -sides, and oars splintered and grooved in a hundred -places. She leaked like a sieve, and water filled her to -her thwarts.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She had one dead man on board—one of those left -as boat-keepers—the one I had seen shot when -working the Maxim; one man shot through the chest and -leg; four others wounded (one with three bullet wounds -through soft parts), besides Popple Opstein.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It went clean through my calf muscles," he told -me. "It's nothing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Not until then did anyone remember the man who -had started to swim back towards the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> -when those Afghans charged down. He had not -been seen since, and must have been drowned, or -perhaps killed by a bullet in the head. Two of the -cutter's crew had been left on shore dead, so these -made the cutter's total casualties three killed, one -missing, and five wounded. Only four had escaped -untouched.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The dead man and the wounded were all brought -aboard the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>: the dead who might only -have been wounded, the wounded who so easily -might have been dead. A turn of the head, and a -bullet which would have only grazed your ear blows -out your brains; you drop a cartridge, stoop to pick it -up, and a bullet which would have gone through your -heart wings on its way without your knowing that it -had ever come and gone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Whenever one sees dead and wounded brought -back by the untouched men who have been fighting -alongside them, one cannot help thinking queer -thoughts, and casting enquiring glances at the -survivors to see what qualities they have which spared -them. I must admit that I have never yet noticed -anything particularly noble about those who have -escaped. Since those gun-running days I have seen -much fighting and many killed and wounded, and -the untouched have generally been cursing something -or somebody, giving relief to the strain on their -nerves by cursing hard. Thoughts take longer to -write than to think, so they don't, in actual practice, -waste much time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We were obliged to take every heavy weight out of -the cutter to prevent her sinking, and then tried to -stop the bullet holes below the water line.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Webster, the corporal of marines, was as handy -with the medicine chest and its bandages as he was -with anything else I ever saw him try his hands on. -In half an hour he had made the wounded chaps as -comfortable as it was possible for them to be. Percy, -too, was in his element bringing them water, tinned -milk, and coffee. He was like a dog in his admiration -for white men. If he had had a tail he would -have wagged it off that morning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Until that cutter was safe I did not care how many -rifles the Afghans took out of the dhow in our absence; -but directly she was fairly watertight I left her at anchor -with the dinghy, Moore, the timid Goanese carpenter, -and a couple of hands, to carry on repairs, and steamed -inshore again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I kept wide of the cliffs (from which a terrific fire -burst out) until the beach and the dhow herself came -in full view.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The shore was again alive with Afghans and their -camels. Through my glasses I could see sacks of -rifles being thrown from the dhow on to the sand, -snatched up by eager men, and rapidly packed on the -camels' backs. A long string of heavily-laden camels -was already disappearing behind the sand-hills.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But I was not going to worry about them or -Afghans. I was going to set that dhow on fire with -my shells.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At twelve hundred yards I opened fire.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"At the dhow!" I shouted to Mr. Scarlett. "Don't -worry about people."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Her woodwork began flying, and I knew that the -shells were bursting inside her. It was only a -question of time—the people aboard and close to her had -vanished at the first shell—and presently smoke began -to pour from her hatches. We cheered at this—those -of us on deck working the gun, Griffiths at the wheel, -and poor old Popple Opstein supporting himself -against the deck rails. The rest I had sent down -below under cover.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We kept on firing at her, and soon there was a rush -of black smoke, small explosions took place aboard -her, her stern blew out, her masts came tumbling -down, and she took fire fore and aft. Every other -minute some ammunition must have exploded, -scattering fragments of wood and broken rifles round her -on the sand. It was courting death to go near her; -but, even so, some Afghans now and then rushed -towards her, seized a rifle, and rushed back again. -What plucky fellows they were!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By half-past ten o'clock there was no doubt that not -a round of ammunition remained in her, nor a rifle -that was not entirely useless; so, with a parting shot -dropped behind the sand-hills, I went back to the -cutter and dinghy, running the gauntlet of the cliffs -without receiving any damage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hoisting in the dinghy, and taking the empty, -waterlogged cutter in tow, I steamed very slowly -seawards to find the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> and Nicholson.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Four men killed, one missing, and five wounded -among the cutter's crew, one man killed and one -wounded aboard the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>, was the price -of that Sunday morning's work.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As we left Sheikh Hill behind us reaction set in, -and we were very depressed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The edge of civilization! I could not help thinking -of that. At home people were just getting out of bed, -wondering what Sunday clothes they should wear. -I wished that some of them could have seen how we -had spent that morning. If only I could have got -hold of the people, English, French, or Germans—I -didn't know and I didn't care—who had manufactured -those rifles or sent them out there, I should -have enjoyed torturing them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Poor old Popple Opstein sat moodily outside my -cabin under the awning, with his elbows on the table -and his face buried in his hands. If I had been in -his place I know that I should have done exactly -as he had done; but, poor old chap, he knew as -well as I did that he had bungled the whole affair, -that we might have destroyed the dhow and the rifles -without landing or losing a single man. He was -suffering the tortures of the damned.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I put my hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. -Nothing I could say would do him any good, and -nothing did either of us say.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I dared not ask him if he was certain that those two -men who had been left on the beach were actually -killed; the thought of them having fallen alive into -the hands of the Afghans was too horrible. Instead, -I asked one of his men, and, thank God! he was -certain that they were both dead. The one who had -dropped halfway along the beach had been shot -through the head, and the other, the one shot whilst -lying half in the water under the dhow's stern, had -been lying next to him, and his head was under -the water all the time they were there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The only touch of humour about the whole tragic -business came from Percy. Dressed in his best, and -looking very important, he had come up to me as we -were in the middle of destroying that dhow and asked, -pointing to my chum: "Master have guest to breakfast?" I -had laughed like a fool, till I hurt myself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As we were eating the food he had prepared for us—on -the way back to the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> that was—I turned -to the gunner. "Mr. Scarlett," I said, "if you are -a coward you are the bravest coward I have ever -heard of."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I do things like that just to try and beat it down, -sir," he mumbled; "but it's just as bad when the -next show comes along. I can't help it, sir; I really -can't. I know I look frightened; but I don't look half -as frightened as I really am."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Percy looked upon him as a demigod—that was -very evident.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-battle-of-the-paraffin-can"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER VII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">The Battle of the Paraffin Can</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>We were only able to tow that waterlogged cutter -very slowly, so we did not sight the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> until -three o'clock that afternoon. Half an hour later we -crawled alongside, and my chum and I went on board -to report. He looked as if he was going to his -execution, and though I did my best to make him "buck -up", and tried to hammer it into his head that we had -done our best, and could do no more, he seemed more -"down in the mouth" than ever.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Commander Duckworth made us tell him all that -had happened, and I thought afterwards that if only -people at home—just coming out of church they -should have been at that hour—could have peered -down into that luxuriously-furnished cabin of the -</span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> in the middle of the Straits of Ormuz, could -have heard the story which my chum told, and seen -the agony in his face as he told it, how it would have -impressed them!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Cool, grey-green silk curtains kept out the glare -from the port-holes and skylight; green-silk lampshades -on the tables fluttered in the grateful breeze -from the electric fans; pictures of English scenery, -old naval prints, photographs of beautiful women in -evening and Court dress, and photograph groups of -polo teams and their ponies covered the white -bulkheads. From photographs in silver frames, standing -on the tables between silver cups and trinkets, more -delicate women looked out with smiling sympathetic -eyes, whilst backwards and forwards past them paced -the commander in his spotless white uniform. The -Baron and I were sitting on a dainty, silk-covered -sofa, digging our bare feet and toes into a soft Persian -rug. We had no clothes on except dirty, open cotton -shirts (the sleeves rolled up), and a pair of dirty duck -"shorts" halfway up our thighs. Our bare legs and -knees, our sunburnt chests and arms, looked very -much out of place among the luxurious surroundings. -Tied below his left knee Popple Opstein had a -blood-stained handkerchief, and on my head and forehead -was the dressing which Nicholson had put there three -days ago.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My chum still wore his revolver belt and holster, -and, for once, the dirty lanyard was round his neck.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I made a fool of myself, sir," he blurted out; "I'd -never had a chance before, and I went straight for -her." His face was drawn with pain and shame at -his want of discretion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You both want a brandy-and-soda," was all -Commander Duckworth said when he had heard our tale.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He made us drink one—it was iced, and it was -grand—and said not a word of reproof for our -foolhardiness. If he had stormed and cursed us, I do not -know what we should have done.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I dreaded terribly that my chum would not be -allowed to take his cutter away again on account of -his wound—if for no other reason—but I think that -the commander realized his distressed state of mind, -and I breathed freely when he quietly told us to -repair all damages, that fresh men would be sent to -replace casualties (my chum winced), and that we -were to report as soon as we were ready to return to -our stations.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I saw Popple Opstein's face flush with gratitude. He -said, tremblingly: "Thank you, sir!" and limped out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Commander Duckworth stopped me. "I don't -know whether I am doing wisely or not in allowing -him to go away again. Just have a look at him -every daybreak, and, if that wound goes wrong, bring -him back. Tell Nicholson to report to me what he -thinks of it before he does go, and—and—just let him -know how things stand."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very good, sir. Thank you, sir, very much! -He's rather a strange old chap, fearfully sensitive, -and he'd break his heart if you stopped him going."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The cutter was hoisted to the davits, and, whilst all -the carpenters and ship-wrights in the ship were -repairing her, the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> slowly steamed inshore, -towing my launch astern. Nicholson found time to -look at the wounds in my scalp and forehead. He -told me that they had healed splendidly; but when I -saw them in a looking-glass—a great red line across -my forehead and another on the side of my head -across a patch of half-grown hair—I could not help -making a grimace.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It won't show in a month's time," he said, laughing. -"Don't you worry about your beauty being -spoilt; the girls will like you all the better for it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Strangely enough, I did happen to be thinking -that perhaps if that little, yellow-haired lady saw -me now, her mocking grey eyes might look a little -serious—for once. At any rate she could not possibly -treat me as an infant. I grew quite red—though that -I should have done so was perfectly absurd, because -I scarcely knew her, had only spoken to her once -or twice, and then she had treated me as if I were a -midshipman or a mere child.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nicholson read my thoughts—or thought he did—and -chaffed me till I grew more red than ever, and -wanted to kick him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Five miles off Sheikh Hill the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> lowered the -repaired cutter, the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> came alongside for -me and to take in more ammunition, my chum and an -entirely fresh crew manned his boat, and I towed him -back to his old billet. He looked so sad and "rigid" -as the cliffs opened out and he saw the blackened -mass of woodwork, all that remained of the dhow -which had caused that tragedy of the morning, that -I felt very nervous to leave him alone for the night. -It was quite dark when I yelled "good night" to -him and steamed away down the coast to Kuh-i-Mubarak, -to try to find Evans.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We found him surely enough—or rather he found -us. He mistook the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" in the darkness for a -dhow, and fired twenty or thirty rounds from his -Maxim before he saw my flashing lamp.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was awfully apologetic; though, as no damage -had been done, it did not matter. He had not seen a -suspicion of a dhow, nor had he heard the noise of -our firing, so went nearly "off his head" with -excitement when I told him what had happened.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Having found that he was safe and sound, I went -back to my patrolling line.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For several weeks everything went on extremely -quietly. Every morning I would hail old Popple -Opstein, and find how things were going with him; -sometimes, when there was no hurry, he even came -aboard for a cup of coffee. Every morning I visited -Evans, and these two events were about the only -excitement we had; except, of course, the weekly -Thursday afternoon alongside the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The weather was monotonously fine, and it really -was monotonous work. Neither was Mr. Scarlett -exactly the type of man I should have chosen to live -with. We agreed very well, indeed, but he was of a -morbid disposition, never laughed except cynically, -and seldom talked much unless something or other -stimulated his rather brooding, sluggish mind. Then, -as you already know, it was difficult to make him stop.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I liked talking at meals—he didn't; and, as a -matter of actual fact, I, being a cheerful kind of chap, -found him rather a "damper".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Wiggins had returned to the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>, and a -leading seaman named Ellis, a sturdy, hard-working, -little man, rather opinionated and fond of "gassing", -had taken Dobson's place. He and Moore, the petty -officer, did not "get on" at all well together. Moore -was jealous of him, and was for ever coming to me -complaining that "that 'ere Ellis took too much on -'isself."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Several times Moore brought him up to my platform -deck (which we used as a quarter-deck) and reported -him for disrespect. Precious little sympathy -did he get from me, however. Still, in such a tiny -little ship it was unpleasant to know that they were -not on friendly terms. The jealousy first started, I -fancy, when we had a "sing-song" one night. Both -of them had sung songs, and Ellis had been more -often "encored" than Moore. The reason seems -perfectly inane, but full-grown men, under conditions -such as these were, often behave in the most childish -way possible.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>During these first weeks Mr. Scarlett and Jaffa, -between them, put me up to all the tricks of the -gun-running business. What one didn't know of the -Arabs' dodges for concealing rifles the other did; so -I became quite an expert, theoretically.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One evening when it was fairly cool—after a regular -furnace of a day—Mr. Scarlett became communicative. -We had been speaking of boarding suspected dhows.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now take the case, sir, of a dhow flying the -Turkish flag. You steam up to her; down goes her -sail; over you bob to her in the dinghy with Jaffa, -and tell the nakhoda to show his papers. You dare -not board until you have seen them. He hands them -down to you. You look through them—written in -Turkish, English, and Hindustani; all three -probably—and so long as they are in order, whether you -know for certain that she's brim-full of rifles or -whether you only suspect that she is, you dare not -board and search her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I remember," he said, "running up against a -fine dhow one morning—I was away in the old -</span><em class="italics">Pigeon's</em><span> cutter then—a long time since. We ran -her down, headed her off till she couldn't get away, -felt sure that she was going to be a fair prize, and -yelled "Hallib! Hallib!" until she lowered her sails. -And that reminds me, sir; never go alongside any -dhow until she's lowered her sail. They Arabs have -a nasty trick of waiting for you to come alongside, -and then lowering the sail so that it and its big yard -drops into the boat and smothers it. I've known 'em -carry away a cutter's mast that way. Whilst you are -helpless under the sail they pot at you, hoist it up -again, and sail away. I've been 'had' like that myself -once.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Just you see that sail properly lowered and then -make them hold up the halyards to show you that -they are 'unbent', because they are as nippy as sharks -a-hoisting it again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, as I was saying, we were as keen as -mosquitoes over that 'ere dhow, but, as we caught hold -of her with our boat-hooks, she hoisted Turkish -colours and we dared not board her. The nakhoda, -grinning at us, leant over her side and handed down -his papers. These were in perfect order, so we no -more dared board her than we dared stop the -mail-steamer. What riled us chiefly was the brazen-faced -way they did things. The cargo was put down as -one hundred cases of champagne, consigned to a -dirty little Persian village of about twenty miserable -fishing-huts. We knew it well, we did, before—and -after. We felt jolly well 'had'. We were as certain -as 'eggs is eggs' that she was chock-full of rifles and -ammunition, but they were as safe where they were -as if they'd been on top of the Eiffel Tower.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The lieutenant in charge of us cursed the Arab -nakhoda, and called his ancestors dogs and sons of -dogs, hoping he knew enough Hindustani to -understand. Then off we had to shove.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Our only chance was to catch those rifles on their -way to the beach whilst the dhow was unloading, or -when they once got there. All we could do was to -pull off again and follow her, and it was about all -we could do to keep up with her until she reached -her blessed village just before dark.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We'd been there a week before—for water—so we -knew what it was like. If there had been thirty -half-starved fishermen then I'd be overshooting the mark; -now the beach was crowded with rascally Afghans -and their camels, and no sooner did the dhow drop -her anchor, close in to the beach, than those cases -of champagne—about five feet long they were, each -holding a dozen fat rifles we felt sure—were bundled -into boats.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We had a Gardner machine-gun in our bows, and -opened fire with that and our old Martin Henrys; but -there must have been a couple of hundred Afghans -letting rip at us, so we had to pull out of range and -watch those cases of champagne being lashed on the -camels' backs until it was too dark to see anything -more. At any rate, all those rifles got ashore, and -you can guess what they were used for later on—for -potting at British Tommies trying to keep order on -the Indian frontier.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't you go away with the idea that we English -don't have a hand in the game," Mr. Scarlett continued -gloomily. "Why, sir, many's the time I've -seen captured rifles with the old 'Tower' mark on -them, showing that they'd been made in -England—old-fashioned Army rifles some of them, others not. -And the tricks they're up to! My word, they are as -artful as a bagful of monkeys! I've helped search a -couple of hundred dhows or more in my time, and -that's taught me a thing or two."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The first dodge as I remember bowling out—and -the simplest of 'em," Mr. Scarlett told me another -evening, as he sipped his tot of rum—for it was not -until Percy had brought along his rum and he had -taken several "sips", when the crew had "piped -down" and everything was quiet, that he generally -started his "talking machine"—"they built double -bottoms in their dhows, made 'em so cleverly that -we used to think they were the real inner skin. But -we happened to have emptied one of her cargo, and -walking about inside her she sounded hollow under -our feet, so we ripped up a board and found a snug -little collection of rifles lying there. Of course the -nakhoda swore he knew nothing about them; he and -his crew called upon Allah and most of the minor -prophets to testify to that, but it didn't prevent them -doing their five months 'chokey' or losing their dhow. -A nice little haul that was, and the word was passed -along to 'sound' the bottoms of all the dhows we -overhauled. We used to bang 'em with the butts of -our rifles. They gave up that dodge after a while -and invented something 'cuter' still. They'd fasten -ten or twelve long ropes to the keel, outside her, -bringing them over the side on deck, and they'd lash -the free ends to sacks of rifles. If they sighted a -gunboat or a launch, or any of our people, and there -was a risk of being caught and searched, they'd -simply drop them overboard and let them hang down -in the water suspended from the keel. Along we -would come, and find nothing wrong; search her -high and low, and let her go, with our blessing or -the other thing. Then one of our launches happened -to come upon a dhow unexpectedly, and caught them -doing it, heaving the sacks of rifles overboard—took -her by surprise—and that game was 'up'. Never you -leave a dhow, sir, till you've 'underrun' her.[#] You'd -be surprised how many rifles we picked up that way.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] Underrun = drop a bight or loop of rope -over the bows and haul it along under her keel.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Then there's another dodge they have round -about these coasts. All along the Arabian side there -are plenty of mangrove trees, and a great trade in -firewood is carried on with the Persian coast. So -what was easier for a dhow than to stow a dozen or -more rifles at the bottom of the hold and fill up with -firewood on the top of them? They'd chance us -getting tired of unloading them; a cutter cruising -by herself couldn't do it, because you daren't throw -any of the stuff overboard, and there wasn't room -on the dhow's deck for all the wood stowed below. -Why, sir, I've seen the whole of the </span><em class="italics">Pigeon's</em><span> upper -deck on both sides full up to the level of the 'nettings' -with chunks of firewood. Just imagine the amount -of work that meant—five or six hours in the horrid -heat—every chap feeling as limp as putty with the -climate and the monotony. A cutter cruising by -herself either had to let her go or stand by the dhow, -wasting perhaps three or four days, till her gunboat -came along to victual her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"However, we did search them, and we did find -rifles, which meant 'Good-bye' for that dhow and -'chokey' for her crew. They found that trick not -worth the risk, these people being generally -law-abiding people (more or less), simply tempted every -now and then to make a larger profit by carrying a -few rifles. They weren't what you might call reg'lar -hands at the business.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And there's another thing they do, sir; on top of -the firewood they often load a small cargo of their -dried fish, thinking the British sailor won't stomach -the smell of it. Ugh! the stink from some of those -dhows! Why, we sometimes never got rid of the -smell of it for weeks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You never heard about the mail-steamers—the -Royal British Mail—carrying rifles themselves, I -suppose, sir?" he asked, a little less gloomily as the -incongruity of it appealed to him. "Why, sir, for -one whole six months the mail-steamer brought -up regular consignments of sugar from Karachi to -Bushire and landed them there for a respectable -firm of merchants. One fine day a careless chap -at a winch, who was lowering a cask of sugar into -a lighter, let it drop. The cask was stove in, and -instead of sugar they found half a dozen rifles stowed -in pieces, packed in saw-dust. That was an -eye-opener, I can tell you. The mail-steamers don't -carry so many casks of sugar now as they did then," -Mr. Scarlett finished, smiling sardonically.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Another night he became talkative and began:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You remember that chap who fired at us—the -first time we shoved our nose under the cliffs at -Sheikh Hill? I told you for certain he was an Afghan -and couldn't possibly help firing his rifle at a white -man. Well, sir, they often send one or two of these -fellows across to the Arabian coast in the empty -dhows, just to see that the rifles are brought to the -proper place. You can always tell if there's one of -these chaps aboard a dhow when you come along to -search her, because he'll fire at you for a dead 'cert'. -What we did was to make the crew line the side -nearest us, after they'd lowered the sail and unbent the -halyards. Our sportsman, the Afghan (or Afghans) -dar'n't fire then for fear of hitting his friends, or had -to climb up where we could see him, which didn't -give him much of a chance, we being standing by -waiting for him. Still, he didn't mind being riddled -with bullets so long as he got in a shot at us English, -more especially if he'd hit any of us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The only thing in this world he does fear and -does mind is the sea. If there's a bit of a lop running -you may bet your life that Mr. Afghan is as sea-sick -as a dog, and you'll find him coiled up like a cat -somewhere under the poop, without a kick left in him. -He'd give anyone, white man or no white man, all he -possessed, if he'd only kill him right out—that's when -he's sea-sick.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He's a terrible bad sailor, is the Afghan!" Mr. Scarlett -said reflectively; "that's the only good point -about him except being such a born fighter."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett, as you know, would talk about -gun-running occasionally, but never once in those weeks -did he mention that bracelet snake of his. It was -covered with a bandage which he used to replace very -carefully every morning; sometimes I happened to -catch him doing this and saw it, but as he never -referred to it neither did I.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Percy, I am sure, was very inquisitive to know -what was the matter with his arm, because, as I said -before, everything about Mr. Scarlett was of absorbing -interest to him; though, after he had been kicked out -of the cabin once or twice when Mr. Scarlett was -dressing, he never ventured near it again until he -was called.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Things went on like this for three weeks—three -weeks of calm, intensely hot weather. Popple -Opstein's wound had healed without anything going -wrong with it; my scars were becoming less marked. -Jones, the private of marines, was well—as were all -the other wounded. Popple Opstein was quite -himself again, and in fact everything was going on very -comfortably if monotonously. It certainly was -monotonous, because during all that time we never sighted -one single dhow, and although the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> had -stopped and searched a few farther out at sea she -had not found a single rifle over and above the -proper number a dhow is allowed to carry for her -own protection.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then, to vary the tedium, it began to blow. A -shamel got up very quickly, and blew steadily for -eight or nine days. It was not so bad that the -</span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> couldn't keep the sea and do her -patrolling, but the two cutters had to hug tight at -anchor in their two little creeks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, Evans grew restless after the third day, -and put to sea one morning, leaving the shelter of -Kuh-i-Mubarak and beating into the shamel long -after he ought to have run back again. A squall -carried away his foremast when he was already to -leeward of it, and he rapidly began to drift farther -to the south. Fortunately I happened to sight him, -went down to help him, and took him in tow. Towing -him back into shelter against a heavy head sea -strained some of the planks in the bows, below the -water-lines, and the boat began leaking badly. We -had only left the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> four days previously, so -that she would not be coming inshore to revictual -us for another three; and, as it would have been -foolish to attempt to tow the cutter right out to sea -to find her and repair damages, we decided to beach -her, do a little amateur caulking, and try to repair -the foremast if that was possible.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was a jolly little sandy beach about half a -mile up the creek, so we beached her there after -Evans had transferred his Maxim, ammunition, and -stores to the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>. I anchored close by, in -case he was attacked. There was little chance of that, -however, because the village of Sudab lay more than -three miles away behind the sand-hills, not a single -living soul was in sight, and none could approach -without being seen for at least a mile.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His men were soon busy working and skylarking, -stretching their legs on the strip of sand, and -thoroughly enjoying themselves. Not a sign of an -Arab or an Afghan, not even of a miserable Baluchi, -did we see all that day. In fact, things seemed so -safe and pleasant that I landed most of my fellows -too, and we got up a cricket match, with an empty -paraffin tin for a wicket, a ball made of "spun yarn", -and a bat made out of a broken oar. We equalized -numbers with my lascars, and had a most exciting -game, the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> winning the championship -of Kuh-i-Mubarak just before the "spun-yarn" ball -was worn out completely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The work on the boat had been finished, the seams -recaulked, and the mast repaired; but Evans decided, -as it was going to be a perfect moonlight night, to -stay there until next morning, in order that his men -might have a change from the cramped cutter and -get a good night's sleep.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At sunset I took all my people back to the </span><em class="italics">Bunder -Abbas</em><span>, leaving the cutter's crew playing football with -that paraffin tin, with their bare feet, until they grew -tired of that, and kicked it into the edge of the sea. -They then made themselves snug for the night, lying -down on the crest of the beach with their rifles by -their sides, in case they were attacked, and with one -man doing "sentry go", to give warning if necessary.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When the moon rose I could see them all lying -comfortably there, one sleepy-looking figure sitting -up among them, and some way along the sand the -cutter, with the sea—it was just about high -water—lapping against her stern-post. Having seen my own -"look-out" man "standing by" with a loaded belt in -the Maxim, in case he was needed, I lay down on the -deck, outside my cabin, and slept gloriously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was awakened by a rifle shot, and jumped up. -More rifle shots spluttered out. I looked ashore and -saw the cutter's crew lying flat on their chests firing -along the strip of beach—showing up in the moonlight -as clearly as if it was daytime—and heard Evans -shouting out excited orders by the dozen. (I told you -what a "nervy" chap he was.) One of his men came -crawling down towards us, yelling to us to open fire. -It did not want his shouts to alarm us; my fellows -were already on deck, looking wildly up and down -the creek to see who was attacking. Not a sign of -an enemy could I see, and it was light enough to see -half a mile; but the hummocks of sand stretching -inland and along the beach cast such very dark -shadows that whoever was attacking could lie there -absolutely hidden.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To judge by the amount of ammunition the cutter's -crew were expending, Evans was evidently certain -of his enemy. Spurts of sand were flying up just in -front of his men, although I could not see any flashes -coming from out of those dark shadows. I admit -that I felt considerably flustered; Mr. Scarlett's face -looked ghastly in the moonlight, and I wished with -all my heart that I had not allowed Evans to sleep -ashore. I could not help thinking of how Popple -Opstein had been caught, and was very fearful that -something of the same kind was going to happen again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If we could only have seen something to fire at it -would have been less frightening, but there was -nothing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then Evans himself came rushing down to where -the cutter lay, and yelled to me to open fire whilst his -men shoved her off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I thought he could not possibly have made a -mistake, so banged away with a Maxim at those shadows. -"There, sir, there! Look there, sir!" Moore -suddenly rushed at me, pointing excitedly to a dark object -apparently crawling along just by the water's edge -not a hundred yards away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The cutter's crew had seen it too, their bullets were -spurting close to it, but Evans shrieked for them to -come down and shove off the cutter, so I started the -Maxim. We saw our bullets splashing all round, -ceased fire, and waited for anything else to appear. -Whatever that was, it never moved again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By this time Evans had got the cutter afloat, and -had come alongside the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Arabs crawling along the beach!" he shouted. -"The sentry saw them first, fired at them—we've all -fired at them—we've not seen any more since."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Were they firing at you?" I called down, when he -left off shouting at me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He didn't know—he was not certain of anything -except that his fellows had managed to kill at least -one man.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At any rate, whatever had happened, no one was -attacking us now. I stopped the Maxim, and together -we waited on the qui vive all night, in case -we were attacked again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When the moon sank, an hour and a half before -the sun was due to take her place, it became extremely -dark, which made it most trying and nervous work -waiting for daylight. Instead of the good night's sleep -we had all promised ourselves, not a soul among us -so much as closed his eyes after the alarm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At daybreak not a sign of any living thing could -be seen on those desolate sand-hills or on the beach, -so we ventured ashore to pick up the cutter's masts -and sails, which had been left behind in the panic.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I went too, to have a look at the chap we had shot, -and guess what we found—fifty yards along the -beach—that paraffin tin! just where we had thought -we had seen the enemy crawling along to attack -us—simply riddled with bullets. It was like a nutmeg -grater, and the sand all round it was scored and -tossed about by hundreds more.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I simply sat down and laughed and laughed till -I thought something would crack. The whole thing -was so obvious. It was high water when the men -went to sleep; as the tide fell it left that tin high and -dry: the sentry, suddenly catching sight of it and its -shadow, lost his head, thought it was someone crawling -along the beach, let off his rifle at it, woke the -others, and in their excitement they fired at every -shadow they saw.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You killed him, sure enough," I roared, holding -up the perforated tin; "the attack was repulsed with -great slaughter."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was not until we had walked behind the sand-hills, -and found not a single trace of footsteps, that Evans -would allow that the whole thing had been a false -alarm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Your Maxim fired at it too," he said angrily. -"You've made a fool of yourself as well."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Evans never heard the last of his paraffin tin, nor -did his boat's crew; and, later on, when the yarn -(with additions) spread aboard the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>, we all -came in for a great deal of chaff. For months -afterwards, a messmate hankering after a black eye had -only to ask a man belonging to that cutter's crew, -or to the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>, what kind of an Afghan a -paraffin tin was most like, and he got one.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, we had made the cutter watertight and -mended the foremast (after a fashion), though it was -not strong enough to "look at" the shamel still -blowing; so, leaving Evans to wait until it had blown -itself out, I struggled up to wind'ard to have a look -at Popple Opstein and find out how he had fared.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I found him snugly anchored under the lee of -Sheikh Hill. He was so close inshore that when -I poked in to have a yarn, the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" could not -get within half a mile of his cutter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I pulled across in the dinghy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Has no one fired at you?" I asked him, seeing -that he was within easy range of the shore and even -of those high cliffs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not a soul," he told me. "I've not seen a man, -woman, or child these five days. Just look at those -palm trees!" pointing in the direction where Bungi -village lay. "They seem to have changed colour: -they're browner than they were; and we cannot see -anyone moving about among the sand-hills, not even -from the top of the mast. I can't make it out."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I had to tell him the yarn of last night's brilliant -little battle with the paraffin tin, and left him and his -crew intensely amused.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When I went back to the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> I climbed -her mast (much higher it was than the cutter's masts), -and through my glasses very carefully searched the -flats behind those sand-hills. Not a single living, -moving thing did I see, although I watched for quite -a quarter of an hour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I sent Jaffa up to the masthead, and he came -down puzzled, wanting me to land him so that he -could find out what had happened.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He smiled when I suggested danger. "You wait, -sir," he said, and disappeared down below.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My chum began making a signal to me, asking -if I could spare any matches, so I forgot about Jaffa -until, going back to the cabin, I came across him -rigged out as a coast Persian or Baluchi—I didn't -know anything of the different tribes, and I don't -now—a regular low-caste, unkempt, miserable -creature, dirtier than the dirtiest. The only thing -remaining of the immaculate Jaffa was his dignified smile.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You send me shore, sir, when dark comes. I go -Bungi; find out things; come back to-morrow night—same -time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett told me that no self-respecting Afghan -would waste a cartridge or blunt a knife on him in -that rig, and that he would run very little risk; so, -after sunset, and before the moon rose, I took him -ashore myself in the dinghy, feeling rather ashamed -to let him disappear behind the sand-hills alone, and -promising to be there for him the next night.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At sunrise next morning, just as we were preparing -to go to sea for the day, he was seen strolling -calmly over the sand-hills, not even deigning to wave -his arms to attract attention. One thing was certain: -he could not be in any danger.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I stopped heaving in the cable, lowered the dinghy, -and pulled ashore myself, jolly glad to get some -exercise.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's the news?" I called out, as the dinghy -took the ground.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bungi all gone—houses burnt—men and old -women lying all round—killed—no one else there—no -young women—no children—only dogs and some -goats—no Baluchis—no camels—no Afghans—all -nothing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's the meaning of that?" I asked in horror -and astonishment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He shrugged his shoulders.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Afghan take revenge—lose many fighting men—cannot -have rifles so take young women and children—take -them to mountains—come and see."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was only too keen to go, and followed him over -those same sand-hills from behind which the Afghans -had fired at Popple Opstein that horrid Sunday -morning. We walked nearly a mile across the sandy -wastes—very hot they were to my bare feet—and as we -neared the clumps of palm trees which showed where -Bungi had stood I saw why they had changed their -colour—nearly all had been scorched by the heat -from the burning thatched roofs. Their big leaves, -red and yellow and black, hung low, mournfully.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The whole village was destroyed and the scene was -too horrible to describe, but I saw enough to know -that Jaffa was right.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Some half-jackal half-wolf dogs went yelping away -when we disturbed them; nothing else lived.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The cruel Afghans had not even been satisfied with -this. It was plain that they had driven their herd -of camels up and down the patches of cultivated -ground until not a trace of them existed. Jaffa -explained this, and pointed out the innumerable -hoof-marks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The one well was heaped with dead bodies.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He said, in his quaint way, that that was a proof -that "the Afghans had been very angry"!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then he took me out of the village and showed me -the broad track of camel marks leading across the -ford towards the mountains.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sooner the captain of the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> knew of this -the better; so back to the dinghy and the </span><em class="italics">Bunder -Abbas</em><span> we went. I signalled across to tell Popple -Opstein (we now knew why he had not been fired -at) and went to sea, steaming down to Kuh-i-Mubarak. -The shamel was still blowing strongly, -so Evans was taking shelter in the creek close to -the site of the "battle of the paraffin can". As we -passed him I shouted out to tell him the news, and -that I was going to find out whether Sudab had met -the same fate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I steamed up until the lagoon opened out and the -water became too shallow to go farther. Then, -landing with Jaffa, Webster, the corporal of marines, and -two privates, all armed, we advanced very cautiously -inland towards those palm trees under which I had -seen the camels many weeks ago. Long before we -reached them we knew by the burnt leaves and the -sickening smell which pervaded everything that -Sudab had met the same fate as Bungi. Even the -fishing-boats had been smashed or burnt. We were -very glad to get away from it, tramping back through -the hot sand, and meeting Evans on his way to -explore on his own account. I tried to dissuade him -from going, but he was too excited to listen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm going along to find the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>" I shouted -after him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll come along too, directly the shamel has -finished," he called back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In an hour the little "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" was plunging and -burying herself into a head sea, making two knots, -over the land. We went at it all the rest of that day -and all that night, sighting the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> next morning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I signalled across my news, and was immediately -ordered to close. It was too rough to go alongside. -I was ordered to steam to Jask with telegrams for the -Admiral and to find out if the telegraph people had -any news.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Of course, it was evident to everyone that the -Afghans had given up any idea of landing more -rifles at either of these two places, so the sooner the -Admiral knew of this and the sooner we found out -what fresh schemes were under way, the better.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But I was short of coal, and it took nearly two -hours to fill up from the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>, making fast with -a hawser to her stern, and passing small bags from -her poop to our bows along a running whip—no light -job with such a nasty sea running. Then I was off -again for Jask.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I looked at myself in the cracked glass inside our -cabin. That scar across my forehead still showed -very plainly, and for the life of me I could not help -wondering what that little yellow-haired lady would -say when she saw it.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="ugly-rumours"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER VIII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">Ugly Rumours</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>At daybreak next morning we were off Jask Point, -with its square white telegraph buildings and its low -sand-hills jutting out into the sea. As the shamel was -still blowing hard from the north-west I anchored to -the east'ard of the point, close to some rocks, and -among a number of dhows sheltering there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Percy pipeclayed my shoes and helmet, laid out my -last clean white suit of uniform, and, having made -myself look as smart as I could, I landed close to the -old ruined fort (or sheikh's house) and walked up -towards the telegraph buildings, meeting the political -agent, in pyjamas, smoking a cigar and looking critically -at the earth breastwork and the line of wire -entanglements.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hallo!" he called out cheerily; "they told me -you were coming in. You people have made it -hot for everybody along the coast, and no mistake!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He did not want me to give him any news. He -had already heard of the capture of one dhow and the -destruction of the other, of the terrible losses of the -Afghans, of our men being killed, and that Bungi -and Sudab had been destroyed. The Afghans had -got the idea into their heads that the poor, wretched -Persian villagers had given the "show" away, so -had taken this ghastly revenge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You can't keep anything secret in this country," -he said; "the way news travels is simply marvellous. -I even heard that an officer had been wounded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Was that you?" he asked, looking at my forehead. -"I heard that one of you had been seen to fall whilst -running along the beach."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I shook my head. "I did not land. It was my -chum. Shot through the calf he was. He's all right -now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Those Afghans came along this way before they -went home," he continued; "camped round the new -fort, halfway to old Jask; hanged a couple of Persian -customs people who lived in it; hanged them from -the top of the wall to show their contempt for the -Persian Governor; looted it and went away next -morning with their camels and the women and -children captured in those villages. They had a great -number of wounded, those you had wounded—poor -wretches!—and threatened to come along and cut our -throats later on. A few of them did actually ride up -here and fire their rifles—but that was nothing. They -put down their losses—they had more than sixty killed—and -their ill luck with the gun-running business to -the telegraph cable—about right they are too—and -would do anything to destroy it and us. Before they -went away they cut the land line running along the -coast to Karachi, just to give us the trouble of -repairing it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aren't you rather nervous?" I asked him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He shrugged his shoulders.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We have twenty fellows here who can handle -rifles—Eurasians and people like that—besides Borsen -and myself. The governor of Jask, too, has fifty or -sixty border police, Bedouins, whom the Afghans -hate more than they hate us, so we could rely upon -them at a pinch!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I suppose they will not attempt to run more rifles -into Bungi or Sudab?" I said enquiringly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, no! they've had enough of those two places. -They'll get news across to the Arabian coast and lie -quiet for some months. Come along and have 'chota-hazri'," -he said, changing the subject. "You needn't -say anything about those Afghans or about them -coming along here. My wife knows nothing about -it, nor does Miss Borsen; I don't want them to know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He took me up to his house and sent off the -telegrams for the Admiral. The old head boy brought us -tea, bread and butter, and fruit, and I quite enjoyed -myself, except that the old gentleman was wearing -a yellow-silk turban, and every time he came out on -the veranda it caught my eye, and I thought he was -Miss Borsen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, I might have spared myself the trouble -of constantly turning my head and expecting to see -her, because she was not even living in that house, -but with her brother.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Afterwards, on my way down to the beach, I saw -her there, a slim little figure on the shore, dressed all -in white, with a big white helmet almost covering her -yellow hair, looking strangely out of place among a -motley crowd of Arabs, Persians, and Zanzibaris, -loading and unloading the dhows.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Her brother ought not to let her come down -alone," I thought angrily.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She had a camera with her, and was taking pictures -of the natives and their camels. She smiled when she -saw me, and every mortal thing I had in my head -seemed to go out of it. I couldn't think of any blessed -thing to say except that it was a fine morning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then she laughed until I grew red and uncomfortable. -It was a relief to shout across to the -"</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" for the dinghy, but whilst it was coming -she made me pose for my photograph.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have a snapshot of your little steamboat (boat!—mind -you); I must have one of its captain too," she -said, as if it was a great compliment to be -photographed by her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If there is one thing I hate more than another it is -having my photograph taken. Especially did I hate -this, because she arranged me and rearranged me, with -Griffiths in the dinghy for a background, and all the -time he was grinning at me till I felt the idiot I looked. -She never mentioned the scar on my forehead, so I -took my helmet off so that she must see it, and then all -she said was: "Do put your hat on again, and turn -side face; that nasty scratch quite spoils the picture."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hat! Nasty scratch! Spoils her picture! My -word, what irritating things girls are! I'd gone -ashore wanting her to see the wound, perhaps to say -something nice about it, and hoping that she would -treat me, for once, as though I were a man; and she'd -made me cover it up in order not to spoil her picture, -and made me stand there, like a baby, whilst she took -the snapshot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I felt very irritated, and when she said: "Let me -come aboard and photograph that dear Mr. Scarlett," -I felt more annoyed than ever. At that time of the -morning the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> wasn't clean and tidy, so -I answered rather cuttingly that I'd send the gunner -ashore to be photographed, and suggested that perhaps -she'd better wait until her brother or the political -agent's wife could bring her on board some other time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She smiled again her mocking smile, and, curtsying -derisively, watched me clambering clumsily into the -dinghy, trying not to wet my feet. With her eyes on -me I felt like an elephant trying to get into a canoe, -and one of my feet slipped and went into the water. -That buckskin shoe was pretty well spoiled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When Griffiths shoved off—still grinning the brute -was—I looked back to salute; but she was already -walking away from the beach and did not turn her head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She's offended now," I thought. "Serve her -jolly well right! Fancy asking herself aboard like -that; no English girl would have dreamt of doing -such a thing!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, I was not really in the least pleased, and -Mr. Scarlett soon found out that I was in a pretty bad -temper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Commander Duckworth had ordered me to lie at -Jask until replies to his telegrams had been received -from the Admiral, so there I had to stay—possibly -for days.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The morning went by very slowly. I was in a -thoroughly bad temper, and didn't care a "buttered -biscuit" whether the six-pounder's recoil springs -wanted adjusting or not; and when the lascar -first-driver reported that the packing in the high-pressure -piston-rod gland was not as tight as it should be, -dragging me down below to see it, I cursed him till -he salaamed a hundred times a minute to appease me. -Moore, too, reported Ellis again for giving him "lip", -and went away "with a flea in his ear".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I could not get the idea out of my head that those -Afghans would come back and attack the place. -Those wire entanglements and earthworks looked -such puny things to keep back those fierce chaps who -had faced our Maxims and six-pounder near Bungi, -that if they really meant business, fifty rifles would -not keep them out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was such hard luck on those two women. The -political agent and Borsen did not count. They'd -gone into the job with their eyes open, but the -women—well, that was different. They should never have -been allowed to come to this desolate, exposed, -out-of-the-way spot, on the very edge of civilization.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Those mountains, too, were only twenty miles away; -the Afghans could swoop down from them in a night, -appear as unexpectedly as a vulture, get between the -telegraph station and old Jask, with its fifty Bedouin -border police, and cut it off entirely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I sent for Jaffa and asked him what kind of fellows -these border police were. He shrugged his shoulders, -as much as to say that they were useless, and volunteered -to go to Jask and find out, in the bazaars, what -news there was. I let him go, and he borrowed a -camel from a friend on the beach and rode away -inland, his black lambskin fez disappearing among -the palms surrounding the ruined sheikh's house.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That afternoon Mr. Scarlett and I enjoyed the luxury -of a thoroughly good sleep, lying back in our canvas -chairs under the awning outside our cabin until Percy -woke us for afternoon tea—tinned milk, bread (stale) -buttered with liquid tinned butter, rancid at that.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was a little sandy cove among the rocks -close alongside, so I sent the whole crew ashore there, -natives and all. They were soon enjoying themselves -to their hearts' content, bathing and skylarking, -scrubbing their clothes, drying them on the hot sand, and -having a thoroughly good time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm hanged if I'm going to land at Jask again," -I said to myself; but I did go, bawling ashore for -someone to bring off the dinghy, and wearing my one -respectable flannel suit of "plain clothes"—the very -first time I had worn "plain clothes" since joining -the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I left Mr. Scarlett in charge; he never wanted to -go ashore. He said, quite openly, that he was afraid -of meeting Jassim, and felt sure that he would do so -sooner or later. He was not a man one could argue -with. Once he had made up his mind that something -gloomy was going to happen he'd stick to it, and -when it didn't happen he would be more certain that -something worse still would take its place. This silly -business about Jassim and the bracelet was, of course, -at the bottom of it all. It seemed so absolutely -childish for him to imagine that he would meet the -man, or that anyone would remember the beastly -thing, after all these years, to say nothing of the fact -that whatever poison was left in the fangs after they -had bitten those two could not possibly have retained -its powers, that I lost patience with him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I landed, but never intended going near the telegraph -station, not by a long chalk. I did not want -to be treated like a child by Miss Borsen—you bet -I did not—so I wandered off to explore the ruins of -that sheikh's house or fort among the palm trees.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a great square building with a tower at one -corner, built up of red sandy bricks, all rounded by -age, and the mortar, or whatever it was which bound -them together, so friable and crumbling that I could -loosen a brick with the end of a stick in no time. An -entrance under the tower (from which the door had -long since disappeared) led into a courtyard covered -with rubbish, and all round it were the remains of -dwelling-rooms, storehouses, and stables. Some still -had roofs to them. A great high wall with crumbling -battlements and platforms seemed to shut out every -trace of breeze and shut in every ray of heat. The -place was like an enormous oven. I climbed up some -rough brick steps leading towards the battlements and -base of the tower and had a good view over the -surrounding country.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Beyond a few miserable palm trees was the open -narrow piece of flat ground forming the neck of the -peninsula. It gradually rose towards the telegraph -buildings, and about halfway between—something -like three hundred yards from where I stood—-were -the line of wire entanglements and the earth -breastwork, stretching right across from the rocks under -which the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> was anchored to the shore -on the other side, where the shamel was still driving -white breakers up the beach with a continuous roar.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Still higher was that strong, loopholed wall -surrounding the buildings themselves.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Away to the east'ard ran the telegraph line on its -bare steel poles: the line which ran along the coast -to Karachi, and which the Afghans had cut only a -few days ago. I could follow the line of telegraph -posts till they dwindled into "nothing", and felt very -thankful that it was not my job to go along that -appallingly lonely coast to repair damages.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I suppose I was seen from the telegraph station, -for a servant came running down the peninsula, came -into the middle of the courtyard, and I'm hanged if -I didn't get an invitation to tea with the political -agent's wife.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I climbed down and followed him, pretending that -I was unwilling to go, and grumbling to myself that -if I did meet Miss Borsen we should probably have -a row. In half an hour I found myself playing tennis -with a borrowed racket and borrowed shoes, which -flopped about like canoes on my feet, with Miss -Borsen playing opposite me, and beating me time -after time with her low drives along the side lines. -She seemed to take a positive joy in seeing me falling -over my own feet in my attempts to return balls much -too good for me. I hate being beaten at any game, -especially by a woman, so that did not improve my -temper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What about your gunner?" the political agent -said, when at last I was allowed to "cool off" out of -range of that little torturer's eyes. "Doesn't he ever -come ashore?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This made me think of Jassim, the bracelet, and of -snake poisons.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you know anything about poisons?" I asked. -"How long do you suppose a cobra's poison would -remain deadly?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In a dead cobra, do you mean? I don't know; -but I should not care to keep a dried one without -having his poison gland removed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," I said. "If you extracted the poison and -kept it in a—a bottle, for instance."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not for long, I should imagine," he answered; and -then I was fairly startled, for he began to tell me the -story of the very cobra bracelet on Mr. Scarlett's arm. -I did my best to appear as if this was all quite -unknown to me, for fear he should guess that I knew -something about it, and drag more information from -me than Mr. Scarlett would care I should tell.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've never seen it," he went on, quite unsuspiciously; -"but an old friend of mine, skipper of a -tramp steamer doing a queer business in the Gulf -many years ago, saw it once, and told me that he'd -never seen such a beautiful piece of workmanship. -It will turn up some day at Christie's or at some -other curio dealer's in London, I expect, and I'm -rather sorry for whoever buys it. If he is known to -possess it the news will come along out here, and I -don't mind saying that it will disappear again within -six months. The present Khan of Khamia, the real -owner, is not the wealthy chap some of the former -khans were, but he offers a reward every three months -in the bazaars of every town on both sides of the -Gulf—a reward of thirty thousand rupees—to whoever -brings back the 'twin death', as it is called. That's -two thousand pounds, and there's not an Arab born -yet who wouldn't give his body to earn that, to say -nothing about his being certain of Paradise if he -helped to restore it to its rightful owners."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I mopped my perspiring face often enough to -prevent him noticing how his confirmation of Mr. Scarlett's -yarn had stirred me, and was quite glad to be -called away to play tennis.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I played worse than ever, and Miss Borsen grew -more provokingly successful.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After all my determination never to go near her -again, I found myself weakly consenting to stay to -dinner. The political agent rigged me out in clothes -of his own, and the meal was a most delightful change -after "pigging it" on board the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" for six -weeks on tinned grub, with only the gunner's -black-bearded, morose face in front of me. After such fare -as we had had this dinner was luxury, but still more -of a luxury than the food was the daintily decorated -table with its soft candlelight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It would have been absolutely enjoyable if Miss -Borsen had not been there too. She had a most -irritating effect on me. Whether she intended it or not -she always seemed to be "pulling my leg", and I -instinctively "bristled up" and wanted to get the -upper hand, and put her in her proper place as a very -dainty little lady who should listen, very respectfully, -whilst I talked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I tried to tell them about being carried away to sea -in that dhow; but when I came to the part where I -climbed along the struggling yard, instead of looking -impressed, she merely giggled: "I wish I'd been -there; you must have looked like a frog." This put -me "off" telling any more yarns, and made me so -annoyed with her that I disagreed with everything -she said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Every time I did so she came off best in the argument, -in spite of not speaking English very fluently.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By the end of that dinner I felt that I wanted to -pick her up—I could have done so with one hand—and -give her a thoroughly good shaking, just to make -her realize how strong I was, and that though she -could defeat me with her clever little tongue, she was, -at any rate, helpless physically.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a most gloriously cool night, with millions -of stars shining, and they all walked down to the beach -to see me go aboard. We came to a dark patch close -to the beach, where the tide sometimes washed across, -and when the political agent called out: "Be careful -of your feet; it's swampy," the temptation was too -great. I whisked little Miss Borsen off her feet, and, -before she had time to make more than an angry -protest, had carried her twenty paces across it and set -her down on the dry sand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She never spoke a single word after that, and I -chuckled to think that, at last, I had stopped her -tormenting little tongue. I would try that dodge -again if necessary.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I hailed the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>"; the dinghy came ashore -for me, and off to my launch I went, shouting good-night -to them all. My little tormentor's voice was -not among the chorus of "good-nights" shouted -back. She still had her tongue tied.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett was waiting up for me, looking more -saturnine than ever. His dark eyes gleamed -maliciously when I came into the light of the lamp, -because a little blue-velvet bow had caught in a -button of my coat. It was one she had worn, and I -got red, looked an ass, and untwisted it. I kept it, -too, as a trophy of the first victory I had won.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Brute force is better than brains—sometimes," I -chuckled to myself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Jaffa come back?" I asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett shook his head, and I felt rather -nervous about him, although that was quite unnecessary, -because he arrived next morning, safe and sound, but -with very little definite information. The townspeople -in Old Jask were in a state of alarm at the threats of -the hill tribes, and the Khan or Mir had called in the -border police from outlying villages. He had actually -served out ammunition to them—a thing he did not -often do for fear that they themselves would plunder -Jask. I went up to see the political agent to tell him -of this. He knew it already, but it was a good enough -excuse to go, for I wanted to know if I had offended -Miss Borsen and apologize if I had done so.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, I did not see her; and although the -replies to those telegrams did not come from the -Admiral for another four days, and I went there every -day, I never did see her. There was always some -excuse: that she had a headache, or was resting; but -it was plain enough that I had mortally offended her, -and my victory seemed much more like a defeat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So it was quite a relief when the cipher telegrams -did arrive, and when the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" steamed away -north-west again, to look for the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>These telegrams ordered Commander Duckworth to -proceed immediately to Muscat. He wasted no time -in picking up the two cutters and departing, leaving -me to cruise up and down that same strip of coast for -another fortnight, without seeing a sail—until, in fact, -I had to run across to Muscat myself, for coal and water.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I found the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> there anchored under the black -cliffs and the old fort, and hoped to get ashore, but -was ordered to fill up as quickly as possible and to -cruise off a place called Jeb, about forty miles to the -north'ard, where those rifles were originally reported -to have been stowed. A miserable native chap, with -a grudge to repay, had come along from there to say -that a dhow was filling up with rifles for the Makran -coast. So off I had to go.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This coast was entirely different from the one I had -just left. Stupendous barren mountains towered up to -the sky; their ridges and shoulders, sweeping down to -the sea, ended abruptly in stupendous cliffs whose feet -were eaten away by the continual beating of the -south-west monsoon waves, until they looked as if they must -soon topple over. Forbidding-looking inlets here and -there made very comfortable shelter to lie in for a few -hours, though I could not stay in them for long -without being "sniped". My orders were not to go -within five hundred yards of any inhabited place, -because the people along the coast were so well -armed, and even in these desolate inlets they would -discover me, after a very short time, and compel me -to go out into the heavy seas again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Thank goodness, they were execrable shots!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luck was not in our way, for when we returned to -Muscat we found that the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> herself had -captured that dhow, and all we had to do was to tow it -out and burn it—not a very heroic task.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next fortnight was spent still farther to the -north'ard. Sixty miles of coast we had to examine, -and we started from the farthest point, gradually -working along towards Muscat. Wherever there -was a gap in the cliffs, or a valley running down to -the sea, in we would go and be sure to find a village, -perhaps a dozen huts, perhaps fifty, nestling under -a few date-palm trees or along the banks of a -stream. The natives (fishermen, for the most part, -owning perhaps a few sheep or goats, which they -guarded day and night from wolves and jackals) were -an inoffensive, absolutely ignorant lot of people. Even -Jaffa could make very little out of them except that they -lived in perpetual fear of Bedouins or other raiding -Arab tribes and of wild animals. They did not want -money—they did not seem to know the use of it—and -for a few dates and a few pounds of rice—especially -rice—we could get enough fish for the whole crew.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I had to search all these villages for concealed arms. -It was supposed that the Arabs—Bedouins or whoever -they were—knowing that it was useless to try to send -any more rifles away from Jeb, would take them farther -up the coast in caravans, distributing them in small -numbers among these villages and compelling the -natives to store them in their huts, until dhows should -come along and take them away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, we found nothing whatever except a few -old muzzle-loaders, dating from the year "one".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was such an entire absence of danger that -whilst a couple of bluejackets or marines, under Moore, -Ellis, or Webster, went from hut to hut, searching, -I would take the head man of the village away up the -slopes of the mountains and try to get a shot at a -wild goat. I managed to bag one or two, and when, -one day, at some wretched place which I don't believe -possessed a name, I shot a leopard (I had only a -shotgun with me), breaking its hindlegs so that it could -not get away and the natives could surround it and -beat it to death, I was looked upon as the saviour of -the village. They filled the dinghy with fish, and -actually brought along a sheep. Jaffa and Mr. Scarlett -said it was a sheep; I thought it was a goat; and -I'm hanged if it was possible to tell, by eating it, -which it was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The news of my shooting the leopard spread along -the coast, and whereas, previously, the villagers had -been half-frightened out of their lives when the -"</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" appeared, flying hurriedly with their women -and children, goats and sheep, to the mountains, -now, when we anchored off a village, the beach would -often be lined with people to welcome us and implore -me to go and shoot leopards or jackals.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the last day of this cruise, the last morning -before we had to return to Muscat for more coal and -food, I took the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> into a most marvellous -gorge in the cliffs. Just imagine enormous, -perpendicular, sea-worn cliffs, eight hundred feet high, with -the south-west monsoon swell roaring at their feet, and -a cleft, not fifty yards across, cut straight down through -them, as by some enormous knife.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Into this the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" shoved her nose, twisted and -turned, with those huge walls on either side, until long -after the sea had disappeared and the booming of -the breaking swell had ceased. Gradually the walls -trended downwards, until a last turn disclosed an -inland basin, quite a mile long and nearly as broad. -Mangrove trees came down all round it nearly to the -water's edge; what looked like rich grass-land ran up -the slopes of the mountains until it faded among the -gaunt bare rock; and at one place, where a little stream -opened, there was quite a large cluster of huts, with -many fishing-boats drawn up on the beach in front of -them. I anchored in front of this village—marked on -the chart as Kalat al Abeid—lowered the dinghy, and -pulled ashore, with Jaffa to interpret, and the three -marines (armed with rifles) to do the usual searching.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I took my shot-gun, but the head-man—a tall, -wizened, old chap with a scarlet sash round his waist -and a scarlet turban on his head—as soon as he saw -it, shook his head, patted one of the marine's rifles, -and jabbered away excitedly to Jaffa, pointing up to -the mountains.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa interpreted: "He say plenty leopard in -mountain—come down every night—kill sheep and -goats—two nights ago killed a woman. Want you get -rifle from ship—go shoot them—want all men -go—kill many leopard—he show you where they sleep -in daytime."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right oh, old cock!" I said, sent the dinghy -back for another rifle, and hurried away the marines -and Jaffa to get their searching done.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The villagers were so eager for us to go shooting -that they had actually stripped their huts of everything -movable, bringing the things outside, so that all we -had to do was to stoop down through the low doorway, -see that the floor was bare and had not been -disturbed lately (no rifles buried there), then back out -again and search the next.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was the quaintest sight in the world to see the -excited children—little brown naked urchins—staggering -out with big clay cooking utensils and brass -cooking pots as big as themselves, as happy as the day -was long at this new kind of game.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One or two huts were so dark inside that we could -not see; but the natives tore away some of the palm-leaf -roof to let in light, in order that nothing should -delay us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Griffiths came back with the dinghy and my rifle, -bringing a spare one on the chance that I would let -him have a day's sport too. I let him come, and -away inland we started, the head-man, Jaffa (with -my shot-gun), and myself leading, followed by -Webster, his two marines, and Griffiths, surrounded by a -dirty, happy mob of natives, armed with short, clumsy -hunting spears, some only with boat's paddles. -Innumerable children followed, shrieking with delight, -and a dozen or more women, hooded so that we could -only see their eyes, bearing vessels of water—big -earthenware chatties—on their heads, brought up -the rear of the expedition.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If I had had any idea whatever of treachery the -fact of the women coming along would have dispelled -that. We were just as safe as if we had been going -shooting among a lot of country people in England.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Directly we had reached the limits of cultivation the -children were sent back very quickly. No leopard -could have slept comfortably within a mile of the -noise they made. Then we commenced to wind up -a track towards the mountains themselves, and the -nearer we came to them the more rugged and barren -they looked. Very nearly black they were in places; -great rents split whole shoulders from the main ridge; -huge masses of rock were poised on each other like -vast columns, looking as though a bird perching on -them would upset them. Indeed the slope we were -ascending was so strewn with gigantic blocks of black -rock that one knew that they, at one time, must have -fallen from just such columns.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The head-man began talking volubly to Jaffa, and -he, turning to me, said: "Leopards there—come down -at night—go back sleep close by."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I told Jaffa that whatever happened I must be back -by sunset.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The old man understood and nodded—so we pushed -on. It was very hot work scrambling up that vast, -debris-strewn slope, over smooth rocks which gave -scarcely any foothold, twisting round great boulders -or half-wading through loose sand, worn from the -face of some steep, precipitous part by countless years -of exposure—everything too hot to put one's hands -on comfortably, and the sun always scorching on -one's back. I called a halt long before the old -head-man had begun to show the slightest sign of -fatigue.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I looked back. My three marines and Griffiths -were some way below us, among the admiring -villagers, wiping their perspiring faces. Lower down -was the little group of women crouching together, -with their water chatties in front of them; a thousand -feet below, beyond the dark, green fringe of -mangrove trees, the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> lay in that inland -basin, and, winding out like a dark snake, the -channel wriggled through the cliffs to the sea. The -blazing sun poured down relentlessly from a cloudless -sky.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa touched my arm, pointing out to sea and to -a faintly-showing trail of smoke. Unslinging my -glasses, I followed the line of smoke till I saw a -steamer. It was the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>, evidently making for -this same harbour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why the dickens is she coming here?" I thought, -and would have stayed; but the head-man was impatient, -so we shoved on again, though I kept turning -back to watch her until she disappeared under the -shore-line. In half an hour Jaffa, whose one eye -seemed better than my two, swung me round to see -her emerge from the channel into the basin itself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Well, the old "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" was safe enough now. It -did not matter how late we got back; when he heard -about the leopards Commander Duckworth would be -too good a sportsman to be annoyed that I was not -there. I felt quite at ease.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So on we scrambled, in Indian file, higher and -higher, until a turn of the track round a shoulder -of the rocks shut out the sight of the sea, and also, -thank goodness, gave us shelter from the sun. It -was like going from brilliant sunlight into a darkened -room.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We now found ourselves in an extraordinary hollow, -more like being at the bottom of a huge well or cup—a -coffee-cup with a crack in it, the crack the ravine -through which we had just entered—its bottom strewn -with a jumble of rocks which had fallen in the course -of ages from the precipitous walls which shut out -the sky. It was very gloomy and silent but -delightfully cool.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Craning our necks backwards we looked up through -the rim of our coffee-cup to the burning sky overhead. -That rim must have been a thousand or twelve hundred -feet above our heads if it was an inch, and at one -point, immediately opposite us, there was an -extraordinary gap in it. Just as the cleft in the cliffs -through which the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> had steamed three -hours before looked as though some giant had chipped -it out with an enormous axe, so this gap looked as -though the same giant, on his way to the sea, had -pinched a piece out of the edge as he swung himself -across it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Strangely enough, Jaffa discovered afterwards that -there was a local tradition something to that effect.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The villagers began to crowd round us, jabbering -excitedly. The old head-man drove them away, -whacking them with his long stick. Then he began -talking to Jaffa.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Villagers stay here," Jaffa explained. "Head-man -take you and us up to gap—leopards lie among -rocks all about here—when we climb up to top -villagers make noise—leopards try escape through -gap—you shoot."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What a grand idea! I would have gone anywhere -with the sporting old chap, although I had not the -faintest idea how we were to get up there without -wings.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right oh! Lead on!" I cried, and the old fellow -began leading us farther into the gloomy bottom -of the "cup", clambering round the boulders, Jaffa, -myself, the three marines, and Griffiths following -him. Then he began to ascend the precipitous wall -itself by a path—if you could call it a path—so -steep and so narrow in places that it was as much -as I could do to keep my feet or climb up it. It -zigzagged up that wall in twenty or more zigzags; -looking down from the upper ones we could see those -below; looking upwards we could see no trace of any -foothold, nothing whatever but rocks rising sheer -above us. At one or two of the worst places the -edge of the track actually overhung, and small stones -dislodged by my feet fell plumb down until I dare -not watch them far for fear of feeling dizzy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently we had scaled the rocks sufficiently high -to come to the edge of the shadow cast by the eastern -rim of the "cup". Here I called a halt, perhaps -three hundred feet below the gap, and we leant back -against the rocks and rested. I felt like a fly on a -wall, and only wished that I had suckers on my hands -and feet, or were a goat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This isn't a proper track, is it?" I asked Jaffa.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He smiled, and at the time I didn't believe him -when he said: "The only way out of the valley—only -way inland from the village—for men or camels!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Camels! What nonsense!" I thought.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The old head-man was much too energetic for me. -Off he went again, and led us into the full blaze of -the sun.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Great snakes! In a minute or two I was dripping -with perspiration, and when we did at last reach that -gap, and I threw myself down on some rocks there, -I don't think that I had ever felt so hot in my life.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, a grand current of air whistled through -the gap, as though this, too, was the only way the -sea-breezes could pour inland. I soon cooled down.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What a climb!" I said to Webster, as we looked -down at the extraordinary chasm beneath our feet—the -"coffee-cup", as I have called it—and tried to -trace the zigzag path up which we had climbed. It -must have taken us an hour at least to ascend, and I -confess that, as I looked down, I did not in the least -relish the idea of having to crawl down again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the bottom it was dark and gloomy and silent; -not a trace of villagers could we see among the rocks -there, nor could we get a view of the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> or the -sea beyond, because the crack in the "coffee-cup" was -shut in by another shoulder of the mountains.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The gap was about five yards wide, its sides about -twenty feet high, and I took twelve paces before I -looked down into the valleys on the far side. Deep -and misty they were, and beyond them stupendous -ranges of barren, naked mountains lost themselves -in the distance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The old man made us take up positions on the -crest on either side of the gap, myself, himself, Jaffa, -and Griffiths on one side, the three marines on the -other; and was just going to give the signal to the -men below to commence their drive—a leopard drive, -mind you; think of it, and think how happy and -excited we were—when, turning to look down the far -side, his face became a muddy-yellow colour—just as -Mr. Scarlett's often did. All the life seemed to die -out of it, and he gasped out: "Bedouin!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We all turned, and through my glasses I saw what -at first looked like some huge snake winding up the -valley towards us. Then I saw that it was an -apparently endless caravan of heavily-laden camels, -wearily trailing one after the other. Among them -were many horsemen—a hundred or more, although -it was impossible to count them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then I knew why the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> had turned up so -unexpectedly. These were the very fellows we had -been hunting for, bringing their rifles from Jeb to -hide them in the village at our feet, until dhows could -be sent to take them away. And they must pass -through this gap, on either side of which we were -lying, in order to get there. Some wretched brute -must have taken the news to Muscat, and given away -the scheme (there were always plenty of these fellows -mean enough to sell their own fathers for a few rupees).</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The old head-man, half-paralysed with fear, was -worming himself down into the gap. I clutched him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ask him how long before they reach here!" I -told Jaffa.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The old chap could hardly speak, he was so frightened.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In two hours!" Jaffa told me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My brain was hot with the fluster of wondering -what I ought to do.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Webster, the corporal of marines, came scrambling -down across the gap and up to me, his eyes gleaming. -He was bursting to suggest something.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Out with it!" I said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Beg pardon, sir, but the five of us could hold this -here gap against a whole regiment, and we'd drive -these chaps off like winking. They can't outflank us, -they must come along in single file. It would be -grand if we could stop 'em."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I could see that for myself; but at the first shot -back would go the whole caravan, and if those camels -were laden with rifles and ammunition not one should -we capture. A better plan rushed through my -head—to let them get through and then prevent them -getting back!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I would send the head-man to tell Commander -Duckworth. He would come along with every man -he could land, and do the whole business whilst we -stopped their retreat. It would be the grandest haul -that had ever been made. Instead of the villagers -driving leopards up to us, the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> should drive -these Bedouins and their camels; instead of getting a -few mangled leopard skins, we would bag the whole -caravan and its rifles.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I told Webster. He grinned with delight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How many rounds of ammunition have we?" I asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We had nearly six hundred between us; that was -enough.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hurriedly I explained to Jaffa what we intended -doing. I tore a leaf from his note-book, and with his -pencil wrote a message to Commander Duckworth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Give it to the old man! Tell him to take it to the -</span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> as quickly as he can; tell him to take his -villagers and the women back with him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa's eyes sparkled as he passed the orders to the -trembling head-man and gave him the note.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I let go of his cloak, and he slid down the rocks -like an eel, and was off down the dizzy zigzag path, -like a goat, to where his people lay hid.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then Webster, with a grin on his face, went back -to his side of the gap with orders to conceal himself -and his two men farther along the edge, not to expose -themselves on the sky-line for a single moment, and -on no account to fire until I fired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I knew that I could trust Webster.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa drew out his beloved Mauser pistol to see that -it was loaded, and we had nothing to do but wait -whilst those weary camels and their escort wound their -way up towards the gap.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="trapping-a-caravan"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER IX</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">Trapping a Caravan</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>From where I lay, sprawling on my stomach, on the -very edge of that vast ridge, like a fly clinging to the -rim of a cup—my "coffee-cup"—I could look down -on both sides. Inland, the sides of the ridge fell away -steeply but not precipitously; the track from the gap -did not zigzag down, as it did on my other side, but -wound and sloped at an easy angle until I could -trace it no farther. The leading horseman of the -caravan was, possibly, two miles away, and perhaps -a thousand or fifteen hundred feet below me—one -could not judge heights or distances with any -accuracy—the middle portion of the winding caravan was -hidden by a swelling of the mountain slope, and the -tail end, indistinct, lost itself in the stifling haze which -filled the valleys below. I watched those first few -mounted men. They kept on halting and waiting, -going on again and stopping, as though the camels -could not keep pace with them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I turned my head the other way, and looked down -the precipitous curtain of rocks which fell almost -sheer into the extraordinary hollow below me. The -red turban and flowing white cloak of the old villager -showed up—a bright spot against the dark rocks—as -he scrambled hastily to join his people, tiny little dots -moving about between the boulders which strewed -the bottom of the "coffee-cup". I could not see the -crack through which we had entered the hollow, -because the huge walls surrounding it overlapped there, -but I marvelled how we had managed to climb the -path without slipping and being dashed to pieces -below. I really did not believe it possible for a camel -to negotiate it in safety.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Surely a camel cannot go there?" I asked Jaffa.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, camel go down, safe; horse cannot; Bedouin -leave horses behind them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Will they bring them up to the gap?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa did not think they would, and I devoutly hoped -that they would not.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I thought how old Popple Opstein's face would -have beamed, and his yellow hair stood up, if only he -had been here with me on that edge of rocks. Yes, -here I was literally on the edge of civilization, where -all my life I had longed to be. How my chum would -have chaffed me about that if he saw me now! Perhaps -in a few hours, if he had the luck to be landed, -he would see me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And, thinking of yellow hair, perhaps little Miss -Borsen, if she too could see me and could realize -what might soon happen, would treat me as a man. -More likely than not she would only have smiled in -her tantalizing, irritating way, and told me how -uncomfortable I looked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa touched me. "Bedouin see very far; very -good sight; see us soon."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What an ass I was! I had ordered Webster and -his fellows to conceal themselves below the crest, and -here I was still sprawling on the sky-line myself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I crawled lower down; so did Jaffa and Griffiths.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Until I had left the ridge it never occurred to me -that probably the advance party of Bedouins would -scale the sides of the gap and scatter along the edge. -If they did that they would certainly see us; so it was -necessary to hide much farther away from it and take -no such risk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I whistled softly to Webster, and he came crawling -across to me, keeping well below the sky-line.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Take your men a hundred yards along the ridge," -I told him; "hide among those rocks there, below the -edge, and for Heaven's sake don't show yourselves, -not until the last Arab and the last camel have gone -halfway down the zigzag, and not until you see me -move."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I understand, sir," he answered grimly, and -presently I saw him and his two men scramble to a -cluster of detached rocks much farther along.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When they were safely hidden, Jaffa, Griffiths, and -myself crawled in the opposite direction, away from -the gap, behind some more boulders. We shifted -about among them until we found a position from -which we could see that gap, and also look down the -zigzag path. We were about one hundred and fifty -yards from the gap, and practically on a level with it. -Of course we could see nothing of the approaching -horses and camels, but I trusted to my ears to hear -them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lying there under these conditions was an extraordinary -trial to my nerves, and I thanked my stars -that Webster had come ashore with me that morning -and not Moore. Moore would have made a hopeless -muddle of his job, and could not have controlled his -own nerves, let alone those of his men. As it was, I -presently found the strain of waiting and listening -so great that I had to hang on to those rocks, like a -maniac, to prevent my legs making me crawl up to -the sky-line, twenty feet above us, to have one more -look at the caravan.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I do not believe that if I lived a thousand years I -could be more excited or "jumpy".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I breathed more freely when I saw the head-man -reach the bottom of the "coffee-cup", gather his -villagers together, and disappear with them, like a -lot of white ants, out of sight round that projecting -corner of rock which marked the huge crack or rent -giving exit to the path. I relied upon the old -sportsman hurrying down to the village as quickly as he -could, and hoped that in another hour Commander -Duckworth would receive my note. In another forty -or fifty minutes afterwards he might be able to land -his men, and in another hour and a half they might -reach the entrance to the "coffee-cup".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then the fun would begin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My wrist watch was, of course, still smashed—there -had been no chance of having it repaired—so I could -only judge by the height of the sun that the time was -about eleven o'clock. At the earliest the </span><em class="italics">Intrepids</em><span> -could not reach the bottom of the zigzag path for -another three hours; and, if the head-man had been -accurate, the head of the caravan would be at the gap -an hour and a half before they arrived.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The only thing that troubled me then was whether -the leading Arabs would have descended it, turned -the corner, and sighted the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>, and perhaps -the advancing bluejackets, before the rear of the -caravan had passed through the gap and had begun -the perilous descent.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Once the rear-guard was below us I felt that we -could prevent them climbing back; but if it should -happen that the </span><em class="italics">Intrepids</em><span> were sighted and the alarm -given when only a part of the caravan had passed us, -then our position would be perilous.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If they searched the ridge before even commencing -to send their camels down I knew that we should be -discovered, and in that case there would be nothing -for it except to sell our lives as dearly as possible. -But I did not think they would take the trouble to -do this, nor did Jaffa, and the chief danger lay in -the alarm being given before all the camels and -Arabs had passed through the gap.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If this happened, I made up my mind to shoot as -many camels as possible, to prevent the Arabs getting -away with all their rifles; and I told Jaffa that if -anything went wrong, I relied upon him and his Mauser -pistol to prevent either Griffiths or myself falling alive -into their hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Somehow or other I could rely upon Jaffa, and -it was a comfort. Webster would have to look after -himself and his two men; I knew that he would -not fail.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Writing this now, the fact that I really thought -this ending possible, or prepared for it, seems almost -unreal. Time has quickly blurred the remembrance -of the extraordinary peril of our position at that time, -and only left vivid recollections of the wonderful -feeling of exhilaration which took hold of us as we lay -there feeling almost like wild beasts waiting for our -prey, and listening for the first sound of their -approaching feet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A large bird appeared above us, circling with -motionless wings. Suddenly he came gliding -downwards, disappearing behind the crest. Looking up -again into the burning sky I saw more specks coming -from all directions. Soon there were ten or twelve -of the ugly brutes circling round. So close to us -did they come that I could see their heads and their -naked necks stretched towards the ground. They -were vultures, and one by one they slid downwards -in huge spirals and disappeared.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa whispered: "A camel or a horse has dropped; -they must be driving them hard."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He told me that the speed of a camel caravan was -about two and a half miles an hour. As the crow -flies, Jeb was probably thirty miles away from the spot -where we lay. It was inside the mark to add another -fifteen for the turns and twists of the track through the -mountains and valleys; this would bring the probable -march to forty-five miles, and if the camels had been -pressed forward day and night, as Jaffa imagined -likely, the poor beasts must be very weary.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa had noticed when he first looked through my -glasses at them that their necks were very straight. -He now explained to me that the halter of one camel -is secured to the one next in front, and that, as the -leading camels of a gang were always the best, when -the others tire they tend to be dragged along, and -the ropes stretch their necks until they are almost -straight and not curved.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They were very straight," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This waiting was a tremendous strain. To know -that the caravan was approaching on the other side -of that ridge, behind and above us, made the longing -to climb up and look over simply maddening.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To pass the time we made little loopholes between -the rocks, through which we could fire towards the -gap and down the zigzag path without being seen -ourselves. Griffiths asked me, under his breath, if -he could smoke his pipe. He asked simply to hear -himself speak. He knew that I would refuse, but it -was a comfort for him to whisper and a comfort for -me to whisper back that the blue smoke might show—a -fact he knew well enough.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then a horrid thought struck me. When we had -first reached the gap I had lighted a cigarette, and -the burnt match and the end of the cigarette must -be lying somewhere there still. If either of them -were seen the alarm would be given at once. My -whole mind became tortured with picturing them -lying there on the bare stones, and I would have -given anything in the world to be able to crawl -across and try to find them. I did not fear that -our tracks would be found: the rocks were quite -bare; what loose stones there were between them -would not leave a foot-mark; but even now, as the -scene comes back to me, I remember that the fear -of the burnt match and cigarette end being discovered -was horrible at the time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Just as the strain became almost unbearable, and -the impulse to crawl to the gap almost more than -I could resist—I had actually risen to my hands -and knees—Jaffa gave a low sound, and pressed -me down.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Looking through my loophole I saw a tall, -fine-looking Arab standing erect at our side of the gap, -with a rifle in his hand, turning his head from side -to side and then peering below into the chasm beneath.</span></p> -<div class="align-center auto-scaled figure margin" style="width: 63%" id="figure-49"> -<span id="looking-through-my-loophole-i-saw-a-tall-fine-looking-arab-peering-into-the-chasm-beneath"></span><img class="align-center block" style="display: block; width: 100%" alt="LOOKING THROUGH MY LOOPHOLE I SAW A TALL, FINE-LOOKING ARAB PEERING INTO THE CHASM BENEATH." src="images/img-176.jpg" /> -<div class="caption centerleft figure-caption margin"> -<span class="italics">LOOKING THROUGH MY LOOPHOLE I SAW A TALL, FINE-LOOKING ARAB PEERING INTO THE CHASM BENEATH.</span></div> -</div> -<p class="pnext"><span>I felt certain that the white cigarette end must be -lying there at his feet, and that in another second -he must see it. My heart seemed to stop beating -and my ears buzzed. He turned and looked intently -at the very heap of boulders behind which we lay. -I could have sworn that our eyes met. I had to put -my hand to my mouth to prevent me giving way -to the frantic desire to yell. Then he disappeared -back into the gap, and I breathed more freely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He tell others—all safe—see nothing—camels -come presently," Jaffa whispered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In two or three minutes more Arabs—ten, then -twenty—crowded through the gap, their rifles held -ready and their fierce eyes scanning every rock.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Thank goodness! The towering sides of the -"coffee-cup" hid the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> from view.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They moved stiffly, as though tired, talking quietly -and squatting on the rocks for a few minutes, until -they suddenly stood up, looked back through the -gap, slung their rifles over their shoulders, and -commenced to scramble down the zigzag path.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They had hardly left the gap when, with a light -scraping noise, the ugly head and neck of a camel -appeared. He hesitated as he saw the steepness of -the path below him, but the camel leader beat him -about his head and lips until he condescended to -move out of the gap, and with hesitating paces, -putting down his huge feet with very great care, -started the descent. As his body came into view -we saw long sacks or bundles of matting—containing -rifles, we felt sure—strapped one on either side -of him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>From his quarters stretched taut the halter of the -camel "next astern", and another supercilious, -scornful, ugly head appeared. Camel after camel -(all with their bundles), Arab after Arab (some -armed, others simply leading camels) squeezed after -each other through the gap in the crest and started -down the zigzag path.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was thankful to notice that the advance-guard -seemed in no hurry to reach the bottom, but would -go on for a hundred yards, wait for the leading camel -to overtake them, and go on again. The longer -the time which elapsed before they sighted the -</span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>, the more chance would there be that the -end of the caravan had already passed through the -gap before the alarm was given.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Fifty camels I counted; sixty; sixty-two—three; -but as the sixty-fourth head emerged into sight it -sank down to the rocks. The wretched brute had -fallen on his knees, his neck stretched quite straight -as his halter to the camel ahead took the strain. He -was dragged bodily forward for a few inches on the -smooth rock, then the halter "parted", and his neck -curved again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Another ugly camel's head appeared over his back, -but there was no room to pass—the gap was too -narrow—and he stopped, swaying his head angrily -from side to side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Arabs called shrilly one to another—-half-dazed -they seemed to be, probably from fatigue—and -a dozen of them, surrounding the kneeling camel, -tried to make him rise to his feet. They prodded -him with their rifles and spears, howling execrations, -hauled on the broken halter, and beat him on the -nose and face. They actually fired rifles close to his -face; but he took not the slightest notice. He never -even moved his head, holding it up quite motionless, -with that extraordinary sarcastic, supercilious look -which camels always have, and appeared to be quite -unaware of the cruel treatment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Camel—finish—much tired—never get up—stay -to die," Jaffa whispered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Two vultures—appearing from nowhere—perched -silently on the rocks behind which lay Webster and -his two men, saw them, and flapped across to another -rock. The Arabs were too busy to notice this or -they might have been suspicious.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then a fine-looking, very richly dressed Arab, with -a flowing red[#] patriarchal beard and a green turban -pushed past the camel and began to give orders. The -ropes securing the bundles were unlashed, the bundles -were dragged aside and propped up against the -projecting rocks, and then, hauling on those ropes (they -passed under the camel's belly), shouting and yelling -as though hell had broken loose, the Arabs tried to -hoist him to his feet.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] The sheikh must have visited Mecca three times, -as only after three such -pilgrimages are beards dyed red.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The sheikh, or whoever he was, climbed to the top -of the gap, the better to superintend operations. A -grand-looking chap he was, with a fine "fighting" -face, beetling eyebrows, and a great hooked nose.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For a moment I thought again of that cigarette end, -and grew sick with fear lest it was there and he should -see it. But he was too much interested in the camel -to see anything else. Although his men heaved with -all their might they only raised the poor beast a few -inches, and down it would sink again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then the sheikh gave more orders. Men began -calling down to those on the paths of the zigzag, -immediately underneath the helpless camel, and I saw -these hurriedly making large gaps in the line of -camels. Two men took hold of the poor brute's -halter and hauled the head round until it was touching -the hind quarters; the others, gathering at the side of -the camel farther from the precipice below, using -their rifles as levers and also pressing against his -lean flanks, shoved "all together"; the men on the -head-rope tugged the head still farther round, and the -helpless brute toppled over the edge. Rolling and -falling, sliding through the gaps in the lines beneath, -bounding from boulder to boulder, he at last "fetched -up", two hundred feet below, against a rock, and lay -there a shapeless mass of broken back and neck and legs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The two vultures hopped about excitedly and flapped -a little farther down, eyeing the remains with twisted -heads.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At another order from the sheikh those bundles -were torn open, and I simply "thrilled" to see at least -two dozen rifles—brand-new rifles—hauled out. Each -man, taking one or two of them as he passed, started -off again along the zigzag path after the rest of the -camels. The sheikh, clambering down to the path, -followed them slowly, and that procession of camels -commenced afresh through the gap, camel after camel, -until I had counted eighty-three. After the -eighty-third came many more, pace by pace, with weary feet, -but these were loaded with boxes of ammunition. No -attempts had been made to conceal that fact; the boxes -were just as they had left the manufacturers, slung in -great nets across the camels' backs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One hundred and thirty-four passed through, counting -both those with rifles and those with ammunition; -and, last of all, led by two men, a magnificent camel, -splendidly caparisoned, with a scarlet, silver-embroidered -cloth and with silver-mounted harness, -stalked angrily through, followed by two smaller ones -with unwieldy burdens. These three were doubtless -the sheikh's own camels, his riding camel and the two -which carried his tent and the cooking gear and food -which he might want on the march.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>No more camels came.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I could hardly believe our good fortune. Everything -had turned out as we had planned. Looking -down into the "coffee-cup" I could see the zigzag of -painfully-descending camels; and still farther below -them the white figures of the advance-guard, not yet -near the bottom or that corner beyond which they -would be able to see the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>. Not one of those -Bedouin Arabs suspected that we six were lying there -above them, or that the </span><em class="italics">Intrepids</em><span> were—possibly—hurrying -up to drive them back to us. I would have -given much to know what was happening beyond the -mountain screen, whether the </span><em class="italics">Intrepids</em><span> had actually -landed, and, if they had landed, how near they were. -I reckoned that, by now, if all had happened as I -hoped, they would be about halfway up from the -village, and in another quarter of an hour, or less, -the first of those Arabs would have scrambled out of -the bottom of the "coffee-cup" and should see them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What the time was, or how long it had taken those -one hundred and thirty-seven camels to pass through -the gap, I had no idea; but the sun was already -slanting downwards in the west and was no longer -lighting the rocks at the bottom of the "coffee-cup". In -fact they had disappeared for some time in the shadow -cast by the ridge on which we were hidden, and as -the sun gradually sank, so did the sharply-outlined -shadow of the ridge and the gap, rising upwards -along the opposite face of the chasm, gradually shade -the zigzag path higher and higher.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We were fearfully thirsty, but we still dared not -shift our cramped positions to get at our water-bottles -and make ourselves more comfortable. We simply -lay where we were, peering through our loopholes -between the rocks at the caravan crawling down the -path. Vultures, perched on the rocks around us, -craned their bare necks downwards and watched too. -It looked like some huge centipede or caterpillar, as -each camel carefully felt for his next foothold and -swung his long ungainly legs stiffly and cautiously -forward. I caught sight of one, the third in a gang -or string of five, evidently making very "heavy -weather" of it. Whenever the path was sufficiently -broad I noticed that an Arab would take hold of his -halter to steady him. I pointed out this camel to -Jaffa, and scarcely had he whispered: "He fall—soon," -when the poor brute stumbled, tried to recover his feet, -and fell on one knee, the other leg sprawling over the -edge, violently pawing space. The Arab guiding him -sprang away, clinging to the rocks, and in a moment the -camel had toppled over. I heard wild cries of alarm; -the camel leaders on the zigzag below tried desperately -to make a gap in their line as they saw what was -happening over their heads; but too late. The camel -fell; the two camels behind were dragged after him, -and the three slid like an avalanche down the rocks, -sweeping more camels and one or two Arabs from -the narrow zigzags below, bursting their bundles and -scattering rifles until they disappeared in the gloom -beneath.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a horrid sight, and for two or three minutes -there was the utmost confusion. The frightened -drivers pulled the camels' heads this way and that, -and how the poor stupid creatures could keep their -foothold at all was marvellous, especially as in many -places the path was so narrow that, even from where -I was, I could see the "inner" bundles of rifles -scraping against the rocks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We were so intent on watching this that we never -turned our heads; but when I did again look across -the gap to see whether Webster and his men were -still hidden, I had a terrible fright.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Squatting right in the mouth of the gap, and on -both edges of it, were a score or more of Arabs, their -rifles slung over their shoulders. Jaffa saw them; -Griffiths saw them. If they were as frightened as I -was they did not show it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We hardly dared to breathe. There they were, the -nearest of them not fifty yards away. They evidently -meant to stay, for they had brought firewood, and -some of them were trying to set light to it, whilst -others were pouring water from a skin into a brass -cooking pot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That anything such as this should happen had -never entered my head. I never thought that they -would have taken the precaution of leaving a rearguard -to protect their line of retreat, and to have done -so entirely altered the whole situation and upset all -my calculations.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If they took to wandering along that ridge we -should be discovered, and if they simply remained -where they were we could not fire on the caravan -without exposing ourselves to this new force. At the -very first shot they would take cover, find out where -we lay, and then crawl to the rocks overhead and -shoot down. In those first few moments my whole -idea was to kill as many as possible before being -killed myself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We watched them with straining eyes. If they had -scattered and come near us I should have opened fire. -My fingers clutched my rifle to draw it to me, and -then loosened again, because they all collected round -that cooking pot; the blue smoke came curling up -among them, and they evidently had no other thought -than to rest and make coffee. They never even -troubled to look down to see whether their comrades -and the camels were recovering from their disorder, -but huddled close together, sheltering their heads -from the sun with their dirty cloaks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no immediate danger, so I turned to -watch the caravan. Down at the gloomy bottom of -the "coffee-cup" I could just distinguish little white -figures moving among the boulders—-the advance -party had at last reached the gorge which led them -out into the open. Three or four disappeared round -the shoulder of the rocks which shut out my view of -the gorge, and I knew that in a moment or two they -would sight the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> lying at anchor—and -perhaps her advancing men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was right. Hardly had they disappeared before -back they came into view, very hurriedly, and in a -marvellously short space of time the whole of that -"coffee-cup" rang with strange cries and shouts as -they passed the word up and up its precipitous -sides. Along the zigzag path—from one zigzag -shouted to the next above—we could hear the news -being passed. The camel leaders seized the heads -of their camels and stopped them; the Arabs crouching -round the gap sprang to their feet as the shouting -disturbed them, unslung their rifles, and began -talking excitedly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Down below I saw the green turban of the sheikh -as he worked his way along the lowest zigzag, until he -too reached the bottom and also disappeared from view.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I would have given all I possessed to know what -he could see.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Whatever he had seen I quickly knew that he had -seen something which convinced him that the caravan -could not hope to escape downwards, because more -orders—flurried and high-pitched—were shouted -upwards along the zigzag until the deep ravine -re-echoed from side to side with them. The camel -leaders began unfastening the long halters from the -camels, and, very nervously, began to try to turn the -tired animals round to face upwards again. Some -had room enough and managed to do so; others were -in places so narrow, with steep rocks so close to the -path, that it was a pure impossibility for a camel to -turn. Many camels absolutely refused to try, sinking -to their knees; two or three tried, toppled over their -clumsy feet, and fell, increasing the horrible confusion -as they crashed below.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I realized now that the caravan could neither move -upwards nor downwards. If only Commander Duckworth -and his people could come quickly the whole -of these rifles and ammunition would be theirs. In -the joy of knowing this I cared not a jot what -happened to us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The shouting and confusion below us grew greater; -every armed Arab was trying frantically to reach the -bottom of the path, squeezing past the standing or -crawling over the kneeling camels. Directly they -reached the bottom they hurried away round the -shoulder out of sight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Some unarmed camel men began shouting to the -men round the gap, and ten or twelve of these left -the group round that cooking bowl and began the -perilous descent. They had not gone more than a -hundred yards along the first arm of the zigzag -before more shouts came from below; they turned -and called back to the others, and the remainder of -the rear-guard rose and followed them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In five minutes we six were alone on that ridge, -with the blue curling smoke of that Arab fire between -our two little parties.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I had to hold my breath to prevent myself shouting -with joy; Jaffa's face was beaming; I heard Griffiths -chuckling with delight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The relief from the awful strain of having that -rear-guard so close to us was too much for Webster -or one of his men, because for a moment I saw the -barrel of a rifle appear behind their rocks and almost -expected to hear a cheer. The rifle disappeared as if -someone had pulled it down violently.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By this time the caravan was in a state of the most -hopeless confusion, totally unable to move either -upwards or downwards; many camels had fallen, others -were kneeling and refused to move; some were facing -one way, some the other. The frightened camel -leaders had given up any attempt to restore order -and were gradually moving up the path as if to escape -themselves, even if they could not bring their camels -with them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Only the upper few zigzags were now in sunlight; -the gloom down at the bottom was increasing very -rapidly, and unless the Arabs there had worn fairly -white clothes we should not have been able to see -them as they scrambled among the boulders, to -disappear out of sight round that corner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I realized now that when the sun sank still lower, -and the gloom increased still more, we should be able -to see nothing whatever to fire at down below. And, -too, I had never thought that if they tried to defend -the approach to the gorge they might take up a -position round that corner where our fire could not reach -them. They were evidently doing this, and it upset -my scheme still more.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I knew enough of soldiering to know that a small -force, well posted behind rocks, could hold the mouth -of that ravine (the crack in the "coffee-cup") for an -almost indefinite time against a very much superior -force. If the </span><em class="italics">Intrepids</em><span> were actually advancing, and -had not brought Maxims or field-guns, these Arabs, -with their "backs to the wall", could keep them at -bay for the three and a half or four remaining hours -of daylight. If so, they might be able during the -night to withdraw a remnant of the caravan, and in -the dark our five rifles and six hundred cartridges -would not stop them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was only one thing to do. It sounds heroic, -but there was no thought of heroism. Those men -still scrambling to the bottom and the men of the -rear-guard must be stopped. We five must open fire -on them and compel them to remount the zigzag to -attack us, and therefore prevent them joining those -who had already issued from the "coffee-cup" to -defend it against the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid's</em><span> people.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If I could only have been certain of what was -actually happening down there, outside our line of -vision, we might have waited; but I did not know, -and it was absolutely necessary to do something, and -to do that something quickly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We had to take the risk that perhaps after all the -</span><em class="italics">Intrepids</em><span> had not landed, and that directly we opened -fire the whole force of Arabs would turn back and -overwhelm us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I told Jaffa and Griffiths that we must open fire. -Griffiths nodded. "Just as you like sir; I'm ready."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Webster must be told, and Jaffa was the man to tell -him, because, if he was seen, his clothes at a distance -might be mistaken for those of an Arab.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I told him to make his way to the top of the ridge, -find out what was happening down in the valley, how -far away the horses were, and how many men had -been left with them. Then he had to work his way -along beneath the sky-line to Webster, and tell him to -separate his men, station them on the top of the ridge -so that they could not be seen, but, if possible, be -able to fire down both ways, and, when I opened fire, -to do so himself at every armed Arab in sight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa understood, took my field-glasses, and wriggled -away up to the ridge, whilst Griffiths and I listened -to the noise of grating stones. Then there was silence -and what seemed a very long period of waiting whilst -we anxiously watched that rear-guard descending. If -we did not open fire soon it would be too late.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last I could stand the strain no longer. Jaffa -must have had time to reach Webster, although we -had not seen him crawling over the ridge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Already the leading men of the rear-guard were -indistinct in the gloom of the lower zigzags.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We must chance it," I whispered to Griffiths. -"You scramble up till you get a comfortable place -where you can see both ways. I'll go halfway -towards the gap. When I open fire you commence; -aim awfully carefully. Now go!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We both rose stiffly to our hands and knees, dodged -round the rocks, and separated. Some cartridges fell -out of my bandolier. I stopped to pick them up: one -cartridge might make all the difference. I crawled to -the top of the ridge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I gave one hurried look into the valley, but not a -sign of horses or Arabs could I see. I threw myself -down and crawled to the edge of a rock from where -I could point my rifle into the darkening -"coffee-cup". As I did so I saw Webster and his two -marines leave their shelter and clamber up the crest -on their side of the gap.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no time to wait; the excitement was too -great to think what would be the result of this new -move, too great to realize anything. Not twenty -armed Arabs were in sight down in that vast hollow -beneath us, little, dirty, whitish, moving figures -threading their way past the motionless camels.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I took a very careful aim at the nearest and fired.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-fight-in-the-coffee-cup"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER X</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">The Fight in the "Coffee-cup"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>As I fired so did Griffiths; our two rifles went off -almost together. We fired again. Three shots also -came from Webster's side of the gap.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The effect was immediate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Those camel-drivers who were abandoning their -camels and creeping up to what they thought was -safety, stopped; those still squatting among the -camels scrambled to their feet; the little string of -moving figures, the last of the rear-guard (it was at -them we had fired) turned, looked up, and tried to find -cover. Unfortunately for them there was no cover -where they were, and they showed up against the -rocks sufficiently well to make fair targets. We kept -on firing at them, firing almost vertically downwards, -and presently saw one stumble and fall off the path -among the boulders strewn at the bottom. The rest -managed to crawl safely down the last "leg" of that -zigzag and scattered among those same boulders, -hiding one by one.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I had no fear that they would "spot" us yet, because -the Lee Metfords made scarcely a streak of smoke. -For the same reason they would not be able to know -how few we were.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa, having given my message to Webster, -returned and crawled to my side, and told me the -comforting news that he had seen the horses, quite two -miles away down the valley, with very few men left -to guard them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As I peered below I could see the camel-drivers -seeking cover all along the line, squeezing themselves -behind rocks or underneath the motionless camels -themselves. We made many of them hurry still -more by firing at them, until in less than a minute -after we had opened fire there was absolutely nothing -to be seen on the wall of precipitous rocks except the -zigzag line of camels—some standing, others kneeling, -some facing upwards, others downwards.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa cried for me to look.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the bottom, hastening back round that projecting -corner of rock which hid the outlet from the "coffee-cup", -many little moving dots appeared. I seized -the glasses, and believed I could see the green turban -of the sheikh. Dropping them I called to Griffiths -to fire, and emptied my magazine into the middle of -the group.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was grand, it was just what I had wanted. The -more men we forced to come back within sight the -fewer would remain to defend the ravine out of sight, -where we could not get at them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now if only the </span><em class="italics">Intrepids</em><span> would hurry up!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I pricked up my ears. One solitary report of a -rifle came up from below, dull and muffled. More -followed rapidly, and I fully expected to hear bullets -coming our way, thinking that the sheikh's party had -commenced firing in our direction. However, none -came, nor could I see any spurts of flame from among -those boulders, although it was so gloomy there that -I certainly should have seen them had those fellows -been firing at us. The only explanation could be -that the firing was outside the ravine, and must be -at the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid's</em><span> people—or perhaps </span><em class="italics">from</em><span> them. My -ears tingled as I tried to decide which.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The volume of fire increased so rapidly that soon I -could not distinguish individual shots; there was one -continuous grumbling rumble, and suddenly whatever -doubt I had was swept away, for I heard the tut-tut-tut-tut -of a Maxim—faint but unmistakable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That settled the question. Griffiths shouted: -"They've come, sir; that's their Maxim," and a -moment later, to make still more certain, a sudden -flash of flame burst out among those boulders at the -bottom of the "coffee-cup" and the noise of a bursting -shell came bellowing up to us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I found myself waving my arms and cheering; the -others were doing the same. Some vultures which -had remained indifferent to the noise of rifle firing -flapped heavily up from below. The camel-leaders -were peeping down to see what was happening; the -camels themselves showed no signs of alarm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Several more shells bursting there in quick -succession so filled the hollow beneath us with smoke -that we could see nothing until, very leisurely, the -white cloud began drifting upwards, clinging to -projecting rocks in little eddies, just like the morning -mist in some deep valley before the sun has quite -driven it away. Eventually we could actually smell -that powder smoke as it escaped over the "rim" of -the "coffee-cup", and it was the most beautiful scent -we could wish for.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Good little nine-pounder! I'd often seen it on the -</span><em class="italics">Intrepid's</em><span> poop.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The noise of the firing continued without cessation, -rising and falling in fierceness, and although we could -still hear shells bursting we could not see them. -Probably those first few had been fired before the -</span><em class="italics">Intrepids</em><span> knew where the Arabs lay concealed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Occasionally a different sound came up to us—the -puff of a bursting shrapnel—and as I pictured the -little balls flinging themselves down among the rocks, -and finding out the defending Arabs, I wondered how -long they would stand such a trial.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The worst of it was that we could take no part.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Those Arabs who had come back with their sheikh—and -the rear-guard, too—had probably wormed their -way out of the hollow and were taking part in the -defence. There was no one for us to fire at. A few -of the camel-leaders were in view, though, as they were -unarmed, we did not waste ammunition on them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All five of us had ceased fire and were listening to -the noise of fighting. We tried to distinguish some -difference between the Arab firing and the shots from -our own people, but that screen of rocks seemed to -muffle them and make this impossible. We could -not even tell whether the rattle of the Maxim was -getting nearer to us; nor could we distinguish the -firing of the nine-pounder at all.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Whether hours seemed minutes or minutes hours -I could not tell. All I did know was that we were -not helping, and that it might be impossible for the -</span><em class="italics">Intrepid's</em><span> people to dislodge the Arabs. What could -we do to compel some of them to come back? I -racked my brains but could think of nothing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then Jaffa suggested shooting the camels. "You -shoot camels—they fall down—break rifles—Bedouin -lose camels and rifles as well—must come back to -save them!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I did not know; but we might try, however cruel -and inhuman it was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I sent him across to tell Webster to single out the -nearest standing camel and fire at it until it fell. I -called to Griffiths to fire at the second standing camel, -and chose the third myself. It was that -magnificently-caparisoned one belonging to the sheikh, standing -perhaps four hundred feet below me, entirely unconcerned, -and unmistakable in its gorgeous crimson cloth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I fired very carefully at him. At my second shot -he swung his head round as if a fly had bitten him; -at my third he lurched forward, fell over the edge, and -plunged down. Almost immediately one of those -smaller animals toppled over, and both, crashing -across zigzag after zigzag, swept more camels in -front of them. The bottom was so filled with powder -smoke that we could scarcely follow the confused mass -of bodies as they hurtled downwards.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The utmost terror broke out among the unarmed -Arabs. We could see them leaving their camels and -taking shelter under any projecting rock they could -reach. I fired at another wretched brute, standing -with his bundle of rifles so closely pressed against the -side of the precipice that I knew that the path must -be very narrow there. Immediately below him, on the -next zigzag, was a confused group of animals clustered -on a broader path.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At my second shot he staggered, fell right among -them, swept three or four off their feet, and another -avalanche swept down.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I felt almost sick at what I had done and stopped -firing to see what would happen. The others ceased -firing too.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa came back and lay down near me. His one -eye was better than my two, so I gave him the -glasses.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then—all at once—bullets came whizzing our way, -striking rocks below, above, at each side of us, and -screaming away out of the "coffee-cup". The noise -of this rifle fire was very different—each shot was a -roar, magnified a hundred times, and multiplied -a hundred times as it re-echoed from the walls of -the chasm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Thank goodness! At last we had compelled the -sheikh to weaken his defence by trying to save his -caravan from destruction.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Griffiths and I began firing at more camels; -Webster and his men followed suit; more went -hurtling down.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We had to do this, however cruel and beastly it -was. Unless we kept those fellows away from the -mouth of the ravine, the </span><em class="italics">Intrepids</em><span> might never force -their way in.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I could now see the flashes of many rifles—it was -a beautiful sight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa, excited for the first time, told me that twenty -or thirty armed Arabs were climbing up the zigzag. -I wished that fifty or a hundred were coming—the -more the better. They could not possibly see to aim -at us, nor could they know how few we were, and as -they emerged from the gloom we could pick them off -like starlings on a fence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Several more camels were hit and fell. Absolute -panic had broken out among the unarmed men; many -of those on the upper zigzags began creeping and -crawling downwards, and I knew that when they met -the Arabs coming up to attack us, the confusion on -that awful path, and in that awful obscurity below, -would be appalling.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After this events began to follow each other very -rapidly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The number of bullets whizzing round us was great, -and proved that very many men must have been -withdrawn already, back into the hollow; I felt certain -that the noise of the Maxim gun seemed louder. If -this meant anything it meant that the Arabs were -gradually being forced back and that the line of -bluejackets was advancing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Very shortly afterwards the character of the noise -of rifle firing altered entirely. There was very little -of that muffled rumbling which we had heard before; -the noise was sharper and very much louder, and -amongst it, quite distinct, I could hear the most -distant sound of our own rifles, much like tin tacks -being driven into wood with single blows of a big -hammer. The bottom of the ravine, too, was lighted -up with hundreds and hundreds of rifle flashes, and -shells began bursting there again. This made it -certain that the Arabs had actually fallen back into -the bottom of the "coffee-cup", and I knew that they -must be so bunched up together that the shrapnel -bullets would soon compel them to scatter up the -lower legs of that zigzag. Once there it would be -difficult to reach them, but I did not bother about -that. They would have to come up and attack us if -they wanted to save a single camel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa quietly told me that they were already -beginning to do this, and then, almost before he had -spoken, I heard the faint sound of cheering, and -knew that the </span><em class="italics">Intrepids</em><span> were rushing the mouth of -the ravine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Oh, what a grand, comforting sound that was!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The nine-pounder had stopped firing; so had the -Maxim. Probably the guns' crews could not keep -pace with the last rush of our fellows, or could not -fire without hitting them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then I saw spurts of rifle flame spitting out into the -gorge, in the very opposite direction from which they -had been spluttering before, and knew that they came -from our own people.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was grand! It meant absolute victory and the -capture of the entire caravan. I turned and grinned -at Jaffa and Griffiths.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bedouin come up very fast—plenty come," Jaffa said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, let them come; so much the better," I -thought; but then it struck me that in my excitement -I had not noticed how rapidly the sun was setting. -The shadow of the ridge above us had long since -swallowed up the whole of the opposite face of the -walls of the "coffee-cup". What with the powder -smoke and the shadow I could not see farther down -than about the third zigzag. In the morning it had -taken us a full hour to scale the path when it was -clear; now these people had to do the same thing -when it was blocked with camels. They could not -possibly do this in less than two hours, and by then -I knew that the sun would have set and that it would -be completely dark before one of them could put foot -in the gap.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This difficulty now faced us, and I had not foreseen it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If those Arabs intended to abandon their camels, -scale the path, and endeavour to escape back to their -horses in the valley, what should we do, or, rather, -what would become of us?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So long as they only thought of escape, all would -be well. They were probably well beaten now, but -directly it became impossible for our people to keep -them "on the move" with rifle fire—owing to the -lack of light to aim at them—they would begin to -recover from their panic. Once they came up to -where we were we dare not fire on them, because -the flashes of our rifles would have told them -immediately that there were only five of us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If we did not fire they would imagine that we had -evacuated the ridge, and the obvious thing for them -to do was to occupy it themselves, and wait until -morning. If they did that, I realized very well that -we could not escape, and, more important still, I -knew that it would be impossible for Commander -Duckworth to remove a single camel from the path -under the fire of their rifles, and that all the -nine-pounders and Maxims in the Navy could not dislodge -them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Already rifle fire was dying down at the bottom. It -was too dark to aim there, and it would soon be too -dark for us to aim either. No bullets had come our -way for some time, so I had not them to disturb me -as I tried to think what to do.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At first I thought that we all should gather in the -gap itself and defend ourselves there, but I gave up -that idea because I felt sure they would scale the -ridge above it on either side, shoot down, and make -an end of us pretty soon.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I did not know what to do.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All I could see now, except for the very occasional -flash of a rifle, was a frightened group of camel-drivers -huddled together on the third zigzag, apparently -waiting for the armed men to join them before -they plucked up sufficient courage to start the ascent. -It was too dark farther down to see a single camel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then Jaffa turned to me and said simply: "I go -down path—speak to camel men—tell them you no -want kill Bedouin—Bedouin throw rifle away—you -won't shoot—if they no throw rifle away you kill -them all."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My aunt! What a chap! What a scheme! If it -would only work, and if only the camel men could get -the Arabs to listen!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I tell them you have a hundred men on top—they -no know—very frightened—very much frightened."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But they might kill you," I said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He shook his head, and drew his beloved Mauser -pistol. "I go and speak to them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right! Good for you! Go along!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He did not stand up and scramble down to the -path; he wriggled himself below the farther side of -the crest, and presently appeared through the gap, -walking coolly along the path, his white suit making -him very conspicuous.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I crawled over the crest myself, and made my way -to the gap. So did Griffiths.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We saw Jaffa holding up his hands to show that he -came in peace, and heard him calling loudly. Then -some heads appeared much nearer than I imagined -any Arabs to have reached, and gazed at him. He -stopped and harangued them, pointing along the -crest where we had been lying, sweeping his hands -from side to side as if there was a bluejacket behind -each rock.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Arabs were answering him, and he was arguing -with them like a father. Then, as the last rays -of the sun streamed through the gap, he came sauntering -back to us. Webster and his marines had joined -me. "They believe me," Jaffa said. "All very -frightened—will tell Bedouin—Bedouin throw away -rifles."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You are a splendid chap!" was all I could say.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I told Webster what Jaffa proposed to do, and at -his suggestion we all began to show ourselves at -different points along the crest—one here, two there, -all of us at another place—dodging backwards and -forwards, dividing into parties, and going to -opposite sides of the gap. I felt as though we were a lot -of "supers" in a pantomime, trying to "make believe" -that we were an army.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Breathless, we all collected again at the gap.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was not quite dark yet—not behind us—where -the twilight lingered a little, and we could see perhaps -fifty yards along the path into the "coffee-cup".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently Webster proposed that he and I should -take station at either side of the mouth of the gap, -and that the two marines should do the same at the -other end of it. He suggested this because if we all -stayed where we were there would be no room for the -Arabs to pass. Griffiths I sent up to the ridge above -it, with orders to fire only when told to do so. He -did not like leaving us, because it was so dark. In fact -we could hardly see each other, and, looking down -into the hollow, the darkness seemed like black velvet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Up from that blackness came sounds of men calling -to each other; once or twice there were yells of pain -or fright, and we strained our ears to hear whether -anyone had fallen down. The noises were still far -below, but gradually approaching.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We waited, and, with nothing else to do, began to -grow fearfully nervous. When one is frightened one -gives an enemy credit for all the virtues and valour -and skill imaginable, and thinks that he must be cool -and collected. At that time I could not conceive how -we could escape being killed, and was only certain -of one thing—that I'd account for as many Arabs -as possible before that happened.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I wondered what our fellows were doing at the -bottom, and whether old Popple Opstein was there. -I knew that they dared not attempt to climb the path -at night.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa began to coach us as to what we should say -when the Arabs came. He made us repeat after him: -"Khalli bunduk 'ak", meaning "Throw down your -rifle"; "Ist agel", meaning "Hurry up"; and "Ma -kattle kum", meaning "Won't shoot you".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We repeated these after him till we knew them. -Shall I ever forget them!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then he said it was time for him to go, and asked -me for a box of matches. Luckily I had one—nearly -full it was. Why he wanted matches I did not know.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We heard the stones rattling under his feet as he -slipped away down the path.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Can you see me?" he called out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I shouted back: "Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He went farther down the path, asking at every two -or three paces whether we could see him. When our -eyes had become accustomed to following his white -clothes we could distinguish them at quite a distance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last he had gone too far.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We can't see you!" I called.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He retraced his footsteps until he was again visible. -Then he seemed to rise in the air.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I stand on rock by side of path!" he shouted; -"path is under my feet—to my right—very narrow—Bedouin -must pass one by one—I speak to them—make -them throw away rifles—if no give up rifle I -strike match—you see match—fire below match—kill -Bedouin."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come back!" I yelled. "It's too dangerous!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No! I stay!" and nothing would induce him to -give up his plucky scheme.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Plucky! Why, it was the bravest job any man -could have taken on himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Quite close beneath us men began shouting. I -hoped these were the camel men warning the armed -Arabs to throw away their rifles if they wanted to -save their lives. I knew that in a few minutes the -first of them would reach Jaffa, and that then the -crisis would come. Webster was fidgeting with the -bolt of his breech-block and breathing hard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Already Jaffa was beginning to call out: "Khalli -bunduk 'ak! Khalli bunduk 'ak! Ma kattle kum! -Ist agel! ist agel!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Our nerves were very much on edge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then footsteps began to approach, softly, cautiously. -Jaffa altered his tone of voice. One could almost -imagine that he was imploring someone, for his own -safety, to throw away his rifle, just as a father might -have done. We heard the noise of a rifle falling on -to the rocks, then another and another, and, before -Webster and I realized it, dim, cloaked figures came -up to the gap and stopped there, as if frightened and -uncertain what to do.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My heart was in my mouth then, and I said as -firmly as I could: "Ma kattle kum! Ist agel!" Webster -chipping in with a quaver in his voice, and -the two marines and Griffiths bellowing these words -behind and above us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For a moment the Arabs still hesitated, but then -they commenced to pass through the gap between -Webster and myself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One, two, half a dozen, a dozen panting figures -glided through, and more came—twenty or thirty -more—and all the time Jaffa's voice sounded—as -calmly as if he were aboard the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>"—"Khalli -bunduk 'ak! khalli bunduk 'ak! Ma kattle kum! ma -kattle kum!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then I heard Griffiths moving among the rocks -overhead, probably shifting himself into a more -comfortable position, and the fool must have had his -finger on his trigger, because his rifle went off, right -in our faces, almost blinding us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Of course the approaching Arabs thought that we -were firing at those who had passed through the gap, -and believed that they were going to be murdered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I cursed Griffiths, and shouted: "Ma kattle kum! ma -kattle kum!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa yelled to us not to shoot—but no more Arabs came.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Out of the darkness Jaffa's voice sounded, higher -pitched now: "Khalli bunduk 'ak," and voices at his -feet answered him, angry voices, despairing voices; a -crowd of Arabs seemed to be collecting all along the -path, and people were calling up from below. I -realized that they were refusing to part with their -rifles, preferring to have a chance for their lives, or to -die, if they had to, with them in their hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We were all shouting: "Ma kattle kum! Ist agel!" The -two marines, knowing that something was wrong, -ran to us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stand by to fire! Be very careful; fire below, -and to right of the match, if Jaffa strikes one."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was a very ominous murmur now. Jaffa was -haranguing, expostulating; then he stopped.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stand by!" I shouted, bringing my rifle to my -shoulder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A tiny light showed. Jaffa had struck a match.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Fire!" I yelled, and our four rifles went off together.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We heard groans, a yell of pain, and a body falling. -Some of our bullets had gone home.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa's pistol flashed once; we fired again; it flashed -a second time, and then, with a glare and a startling -roar, a shell burst not fifty yards below us, and for a -second or two lighted up the whole scene—Jaffa on -the rock, and those Arabs, a whole line of them, -surging up to him. Wild screams came up from a lower -path, and told us that men there had been wounded; -and Jaffa began in his old voice of calm assurance, -"Ma kattle kum! Khalli bunduk 'ak"—he never -once stopped talking.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No shoot," he called to us; "they throw away -rifles—they come:" and with the most intense relief -from the strain of those few awful seconds I heard the -welcome clatter of rifles on the rocks, and that weird -procession began again to pass between us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In their hurry to escape this new terror of the bursting -shells the Arabs actually swept the two marines -back to the farther end of the gap.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Another shell burst, some way from us, but near -enough for all to hear the fragments smashing against -the rocks, and enough to break the nerves of any who -had already suffered as those poor wretches had done.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I realized now that they were absolutely panic-stricken; -they were throwing away their rifles long -before they reached Jaffa. They came in one -continuous line through the gap, struggling with each -other to escape those shells, and to escape from that -awful inferno below them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They were mere terror-stricken fugitives, with no -more fight left in them, and Webster and I had to -step aside, out of the mouth of the gap, to prevent -them carrying us along with them in their flight. -We were shouting: "Ist agel! Ma kattle kum!" -more to let them know the way to the gap than -anything else, for the glare of those shells (which burst -dangerously close to us every four or five minutes) -blinded everyone, and they could not see the way. -In fact, we four standing there, and Jaffa on his rock, -were now doing nothing more dangerous than a -policeman does in calling out to a crowd to pass along. -The marines at the farther end of the gap had -forgotten their Arabic words, and forgotten their -fright—if they had been frightened—and were shouting: -"'Urry up there! keep a-moving! 'Ere, you won't get -no front seat if you don't 'urry. Pass along, please! -First turn to the right takes you to the 'orses. 'Urry -up! 'urry up! The show's about to begin."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Griffiths, on the rocks above, had altered "Ma -kattle kum," into "Call the cattle home," and was -droning this out under the impression that he was -talking the proper "lingo".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As one shell burst I had seen a group of men on -one of the paths apparently bearing a comrade. In -time they came up to Jaffa, and I heard the sound of -voices entreating something. Jaffa called to me that -it was the sheikh's son, badly wounded and asking -for water.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With shuffling footsteps they bore him up to the -gap, and laid him on a rock.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I could well imagine the awful experience he must -have had whilst being carried up there amongst his -terrified followers, and the tremendous pluck of those -who had stuck to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They now began crying "Pani! ma!" and Jaffa -called out that the sheikh's son wanted water. He, -poor chap, did not deign to ask; but for a -half-suppressed groan, when they laid him on the rocks, -he was absolutely silent.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We had no water (our water-bottles had been -emptied long ago), but I remembered that brass cooking -bowl in which the rear-guard had started to cook -coffee.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It had been placed between some rocks, so had not -been upset, and I groped round and found it. There -was still some liquid "of sorts" in it. I gave the -bowl to the men, and they scooped up a little fluid -with their hands and poured it into his mouth. They -finished the remainder themselves. Then they picked -him up and bore him through the gap as he muttered -something, apparently to me—though whether a -blessing or a curse I did not know.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The two marines hurried them on with cruel jests, -and, before they had passed through, the blaze of -another shell lighted up the mournful little band and -the red-stained beard of the sheikh. I looked for the -green turban, but that was gone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>During the next few minutes perhaps twenty -limping, hard-breathing men passed us. After that, -though we waited and watched the zigzag path -whenever a shell burst, not a single man could be seen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was time to stop those shells. They were meant -well, but they had done their work and had scared -the Arabs; now we should be very relieved if no -more came, because many were unpleasantly close.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I ordered the two marines, Webster and Griffiths, -to fire three volleys into the air, giving them the -word of command, and firing myself. Whether the -</span><em class="italics">Intrepids</em><span> saw these volleys or not, or whether they -understood that we were "all correct" or not, I did -not know, but they ceased firing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then, at last, we knew that we had won, that the -morning would show us our prize—the caravan of -living camels strung along the zigzag path and the -dead ones below. But we were too worn out with the -strain of that day's work, and that last hour or more -in the gap, to feel any exultation. All we wanted to -do was to lie down and sleep, and all we wanted to -see was the rising of the blessed sun. We had cursed -it a good many times during the last three months; -now, how we did long to see it again!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa came back to us, and we made much of him, -praised him, and told him that it was he who had -saved us and captured the caravan, that all the credit -was due to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He simply lay down and slept. Praise from us -seemed to mean nothing to him. I let every one of -them sleep. I only had to say the word, and they -simply subsided where they stood, and straightway -fell asleep.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Backwards and forwards by myself I paced from -one end to the other of that gap, my rifle in my hand, -looking down into the black obscurity as I came to -the opening on each side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Away down in the valley which had swallowed up -those panic-stricken Arabs I sometimes heard voices, -gradually growing fainter and fainter in the distance. -Below, in the "coffee-cup", occasionally weird noises -came up, perhaps from those poor wretched camels -still huddled on that awful path, with their unwieldy -burden of rifles flattened against the rocks. Once or -twice a momentary twinkle of light flickered far below; -probably the bluejackets were striking matches to -light their pipes. It was a comfort to think that -someone down there still kept watch.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently a land-breeze began gently sweeping -through the gap, on its way to the sea; so warm and -heavy was it that it made the desire to sleep an agony. -How I could have remained awake without my pipe, -I do not know; that, and perhaps my hunger, kept -me going.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hyenas, jackals, or wolves began howling in the -valley; others, along the walls of the "coffee-cup", -answered them. They must have scented blood, and -appeared to be gathering all along the ridge, but did -not venture down, staying there howling and whining -in piercing cadences. I set their hateful music to a -tune of "Keep awake! keep awake! one turn more! twelve -paces! one turn more!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no means of judging the time, but perhaps -it was an hour after I had been left to myself -when two wretched Arabs came stumbling up, or -hopping up, dragging broken legs after them, and -supporting each other. Poor, wretched, miserable -creatures! the agony they must have suffered would -have made me feel pity for them had not my brain -been absolutely numbed with the craving for sleep, -and unable to think of anything except the necessity -for fighting it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last, when I thought that I must have done -more than my share of "sentry-go", I simply -collapsed on top of Webster. I remember him scrambling -to his feet, but I am certain that I was sound -asleep before I lay flat on the ground. It was no use -being ashamed of myself; I was not. It was physically -impossible for me to keep awake any longer, -and, as it turned out, it was physically impossible for -any of us to keep awake.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When I did awake it was broad daylight; the sun -was just appearing over the opposite rim of the -"coffee-cup", and dear old Popple Opstein was bending -over me, shaking me. The gap was full of the -</span><em class="italics">Intrepid's</em><span> bluejackets, and they were trying to shake life -into the others. Jaffa was leaning against a rock.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Water! water!" was the first thing I said, and -Popple Opstein, with his face that strange violet -colour, his eyes ablaze with excitement, gave me his -water-bottle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We couldn't climb the path in the dark, Martin, -old chap," he burst out. "We tried, but we couldn't -do it. Two of our chaps fell over and broke legs or -arms, so the commander brought us back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank goodness that he did call you back!" I -said. "You would have all been killed. It's bad -enough in daylight, with nothing blocking it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It took us three hours to get up," he said. "We -counted more than a hundred camels on the path, and -you knocked over any number. They are lying in -heaps at the bottom!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He gave me a ship's biscuit. Nothing I have ever -tasted tasted so appetizing as that did, and he spared -me another mouthful of water to wash the last crumbs -down my throat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then I lighted a cigarette, and together we walked -through the gap to see if there were any traces of the -disarmed Arabs. The valley was empty and silent, -shrouded in shadow. Not a single living thing could -we see except a few vultures.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We walked back again and looked into the -"coffee-cup". The zigzag path was now swarming with -villagers and bluejackets trying to restore order -among the camels. Close to the rock where Jaffa had -stood, rifles lay scattered everywhere.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We must have captured a couple of thousand -rifles and thirty or forty thousand rounds of -ammunition," my chum said exultingly. "It's the finest -haul, they tell me, that's been made for years."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I don't mind saying that if he had told me that -there was a steaming hot dish of bacon and eggs and -a potful of coffee waiting for me round the corner I -should have been much more excited—just at this time.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-cobra-bracelet-again"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XI</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">The Cobra Bracelet Again</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Take the whole world over, and you would not have -found a more happy group than we made that -morning, sitting in the gap, yarning whenever our jaws -were not busy crunching the ship's biscuits the -</span><em class="italics">Intrepids</em><span> had brought us; Webster, Griffiths, Jaffa, -and the two marines surrounded by a crowd of -bluejackets eager to learn every detail of the adventure, -and the Baron and myself squatting on a rock, he -beaming at me like an old mother hen who had just -found her long-lost chick, and watching me munch -his biscuit as if it was the most pleasant sight in the -world.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"When darkness came on," he was saying, "We gave -you up for 'finish'. We thought they'd rush you; we -thought you'd have not the slightest chance of escape. -You remember firing rifles—at the beginning—when -it first got dark? We were waiting for them. We -tried to help you with those shells of ours—it was the -only thing we could do—but we made so certain that -it was the beginning of the end for you that, when -no more rifle flashes showed up, we thought you all -were killed. We felt sick that we couldn't climb up -and kill a few Arabs to revenge you, so we kept -plugging away with the nine-pounder in sheer desperate -anger. Man! we never guessed for a moment what -was really happening. Look down there at that litter -of rifles; the path and the rocks for a hundred yards -are simply smothered with them. It's splendid! splendid, -old chap!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In his excitement my chum leant forward and -gripped my shoulder till I winced.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you'd seen Jaffa standing there on his rock, and -heard him calling out: 'Khalli bunduk 'ak. Ma kattle -kum! Ist agel!' you'd have thought him splendid. -He's the hero of the affair," I said, pointing to Jaffa, -who was extricating himself from the crowd of his -admirers and stalking solemnly away to perch himself -on a rock, where no one could come and worry him -with questions. "We shall never forget those words; -we shouted them till we were hoarse. Didn't we, -Webster?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Webster smiled. "Pretty ticklish work—part of -the time, sir!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Those shells of yours just did the trick," I went -on, telling him how Griffiths's rifle going off -accidentally had nearly brought about a catastrophe. -"They were simply hideous in the darkness; the -chasm looked a perfect hell, and the half-crazed -wretches fled through the gap from them like a flock -of sheep. How the dickens did you manage to train -the gun and aim it? That's what beat me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He explained that before it was too dark to see the -gap from the bottom of the "coffee-cup" they had -found a rock which gave, more or less, the proper -elevation when the muzzle of the gun rested on it, -and when the trail of the carriage was pushed up -against another, the gun pointed somewhere in the -right direction. After every shot they had had to -drag it back, feel about for the rocks, and trust to -luck. That was why the shells were so erratic and -the firing so slow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We were very nearly as frightened of them as -the Arabs were," I laughed, "and were mighty glad -when you stopped your fireworks and bits of -ironmongery flying round us."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Recollecting those volleys we had fired when all -was over, I asked my chum whether they had seen -them, and how they knew what we meant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Baron shook his head. "Too much smoke -down there; we saw nothing. We only stopped -firing for the simple reason that we'd fired every -blessed shell we had. Why, my dear old chap, we -thought you'd been 'deaders' long before. Even this -morning we thought we should have to fight our way -here; it was a kind of a forlorn hope; the commander -didn't want me to come, and it was not until we were -halfway up without being fired on that we had a -glimmer of an idea that the Arabs had 'hoofed' it during -the night. And you and your fellows were so fast -asleep you never heard us cheering as we scrambled -up the last fifty yards.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"When we saw you six huddled here we thought -it was a burial party wanted—nothing else. Why, -dear old ass, I was just turning you over to see where -you'd been killed, when you began muttering some -outlandish gibberish."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ma kattle kum!" I suggested, smiling.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Something like that," he grinned. "Ugh! it was -a bit of a shock," and his cheeks flushed that curious -violet colour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What was a shock?" I asked. "Finding me alive?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, you fool! Thinking we'd have to bury the -lot of you, and not an inch of ground where we could -stick a pickaxe, let alone a spade, for miles."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Baron lifted his helmet and wiped his forehead.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sight of his yellow hair reminded me of Miss -Borsen, and I told him how I had managed to silence -her tormenting little tongue. "Just picked her up -like a feather, carried her twenty yards before she -could say 'knife', and never a word more did she say. -I thought I'd got the best of her for once, but she -only thought me a horrid cad, and wouldn't even let -me apologize, wouldn't even let me see her again. -So she came off best after all."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Women always do," the Baron grinned. "Irritating -things, women."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We were both agreed on that point.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then he told me his part of the yarn. It was just -as I had thought. Some skunk of an Arab with a -grievance had come along to Muscat and sneaked, -given the whole show away, and the plan of taking -all the rifles and ammunition still remaining at Jeb -to Kalat al Abeid (the little village whose head-man -had brought me up here to shoot leopards). That -was why the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> had hurried round. Even before -Commander Duckworth had heard from Mr. Scarlett -that I was up in the mountains he was preparing to -land his men, and when he received my scribbled note -it had been a case of hurrying ashore in double-quick -time, to try to take possession of the mouth of the -ravine leading to the "coffee-cup" before the Arabs -reached it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As you know, they did not, in spite of the villagers -clapping on to the nine-pounder and Maxim and -dragging them up those baking slopes. They had been -met with a very fierce fire, and it was not till the -resistance began to weaken (when many Arabs had -been withdrawn to defend the camels from us) that -the </span><em class="italics">Intrepids</em><span> could make any impression. But once -an Arab leaves his first position for one farther in the -rear, his chief anxiety is to keep his eye on a still -safer place behind him; so, once they had begun to -retire, the job was comparatively easy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Before they gained the mouth of the ravine the -</span><em class="italics">Intrepids</em><span> had lost two men killed and five wounded. -My chum told me that Nicholson, the staff surgeon, -did not expect one of those to pull through safely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's jolly hard luck on them," the Baron said, -his face falling.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We sat silent for some time, looking into the -"coffee-cup" and watching the very tedious and -dangerous work of getting the remaining camels -safely down to the bottom.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then a message was semaphored that the -commander wanted to see me and my party; so I -gathered them together and left the Baron and his -men to keep watch at the gap in case the Arabs -recovered from their fright and came back. There -was precious little chance of this.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The zigzag path was the most extraordinary sight, -littered with rifles, bandoliers, water-bags, turbans, -and cloaks, showing how hurriedly the poor wretches -had tried to escape. It was dangerous work there, -and worse still when we reached the camels. Each -poor brute thought we were bringing him food, and -was furious when he saw we were not, swaying his -neck and making an angry rumbling noise somewhere -from halfway down his neck, scraping his bundle -of rifles or ammunition-boxes against the rock. We -had to squeeze past each one very carefully indeed, -with an eye on his head and neck and a hand -gripping at his bundle. Lower down we came to the -villagers trying their best to shift the camels, make -them get on their feet if they were kneeling, or turn -them round if they were facing upwards. Poor -devils, they were only fishermen, and were evidently -making a poor job of this. Among them was my -old friend the head-man, shouting orders by the -dozen. He smiled affably, and gabbled a lot of -weird words as I squeezed past him. Jaffa explained -that he was comparing me "to the sun for strength -and the jackal for cunning". I smiled back, and as -Jaffa followed he commenced another long rigmarole, -which I did not stay to listen to, but which Jaffa -afterwards told me was to the effect that the Bedouin -would be very angry, and would come back presently, -when the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> and </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> had -gone away, and kill them all.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That was the worst of it. I knew enough about -the temper of those gun-running fellows—hadn't I -seen what had happened at Bungi and Sudab?—and -the Arabs are no whit less ferocious and revengeful -than the Afghans. It seemed such hard luck to get -those villagers to help us and then leave them to -certain vengeance. These especial people were so -simple, and had been so useful, that it would be a -shame to leave them unprotected. But what could -we do? Neither the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> nor the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> -could stay there for ever.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Lower down still, quite close to the bottom of the -zigzag, I met the commander, very pleased with -himself and with me too.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You should get promotion out of this," he said, -as I saluted; "it's the finest haul that's been made -for years—three thousand rifles at least, and more -ammunition than we've destroyed in the last twelve -months."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He made me tell him the whole yarn over again, -and then ordered me to take my men back to the -</span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>. I did not want to go, but had to.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the bottom of the "coffee-cup" I saw the -mangled remains of many of the camels which had -fallen down the precipice. Rifles from their burst -bundles were scattered round them, and some of the -</span><em class="italics">Intrepids</em><span> were still moving about among the boulders, -searching for dead or wounded Arabs. Then at the -very entrance to the gorge, round the corner where -the Arabs had taken up their first position, I found -Nicholson busy with the wounded, and showing some -natives how to make litters.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man who had been so desperately wounded -was dead. "Nothing could have saved him," Nicholson -told me, as though I might think he had not -done enough for him. He brightened when he saw -how little the scar on my forehead showed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A good bit of work—that," he said, quite pleased, -and wanted me to take the other four wounded back -to the village.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So off we started with them. Two could walk, and -we took it in turns to carry the others, for the villagers -were much too excited and impatient to realize the -necessity for gentleness. They wanted to run along -with them as if they had been sacks of potatoes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Fifty or sixty of the camels were already slowly -tramping down the rocky slope ahead of us, and -when we reached the village we found them kneeling -under the shade of some trees, looking quite -contented—that is, if a camel can look contented. The -youngsters who had brought them down, and all -the women and children in the village, were gathered -round in a state of wonderment. The women covered -their faces when they saw us; but the children came -crowding round us, clapping their little brown hands, -and followed us down to the beach, dancing and -jumping with glee.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I took the wounded men on board the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>, -and then went aboard the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>, where I -had a great reception. Even the dismal cook and -his still more dismal "mate" showed symptoms of -pleasure, and Mr. Scarlett's face—for once—was -beaming. His claw-like hand shot out and gripped -mine like a vice. "I've had a terrible bad time -of it for the last twenty-four hours, sir. Never -thought to see any of you alive again. We all -wanted to come along and lend a hand, but you -know that we dursn't leave the '</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>', sir, don't you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was terrified lest I should think he had failed -me. Of course he hadn't.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I sent him, and as many men as could be spared, -up to Commander Duckworth, in case they should -be needed. They went ashore like a lot of boys, -Mr. Scarlett one of the youngest, but had had enough -of the sun and hot rocks before they eventually -returned. By dark every camel had, somehow or other, -been brought down to the village, and by midnight all -the rifles and ammunition were aboard the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As I looked shorewards to the grim dark mass -of mountains towering into the starlit sky, I was -most thankful that I had not to spend another night -on top of them. We all had had enough excitement -to last a long time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I went across to the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> to gloat over the rifles -piled in her battery, and had supper with the Baron. -A most joyous and hilarious meal it was. Afterwards -Commander Duckworth sent for me to give me orders -to proceed to Muscat next morning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This gave me the chance of putting in a good word -for the villagers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It does seem precious hard," he said, shrugging -his shoulders. "These hundred and thirty or more -camels are not the slightest use to them; they dare -not take them inland to sell, and those Arab chaps -are certain to wipe out every man of them. But what -can I do? I can't stay here for ever."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I suggested that he should let them have some of -the captured rifles.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They won't know how to use them," he said; -"they'll only shoot each other."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, he changed his mind next morning, for -as I weighed anchor he signalled across: "Am -sending fifty rifles and two thousand rounds of -ammunition to the village ".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If the inoffensive, childlike villagers would only -learn to use them properly, and would guard that -gap night and day, they would be safe; but—I knew -they would not. They were simply fishermen; they -could not spare men from the boats; and after the -first few days had passed without anything happening -they would imagine themselves safe, or, still more -likely, never take any precautions whatsoever, -considering it wrong to interfere with "fate".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Just as the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> was shoving off, a native -boat came paddling furiously from shore. I stopped -my engines, and it came alongside with a couple of -sheep—a parting present from my old head-man. -Sending back a message of thanks, and dragging -them aboard, I went ahead again, wound my way -through that extraordinary channel in the cliffs to -the open sea, and by sunset found myself once more -anchored in Muscat harbour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was too late to report myself to the political -agent that night, so I went next morning. He heard -my news with great satisfaction, said very nice things -about my part of the "show", and expressed the -opinion that the loss of the valuable caravan would be -such a blow to the inland tribes that the gun-running -trade would be dead on that part of the coast for many -months. He agreed with me that something ought -to be done for the villagers, but shook his head when -I suggested that the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" might be spared to -protect them for a few weeks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Can't anything be done for them?" I asked anxiously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The most I can do," he said, "is to let the local -Arab camel dealers know that they have all those -camels to sell—almost for the asking. Once they -have got rid of them there won't be so much -temptation for the Bedouins to attack them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He did this, and during the afternoon six or seven -large trading buggalows glided out of harbour. I -hoped that they were off to my village, and, one -passing close to the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>", Mr. Scarlett hailed -her to know where she was going.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," he nodded, after much shouting backward -and forward; "they are all on their way there as -quickly as they can. They aren't going to let the -chance slip; they don't expect those Bedouins will -leave the camels there many days."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Poor devils! Precious little profit would they make -out of their assistance to us, and precious little would -those traders give them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We "coaled" and "watered" that day, having a -good deal of trouble with the natives in the lighters. -There was such a swell running into the harbour that -we were banging against those lighters rather heavily, -and the natives were often frightened to carry the coal -on board. Jaffa was ashore, so Mr. Scarlett had to -do all the persuading. He was in his element at -"persuading". I don't believe he had any more -feeling for those chaps than if they'd been dogs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There now, that comes of knowing the 'lingo'!" -he said cheerfully, when at last the eighteen tons of -coal had been stowed below, and he came up on deck -to have a drink. "I told them a few things about -their grandfathers and fathers, grandmothers and -mothers, which fairly got them on the raw."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was a very strange chap. He would be cheerful -and talkative one moment, morbid and taciturn the -next—one never knew. I often tried to chaff him out -of these fits of depression, told him they were worse -at full moon, and joked him about being in love. -The moon may have had nothing to do with them; -but I often noticed that he grew silent and morose -towards sunset, and have often seen him go and -hide himself in the cabin or turn his back to it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Once I asked him why.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can't help it, sir; every time I see the sun setting -I remember those shadows racing down from the -mountains that time Jassim's wife was killed with -this," and he tapped his left arm where the bracelet was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He happened to be quite cheerful that evening, after -his successful day's work with the lightermen, so when -it was cool I simply forced him to come ashore.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come and have a walk; it will do you good," -I said, and took him with me in the dinghy. Directly -we landed, between the Custom House and the Sultan's -palace, he started off along the shore at a great pace, -pushing in and out of the Arabs busy loading and -unloading dhows as if he never even saw them. As -I caught up with him I saw that he was in one of his -morbid fits again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's wrong now?" I asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This is the very spot where I stood eighteen years -ago and saw the cursed snake for the second time. -The Khan of Khamia came down here, and his wives -were carried along that passageway—the arm with -this bracelet on it showed up just there—there!" and -he gripped my arm and pointed, his eyes glittering -as if he could really see it again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come along, man; don't be a fool!" I cried -angrily; "people will think you mad," and dragged -him reluctantly away through narrow, tortuous passages, -jostling natives of every black or brown nationality -under the sun, and pressing back occasionally -against the walls of the miserable houses to let laden -donkeys pass. The Eastern smell pervading -everything delighted me; it was splendid; but I do not -suppose he noticed it. At last we came to the main -gate of the town, with its armed guard of ruffianly -Arabs, and turned to the right along an open space -where many horses were tethered, until we found -ourselves close to a wretched mosque and a crowd of idlers -lazily listening whilst a decrepit-looking old chap, -standing on the steps, read from a paper he was -holding. As we pressed through the people I caught -the words "Khamia", when Mr. Scarlett stopped -suddenly, gripped my arm fiercely, and literally pulled -me away. He was shaking all over, and that muddy, -frightened expression had come back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What the dickens is the matter now?" I asked, -very irritated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come back; get back to the '</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>,' sir; I can't -breathe here."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He let go of my arm and simply ploughed his way -through the crowd, and when clear of it actually began -running.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I caught him up and stopped him. I was furious.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Didn't you hear what he was reading?" he said, -trembling. "It was the proclamation offering a -reward for the 'Twin Death'?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's nothing, man; you know they read it out -every few weeks."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can't help it, sir; don't leave me, sir! For -God's sake get me back to the '</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>'! That's not -all. I've seen something else."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He would not tell me what, but walked as fast as -he could, looking back every other second, with wild -eyes, as if he was afraid of being followed. He -walked so fast that I could barely keep up with -him, and in one street or alleyway, which was fairly -empty, he broke into a run again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was in a pitiable state of terror, and I was -mighty glad when we did at last reach the beach, -jump into a shore boat, and get aboard the </span><em class="italics">Bunder -Abbas</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was not until he had had a glass of brandy that -he began to calm down, and presently he apologized -most abjectly for spoiling my walk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I knew that I should never take him ashore again; -I was very irritated. The whole business was so -childish. He might take the bracelet off—I would -guarantee to have it off in ten minutes—without the -least risk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I tried to argue with him; but it was not of the -least use; he only became more agitated. He shut -himself in our cabin, and I left him there till Percy -announced dinner, with a grin of importance at having -provided a special feast for us from one of the sheep -those poor devils of villagers had given us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Kid-ney on to-ast," he said, his eyes and mouth -wide open with delight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come along, Mr. Scarlett!" I shouted, and tried -to make him come out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I durs'n't yet, sir; I'll wait till it's dark."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What on earth are you frightened of—now?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of being seen, sir; I durs'n't show myself. Look -at those boats there, sir," he said, pointing through -the cabin door at some native boats which were -passing—such boats were passing at all hours of -the day. "He might be there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who? Not that decrepit old chap we saw this -afternoon?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," he said, clutching the side of his bunk and -looking half-mad; "Jassim! Jassim himself!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Jassim? You haven't seen him, have you?" I -asked, startled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," he groaned; "and he saw me! We came -face to face in that crowd outside the mosque. I knew -him directly, and he knew me—I'll swear it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're mistaken, man; it couldn't have been he."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett shook his head. "No, no! I recollect -his face as though it was yesterday—he has -a scar on his upper lip, too. No, no! I couldn't -make a mistake! He shot out an arm, felt above my -elbow, then turned away without a word."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Touched the bracelet; made sure it was still there, -did he?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Phew! I whistled, and shivered in spite of the -terrible heat inside the cabin, for there was -something so uncanny about the whole business. If Jassim -had recognized him there might be danger—might -be very great danger, unless Mr. Scarlett would let -me or someone take the cursed thing off his arm. -We could not hope that we had escaped by hurrying -away. Two Englishmen couldn't walk through the -town of Muscat without everyone knowing from where -they came. There was not a mail steamer in the -harbour, and even if there had been, and we might have -been taken for passengers, the native boatmen who -had brought us off from shore would give us away. -It was very awkward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Kid-ney get cold, master," Percy pleaded, with a -disappointed look in his face; so I went and tried to -eat, sending Mr. Scarlett's share into the cabin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I ate but little; he ate less. His nervousness and -fright were infectious. I began to feel as nervous as -a cat. Fearing lest Jassim—if indeed it was -Jassim—should try to force his way on board, I gave very -stringent orders that no native boat should be allowed -to come alongside and no one allowed on board -without my permission. I also stopped the leave of the -native crew, lest they should be tampered with.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Webster, Moore, and Ellis, who acted as quartermasters, -were provided with revolvers, and ordered to -use them if anyone did attempt to come aboard during -the night. I don't know what they thought had -suddenly made this precaution necessary. Certainly the -whole crew knew that something had happened, and -every one of us was in a horrid state of nerves.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When the sun had set, Mr. Scarlett ventured out -for a breath of the hot air. I had a terrible night with -him. I had never seen anyone so unmanned as he -was. Eventually he did go to sleep, but woke -screaming in a hideous nightmare, and there was no more -sleep after that—for either of us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Next morning he would not be content until he had -rigged a screen round the little upper deck where the -cabin was, and there he stayed, hour after hour, -peering through a slit in the canvas, with a pair of -field-glasses at his side to scrutinize any approaching boat. -This made me more "jumpy" than ever. But a -screen would not keep Jassim away, nor did it, and -during the forenoon a native boat came pulling -towards us with a single Arab in the stern-sheets. -Mr. Scarlett called out for me, and I found him yellow with -fear, peeping through his screen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's him, sir. He's coming."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He can't do anything; I won't let him aboard!" -I said. "For goodness' sake don't be such a -confounded coward."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But I am a coward! I told you I was a coward. -I am, sir; I can't help it;" and he slunk into his cabin -and fastened the door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No one allowed to come aboard," I reminded -Ellis, who happened to be the quartermaster at the -time. He waved off the boat, but the Arab forced the -boatman to bring it closer, and as I saw him more -clearly I gasped with amazement, for I had seen him -before; he was the sheikh who had commanded the -caravan we had captured—the red-bearded man to -whose wounded son I had given water. There could -be no possible mistake. His beard was not dyed now, -but once having seen this man Jassim—-if it was -Jassim—there was no forgetting him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To meet him under these conditions was startling, -to say the least of it, and I was quite thrown off my -balance. To gain time I told Jaffa to ask him what -he wanted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A long conversation followed, and then Jaffa said: -"Say he want very great talk—-must have very great -talk."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In my own opinion it would have been better to let -him come aboard, have the matter out once and for all, -and hear what he proposed doing; but the door of -the cabin overhead slid back and Mr. Scarlett whispered -through the screen: "For God's sake, sir, send him -away; don't let him come near me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So, as my head really was rather dizzy with my -discovery, I sent him away, and back he went, never -moving a muscle of his face to show that he was -disappointed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I certainly was disappointed; one doesn't meet such -people every day, and I should have liked to find out -whether his son was alive. One thing, only, I -determined on—not to let Mr. Scarlett know that it was -his caravan of rifles we had captured, because I knew -this would only add to his fright and his fear of -impending calamity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That afternoon a letter was brought off addressed in -sprawling letters to the "Officer with black beard, -His Britannic Majesty's ship, </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The quartermaster brought it to me and I took it up -to Mr. Scarlett, who seized it with trembling fingers -and tore it open. Presently he called me to come to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've translated it, sir. He wants the snake; he -offers me five thousand rupees if only I will let him -take it off my arm. He says he does not want to do -me any harm, but that he is desperately hard up and -must and will have it. It's really a threat, sir," he -said, his hands trembling violently.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I guessed why he was so desperately "hard up", -though I did not tell Mr. Scarlett, but spent the whole -day trying to argue with the poor chap, going over -the same old arguments which Baron Popple Opstein -and I had used so often—with the added inducement -of his now being able to make money by getting rid -of the snake.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Every now and again he would almost yield. Then -he would remember seeing Jassim's wife dying and -that bluejacket clawing his way down to the sea, and -he would rock himself from side to side, like a woman -in despair, shouting at me that he would sooner be -killed than die such a death.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I really thought that he was going mad—as his -predecessor had done.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So when Jassim came next morning I sent him -away again. Not a flicker of disappointment crossed -his face, but as I watched the retreating boat and his -motionless back I could not help feeling that we had -done a very foolish thing indeed, and that trouble -would certainly follow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Not a soul stirred out of the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> all day; -there was a strange sensation of impending trouble, -and as darkness fell and the lights of the gloomy, -unruly town twinkled out, I felt an unpleasant, -gruesome feeling that we had let him go, had lost touch -with him, and should not now know when danger -threatened or from where. Whether my mind had -gradually been influenced by association with -Mr. Scarlett or not, yet although I did my utmost to -induce myself to believe that there was no danger, -the effort was extremely unsuccessful. Jassim now -had good reasons for revenge on both of us, and he -badly needed money. If he had turned out to be an -insignificant nonentity or a mere cadging loafer whose -only trace of his former power and dignities remained -in his remembrance of them I should not have feared -him; but this Jassim was evidently a man of great -influence still (you must remember that gun-running -or slave-running were then the only aristocratic -occupations the sheikhs of the various tribes indulged in), -and must even now have powerful friends scattered -everywhere who would be only too glad to assist him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I do not mind saying that it caused me most unpleasant -thought, and I was more than ever sorry that -we had rebuffed him twice already.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Luckily the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> came in next morning, and -I was extremely pleased to receive orders to return -to Kalat al Abeid for a fortnight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Whilst our lascars were raising steam I saw the -commander going ashore to call on the political agent, -and on his way back he came aboard the </span><em class="italics">Bunder -Abbas</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The political agent's delighted with our haul," he -said, as I saluted him. "He's mentioning your name -in his dispatches to the Indian Government. You -ought to get something out of it. You got my orders. -Well, you can go there for a fortnight; you can't be -spared for longer. Don't get into trouble. You can -finish off those leopards. I killed a couple; there are -plenty more."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I thanked him very warmly, and as he was shoving -off he called out: "They're getting nervous at Jask -again. Some brigands of 'sorts' from the hills have -been cutting the telegraph line and threatening to -burn the telegraph station."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is nothing going to be done?" I asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," he called back. "We've advised them to -send away those two ladies—two are there, I hear—but -nothing else. They're always crying 'wolf', and -we can't keep a ship tied to the telegraph-posts all the -time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I had intended telling him that Jassim was in -Muscat, but this news made me forget him and spoilt -my pleasure at getting away from Muscat and being -able to help my friends the villagers. It made me -very uncomfortable to think of those two fragile ladies -exposed to such dangers in those sunbaked telegraph -buildings on the little promontory of Jask.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We were not ready for sea until next morning, and -that night I dreamt that I had to rescue those two -ladies, or, rather, choose which I should rescue, and I -picked up the little yellow-haired lady with the grey -eyes and tried to carry her down to the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>; -but my foot wouldn't move properly, and an Arab -with a flaming-red beard and a knife in his hand -would have caught me had I not woke up.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, if one always worried about dangers -which might happen at some uncertain future one's -time would be pretty well occupied. When once we -were out at sea, and the little "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" was tumbling -about with the tail end of the south-west monsoon -swell sliding under her, our cares and troubles seemed -quickly blown away. The whole crew had caught -some of yesterday's gloom, and they too were now as -cheery as schoolboys. Even Moore and Ellis—still -enemies—exchanged a few friendly remarks, and the -dismal cook and his "mate" chattered to each other as -they carried on their everlasting scouring of pots and -pans. Mr. Scarlett was a different being altogether. -He was his natural colour again, and I could have -sworn that he was fatter than the day before. As for -Percy, his glistening brown cheeks were split with a -smile which extended from ear to ear. He knew that -there had been something wrong, that his hero had -been in some danger, and his two solemn great eyes -followed Mr. Scarlett wherever he moved. To him -the gunner was the most wonderful thing his little -world held, and if you had seen him squatting in a -shady corner outside our cabin, whitening Mr. Scarlett's -shoes or helmet, daubing here and there, then -waiting for the damp places to dry in the sun, holding -them up to see the effect and trying to make them look -whiter than any shoes or helmet had been before, you -would have felt a great liking for the little chap in -his queer surroundings so far from his home and -people.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All that day we steamed along that tremendous -coast line of cliffs, and whenever some particularly -barren rock stuck out into the sea I could not help, -for the life of me, picturing the white telegraph -buildings at Jask, and remembering the fluttering of a -white handkerchief I had once seen waving "good-bye" -from the corner near the flagstaff.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No other tune you know?" Mr. Scarlett asked me -cynically, whilst we were thoroughly enjoying the -lunch Percy had furnished. "You've been whistling -and humming the same old tune for the last three -hours."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I'm hanged if I'd known it at the time, but it was -"Two Eyes of Grey". Well, to know that those -treacherous Afghans were threatening that isolated -telegraph station was enough to make anyone think -of the little grey-eyed lady imprisoned there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In the afternoon we passed quite close to one of -those buggalows which had gone to Kalat al Abeid -to purchase the camels, and her deck was crowded -with them. We met another as we threaded our -way through the channel cut in the cliffs, also laden -with camels. She was drifting out with the tide, and -we had some difficulty in passing her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When we anchored off the village itself, three more -were half in, half out of the water, and we could see -our friends the villagers trying to persuade more -stubborn brutes to climb aboard along sloping gangways.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The head-man was along in a jiffy, bringing another -sheep with him. I hardly recognized him for a -moment in a green turban and a scarlet burnous with a -flaming scarlet belt, into which he had stuck -silver-mounted daggers (the green turban I found out -afterwards was the one Jassim had lost that awful night, -and I remembered that he was not wearing it when -he followed his wounded son through the gap). -Across his knees he had one of the rifles we had given -him—each man in the boat had one—and he was -treating it as if it was a baby or something alive. -When he stepped on board, all smiles and friendliness, -he brought it with him, and kept on patting it -affectionately, shaking a bag slung from his shoulder -by a piece of coarse string, and smiling like a big -baby when the cartridges inside it rattled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was vastly amusing in his new finery. He told -Jaffa, for my edification, that "men of Kalat al Abeid -no fish—so much good things no work any more—Arab -trader from Muscat bring so much food—dates, -rice, cloth, beads, bracelets for women—brass -cooking-pots; never want nothing no more. No fear -Bedouins—taffenk—fishenk[#]—kill them all."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">[#] Rifles, cartridges.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Jaffa soon found out that, as I thought, he never -bothered to keep even a few men posted in the gap -in the mountains. "It was absurd to keep them -there in the daytime: surely they could see the -Bedouins coming down from the ravine and shoot -them; and as for at night, why, everyone knew that -devils and horned dragons breathing flame came and -went through that gap during the dark hours."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If he had spent the night with us up there, whilst -the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid's</em><span> shells were bursting, he might have -had some foundation for his yarn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At any rate, not a man of the village dared stay -there after dark, and it was useless work trying to -chaff the old chap out of his superstitions. He -certainly had not seen any devils or horned dragons -breathing flame—no one alive had; but their fathers -had told them about them, and that was good enough -for him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sometimes hear big noise of wind rushing -through the gap," Jaffa interpreted, as the old man -evidently tried to back his superstition with some -tangible facts.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, ask him about the leopards. Tell him I -want to go there and shoot some," I told Jaffa.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was quite willing to talk about them, but did -not want to give me the trouble of climbing all that -way. He patted his rifle, pointed to those of his -men, and Jaffa explained, without a smile on his face: -"The white sea-lord shall recline in the shade of my -hut whilst I and my men go and shoot leopard—bring -back plenty skins, and plenty claws to make -necklace for white sea-lord."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But the white sea-lord jolly well wants to do -the shooting himself," I laughed, "and to-morrow too."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When this was interpreted to the old man—I must -call him sheikh, now that he was so important—he -smiled, as though he thought me rather a mad ass.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, tell him I'll come ashore to-morrow an hour -before sunrise, and we'll have a great day together."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That was arranged satisfactorily, so I gave him a -packet of cigarettes, and he went ashore, still patting -and fondling his rifle, to hurry up the embarkment of -the remaining camels.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="mr-scarlett-bares-his-arm"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">Mr. Scarlett Bares his Arm</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Mr. Scarlett was in such high spirits at getting -safely away from Muscat that he declared his -intention of coming shooting with me, and he did. I left -Webster, the corporal of marines, in charge of the -"</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>", and took Moore, the petty officer, Hartley, -the lazy signal-man (who was so fat I knew he'd sweat -his soul out climbing up the mountains), and the two -marines, Jones and Gamble. Of course Jaffa came -with us; we could do nothing without our aristocratic -Persian interpreter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Early as it was, we found the shore swarming with -the villagers, helping the crews of those dhows to -embark the last of the captured camels, and making -enough noise to prevent any respectable devil or -horned dragon venturing within a hundred miles of them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When they saw us they hastily rushed back to -their huts, and by the time we had landed and found -the sheikh waiting for us near his white-domed well, -they came running back—the whole crowd of them—every -man with a rifle and a bag of cartridges. At -a word from the beaming sheikh they began firing -their rifles to welcome us. How it was that no one -was hit was a marvel, for they knew less about -handling them than I do of a sewing-machine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>You may bet your last dollar that I was not going -shooting with that little lot, and it took Jaffa at least -a quarter of an hour of talking before they stole away -to their huts, and came sorrowfully back without their -rifles, but with much more useful spears and sticks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I asked Jaffa how he had managed this.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tell them in England country sheikh ask great -man shoot—insult if villagers shoot too."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I could not help laughing at the idea of a day's -"shoot" at home when all the beaters from the -countryside carried rifles. It would make some -"shoots" a good deal more exciting than they often are.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sheikh himself would have sent his rifle away -as well, though I saw that it would almost break his -heart to do so. However, I explained by gestures -that I wanted him to shoot with me, and his pride -and joy were comical to see.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Eventually we shoved off for the ravine, followed -by hooded women bearing huge chatties of water, -and every "toddler" in the village carrying a bigger -or smaller bundle of dry date-palm leaves. It was as -quaint a shooting party as ever I had seen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As we traversed the rocky slopes across which the -</span><em class="italics">Intrepids</em><span> had advanced to the attack of the mouth -of the ravine, the natives spread out to pick up -battered bullets and empty cartridge cases. They -were lying there in hundreds, and every big stone -had one or two white marks where bullets had struck -it. At the mouth of the ravine, at the spot where the -Arabs had first taken up a position, the stones and -rocks were white with splashes and fragments of -nine-pounder shells, and fuses and shrapnel bullets lay -among them. Close by were three cairns with wooden -crosses. These were the graves of the three who had -been killed, and the sheikh explained that he and his -people had piled up those big stones so that the -wolves and jackals should not disturb them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Passing through the ravine we once more entered -that vast hollow, left the sunshine behind us, and -craned our necks upwards to see the gap. Six days -ago, when I was there, it and the path had been full -of living creatures and ringing with shouts from one -zigzag to another, as the bluejackets and villagers -tried to bring down the camels. Now the gloom was -haunted with silence and loneliness. Except for two -or three bloated vultures, which flew heavily upwards -and disappeared over the rim, not a thing moved. -The not-yet-whitened skeletons of several camels -showed what a feast they and the jackals had made.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As we did on that first memorable day, so we did -on this. The villagers were ordered to remain at the -bottom whilst the sheikh, Mr. Scarlett, myself, and -the rest of the men climbed up the zigzag. We left -Hartley below; he solemnly shook his head when he -saw what kind of a path it was, and, as he was already -pretty well "done up", I let him stay. He promptly -went to sleep.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When we did reach the top, walked through the -gap, and looked down into the valleys beyond, I -almost expected to see the huge snake of a caravan -wriggling up to us again. I showed Mr. Scarlett -where we had first seen it, and pointed out the rocks -behind which we had crouched nearly all that day; -also the rock on which Jaffa had stood calling out in -the dark: "Khalli bunduk 'ak! Ma kattle kum! Ist agel!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was very interested, but the sheikh was still -more impatient, so we spread out along the crest just -as we had done before, and then he gave the signal -for the villagers to beat up towards us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I don't know what I imagined they would do. -They were not flies, or even goats, so I could hardly -expect them to climb up the precipice; but what -actually occurred was that, after spreading over the -whole of the bottom of the "coffee-cup", yelling and -throwing stones into any places likely to conceal a -leopard, they all made for the zigzag path and came -up it very swiftly, one behind the other, yelling like -fury, beating the rocks with their spears as they passed -them, the ones in rear beating the rocks which had -already been struck a hundred times already, just as -vigorously as the first. Occasionally they threw -blazing bundles of date-palm leaves into crevices and -caves; but, except for this and the noise they made, -their ideas of what was wanted were very laughable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sheikh had lain down close to me. Presently -he gave an exclamation and pointed. I saw a leopard -slinking round a rock just ahead of some shouting -villagers; he was at least four hundred yards away, -and before I could stop the old man he had fired his -rifle, regardless of the fact that if his aim was -anywhere in that direction he was far more likely to hit -one of his own people than the leopard. I need not -have worried myself. The bullet struck a rock close -below us and shrieked away into the sky, whilst the -recoiling butt struck his cheek. First of all he looked -to see whether the leopard was dead, and as it had -disappeared behind a rock he was as pleased as -"Punch"; then he felt his cheek and patted his rifle -reprovingly as if it were a naughty boy. But he -smacked it a moment after, when the leopard appeared -again, bounding up the rocks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I roared with laughter, which of course upset him. -Holding the rifle more gingerly than ever, and keeping -his face well out of the danger line (he could not -possibly have looked along his sights) he fired again, -and of course "thump" went the butt against his -shoulder. At that he laid the rifle down, sat up, and -gazed scornfully at it, jabbering something to me -which I, of course, did not understand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The leopard was now standing on a rock, entirely -unaware that he had been fired at, watching the -advancing beaters, twitching his tail, and uncertain -what to do.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I nodded to the sheikh to watch how it should be -done, took a steady aim, and fired.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The animal was two hundred yards away, if an -inch, and I did not expect to hit him, but luck was -with me. He sprang up, pawing the air, gave two -or three huge bounds from rock to rock, then just -missed the edge of a boulder, clawed frantically for -a moment, and fell on the zigzag path dead.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The wonder and amazement showing in the old -man's eyes were the greatest compliment I had ever -had paid to my skill. He handed me his rifle and -wanted to try mine, taking it with an awed expression -as if it were a live thing. Then he noticed the -difference in the breech (mine was a Lee-Metford, his a -Mauser), and a cunning smile flickered across his face, -as if that was the reason why mine had behaved so -much better. His eyes simply danced from rock to -rock, watching for something to appear, so that he -could show me that with the same rifle he was just as -good a shot as myself. Presently a wolf or jackal -trotted along a narrow ledge of rock below us. He -threw up my rifle, pressing the trigger at the same -moment, and, as he never even held it tightly, and -was sitting up on his haunches, was nearly knocked -over by the recoil.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Where the bullet went goodness knows, but his -look of abject disappointment when he recovered -himself and saw the beast still running along was too -comical for words. He gave the rifle back to me, -waved his hands as if to say that he would have -nothing more to do with such works of Satan, folded -his cloak round him, and sat sulkily indifferent. His -green turban and crimson cloak made him a quaint -figure in the glaring sunlight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The others fired a few shots (though at what I could -not see) and I only hoped that they would not shoot -the villagers. Nothing more appeared for us to shoot -at, till presently a vulture, coming from nowhere, -perched heavily on a rock not fifty yards away—a -splendid target for a rifle. He was quite indifferent -to our presence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I made the sheikh lie down—he was as excited as -a child again—showed him how to hold the rifle, -press it into his shoulder, and look along the sights; -the bird watching us all the time, looking like a -ragged tramp sitting for his photograph.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When he at last fired, the bullet hit a rock at least -ten yards below the bird; but the report frightened it -and it flew away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The old man evidently thought he had wounded it, -for he recovered his affability and patted the rifle -approvingly, smiling at me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Whether or no there were as many leopards as we -had believed, at any rate we saw no more there, and -presently they brought my dead one up to the gap -and commenced skinning him. Whilst they were -doing this the sheikh led us down to some craggy -rocks on the other slope, and a leopard was frightened -out of them but broke back through the frightened -villagers, and only gave me a long and hopeless shot -whilst he was travelling very fast. I am sure the old -gentleman was rather pleased that he wasn't the only -one who missed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was a disappointing day's shooting, but the -exercise did us all the good in the world, and we went -back to the village quite content. As we drew near -the villagers rushed ahead to exchange their spears -and sticks for their beloved rifles, came back to meet -us, and fired another </span><em class="italics">feu de joie</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At a word from Mr. Scarlett the sheikh, seizing -a stick, rushed in among them and whacked left and -right till they stopped. If he realized the danger it -was a very plucky thing to do, because bullets were -whizzing all round us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was very evident that if the villagers went on -expending their precious cartridges as they had this -day, they would soon have none left to keep the -Bedouins away. This waste of good ammunition so -outraged Mr. Scarlett's professional feelings that he -actually spent the greater part of the next week -teaching them the elements of rifle shooting. I had never -seen him so happy for so many days together.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Under the shade of some "nabac" trees close to the -well he rigged a tripod and a sand-bag for a rifle to -rest on, painted some black bull's-eyes on the side of -one of the huts, and every evening showed the -villagers how to look along their sights and get them in -a line with the bull's-eye.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the end of the week he rigged a target some way -along the beach and invited me to see the results of -his training. I do not suppose that there was a single -man, woman, or child but had come down to join in -the excitement. They were all gathered round the -firing point, some eighty or one hundred yards from -the target, jabbering noisily—the children not being -more childish than the "grown-ups".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then in absolute silence—even the children held -their breath—the first man lay down and aimed very -carefully. He fired, and every single soul scampered -pell-mell along the beach to the target to see where it -had been hit.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In spite of actually seeing most of the bullets -striking the sand, they had the most implicit confidence in -each other's marksmanship; and I nearly burst myself -with laughing, when, after a little while, they began -to tire of running to and fro after every shot, and -actually gathered round the target itself with their -heads as close to the black bull's-eye as they could get -them, waiting for the next shot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett managed with difficulty to bring them -back, but at this rate the millennium would have -arrived by the time each man had fired the three -rounds he allowed them. As a matter of fact this -exhibition of the result of his training did take three -evenings, and I do not remember that any man hit -any part of the canvas more than twice. Most of -them never hit it at all. However, they were not in -the least disappointed; they were all too ignorant and -stupid to mind what became of the bullet so long as -the noise and recoil were big enough. Not even -when Mr. Scarlett put the target four hundred yards -or so farther along the beach, and he and I fired a -dozen rounds and hit the bull's-eye seven times -between us, did they show much appreciation. Every -one of them—even the children—put their fingers in -the holes and shouted with glee; but they evidently -considered the whole performance due to magic—not -our magic, but the rifles' magic.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sheikh refused to fire, evidently not wanting to -disgrace himself before the tribe, although his -explanation, given to Jaffa, was that it was quite -unnecessary—"that if he could hit a vulture at twenty -paces, of course he could hit a huge piece of canvas."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Well, even Mr. Scarlett could not be expected to -train those poor ignorant fishermen in three or four -days. I do believe that they imagined that all that -was necessary was to put a cartridge in the rifle, show -it the object, and pull the trigger. Allah would -look after the bullet. If he did not mean it to -hit—well it wouldn't, that was all—and Mr. Scarlett and -Jaffa had not sufficient command of their language to -make them believe otherwise.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Even after this fatuous display the sheikh -confidently told Jaffa that he pitied any poor Bedouins -who tried to attack his town—town! mind you; not -collection of hovels, as it actually was. His own -house and the dome-shaped well were the only two -structures you could lean against without risk of -falling through the sides. He and his silly -simpletons of villagers really believed that they were now -a formidable tribe—with their rifles, their new finery, -their sacks of dates, and the flocks of sheep the Arab -traders had given them in exchange for the camels. -They suffered badly from "swollen heads", were -too proud to fish, and loafed about the village with -their rifles and silver-mounted daggers—doing -nothing. The women were just as foolish over the -stores of food and the unaccustomed finery they now -had, and all had lost any fear of the Bedouins -swooping down through the gap to take revenge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Every camel except one had been taken away, and -that one the sheikh kept for his own use, fitting it out -with the gorgeous trappings belonging to Jassim's -own riding camel—the one I had killed on the zigzag -path. When he was perched, insecurely and -uncomfortably, on top of all this splendour, he thought -himself the finest fellow in the world, in spite of the fact -that the brute could only be induced to move, and -that only at a snail's pace, by being pulled along by -his halter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He used to mount it and come along with me when -I went shooting along the mountain slopes; but he -could never keep up with me, however much the -attendant villagers hauled on the head-rope.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One evening, as our fortnight's stay was drawing -to a close, we saw from the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> two little -dots moving rapidly down from the mouth of the -ravine. As they drew nearer we saw that they were -two camels, and that a man was riding the first and -leading the other. Darkness swallowed them up; -but next morning there were three camels kneeling -under the shade of the dark-green "nabac" trees -alongside the well—the sheikh's and the two strange -ones. And whilst we were wondering who the man -could have been, a boat paddled off with a letter -for Mr. Scarlett. As he caught sight of the -handwriting he actually seemed to shrivel; the lines in -his face became drawn and haggard, his eyes positively -sank into their sockets, and that horrid, frightened, -muddy colour spread over his face and down -his neck. I knew then who had written the -letter—Jassim.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett staggered into the cabin and slid the -door across. It seemed hours before he opened -it—just a crack—and beckoned to me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Same thing, sir, only more threatening. Says -he will take it off without hurting. That he must -have it, and he'll give me still more money."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I had not the patience to try to persuade him to -run the slight risk and get rid of the beastly bracelet -once and for all, so said nothing. It was he who -at last, trembling and sweating with fright, -suggested that Jassim should be allowed to come on -board and talk things over—"if—if you'll stand by -with a revolver, sir, and kill him if he tries to seize it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was the only sensible course to take; and, later -on, Jassim did come aboard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What a grand-looking fellow he was in spite of -his age, and how he must have hated me and the -</span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> for the part we had played in -capturing his caravan! If he did, he showed no sign, -salaaming to me as to an equal. I took him up to our -little deck, to Mr. Scarlett, and the two began yarning -very earnestly, whilst I stood by to see fair play. -Jassim was evidently explaining how he proposed to -take off the bracelet, and produced two pairs of thin -pincers—the same idea that my chum and I had -suggested a hundred times.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Some extraordinary excess of courage seemed to -come to Mr. Scarlett, and he actually bared his arm, -uncovered the bandage, and showed the snake. As -it glittered in the sunlight I saw Jassim's eyes flash -with something which was not all greed. He slid -on his knees, bent down till his lips touched it, -holding out his hands and muttering something. Then -he rose to his feet, his chest muscles working under his -muslin shirt, walked to the rails, and stood for a few -moments looking towards the mountains. Mr. Scarlett's -arm was stretched across the table, the muscles -clenched so hard that they stood out in lumps. He -looked at me appealingly, said something to Jassim, -who came back to the table, lay half across it to -steady himself, and took up those two pincers. Very, -very gently he began to insert the jaws of one under -a coil of the bracelet, whilst with the other he held -fast the head of the snake. I noticed Mr. Scarlett -shudder as the pincers touched his skin, and great -drops of sweat gathered on his forehead. Then -Jassim gently pulled at the coil until it began to -come away from the skin. I was looking on, -fascinated, my eyes riveted on the head, which, although -it was gripped by the other pair of pincers, seemed -to be fighting to twist itself backwards and wriggle -itself free. At an unlucky moment those pincers -slipped off the head, and as the iron dug into -Mr. Scarlett's arm and the head flattened itself -against the skin, Mr. Scarlett's self-control gave way.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Clenching his free hand over the snake, and seizing -the pincers which held the coil, he tore them out of -Jassim's hand and jumped away. His chair and the -pincers fell with a clatter on the deck, and he stumbled -blindly into the cabin, crying to me to send Jassim -away, and closing the door behind him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I turned towards the Arab. He too seemed to have -grown older. His face was not pleasant to look -at. I managed somehow or other to get rid of him, -but there was no peace for me. Mr. Scarlett would -not let me leave him all that day nor all through the -night. I think he must have been mad. He sat -crouched in one corner of the cabin, clutching the -snake with his right hand, and moaning for me not -to leave him if ever I stirred.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I did everything I could to rouse him—taunted him -with cowardice, told him that he was not fit to be -called an Englishman, let alone an officer; but he -only whimpered like a child, and moaned that it was -the Arab blood in him, rocking himself backwards -and forwards, cursing himself for ever having allowed -Jassim to see the snake.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When day broke after that horrid night those two -camels had disappeared from under the nabac trees. -Seizing my telescope and looking towards the -mountains I could see them entering the gloomy mouth -of the ravine. Mr. Scarlett was just in time to see -them too, and some of the terror in his face faded -away as they were lost to view. All day he followed -me, cringing and apologizing in the most abject -manner. Twice he came to me, with his face set -and determined, to ask me to take off the snake; -but at the sight of it round his bare arm he would -alter his mind and say: "Not now, sir; let's wait -till Jassim shows his hand again; let's wait till we -go back to Muscat!" I lost patience with him -completely, and would not speak to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The whole crew were, of course, aware that -something mysterious had occurred, and Percy guessed -that danger threatened his hero. It was quite pathetic -to watch him following Mr. Scarlett with his big -brown eyes, and looking wistfully sad at not being -able to help him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This affair of Jassim completely upset me, and -made me wish that the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> should be sent -patrolling again. However monotonous that might -be, there would not be the dread of such a scene and -such a horrid night as I had just spent with the -gunner. Our fortnight at Kalat-al-Abeid had now -come to a close, so I went ashore to wish my old -friend the sheikh good-bye and to give him a few -parting words of advice—through Jaffa. I pointed -out to him that if a man and two camels could come -riding down from the gap without anyone seeing -them, five hundred could do so just as easily and -just as unexpectedly. However, he only smiled a -superior smile and patted his rifle, so I left him -complacently oblivious to his danger, and took the -</span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> through the channel in the cliffs out -into the open sea once more. Once out there -Mr. Scarlett quickly recovered his composure, but I very -much dreaded what would happen should we be -detained at Muscat for any length of time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, we were in luck. When I went aboard -the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> to report myself, and told Commander -Duckworth that, so far, the Bedouins had made no -attempt to attack the village, and amused him by -describing the results of their rifle practice and the -grand appearance of the old sheikh on his walking -camel, he said: "Well, Martin, you've had a -fortnight's rest, and now I have rather an amusing job -for you. There's a place called Sur on the chart; -it's thirty miles to the south'ard, a deep backwater -with two towns—Heija, on the north-east side, -belonging to the Beni-Bu-Ali tribe; and, on the west, -Shateif-al-Kabira, inhabited by the Beni Janaba. They hate -each other like poison, and are always having rows. -There is only one decent well for both towns—half-way -between them—and the old Sultan has a fort and -keeps a garrison there to protect it and keep order. -A few months ago he sent a son of his there to -command, and the harum-scarum young ass got himself -into a mess, enraged both tribes so much that they've -joined forces—for the first time on record—and -surrounded his precious fort. As a personal favour the -Sultan has asked the political agent if he will get him -out of this trouble; so there's your job, and off you -go as soon as you're ready. The Sultan is sending -off a few thousand rupees, and if you find these won't -do the trick, and the tribes are bent on getting the -young scamp's blood, just bring him back with you. -The </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> can get quite close in to the fort, -and you ought to have no trouble. At any rate, fix -things up as best you can."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you very much, sir!" I said, and asked him -if there was any more news from Jask.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He shook his head. "The political agent is always -hearing rumours of trouble—nothing more. They -haven't sent those ladies away. I wish they would."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So did I.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I stayed on board to lunch with Popple Opstein. -He was beginning to find lying off Muscat rather dull -work after the exciting times we had had, and almost -wished we had not captured all those arms. "The -gun-running business has been knocked on the head -for the next few months or so," he told me, "and -things are as dull as ditch-water."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> had taken nearly all her coal, -water, and provisions on board by the time I went -back to her, and I found Mr. Scarlett in another of -his nervous saturnine fits. Moore told me he had -shut himself in his cabin ever since the coal lighter -had come alongside. When he came out to speak to -me he was so nervous and shaky that I was more than -ever anxious about him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To come back from the noisy, cheery mess aboard -the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> to be cooped up alone with him again -made me feel extremely miserable. I was beginning -to dread Percy announcing a meal. The food, -generally speaking, was horrid—horrid to look at -and horrid to eat. The gunner would sit on one side -of the table, I on the other, and we often never spoke -a single word all through a single meal except to curse -Percy or the cook or the flies or the sun blazing -through the awning. At least once every day the -wretched cook would be sent for by the gunner and -slanged in Hindustani or Urdu or some such queer -dialect or other until he slunk down the ladder -trembling with fear. Often to avoid a row with the gunner -I would go away and leave him to finish his meal by -himself. Latterly, when I saw Percy laying the cloth -for "food", I would find myself a job of work to do, -hoping that Mr. Scarlett would finish before I came. -But that was no good; he would always wait for me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was, in fact, heartily sick of him. I don't mean to -say that I actually disliked him, but we had nothing -whatever in common once we had told each other all -the yarns we knew and when the subject of -gun-running was worn threadbare.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It suddenly occurred to me to ask old Popple -Opstein to get leave and come along with me for -this trip to Sur, so I signalled across, and presently -back came a semaphore: "Right oh! leave granted. -What time do you sail?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was not going until the morning; it was no good -spending a night at sea along that coast. So I signalled: -"Daybreak—delighted."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He made me dine with him; we had a great sing-song -on the poop, with the ship's company chipping -in, and after it he came back with me, bringing his -bedding and other gear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The night was as hot as Hades, without a breath of -air, but the old "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" standing out in the moonlight -was a different ship with Popple Opstein climbing up -her side and with him to yarn to before we lay down -on the little deck outside the cabin (inside which -Mr. Scarlett had again shut himself) and tried to sleep.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Not much sleep did we get, so much had we to talk -about, and so pleasant it was for me to have someone -to talk to.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="rounding-up-a-prodigal"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XIII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">Rounding up a Prodigal</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>At daybreak next morning our little steam-winch -ran the anchor out of the water merrily, and off we -went for Sur, its two towns of irrepressible Arabs, and -the young scamp of a Sultan's son who had caused -all this bobbery. Old Popple Opstein, in his pyjamas, -lay back in my easy chair, smoking his noisy pipe—the -deck all round him soon strewn with half-burnt -matches—and looking happy and contented to sit there -and watch me take the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> out of harbour. -Mr. Scarlett, his old self once more, was in the bows -under the awning, securing the anchor, and I'm -almost certain he was whistling a cheerful tune; the -crew, both black and white, were skylarking and -singing snatches of song whilst they scrubbed and -holystoned the decks; Percy's big, shy eyes were -dancing with fun as he brought three cups of tea up -the ladder to our little deck; and even the despondent -cook seemed to have made a better brew than usual -that morning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Here's luck to the '</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>'!" Popple Opstein cried, -as he drank his, and the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>, not intending -to be left out of the lightheartedness and gaiety he -had brought with him, dipped her bows into the swell -and gambolled and sported like a porpoise.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a very joyous morning, and though the -monsoon was in a rather too playful mood we made five -knots against it as we steamed along that grand coast -line. By noon Jebel-al-Khamis, towering into the -burning vault of blue sky, showed that we were -abreast the opening in the cliffs which led to Sur, -so over went the helm and inshore we steamed, with -the swell catching us up, sliding under us, and -hastening ahead to crash itself to a foaming dazzling -death. A cairn perched on the top of the naked cliff, -and a vast jumble of rocks, piled on each other like -a heap of enormous broken bricks, at its foot, marked -the entrance to the actual channel. In half an hour -we were inside just such another ravine as the one -leading to Kalat-al-Abeid, only the walls were not so -high nor so bold. The roar of the breaking swell -outside died away: we twisted this way and that, -and saw by the chart that in a few minutes we should -turn another corner, enter the open backwater, and -see right ahead of us the fort which guarded the well, -and the two towns whose people were trying to "do -for" the Sultan's son, or the "Prodigal Son" as my -chum called him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By this time we were both in uniform—if one could -call it uniform: white topee helmets, white cotton -shirts with the sleeves rolled up, white cotton -"shorts", bare legs, and canvas shoes. We only -had to put our neck through our revolver lanyards -and buckle our revolver belts round our waists to be -ready to land and demand the Prodigal Son; quite -ready even though ten thousand Arabs wanted to keep -him. The chart showed three fathoms of water quite -close to the fort which he was so gallantly, or -otherwise, holding out against such odds; the little "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" -only drew eight feet at the stern, so we could run up -almost alongside, and the one thousand or ten -thousand Arabs would, we feared, soon alter their minds -when they heard the chink of those dollars. Both of -us sincerely hoped that they would not and would give -the six-pounder and the Maxims a chance of arguing -it out with them. We were doing this for the Sultan -as a personal favour, so knew he wouldn't mind how -many of his faithful (?) subjects went to Paradise -during the argument. We certainly did not.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My dear old chap," Popple Opstein said, smacking -me on the back as this thought struck him, -"there'll be no red-tape business about this little job; -none of your beastly waiting for them to fire at you -first, no worry about 'papers' and nationality or rot -like that. Just go straight in, see how things are; if -he's in a tight place, and they won't take the old man -Sultan's bag of dollars, pull the Prodigal Son out by -the scruff of his neck—and there we are. We ought -to have fine sport."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently we ran clear of the channel into a big -backwater or "khor", not so big as that at Kalat-al-Abeid -but longer and more narrow, its shores thick -with scraggy, dried-up-looking mangrove trees, with -here and there a clump of darker almond trees, the -everlasting bare hills rising behind everything.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There's the fort," we both cried, pointing to the -top end, where we could see a big, square, battlemented -building about two miles away, standing alone -on a waste of sand in which even the mangrove trees -apparently could not exist, for they stopped short -perhaps five hundred yards from either side of the -fort. Almost at the same moment we spotted the two -rebellious towns—one on each shore—nestling under -the trees. Through my telescope I saw that the red -flag of Muscat drooped down from the flagstaff over -the fort, so we had not arrived too late! Not another -sign of life appeared, no figures were moving about -behind the parapet of the fort, and not a single soul -showed on the open sandy space. As we drew nearer, -a dark patch close to the edge of the sea turned out to -be a couple of trees half-concealing a dome-shaped -well—the well for the guarding of which the fort had -been built.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It all seemed so peaceable that we were rather -disappointed, until suddenly that open space round the -fort simply swarmed with crawling figures, hundreds -of little white "puff-balls" of smoke seemed to grow -out of the sand, and great spurts of white smoke leapt -out from the battlemented parapet of the fort itself. -The dull booms coming across the water told us that -the Prodigal Son must be firing his old muzzle-loading -cannon. To judge by the amount of firing, he -was having a very bad time of it indeed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Just in time, Martin, old chap," Popple Opstein -chuckled, his face becoming violet in his excitement. -"Shove the '</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>' ahead and we'll chip in."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett, sucking in his breath and looking -unhappy, wondered why they were fighting in the -heat of midday.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They never do so," he said. "It must be a very -fierce attack."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But I was not going to shove on any faster. To -begin with, I had to go carefully, because there were -many shoal patches marked on the chart; and, to end -with, I couldn't go faster, because the packing in the -high-pressure piston-rod gland had opened out on the -way down. The lascar engine-drivers were already -terrified at the escape of noisy steam, and if we shoved -her on faster the packing might blow out altogether.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So I just sent along two or three six-pounder shells—or, -to be accurate, four—two among the people on -one side, two among the people on the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The white sea-lord metes out even justice," old -Popple Opstein chuckled (of course I had told him the -yarn about the "white sea-lord jolly well wanting to -shoot his own leopards ").</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The little shells burst beautifully, and their result -was magical. The dark crawling figures making -"puff-balls" tore back to the cover of some huts at -the edge of the mangroves, whilst the defenders of the -fort gave it them hot with the little cannon.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As we anchored within fifty yards of the shore—just -abreast the big fort with its red flag, and the -white-domed well close to it—the big door at one corner -was flung open, and out streamed a crowd of men laden -with water-skins and chatties—any mortal thing which -would hold water—hurrying to the well. They began -working like the very dickens to fill them, and staggered -back again into the fort with anxious glances -to right and left, to see whether the tribesmen were -going to attack again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We were just in time, old sonny," my chum -grinned; "they were short of water."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's why they were fighting at noonday," Mr. Scarlett -explained. "It must have been a very close thing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I prepared to land. Where I went my chum went -too. We both buckled on our revolver belts, and I -saw to it that he put his lanyard round his neck this -time. Jaffa, clean as a new pin, standing at the side -waiting for Griffiths to bring the dinghy alongside, -was making certain that the magazine of his Mauser -pistol was full. Mr. Scarlett remained in charge; -Moore had to "stand by" with the six-pounder, and -Webster and his marines manned one Maxim, Ellis -and his bluejackets the other. With the knowledge -that they would shoot straight and quickly there was -no danger in landing, and I knew that no Arab would -play the fool with us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was my chum who suggested that we should lay -out a kedge-anchor astern, in order to bring the -"</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>"'s broadside to bear. This delayed us for a -quarter of an hour, but at last we were ready, and with -a white ensign flying in the stern of the dinghy—almost -as big as herself—we landed on the beach: -Popple Opstein, Jaffa, and myself. My aunt, but it -was hot! The sand seemed to burn through our -rope-soled shoes as we tramped up towards the well and its -two weeping "nabac" trees. Footmarks in thousands -were all round it; one deep trail leading to the door -of the fort, two more leading away along the sand to -the towns on either side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As we left the shade of the trees the door at the -angle of the fort opened, and out came four Arabs, -armed to the teeth with rifles, belts of cartridges, -swords, and huge curved daggers. They advanced to -meet us, salaaming a hundred times. The leader -fixed his dark eyes on me whilst he jabbered away to -Jaffa.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa translated, to the effect—more or less—that, -thanks to the all-seeing benevolent kindness of the -Prophet, whose name be praised, who always shielded -the true believer and scattered his enemies just as they -were cock-sure of having won in an innings with runs -to spare—or words to that effect—we, rulers of the sea -and sons of the Great White Queen, had unexpectedly -turned up and scored the winning goal just as time -was called. He implored us to demean our noble -selves sufficiently to take some abominable refreshment -(he was pretty well right in that) under the -wretched roof of his cowardly and entirely despicable -master, the mighty fighter, the heaven-born leader of -men, born with a double-edged sword in his hand, -and destined to bring joy to the heart of his noble -father, the Sultan of Muscat, "to whom all we pigs -and nobodies own eternal allegiance—Mohammed be -praised!" There was another long rigmarole to -explain why the Prodigal Son could not come to receive -us, but I gathered that he had been wounded in this -recent attack, and was having his wounds dressed -even now.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right oh! We'll go along with them," I told -Jaffa, cutting him short. "Tell him that we didn't -come here by chance, but at the request of the Sultan."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sheikh, or whoever he was, received this news -with astonishment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He say they all lay down lives for Sultan—love -Sultan very much," Jaffa interpreted to me with -impassive face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Off we went, and, my word, it was a most unpleasant -place! The foot of the walls of the fort was -piled with all kinds of rubbish—cast-off blood-stained -clothes, bones, skeletons of dogs and camels, all -the filth one could imagine—and the stench was -horrid.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Popple Opstein pointed out any number of bullet -marks in the crumbling bricks of the forts, and we -made grimaces as we realized what a very tough -defence they must have been making, and how -excessively uncomfortable they must be.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Two solemn, weary-looking Arabs—one bandaged -about the head—opened a little door in the big one, -which had been closed again, and we passed into a -large passage, which opened out into the court-yard -in the centre of the fort. Stone benches on either side -of this passage-way were thronged with more tired-looking -soldiers, most of them asleep, and very many -of them evidently wounded. In the court-yard itself -the heat and the smell were awful. Thirty or forty -lean horses were tethered in the open, a dozen camels -knelt stolidly in the shade which a mat-screen gave -them, whilst hundreds of goats and sheep wandered -about feeding on whatever garbage lay about. As -we passed across, and tried to avoid falling over sheep, -being kicked by a horse, or bitten by a camel, a score -or more battle-stained Arabs raised themselves wearily -from the ground and leant on their rifles.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A beastly place to be cooped up in," Popple -Opstein whispered, as we followed our guides through -an archway into a delightfully-cool chamber or hall, -and up some winding stone steps to the upper story. -This was evidently where the officials and officers -lived—much more handsomely decorated it was, with -carvings, and lattice-work of stone, wood, and iron, -elegant pillars and arches forming a delightfully-cool, -creeper-covered balcony above the four sides of -the crowded court-yard, from which, however, the -smell and the noise of all the animals below were still -too unpleasantly evident. Fifty or more soldiers were -lying on this balcony in every attitude of weary sleep, -and as we hurried along it after our silent guides we -could catch a glimpse of the battlements on the flat -roof above our heads, and a motionless sentry standing -out vividly against the sky, watching to give the -alarm did the tribesmen make another attack.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We passed several elegant door-ways screened with -matting, and then, at last, a richly-embroidered -curtain was drawn aside and we were ushered into a long, -darkened room, the wooden floors carpeted with -splendid rugs, on which six or seven magnificently-dressed -Arabs were seated. They welcomed us gravely. Most -of them appeared to have been wounded: one had his -arm in a sling, another had his leg swathed in white -cotton and tried to repress a groan when he moved. -We, in our very rudimentary costume, must have made -a comical appearance in the midst of all this -magnificence; but we didn't care "tuppence" about that. -On a raised, rug-carpeted platform a very handsome -Arab stood erect, his left arm bound closely to his -chest under his white linen shirt, his right hand -grasping the hilt of a gold-mounted dagger stuck in -his belt. Salaaming gravely, he stepped down to -meet us with outstretched hand, drew us to the -platform, and made us sit beside him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We almost fell over ourselves when he burst out -with: "It's awfully good of you fellows to come -along—awfully lucky, too; just when things were queer. -Another hour of it and my chaps would have burst -out to get water or die—you saw them scurrying out. -I can never be too grateful. You are on your way -to Muscat, I suppose; if you can see my father, the -Sultan, or get hold of the Chief Wazir, tell him you -have saved his son's honour. He will do anything -for you, I know."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh no!" I said, when I'd recovered from my -astonishment at hearing him speak such English. -"We've come straight from Muscat, at the Sultan's -special request, to get news of you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I did not like telling him that we'd come to rescue -him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Really!" he said, his eyes glowing. "We are -all the more in your debt. But when you return, do -not say anything about this," he touched his left arm; -"it's nothing. A bullet splintered the bone. It will -do quite well. My father will only worry if he knows -of it. Have some coffee and cigarettes," he continued, -as a Zanzibar slave brought round a tray. "Now -you've given me the chance of stocking my fort with -water we can hold out until these tribes leave us alone -to fight each other. They're certain to do that soon. -I need hardly tell you that we are all very grateful -indeed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He turned and spoke to the others, who answered -with a murmur of respectful and dignified acquiescence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Coffee was brought in tiny little enamelled metal -cups, more cigarettes were handed round, and the -Prodigal Son kept us busy answering questions about -the latest news from Muscat; and, when he discovered -that we were practically ignorant of anything that was -happening there, asked questions about European -politics, of which neither Popple Opstein nor I knew -much more. It seemed really most extraordinary that -though he was wounded and surrounded by the tribesmen -from those two towns, thirsting to eat up him and -his handful of soldiers, he should interest himself in -events so far away. To show him that I was not -altogether ignorant of Court "goings on", I told him -of the two sums of money which the Sultan had -already tried to send him overland.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The Sultan is a good father; he deserves a better -son," he said with such engaging frankness that he -raised himself tremendously in our estimation. To cap -all, I told him that he had sent five thousand rupees -with us, not daring to trust them by land again, and -that if he thought they would be of any use in pacifying -the two tribes, I would send them ashore directly -we returned to the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If not," I added with a great show of importance, -"I have orders to take you back to Muscat."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He smiled, such a jovial frank smile that I could not -wonder why he was such a favourite with his father.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What would you do in my place?" he asked. -"Here I'm given a fairly important job, to protect -this well and keep peace between the two towns. I've -done it so successfully that they are as thick as thieves, -and are so hot-headed with the imagined strength of -their combined forces that they dare to revolt. Would -you give up the job until you were compelled, now -that it has turned out a failure? A few more weeks, -perhaps months, a little money paid out here and -there—now that you have brought me some—and I -shall be able to report that all is peace again, and -commence to levy taxes, of which (he shrugged his -shoulders) I have not sent to Muscat enough to buy a -skinful of wine—not for the last five months."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no necessity for us to tell him what we -should do if we were in his place—he knew; but the -interview was becoming rather prolonged, so I hinted -to him that unless we showed ourselves outside the -fort fairly soon that six-pounder on board the </span><em class="italics">Bunder -Abbas</em><span> might "go off".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He smiled delightfully, apologized, and immediately -led us out, down the stone staircase, across the -courtyard, through the passage-way with its sleeping -soldiers, and out into the glare of the open waste land. -I could have sworn that I heard some women's voices -singing to the twang of musical instruments, and -women's merry laughter coming from an upper, -lattice-hid window. What a place for women, and how -brave they must be to be merry under these conditions! -I could not help thinking of Jask and those two ladies -there, and wondered whether they kept up their spirits -as well as these did.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last we were again in full view of the </span><em class="italics">Bunder -Abbas</em><span>, and I guessed that the sight of us must have -been a great relief to Mr. Scarlett.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A brilliant idea struck the Prodigal Son.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How much money did you say you brought? -Five thousand? It's not much, is it? but we'll see if -the Khans of the two towns are open to a little bribing. -They often are, in spite of them being such important -people," he laughed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll send messengers to them at once," he said. -"Come down to the well. We always discuss things there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He gave some orders, and before we had reached -the grateful shade of those two nabac trees, two -mounted Arabs, bearing white flags fastened to spears, -came out from the fort, separated, and galloped away -along the sands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We sat down, thoroughly enjoying our amusing -experience, and whilst we were waiting I sent -Griffiths in the dinghy to bring back the money bags. -Before he returned with them, nine or ten splendidly-mounted -Arabs had galloped up from the two towns -and dismounted. Bowing in the most dignified -manner to the Prodigal Son and ourselves, they -squatted in a circle round us, keeping their eyes -fixed on my chum's yellow hair and blue eyes—in -evident admiration. More coffee was brought from -the fort and more cigarettes were rolled, and a -discussion—a very heated discussion—took place, of -which we, of course, could not understand a word.</span></p> -<div class="align-center auto-scaled figure margin" style="width: 63%" id="figure-50"> -<span id="bowing-in-the-most-dignified-manner-to-the-prodigal-son-and-ourselves-they-squatted-in-a-circle-round-us"></span><img class="align-center block" style="display: block; width: 100%" alt="BOWING IN THE MOST DIGNIFIED MANNER TO THE PRODIGAL SON AND OURSELVES, THEY SQUATTED IN A CIRCLE ROUND US." src="images/img-264.jpg" /> -<div class="caption centerleft figure-caption margin"> -<span class="italics">BOWING IN THE MOST DIGNIFIED MANNER TO THE PRODIGAL SON AND OURSELVES, THEY SQUATTED IN A CIRCLE ROUND US.</span></div> -</div> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, the Prodigal Son seemed to soothe them -and when Griffiths came up the beach with four fat -bags of rupees—making two trips with them—and -dumped them down at my feet, they became very -affable indeed. To watch those dignified Arabs—half -of them wounded and all of them scarred—try to -pretend not to be interested in the four bags, when all the -time their eyes kept turning towards them, evidently -calculating how much was inside, was as good as a play.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Eventually, after innumerable cups of coffee, everything -seemed to have been arranged peacefully. They -rose to their feet, bowed to us, to the Prodigal Son, -to each other, mounted their horses, and rode back to -the two towns, leaving us alone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, I cannot thank you enough," he began, his -face twitching as he pressed one hand against his -broken arm, as though the pain was very great. -"With your help, and with the money my father -sent me, I have patched up the quarrel, and I trust -it will be lasting."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The quarrel or the patching up?" Popple Opstein -interrupted admiringly. "I do really believe you'd -prefer the first."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I'm certain that he was right too.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We induced him to come aboard the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>", which -he did in the uncomfortable little dinghy, first having -sent the bags of silver into the fort, and he made -himself so agreeable to Mr. Scarlett that the gunner's -dark eyes glowed with pleasure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Will you do me one more favour?" he asked -before he went ashore. "The Sultan will be anxious -to hear how things are—you have seen for yourself. -He is an old man, and he worries. Both of us will -be the more grateful if you let him know as soon as -you can."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We were so carried away by his delightful -personality that within an hour the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" was -steaming back to Muscat, going so fast—to save -daylight—through that tricky channel that the lascar drivers -were scared to death by the noise of steam escaping -through the piston-rod gland. We saved daylight -right enough, and were soon tumbling about in the -swell outside; but the gland gave so much trouble that -we could only manage to go dead slow, with barely -enough way to prevent the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> being -driven on the rocks, where the roar of the breaking -swell boomed in our ears all night. We had a most -horrid time of it—old Popple Opstein and I—not -knowing from one minute to another when the engines -would stop entirely. It was not the slightest use to -try to reach Muscat, and I only waited for the first -streak of daylight to crawl back through the channel -into safety.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My lascar first-driver said he could repair the gland -in two days at anchor, and I intended anchoring close -to the fort again; but before we were clear of the -channel the packing blew out altogether, the engine-room -was filled with steam—the whole launch seemed -to be in a cloud of it—and the engines stopped entirely -so there was nothing to do but anchor where we were. -It was a beastly nuisance, because I was so anxious -to take the news to Muscat as quickly as possible; -otherwise I did not care a rap.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Popple Opstein suggested that we should sail the -dinghy up to the fort and spend the day with the -Prodigal Son. No sooner said than done. Out went -the dinghy; Griffiths stepped the mast and put up the -sail; my chum and I jumped in with a loaf of bread, -a tin of tongue, and some sardines, and off we went, -only to pull back again for water and for Jaffa—we -had forgotten both, and both were necessities. We -drifted and sailed, pulled round corners, and sailed -again until we came out into the open "khor", met -a fairly-steady breeze—a soldier's breeze—which filled -our little sail, and made us bubble through the water.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In a couple of hours from leaving the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" we -were hauling the dinghy on to the sand, close by the -well, and were tramping up to the fort as happy as -schoolboys, leaving Jaffa to guard the boat from a -crowd of loafing Arabs who surrounded it. We -noticed one thing immediately—the horses, camels, -sheep, and goats were now outside the fort, so we -knew at once that all was peace.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, the Prodigal Son was not at home—we -imagined that he had perhaps gone to distribute the -money; so, as the silly soldiers at the big door would -not let us inside, we amused ourselves by examining -the outer walls, walking all round them and looking -up at the battlements and the muzzles of the silly -little cannon sticking out from the towers at the -corners. The walls were pitted everywhere with -bullet marks, especially round the loopholes, and -we felt that we had underrated the Arab marksmanship. -The heat thrown back from those lofty bare -red-brick walls was so great that soon we were only -too glad to go back to the shade of the nabac trees -near the well, until the attentions of the crowd -gathered there became rather irritating and the -beastly flies almost insupportable. So off we went -for a short walk to have a look at Heija.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Whilst we were wandering round it, feeling like a -couple of trippers, we turned round a corner, and, -clatter, clatter, with a smother of dust, a dozen or -more Arab horsemen dashed madly past us. Behind -them, at a more dignified pace, cantered others, and -among these we at once recognized the Prodigal Son, -who, catching sight of us, drew his horse back almost -on his haunches to speak to us. On his right wrist -was a hooded falcon, and he was holding the reins -with his left hand—holding in a troublesome, fiery -horse with the arm we had seen bandaged to his side -the day before, the one he had said was broken. -Although we recognized several of the cavalcade, not -one now had a bandage or a sign of a wound; even -the man whose leg had been swathed in cotton was -joyously curveting and pirouetting on a splendid horse.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For a minute neither of us quite realized the real -truth. Then, when we looked enquiringly at his left -arm, the Prodigal Son burst out laughing, and even -the older, more dignified among them smiled grimly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They lent us a couple of horses to ride back with -them, and old Popple Opstein disgraced himself by -falling off, but afterwards managed to stick on until -we reached the fort. There we were taken up to that -same audience-hall and had more cigarettes and coffee. -The Prodigal Son never gave us a chance of asking -for an explanation of the marvellous recoveries, and -presently we found ourselves sailing merrily back to -the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>", so delighted with his amusing, frank -manner that it was not until we were halfway there that -we even began to wonder what was the meaning of it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa's dignified face had been gradually relaxing, -as if he was bursting to tell us something amusing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Out with it, Jaffa," I called. "What is it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very much laughter—in Heija—in Shateif also—make -much fool of Sultan—poor people very angry—sheikhs -and soldiers much joy. Plenty men from -Heija and Shateif come to well—tell me. All -pretence—the fighting—surround fort—much powder -play—news goes Muscat—Sultan's son in much -danger—want money—buy peace—money comes—son rob -caravan—Sultan think wild Bedouin rob caravan—send -more—son rob that—writes letter that he in much -danger—Sultan thinks money never come to him—so -send more money in </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But we saw them fighting like 'billy loo', going -it 'hammer and tongs' yesterday. You mustn't -believe everything you hear," I said, incredulous still.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa shook his head. "All game—make pretence -to fight—all men know </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> bringing more -money—runner come from Muscat in early morning—when -they see her come, begin pretend fight—fort -fires powder from cannon—men fire rifles—take no -aim—only make noise. Then hurry, pretend have -many wounds when masters land—take money—send -masters away with good tale for Sultan."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nonsense!" Popple Opstein blurted out; "the -walls are peppered with bullet holes. We've seen -them ourselves."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa smiled again. "Make them—themselves—when -merry—fire at loophole for target—all play."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My chum was the first to believe the yarn. He -roared with laughter. "It all fits in like a puzzle. -The Prodigal Son! What a name for the chap! That's -why they all looked like cripples yesterday, and left -off their bandages to-day. My holy Moses! the whole -thing was a 'plant', simply to delude us. What a -chap! Didn't you hear those girls singing and laughing? -They wouldn't have been there if there had been -real fighting—or they wouldn't have been so cheery. -D'you remember the rush for water? My sacred aunt!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He kept on roaring with laughter every few minutes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As he had said, the whole thing fitted in like a -puzzle. It amused him, but it did not amuse me to -be made a fool of. I was very angry, though with -my chum in the boat it was impossible to remain -angry for long, and soon I, too, saw the funny side of -the expedition, and was laughing as much as he was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And the Prodigal Son had been so anxious for us -to hurry back to Muscat, and so anxious for us not -to mention his poor wounded arm to his father! Of -course not! It was all as plain as a pikestaff now. -If the Sultan heard of it, back to Muscat he would -order him, and evidently the fatted calf there was not -half so much to his liking as the spree he was having -in that fort.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On our return to the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> we told Jaffa -not to breathe a word of this to anyone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By next night the steam gland had been repacked -so, threading our way out again to the sea, we steamed -back to Muscat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I went across to the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> and told Commander -Duckworth everything. He, too, roared with laughter -but quickly checked himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That's all right. It doesn't matter one way or the -other. You saw the battle; you got there just in time -to stop it; the money was just in time to make peace; -and you saw the Prodigal Son, as you call him, out -hawking. That is all the Sultan wants to know, and -he'll be just as grateful to us as though you had -actually rescued him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And he was, too, and sent me a Mauser pistol, just -like Jaffa's, as a present.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="we-deal-with-jassim"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XIV</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">We Deal with Jassim</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The packing in the high-pressure piston-rod gland -blew out again as we anchored at Muscat. As a -matter of fact, the whole of our engines required -a thorough overhaul after practically four months -of almost continuous steaming; and though the -lascar engine-drivers had done their best—a very -poor best—it was now entirely beyond their -capabilities to put things to "rights", and make all the -necessary readjustments and the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> again -fit for sea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In these circumstances, and as neither the political -agent nor Commander Duckworth had anything very -pressing for us to do, artificers were sent across from -the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> to carry out the necessary repairs. Whilst -they were opening out the engines, working and -sweating down below, there was, of course, but little -to do on deck, and I had at first a very pleasant, lazy -time indeed—pleasant, at any rate, after five o'clock -in the evening. Before five o'clock the heat was -much too great except to pant and perspire under -the awnings; after that hour one's muscles began -to call out for exercise. Then, with Popple Opstein -and the rest of the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid's</em><span> officers, we would often -pull across to a sandy beach—where no sharks -ventured—about a mile from the rock on which the -southern of those two old Portuguese forts stood, and -have grand bathing picnics—in and out of the water -for a couple of hours at a time. Occasionally fifty -or sixty of the men would come with us and drag the -seine-net, for the sea was simply alive with fish. If -we did not do this, we would go up to the political -agent's house and play tennis in the compound there—on -a concrete court—in the most terrible glare; or -perhaps we would wander out through the main gates -of the town and scramble about the ravines and defiles -leading inland.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I have never in my life been in such a hot place as -this was. The little white town of Muscat is -surrounded by bare, razor-backed, volcanic, rocky ridges; -the harbour itself is enclosed by more black, naked -cliffs, and these seem to collect the violent heat of -the sun all day to give it out all night. The -temperature in the shade on board seldom fell below a -hundred degrees during the day, and seldom dropped -more than four or five degrees at night. Sleep under -these conditions was very difficult, very unrefreshing, -and often I have tumbled and sweated on my grass -mat till daybreak, kept awake by the oppressive heat -and the weird chants of the watchmen calling across -the harbour from the towers of the two great forts.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Several of my men went sick. Little wounds (a -scratched mosquito bite, for instance) simply would -not heal; and Wiggins, the broken-rib man, had to -be sent down to Karachi suffering from fever. He -was very loath to go, poor chap.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For the first two or three days Mr. Scarlett was -quite happy. I let him take some men ashore to -paint the name of the launch on the rocky face of -one of the sides of the harbour. He painted it in -white letters, four feet long—"BUNDER ABBAS"—among -the names of a hundred other ships which -had done the same during the last twenty years, and -this kept his mind occupied; but after he had finished, -he shrank into his usual saturnine self, his dark eyes -seemed to sink farther back than ever beneath his -shaggy eyebrows, and he spent his whole time -watching lest Jassim should come again. For fear of -seeing him, and for fear of any violence, he never -ventured on the mainland.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jassim had sent him another letter, increasing his -offer to fifteen thousand rupees if only Mr. Scarlett -would let him have the bracelet. My chum happened -to be on board when the letter arrived, and we both -went over the same old arguments as before, doing -our utmost to persuade him to take the risk, and -holding out before him all he could do with the -money—a thousand pounds would be a fortune to -him—and how with that and his pension he could -retire and live comfortably ever after. If he had -been an ordinary warrant-officer we might have -argued with him successfully. But he was not; he -was more than half-Arab, by nature and upbringing -if not by birth; and if our arguments were met at -first by a half-shrinking consent, the possibility of -a fatal result would so terrify him immediately afterwards -that he always ended with a flat, sullen refusal.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Kismet," he would groan, and once he had used -that word we knew it was impossible to move him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If he did agree to accept the increased offer we -were to hoist a red flag; and the mere knowledge -that evening that Jassim's gloomy eyes were watching -us from shore, awaiting his signal, made even my -chum and myself feel nervous. It drove Mr. Scarlett -into the locked cabin, where he stewed all night.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As you can imagine, this state of things was bad -for his health, and when one day he ran a rusty -nail into the palm of his left hand the wound festered, -and the hand and the whole of his arm swelled -tremendously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was so ill that Nicholson, the staff surgeon of -the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>, determined to give him chloroform, and -make deep cuts into both hand and arm. The snake, -of course, would have to be exposed during the operation, -and Mr. Scarlett was so desperately anxious that -no one else should know anything about it that he -only consented when Nicholson promised (I had told -him about it) to come across to the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>, -and, if Popple Opstein and I would stand by and give -him a hand, do it there. He came that very evening, -when the great heat of the day was over, and we -(with Percy terrified and sad) cleared a space on the -little upper deck, just outside the cabin, for the -operation. Having kicked Percy down the steps and -screened the deck from observation, Nicholson began.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It is not necessary to go into all the details, but -when Mr. Scarlett, lying on the deck, was thoroughly -insensible, we unwound the bandage and found the -beastly snake almost sunk in a deep groove of the -mottled, swollen skin, clinging ever so tightly. I -noticed Nicholson run his finger along it until he -came to the head, when he tried to pass one finger -under the jaw, but my nerves were very much on -the stretch. I saw him pick up a knife, and, not -being used to such things, turned away my head. -It was not till Mr. Scarlett had given one or two -sudden, half-conscious moans that I turned round -again. There were the deep cuts in the arm and -hand, but—I almost started out of my skin—the -snake had disappeared, and only the deep groove -round the arm remained, the scale marks showing -how tightly the snake must have buried itself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nicholson quietly pointed to a corner of the deck -close to the funnel, and there, sparkling in a patch -of sunlight coming under the edge of the awning, -was the bracelet—writhing, coiling, and uncoiling, -drawing back, and striking with its head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Popple Opstein's face was blue, his mouth wide -open, his eyes staring at it, his great red hands -shaking violently.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nicholson went on with his work.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good God!" I at last managed to gasp. "Did -it bite him or you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nicholson did not answer. Mr. Scarlett was -recovering consciousness now, and he was working -very rapidly. Popple Opstein and I had to fly -round and do this and that as he bade us. There -was no time to ask questions or answer them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last Nicholson, starting to bandage the arm, -asked for a piece of rope—a couple of feet of signal -halyard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now a needle and thread," he called, and, when -I fetched them, sewed the bandage very securely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Not till then had I time to look at the snake again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was now lying perfectly still, coiled closely like -a watch-spring, the flat head pressed over the coils -and the light flickering in its green opal eyes and -playing on the enamelled scales.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nicholson, busy holding Mr. Scarlett's head, jerked -out: "Hide it!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Pick it up," he said irritably, as my chum hesitated -to touch it; "the confounded thing won't hurt you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Popple Opstein stooped and took hold of it very -gingerly. As it did not move he held it in the palm -of his hand, and we were both examining its -marvellous beauty when Nicholson again jerked out: -"Hide it somewhere—lock it up—Mr. Scarlett's -coming round—he mustn't see it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I took it very nervously from Popple Opstein, and -in the excited state of my nerves, its scales seemed to -press themselves into my hand and wriggle. I could -only just prevent myself dropping it, and darted into -the cabin and locked it in my one drawer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now, help me to lift him," Nicholson called out, -and in a couple of minutes Mr. Scarlett lay moaning -in his bunk, with the bad arm swathed in cotton-wool -and bandages.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He'll do all right now. Give me a drink, and -have this mess cleared up," Nicholson said gruffly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How did you do it?" I asked him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Feel that," he answered, and with a blood-stained -finger and thumb pinched the end of one of my fingers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I winced—he might have had hold of me with pincers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I shouted for Percy, and sang out for Moore to -send up a couple of hands, and whilst Nicholson kept -an eye on his patient my chum told me what had -happened.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He took up his knife. I set my teeth; but just -as I thought he was going to use it he dropped it, -and before I could wink an eyelash he'd nipped the -jaws of the snake—just as he nipped your finger—bent -four inches of its neck right away from the arm -and, with the fingers of the other hand, swept round -under the coils and unwound it. For a moment or -two he held it in the air, the jaws in between his -finger and thumb, the body coiling and twisting—I -could hardly breathe—then he threw it away where -you saw it, and it lashed about like a live thing. It's -done now; what danger there was is over. Won't -he be thankful?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We'll tell him directly he's round," I said. "My -country, won't he be pleased! He'll be a new man."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nicholson, coming out of the cabin, sang out: -"No, you won't, unless you want to kill him. He's -bad enough now, and he'll fancy the swelling is due -to poison, whatever we tell him. He must not know -until he's well again. As many people die of sheer -fright, after being bitten, as from the poison itself."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is that why you coiled the signal halyard round -the groove?" we both asked excitedly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course it was. He'll feel it under the bandage -and think the snake's still there. I sewed the bandage -so that he couldn't take it off to make certain. Don't -you tell him till I give the word."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A very anxious week followed, for Mr. Scarlett was -so ill that he had to go aboard the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>. Whilst -he was away, several more letters came from Jassim, -and at last Jassim himself came aboard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the chance of his coming I had given very -strict orders that no one should say where Mr. Scarlett -had gone, and when I took him all round the -</span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> his face fell as he realized that he -was not on board. Not a word would he say about -the snake, never so much as a hint to Jaffa; but as -he left the ship he spoke to him, looking at me, and -Jaffa repeated: "Twenty thousand rupees". I could -not resist asking him, through Jaffa (who, if he had -a shrewd suspicion that he was the red-bearded leader -of the caravan, never mentioned it), how his son -was—the wounded man who had been carried through -the gap.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the question Jassim gave me a glance of such -terrible hatred that I knew at once that the poor chap -was dead, and that he blamed me for it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This could not help but worry me, and another -worry came along about this time: there was -disquieting news from Jask. Mr. Fisher, the acting -political agent, had telegraphed across that the -Baluchis were causing trouble and constantly threatening -to come down from the hills and attack the place. -The land wire had been cut in several places, and a -party of native employees had been beaten and robbed -about twenty-five miles to the eastward. He had -borrowed a few of the border police from the Mir of -Old Jask, but they were such brigands and so much -of a nuisance that he had sent them back again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It really made me angry to think of keeping Miss -Borsen and Mrs. Fisher there. I actually asked if -the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" could not go as soon as ever her repairs -had been effected, but Commander Duckworth shook -his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's just as it always is at this time of year," he -said. "Those tribesmen keep on threatening, -hoping to get 'backsheesh'. They do it every year; -but nothing will come of it. They won't risk their -skins."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, this did not relieve my anxiety. I seemed -to have a personal interest in little Miss Borsen, -because, I suppose, she had come out from England with -me, and possibly because we had quarrelled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One day Nicholson signalled across that he and -Popple Opstein were bringing Mr. Scarlett across -that evening. They came, he looking desperately ill, -although his arm was practically well. When we -four were alone he pulled out another letter—Jassim -had evidently soon found where he had gone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He offers me twenty thousand rupees," he said -wearily. "It's a lot of money."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He thought that we should commence the same old -arguments again, but, Nicholson winking at me, I -went into the cabin, unlocked my drawer, and brought -out the bracelet. I handed it to Nicholson, for it was -"up" to him to tell the good news. He simply laid -it on Mr. Scarlett's thin knees and said quietly: "It's -been off your arm for ten days. I took it off when -you had the operation."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett shrank from it and clutched his arm. -"But it's there—I can feel it—I've felt it a hundred -times in these last days."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nicholson smiled, pulled up his sleeve, cut through -the bandage, and showed him the signal halyard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett gave a wild look at each of us, dropped -the snake on the deck, bolted into the cabin, and we -heard him sobbing like a child.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nicholson yelled for Percy. "Brandy and soda for -Mr. Scarlett."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"For all of us," I said, because we needed it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Eventually Mr. Scarlett came back and asked to -see the bracelet, handling it tenderly. He was much -too disturbed to talk coherently, or to thank Nicholson -or either of us. It was pitiful to watch him. He had -not found his "bearings"; did not realize all that it -meant to him, and kept on rolling up his sleeve to look -at his bare arm as if he did not believe his own eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He gave way again, buried his face in his lean -hands, lying half over the table, which shook with -his sobs. It was very distressing to watch.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Can't we hoist that red flag, sir?" he asked -presently, lifting a haggard face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He jumped to our signal locker, picked out a red-and-white -flag, tore off the white part like a maniac, -bent it to the halyard, and hoisted it to our little -yardarm, where it drooped in the heated air. Seizing a -pair of glasses he watched the shore as though he -expected Jassim to come paddling out. But Jassim -did not come, and in his nervous condition Mr. Scarlett -worked himself into a terrible state of agitation -lest he had disappeared, and was, even now, -preparing violent measures to regain the bracelet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I think that before Nicholson went away he had -taken the precaution of giving him a very strong -sleeping-draught, because he eventually became -calmer and went to sleep.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When he was asleep I took the bracelet away from -him and locked it in my drawer, hoping most -devoutly that Jassim would soon come and claim it; -and next morning, without saying anything to him, -I took the precaution of sending the bracelet across -to the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>, so that the sight of it should not upset -him, and that Jassim, if he came, should not be able -to terrorize him into giving it away before the money -was produced.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jassim did come that day, and his manner was -mysterious and threatening; nor did I like the look in -his eyes when Mr. Scarlett bared his arm and he -realized that the bracelet had disappeared and that -the gunner had not now the fear of taking it off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jassim evidently wanted to get rid of me; but I -would not go.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"When he puts down his twenty thousand rupees -he shall have it, not before," I told Mr. Scarlett. -"The bracelet is not on board, and I shall not tell -you where it is. Never you mind where it is." I -stopped him enquiring. "You tell him to bring his -money and he shall have it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As I imagined, Jassim could not produce the -money, nor do I think that he ever intended doing -so, hoping all along so to work on the gunner's fears -that he could get it for nothing. The two of them -began talking very excitedly, waving their arms and -thumping the little table. From the fierce looks -which Jassim occasionally turned on me I was -evidently being talked about, and was not very popular -in that quarter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I saw that hateful muddy colour spread over Mr. Scarlett's -face and his eyes narrow with fear. He -turned to me, hardly able to speak.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"For God's sake, sir, give up the wretched thing," -he stuttered. "Tell me where it is and I will give it -him. I don't want any of his money; all I want is to -be quit of it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"When you've got your money, not before," I said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But, sir, remember we are not in England. He -swears he'll kill you; that if you land he will kill you; -if you don't he'll find other ways of killing you. He -won't touch me, because I gave his wife that drink of -water. But, sir, it's different with you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I gave his son water a month ago," I said, with -a sudden inspiration.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett was too much agitated to enquire when -or where. He turned to Jassim and asked him something. -Jassim replied bitterly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He says you shot him, and he died; the drink of -water made no difference. You don't know these -people out here," he implored. "Don't run any risk. -I don't want the money, indeed I don't."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jassim had risen to his feet and stood not three feet -from me, glaring at me as if he would willingly kill -me then and there. I saw in his eyes that what -Mr. Scarlett had said was true. I don't know what made -me do it—I certainly never thought, and regretted -it immediately afterwards—but I suddenly locked my -arms round him, and before he could make a move -I had tripped him over the railings and dropped him -overboard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The boat which had brought him off was close -there, and he scrambled on board like a drowned rat, -sat down in the stern-sheets, folded his clinging wet -burnous round him, and, without deigning to turn his -head in our direction, was paddled ashore.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You've done it now, sir," Mr. Scarlett moaned, -burying his face in his hands and sprawling across -the table. "For God's sake let's get away from -Muscat."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I tried to pacify him by pointing out that if Jassim -killed me he would lose all chance of finding the -snake. "He won't be such a fool as that," I -said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He'll want revenge—revenge more than the snake—now, -sir," Mr. Scarlett groaned.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There are times in plenty in most men's lives -when, either through anger or stubbornness, danger -does not influence them. This was a case in point. -I had suffered so much from Jassim and his wretched -snake that his threats simply stiffened my back to -such an extent that I much preferred to be killed than -give in. The mail steamer was leaving next day so -to make certain that Jassim should not get it, I went -aboard the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>, told Popple Opstein what had -happened, and after one last look at the bracelet we -packed it up and sent it home to my bankers in -London. At any rate, whatever happened to me -(and I did not really believe that anything would -happen) Jassim should never have it, and later on we -might be able to negotiate for the reward of thirty -thousand rupees with the rightful owner, the Khan of -Khamia himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I breathed more freely when the mail steamer left -the harbour, and not until it had gone did I tell -Mr. Scarlett what I had done.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He and I stood watching till she disappeared behind -the rocks at the entrance, and, drawing a deep breath -of relief, he said:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It seems wonderful, sir; don't it, sir? Here for -thirteen years it's been part and parcel of me, and -now I'm finished with it. I never want to set eyes -on the beastly thing again."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>From that moment Mr. Scarlett began very rapidly -to mend. He grew stouter, his eyes lost their hunted -look, and though he worried much about the risks I -was running, still it is a different thing to worry -about other people's risks from worrying about one's -own, and he rapidly recovered his spirits.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I made light of any danger and took no precaution -whatever, until one night, shortly afterwards, I was -awakened by the noise of a scuffle and a splash in the -water alongside.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's that?" I sang out, springing up.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Webster answered out of the darkness: "It's all -right, sir. It's that Arab chap you hove overboard -the other day. He was trying to creep on board -over the stern. I spotted him, sir, and popped him -back into the 'ditch'."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Another day I was bathing with the </span><em class="italics">Intrepids</em><span>, and -we were skylarking afterwards on the beach, when a -bullet hit the sand close to me and we heard the report -of a revolver. Spotting someone moving behind a -rock we all darted in that direction, but when we -reached it saw no one.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I don't mind saying that those two things happening -made me extremely nervous, and made me stick pretty -close to the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I could now realize what mental agony Mr. Scarlett -had suffered, and though perhaps I did not show it -as much I felt it most acutely. The boot was on the -other foot now with a vengeance, and it was I who, -when it grew dark, looked longingly at the little hot -oven of a cabin and felt a great temptation to lock -myself in until daylight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A few days after the revolver-shot incident Mr. Scarlett -astonished me by asking leave to go ashore -for a walk in Muscat itself. Remember that he had -not dared to land since he and I had had that first -walk there and had run across Jassim. Away he -went, taking Jaffa and Webster with him, and they -did not return on board until long after I had finished -dinner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett was chuckling—I had never seen him -so pleased with himself—Jaffa had a contented smile -on his face, and Webster so far forgot himself as to -wink at me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hallo, what have you been doing?" I asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He's all right, sir," the gunner said, rubbing his -hands. "Mr. Jassim won't be worrying you again -for some time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What has happened?" I asked eagerly. "Have -you killed him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, sir, not exactly, but we just happened to -meet him—after we'd been hunting round for him all -the afternoon—and we just happened to have a bit of -a row, and there just happened to be a couple of the -Sultan's soldiers handy. I made a bobbery, Jaffa and -I calling out that he had stolen money from us, and -off they took him up there," and Mr. Scarlett jerked -his thumb towards the big fort on the right, whose -towers and battlemented walls showed out in the -moonlight over our heads. "There he'll stay, sir, as -long as we like to pay for his keep. It cost us five -chips to the soldiers and another twenty to the sheikh -in charge of the fort. It was well worth it. Don't -you think so, sir? So long as we pay the governor -of that fort or jail, call it what you like, five rupees -a day he'll keep him there and feed him," Mr. Scarlett -said, emphasizing the "feed him" as if that made his -action quite meritorious.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Well, it was a very "low-down" game to play, and -if I had known they were going to play it I should -have put a "stopper" on it; but now the man was -under lock and key it was so much a relief that I had -not the honest courage to blame the gunner or take -steps to have Jassim set free.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After that Mr. Scarlett visited the jail nearly every -day, to assure himself that Jassim was still there; nor -was he content until he had peered through a grating -overlooking the court-yard in which untried prisoners -were kept, and seen him. He seemed to take a fiendish -delight in those visits, and I must say that I fully -shared his satisfaction, for, to me, the resulting comfort -and relief from anxiety was cheap at the price—only -five rupees a day. It may have been a cowardly, -despicable thing to do, but I don't believe that -anyone placed in the same circumstances would have -done otherwise.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We had now been very nearly a month at Muscat, -and the artificers from the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> had not quite -finished my engine-room defects, when one morning, -four or five days after Jassim had been secured, an -urgent signal came from Commander Duckworth that -he wanted to see me at once. I had a presentiment -that something had gone wrong at Jask.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was right. As I went into his cabin the Commander -sang out: "You'll have to go across to Jask -after all, and as soon as ever you are ready. There's -more trouble there. One of the European telegraph -people has been killed somewhere along the coast by -a marauding lot of brigands who have cut the wire -again. Fisher dare not send his people to repair it -without an escort, so you had better go across and -see what you can do. When can you start?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By midnight, sir," I told him, having taken the -precaution of finding out before I left the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right you are! Off you go! I don't fancy that -there is anything serious. If there is you can -telegraph for me and I will bring the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> along. -Good-bye! Good luck!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What a grand chap he was! I left his cabin feeling -that he had not hampered me with any restrictions -whatsoever, and had placed entire confidence in my -judgment. If only senior officers would always treat -their juniors in that way they would not so often have -to grumble at the way they are served—and, what is -more important still—they would make more efficient -officers of them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I met Popple Opstein outside. For once he had -shipped a long face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did the skipper tell you who has been killed?" -he asked. "I'm afraid it's our poor little friend's -brother. What rotten hard luck on her if it's true!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In my excitement at getting this job I had never -thought. Of course it must be Borsen; he was the -only other European there. Poor fellow! Poor little -sad-eyed slip of a girl, she would be weeping her -heart out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I had a burning feeling inside me, and I wished -that I could have started off then and there to blow a -dozen or more of those cowardly treacherous Baluchis -to atoms.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wish I could come along with you," my chum -said wistfully. "I'd love to have a 'go' at them!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He tried to get leave, but without success, so back -I went to the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>", angry, and impatient to get -away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good-bye, old chap! Tell her how very sorry I -am," he called after me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right you are!" I shouted back, but had an -uneasy thought that perhaps she was still too angry -to allow me to speak to her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I told Mr. Scarlett the news, rather expecting him -to show the old half-frightened expression, and was -quite taken aback when he smiled and said: "A -chance of our seeing a bit more scrapping—eh, sir?" He -said it as if he, too, rather looked forward to such -a thing happening, and I had to look again at his -face to make sure. Well, his disposition seemed to -be changing, and as there was nothing else to account -for the change except the parting with the snake I -put it down to that.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was splendid the way those artificers and lascars -worked to finish their job. They knew why they had -to hurry, and they toiled and sweated in the heat of -the engine-room like demons.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By half-past ten that night we were ready. I sent -the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid's</em><span> artificers back to their ship with -something inside them to warm their stomachs, flashed -across the "Permission to part company", and steamed -out of the harbour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He won't be there very long now," Mr. Scarlett -grunted, jerking his thumb towards the fort, whose -towers and walls showed up above us in the moonlight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I really had forgotten Jassim, and did not care how -soon he bribed the jailers and got free. I despised -myself for having allowed him to be kept there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Off we went to Jask—-easily at first, to give the -engines a chance of settling down; later on as fast -as they would whizz round.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We were all so impatient to get there that however -fast they went the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" seemed to crawl along.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At ten o'clock next morning we met the fortnightly -mail-steamer coming from Jask, on her way to Muscat -and Hartley semaphored across to ask if all was well -there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Someone on board took in the signal and answered -"Yes," to our great relief, and then I asked if the -two ladies from Jask were on board.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No," was semaphored back, and I was half-glad -and half-sorry—glad to know that I should see them, -sorry that another fortnight must elapse before another -steamer would give them a chance of escaping.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By noon the little white telegraph buildings showed -up over the horizon, and two hours later I steamed -close in under the rocks on which they stood, and -anchored. No white handkerchief fluttered from the -signal-mast. Poor little lady, if it was her brother -who had been killed she must be somewhere inside -those white walls in a terrible state of grief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I landed immediately.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="a-tragedy-of-the-telegraph"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XV</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">A Tragedy of the Telegraph</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>As the keel of the dinghy grated on the sand, and I -scrambled ashore, Mr. Fisher, the acting political -agent, came down the path to meet me, looking so -thin and haggard I scarcely recognized him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In answer to my eager questions he told me that -he feared Borsen had been killed, but was not yet -certain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Five days ago the poor chap went down the coast -on his usual monthly duty of paying the local people -at the different relay stations along the telegraph-line. -He took with him a Goanese telegraphist and half a -dozen native employees. The party rode away on their -camels, and the next I heard of them—two days -later—was a telephone message that they had seen some -wandering parties of Baluchis or Afghans and had -been warned, by a friendly village where they had -halted, that they might be attacked and robbed. He -intended to send the pay-chest, that night, secretly, -to the next village and to push on after it next -morning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A message came from him to his sister, next -morning, saying that he was thoroughly enjoying -himself and wished she was with him—that was to -allay her anxiety. Within an hour the Goanese -telephoned in that he had been killed, but the -message was then interrupted, the wire was cut, and -we have heard nothing since. Quite probably this -man was killed as well.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All we know is that the wire was broken somewhere -about twenty-eight miles away, and that when -I took a large party out to try to reach the spot, we -found the coast swarming with brigands and were -glad enough to get back safely. We only returned -a few hours ago, and now I want you to take us down -there as quickly as you can. It is our only chance of -finding any of the party alive—and a very poor chance, -I'm afraid."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Of course I was ready to go anywhere or do -anything. He and his party were "standing by" to -embark, and some ten or twelve natives were already -coming down from the telegraph-station with folding-ladders, -a portable telephone apparatus, coils of telegraph-wire, -and repairing tools. They also brought -with them a roughly-made coffin, and, as fast as they -arrived, I sent them aboard the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>. -Whilst Griffiths was pulling the dinghy backwards -and forwards I asked Mr. Fisher how his wife and -Miss Borsen were bearing up.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wonderfully well," he said, his face twitching. -"Women sometimes make us men almost ashamed -of ourselves—they are so patient and brave."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The dinghy had returned for us, and just as we were -stepping in we heard a girl's voice calling, and saw -poor little Miss Borsen standing behind us, looking -the picture of misery and distress, so sad and so pale -under her big, white topee that I felt horribly sorry for -her. I saluted and tried to show my sympathy. As -I did so she flushed scarlet, and as quickly every trace -of colour left her face; she seemed to freeze, and only -bowed in the most distant manner. I knew that she -meant this as a direct "cut", to remind me that she -had not yet forgiven me for carrying her over the -swamp that night.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Speaking to Mr. Fisher, and ignoring me, she -implored him to take her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He tried his best to dissuade her, but she insisted -on coming.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you mind if she comes?" he asked, turning to me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not at all," I answered coldly, as if she were a -complete stranger. "Anybody you care to bring may -come."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I looked to see if that hurt her, but she gave no -sign whatever that she had heard. I felt angry to be -so snubbed, and a brute to feel so enraged with her -just when she was so miserable; but I could not help it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So they both came aboard with me, and an extremely -uncomfortable trip it was—squeezed up together in the -little dinghy as we were, with Miss Borsen ignoring -me completely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, I was sitting where I could see her -profile, and she looked so utterly woebegone and lonely -that my anger died away, until we got alongside, when -she smiled so sweetly on Mr. Scarlett, as he helped -her out of the boat, that I was furious again. I beat -the feeling down, and, as she evidently loathed the -sight of me, kept away, giving her and Mr. Fisher -the use of the cabin and the little deck aft of it, and -rigging up a screen for'ard of it, so that she need not -see me whilst I took the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" out of harbour. -Percy fetched my pipe and tobacco, and I smoked -furiously and fumed inwardly all the way down the -coast, unable to avoid hearing Mr. Scarlett, on the -other side of the screen, spinning one of his most -exciting yarns and trying to take her thoughts away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, he soon found that was no use, and came -for'ard to me shaking his head. "Poor little lady! -Poor little soul!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Percy was a fickle youth. Whilst Popple Opstein -had been aboard, on that amusing "Prodigal Son" -adventure, he had transferred his worship from -Mr. Scarlett to him. Now he transferred it again to Miss -Borsen, and waited on her hand and foot, standing by -with his big eyes fixed on her as if she was some -beautiful angel come straight down from heaven into this -little world of his. He was such a nuisance that -Mr. Scarlett had to drag him out and drop him down the -ladder on to the fo'c'sle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Fisher joined us presently, and we three, -through our glasses, examined the shore and desert -plains running inland behind the line of -telegraph-posts. Before we had steamed ten miles we saw -numerous bands of mounted men moving about the -dreary wastes, and Mr. Fisher was on thorns to get -back as quickly as possible to the telegraph-station -(which was now without a white man), and kept on -saying: "I must send my wife and Miss Borsen away -by the very next steamer. I don't like the look of -things at all." He also told me that he had tried to -make them go by yesterday's mail-steamer—the one -we had "spoken"—but that Miss Borsen would not -go until she had definite news of her brother's fate, and -his wife would not leave her at Jask alone. "They'll -have to stay there for another fortnight now," he said, -shrugging his shoulders.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She doesn't seem very pleased to see me," I said -bitterly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm afraid you rather annoyed her the last time -you were here."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How? Carrying her over that swampy place?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," he nodded; "she thought it an insult."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If she never gets a bigger insult than that she -won't do badly," I answered angrily. "However, I'm -sorry; but she won't let me tell her so."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last, about half-past four, Mr. Fisher thought we -were abreast the place where the last telephone -message had come from—the five hundred and twentieth -telegraph-post I think he said it was—so I turned the -"</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>"'s bows inshore, with Ellis heaving the lead -every few seconds, to warn us of shoaling water.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a shallow, sandy bay with nothing to be seen -on the desolate shore except the endless line of -telegraph-posts. I anchored three hundred yards off and -took ashore Mr. Fisher, a native telegraphist, and the -portable telephone apparatus.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They connected this to the telegraph-wire and tried -to call up Jask. If Jask answered, we were on the near -side of the cut wire; and, as Jask did answer, it showed -that the spot where the tragedy had taken place must -be still farther away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So back to the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" we went, and I heard Miss -Borsen asking Mr. Fisher, with a half-sob, whether he -had found anything.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We weighed anchor and felt our way, carefully, still -farther along to the east'ard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently the signal-man shouted to me that he saw -someone on the beach, and, looking through my -telescope, I made out a man hopping down towards the -water's edge on one leg and waving his arms to -attract attention.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I called out to Mr. Fisher that we had found the -place, pushed the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" in as far as I dared, -anchored, and he and the man with the telephone-box -came ashore with me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The wire's cut about two hundred yards on the -left," Mr. Scarlett shouted after us. "I can see it -trailing on the ground."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Griffiths pulled us in to the spot where the man—a -Goanese he was—was waiting for us, squatting down -close to the sea. As I jumped ashore I realized why -he had been hopping—his left foot had been roughly -hacked off above the ankle. He was gesticulating and -sobbing, jerking his head backwards and forwards. -Raving mad I thought him; certainly he was -half-delirious, and as he held out both his arms towards us -I shuddered, for he had no right hand, only a stump -of a forearm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right hand, left foot—a common custom," Mr. Fisher -said, quite calmly, as he let him sip from his -water-bottle and tried to calm him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently he was helped upright, and went hopping -through the sand to the top of the beach, where he -clung to a telegraph-pole, close to the foot of which -were the remains of a wood fire and what I took to be -charred sticks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He began speaking very rapidly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He stopped, and Mr. Fisher led me away just as the -repair party landed about two hundred yards farther -along the beach.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Would you mind going and giving them a hand? -They will work better if you do. I must stay here."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I thought his request strange. His manner was -very strange: his eyes were burning with fear and -disgust.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I did as he asked me and walked along to where the -telegraph-wire lay on the sand, coiled in spirals like a -snake. The repairing people were very smart at their -job, fixed a rope and tackle from one cut end to the -other, and then hauled taut the great length of wire -between the two nearest telegraph-posts, mounting -their portable ladders and fixing things in a most -seamanlike way, until they had the wire as taut as they -could haul it, with six or seven feet of rope tackle -bridging the gap and the two cut ends of the wire -hanging down. Then they commenced to put in a -splice, and worked so cleverly and systematically that -I was quite interested.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sun was getting close to the horizon by the time -the wire was properly joined together and their work -finished. Mr. Fisher came to see the job, and the -telephone-box was brought along and messages sent -into Jask and to the nearest relay station on the other -side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, that is done," he said, with a sigh of relief, -"until they cut it again."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The repairing people took their gear back to the -"</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" and we were left alone. He took me to -where we had landed, and I saw the mutilated Goanese -sitting close to the coffin, which I had not noticed -being brought ashore.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did you find Borsen's body?" I asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He nodded very sadly. "Yes; all that was left of -it—a few charred bones. They had cut him in pieces -and burnt them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I shuddered, and knew that what I had mistaken -for charred sticks had been bones. That was why he -had sent me away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was nothing more to say, and we stood -looking out over the sea, with rage burning within -us, at the thought of the hideous, useless tragedy -which had taken place at this spot only two days ago.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The glorious sunset was bathing everything—the -sea, my little launch, the shore—in a flood of molten -gold, shading to the tenderest pinks as it reached the -barren mountains standing up so clear and sharp -against the silvery, green sky behind them. The -radiant glow threw our shadows and the shadows of -those gaunt telegraph-poles slanting across the sands, -far across the trackless desert towards the feet of the -mountains. If we moved our bodies, our shadows -swept in huge arcs across the infinite silence, and, -as we moved our arms, shot out huge, ghastly tentacles -horrid to see. The setting sun seemed to mock -us in its beauty, to laugh and say: "See, I rejoice in -the wild wastes of eternal sands. I wash their edges -with my golden sea. I paint them with my wondrous -tints, and your ghostly shadows, and the shadows of -the telegraph-posts you have dared to place there, are -the only blots on my fair handiwork."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A beautiful sunset generally gives me a feeling of -hope and of trust in a glorious future. That evening -I felt myself trembling with an ill-defined fear of -impending danger, and as though we and that lonely -telegraph-line had trespassed, had forced ourselves -and our civilization upon a land where nature, -primitive and unchanged, held her sway, and that we too -should have to pay the penalty of our vandalism, even -as poor Borsen had already paid for his.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The dinghy was coming ashore, her sides glowing -with light, the blades of her oars dropping showers -of golden spray as Griffiths lifted them from the -surface of the sea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I stirred myself as the bows rasped on the beach, -and helped to carry the coffin into the boat, not -daring to look behind me. It was very heavy, and -I looked enquiringly at Mr. Fisher.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sand," he said, and I understood.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The poor Goanese had crawled a little distance -away, and was digging at the sand with one hand. -We found that he had buried his telephone-box—the -one by which he had sent that interrupted message -into Jask, and we quickly brought it to light. -I knew what the look of satisfaction in his eyes -meant—he had saved it from falling into the hands -of the brigands, and had been faithful to his trust. -The fellow deserved a V.C., but seemed perfectly -contented when Mr. Fisher spoke a few words of -praise to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We pulled away from the appalling loneliness of -the telegraph-wire and gaunt poles, and as we came -alongside, the sun slid down below the horizon, and -Hartley, the signal-man, struck our little ensign.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>What Mr. Fisher told Miss Borsen I do not know. -I heard him take her into the little cabin, slide the -door across, and leave her there. The port-holes were -close to me as I stood by the compass giving orders -to the helmsman, and her broken-hearted sobs seemed -to tear their way right through me. Poor little fragile, -lonely thing, and I had been so fiercely angry at her -scorn of me! I would have given the whole world -for her to forgive me and to be able to comfort her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently her sobs ceased; possibly she slept. I -dared not look through the port-holes to see, and gave -my orders in a whisper lest they should disturb her. -You could not hear a sound aboard the </span><em class="italics">Bunder -Abbas</em><span> except the noise of the engines and the -occasional tinkle of cooking-pots as the dismal cook went -on with his everlasting washing of them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the way back to Jask Mr. Fisher told me all -that he had been able to learn from the Goanese. -The morning after Borsen had sent off the pay-chest -all his native employees deserted, so he and the -Goanese had to continue their inspection alone. -They thought that the brigands would not molest -them; but when these cruel brutes galloped up and -found the money-chest gone, they were so enraged -that they had killed Borsen, mutilated the Goanese -(as you know), and galloped away again. They -probably thought that the wretched telegraphist -would die of sun and thirst, and so he would had -he not bravely crawled to the wire, dragging the -telephone-box after him, and with consummate pluck, -considering the horrible agony he must have been -in, had thrown up the connecting wire till its hook -caught the telegraph-wire overhead, and enabled him -to send the message into Jask. This was the message -which had been telegraphed to Jask, from there to -Muscat, and had brought us a hundred and twenty -miles across the sea to save his life. He had not -been able to complete it, because the Baluchis—some -of them—had ridden back and cut the wire between -him and the telegraph-station. There he had been -for more than forty-eight hours without one drop -of water. It was indeed marvellous how he had -survived.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the way back, Percy and the dismal cook -prepared as lavish a meal as our little meat-safe and -a small store of tinned food (kept for special -occasions) could provide, but I was in no fit mood to -eat, and stayed alone at the wheel. I steered to the -south'ard, to get well away from the land before laying -off my course to Jask, picked up the light shown from -the telegraph-station some time before midnight, and -anchored close in under the rocks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I believe that Miss Borsen slept all the way back. -Poor little lady, the strain of the last two days must -have been awful, and she must have been dead tired. -I thought that the sight of me would increase her -misery, so I did not go down on deck when Mr. Fisher -took her ashore.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leaving Mr. Scarlett to see that everything was -fixed up for the night, I turned in, weary in mind -and body, and dreamt once more that I was carrying -Miss Borsen down the path from the telegraph-station, -pursued by a score of mounted Baluchis, and that -Griffiths was trying to bring the dinghy ashore, but -had lost one oar and was turning circles. I was -yelling for him to come my way, when Jassim suddenly -appeared between me and the sea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I jumped up in a perspiration, and found Mr. Scarlett -bending over me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What's the matter, sir? You're making a terrible -noise. I had to give you a shake."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I murmured some apology, and he left me to sleep again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Fisher had asked me to go up to the telegraph-station -early next morning, and so I did, landing -in time to have some "chota-hazri" with him in -the veranda. The old head-boy, wearing his best -yellow turban, came forward for my helmet, and -smiled a greeting.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have some coffee; there are some bananas -too—yesterday's steamer brought them," Mr. Fisher said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I asked him how Miss Borsen was, but he did not -know. His wife had been with her all night, and he -had not seen her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He tried to talk of many things, but with manifest -effort. At last he blurted out: "The truth is, affairs -are in a very unpleasant position. It's impossible -to disguise the fact any longer. Our coolies, and -even some of the house boys, are leaving us. They -all say the same thing: don't want to go, but they -have wives and children, and they don't want to be -killed. They are going to their village, and -presently, they say, they will come back. 'Presently' -means," he said bitterly, "if the tribesmen don't kill -us all. There is no doubt in my mind that they -intend to attack this place. Almost daily I get -warnings from the Mir of Old Jask, who's a feeble, -well-meaning old chap, with all he can do to look after -his own town, and quite unable to spare us any of -his soldiers. Not that they would be of any help. -I've tried them, so know.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You see," he continued, "I have no absolute -proof of any rising more formidable than what has -just occurred. No one knows what is going on -behind those beastly mountains. I've sent plenty -of warnings both to Karachi and to Muscat (I knew -that), even to Teheran; but the answer is always -the same: Sit tight, and if anything definite happens, -let us know.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, you are here, that's something; and I don't -mind telling you that the presence of your little launch -makes all the difference in the world. Up there, right -away beyond those hateful hills (he had risen and -was pointing away towards the gaunt Baluchistan -ranges), in every village for a hundred miles or -more, it is known you are anchored here; and the -head-men at this very moment probably are -deliberating whether they had better not keep quiet -till you steam away."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm hanged if I'm going!" I said, rising too. -"If I'm ordered away I'll break down my engine -and take a month to repair it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He smiled. "I want you to come round our little -defences with me and make suggestions. We have -nineteen Eurasians here who can be trusted with -rifles. If the worst came to the worst we might -hold out for a week until help came; but I wish with -all my heart that those two women were not here. -It's getting on my nerves. I find myself peering -through the big telescope up there hour after hour, -searching the desert. I can't tear myself away from -it, and at night I can't sleep. This place at the best -of times is one of the worst holes in the world, and -after being stuck here for two solid years my mind -is so enfeebled that it is almost impossible to -concentrate my thoughts.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, I forgot to tell you!" he continued; "I sent -a telegram to Duckworth last night informing him of -yesterday's proceedings."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I had forgotten all about doing this, so, before any -reply could be received, I wired again that I considered -it advisable to remain at Jask on account of the -disturbed condition of the surrounding district. -Commander Duckworth might laugh at my self-assurance -for imagining that the little "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" could be of much -use, but I did not think that he would—nor did I care, -so long as he did not order me away. My whole aim -in life now seemed centred round the forlorn little lady -with the sad grey eyes; and even if she would not make -friends with me again, I hoped to be able to protect -her. I knew perfectly well that this was the impelling -force which decided me to remain there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The telegram having been sent, Mr. Fisher took -me round the whole position.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As you know, the telegraph buildings were built on -the rocky end of the peninsula and surrounded by a -strong, loopholed wall. He explained to me that there -was no probability of an attack either from the sides -or from the end, because the Baluchis and Afghans -hated the sea, and nothing would induce them to get -into a boat.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If they came, they must attack along the neck of -the peninsula, and up the open, sloping space below -the wall. Across this, as you already know, there -was a small breastwork of earth, with a still smaller -trench behind it, looking much more like an -elongated vegetable-marrow bed than a defence work -and, fifty yards lower down, two rows of barbed-wire -railings stretching across from sea to sea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Five hundred yards away, on the narrowest portion -of the peninsula, and commanding the landing place -to the east—on our right as we looked inland—was -the ruined sheikh's fort, or Old Fort, which I had -explored on my first visit. It was half-hidden in a -fold of the ground and by some date-palm trees. A -thousand yards away on the western side—our -left-hand side—commanding the beach and landing place -there, was the new sheikh's fort, or New Fort, where -the custom-house officers had been hanged by the -Baluchis on their way back from destroying Bungi -and Sudab. Between these were perhaps a score of -native "matting" huts. The whole of the sloping -neck of the peninsula afforded no cover whatever; -but on the right side of the slope, just between the -line of barbed-wire and the baby entrenchment -was a line of more substantial huts belonging to -the coolies and other servants of the telegraph staff.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I don't pretend to be a soldier; but it struck me -immediately that this line of huts must be destroyed. -It interfered with the fire space from the loopholed -wall. Also I told Mr. Fisher that the half-ruined -sheikh's house—the Old Fort—must be pulled -down, as it would give grand cover for an attacking -force.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He shook his head. "I daren't do that; it belongs -to the Mir of Jask."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you don't pull it down, blow it up," I said, -smiling. "You can tell him it was an accident."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All sorts of plans ran through my head. I suggested -this and that—twenty different schemes—and -rather swept Mr. Fisher off his feet with suggestions. -"The first thing to do?" he asked, passing his hand -nervously across his forehead, as if he only wanted to -be told one thing at a time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Blow up the Old Fort!" I told him, and he -promised to start right away, as soon as he could get -hold of his people. He took me up on the roof of the -signal station, where the big telescope stood on its -tripod, and I had a grand view of the surroundings -of Old Jask, eight miles away, and the wriggling -track which led to it round swampy inlets of the sea; -of the dreary wastes of sand stretching east and west -as far as the eye could see till they lost themselves -in the mountains; of the interminable telegraph-poles -dwindling away in the distance along the shore line to -the east'ard and to the west'ard (to our left as we looked -down), of the little </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> under her now trim -awnings, and of a cluster of dhows moored close to the -new sheikh's fort and the village of New Jask.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>From force of habit Mr. Fisher slued round the -telescope and diligently searched the plains at the -foot of the mountains, in whose ravines and valleys -the wild tribesmen were concealed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Can't see a single band of them this morning," -he said with much relief. "The </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> is -the cause of that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Afterwards I returned aboard her and sent Hartley, -the signal-man, to the telegraph-station, so that I could -communicate with Mr. Fisher and he with me at any -time. I also sent Jaffa to Old Jask to try to obtain -news in the bazaar there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That done, I had a yarn with Mr. Scarlett. A -great change had come over him since he had got -rid of his snake bracelet. I am sure he was fatter; -the lines in his face were certainly not so deep, nor -his eyes so sunken. He had lost that furtive look -in them and that vulture appearance. He received -the news that I was going to stay here, and that -there would probably be some fighting, with positive -pleasure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Anything we can do to help the poor little lass -sir! Now, a Maxim, that's what's wanted up there -(pointing to a prominent corner on the flat roof of the -main building); from there it could sweep the whole -approach. We might lend 'em one of ours if it came -to the pinch. Eh, sir?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right oh!" I told him. "Directly we get -permission to stay, you can mount one there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Permission did come, Hartley semaphoring the -telegram that very afternoon, and Mr. Scarlett waking -me to give the good news. I could swear that he was -as pleased as I was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For the next few days I spent most of my time on -shore, landing at sunrise and supervising, in a sort -of way, the destruction of the ruined sheikh's house, -and the strengthening of the breastwork and the wire -entanglements. I say "in a sort of way", because -neither Mr. Fisher nor I knew which of us should -take entire charge of the defence preparations, with -the result that there was a lot of unnecessary work -done and some muddling. At any rate the one or -two charges exploded in the walls of the Old Fort -did not do much damage, and I did not care to -interfere.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Meanwhile Mr. Scarlett busied himself preparing -the corner of the roof of the telegraph buildings and -placing big balks of timber behind the parapet to -receive the mounting of a Maxim, if the occasion -arose. In spite of the desertion of most of the servants, -labour was plentiful, natives of all nationalities -and shades of colour clamouring for a job. Many of -them were Afghans and Baluchis, and probably were -spies; but the only information they could give was -that we were expecting an attack and preparing for it, -which it was good for them to know. We set these -people to work strengthening the barbed-wire fence -and the "vegetable-marrow" trench.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At first I had most of my meals with Mr. Fisher -and his wife—Miss Borsen never joined us. In fact, -I never saw more of her than a flick of a skirt as she -fled round a corner one day when I had appeared -unexpectedly. She was so obviously avoiding me -that it became most unpleasant, and later on I never -went to the house unless I was obliged to do so.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This worried me a good deal—the fact of her refusing -to forgive me, I mean—-and took away a great -deal of my enjoyment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In spite of this the days went past very quickly. -Hartley occasionally saw bands of mounted people -wandering about the plains and the coast, but the -telegraph-wire was untouched. Jaffa could report -nothing more definite than a general feeling of -uneasiness; trading dhows came and went, and, day -after day, trains of camels and donkeys shuffled -backwards and forwards through the eight miles of sand -to Old Jask, loading or unloading them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Indeed, the only exciting incident was the sudden -bursting of a strong "shamel", which scattered the -dhows and compelled me to raise steam and take -shelter from it round the other side of the peninsula.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A fortnight passed, and the mail-steamer had called -and left again without either of the two ladies. This -time it was Mrs. Fisher who would not leave her -husband, and Miss Borsen who would not leave -Mrs. Fisher; so they both stayed—out of a mistaken and -foolish sense of duty—much to Mr. Fisher's secret grief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then the blow fell, the morning after the steamer sailed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Of course I always slept on board, and just as -daylight was dawning I was awakened by hearing a -tremendous fusillade. Mr. Scarlett and I jumped up, -peering ashore in the direction from which the noise -came, and saw a great number (a multitude they -looked in the indistinct light) of people on camels -streaming right along the peninsula, firing rifles as -they rode, whilst a furious burst of firing farther away, -in the direction of the new village and the New Fort, -told us that another band must be attacking that.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The crew of the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> were tumbling to -their guns, and Mr. Scarlett jumped down on deck to -see that everything was ready.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Fascinated, I watched that mad rush of shrieking, -firing natives. Leaping off their camels, two or three -hundred of them began advancing up the slope towards -the telegraph building, stopping to fire, moving -on, and stopping again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"For God's sake get those guns going!" I yelled down.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In a minute, sir, in a minute!" Mr. Scarlett's -voice, calm and collected, came back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I clutched the railings and gasped as I thought of -those two women up there and wondered whether the -door through the loopholed wall was closed or not—it -was not light enough for me to see. If it was -open—God help them!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By this time the leading Baluchis—or whatever they -were—were almost up to the line of the barbed-wire; -but then I was intensely relieved to hear a few shots -popping off from the telegraph buildings, so knew -that some of the people had had time to seize their -rifles.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What the devil has gone wrong? Why don't you -open fire?" I bawled, as the first of the attacking party -reached the barbed-wire. It stopped them for a -moment, but then they began throwing their loose cloaks -across it and scrambling over.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now was our chance, and, mad with fury, I dashed -down below, yelling to the six-pounder and Maxims' -crews to open fire. Mr. Scarlett was not there, nor -Moore. Someone told me they were below, aft, and -I heard a smashing of woodwork, jumped down, and -found them smashing open the door of the magazine. -I seized a box of Maxim cartridge-belts and simply -heaved it up through the hatchway. In a mad rush -of Mr. Scarlett, myself, Moore, and two or three -others we were on deck again with a box of six-pounder -ammunition between us. As we dragged it forward -the marines and Ellis, with his seamen, were pulling -the Maxim belts through the breech-blocks; and as -we wrenched off the cover of the six-pounder -cartridge-box I saw that the crowd of Baluchis were already -swarming over the line of breastworks. The long -cartridge was thrown into the empty breech of the -six-pounder, and as I darted up the ladder to the -upper deck it fired. A moment later both Maxims -opened too.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-siege-of-jask"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XVI</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">The Siege of Jask</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Fortunately the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> was lying broadside -on to the shore, so that all three of her guns were able -to bear on the ground leading up to the -telegraph-station—about fourteen hundred yards away. I -reached the upper deck and looked ashore just in -time to see the first six-pounder shell bursting on the -open slope, close to a group of fifty or sixty of the -enemy, who had already reached the breastwork. -Some had jumped down into the little trench, others -were still clambering over the earthwork. Most of -them were firing their rifles, though (as far as I could -see through my glasses) without taking the trouble to -aim—in fact they were practically firing in the air. -As the shell burst among them they swerved aside, -just as minnows do when you drop a stone among -them, but still went on. Another shell made them -swerve again and scatter a little more widely, but did -not stop them. A Maxim was wanted—not shells.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Although both Maxims were firing very rapidly, -Ellis and Webster did not seem able to find the range. -This may have been due to excitement or the uncertain -light. At any rate, from where I was I could -see, quite plainly, the bullets tearing up the ground -near the end of the barbed-wire fence, some two -hundred yards this side of where the Baluchis were -crossing it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I yelled down that they were going short, and -actually watched the furrows advancing until in -another moment those streams of bullets had reached -the poor wretches and simply ploughed lanes through -them. These people made such a fine target that -Ellis and Webster instinctively kept firing at them, -and more time was lost before I could make one of -them slue his gun round to support Moore's shells. -When he did so, the rushing, yelling crowd, who were -scrambling across and beyond the trench, seemed to -melt away, and only a few were left alive—some to -fall back into the trench, where they lay comparatively -safely, and others to take refuge among the mat shed -huts belonging to the telegraph employees—the huts -I had so often implored Mr. Fisher to burn. Ellis—I -think it was Ellis—was still "playing" the Maxim -on the barbed fence, and was not able to see, or too -excited to realize, that he was only firing on dead men -lying heaped in masses, or sprawling singly over the -fence. I shouted down to tell him not to waste more -ammunition.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At this time there were not more than perhaps -twenty of the enemy to be seen, and these were doing -their best to escape, crawling and creeping, dodging -towards those confounded huts.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I stopped the Maxims and ordered Moore to fire -a few shells among the huts, hoping to set fire to -them, or at any rate turn out the Baluchis taking -shelter there. Before he could do this my fellows -began shouting: "More are coming, sir; look, sir!" -and I saw another horde of chaps dash out from the -Old Fort and the dip in the ground round it, rushing -up the slope as the others had done, but keeping -away to their left, to avoid the mangled heaps of their -tribesmen huddled near the barbed-wire fence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They were already within fifty yards of the huts -before we could swing our guns round, only to discover -that whilst they kept on the far side of the slope -the curvature of the ground protected them to a -certain extent, and we could not reach them easily. -Only their heads could we see, their heads and their -arms brandishing rifles.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We let rip at them without doing much damage, -if any, for I never saw the rush waver. But then they -came to the barbed fence, and climbing over it they -made a better target. They must have suffered horribly, -but at least a hundred passed it and disappeared -among those huts to join the remnant of the first rush.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I guessed what would happen. Directly they had -regained breath the whole crowd would dash for the -loopholed wall.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I yelled for everybody to "stand by" and train -their guns on the upper slope.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They'll be in the open in a minute!" I shouted, -and glued my glasses to my eyes. It was quite light -now. Turning for a moment to the telegraph-station, -I saw Hartley trying to semaphore something from -the top corner. Rifles were poking out through the -loopholes, and, thank goodness, that door in the wall -was shut.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Shooting was still going on everywhere—one could -not distinguish exactly from where.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Drop a shell among the huts and turn 'em out," -I called down. "Stand by with the Maxims to follow -them when they break cover."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Moore fired twice. Then, as I expected, a regular -horde of Baluchis rushed out from among the huts, -yelling and firing their rifles, making a most appalling -din as they swarmed up the slope.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But they were in full view and entirely exposed. -The Maxims swept through them; the six-pounder -scattered bits of iron and stones amongst them and -tumbled many over like rabbits. But we could not -stop them all, and before I realized it the wave of -men—thinned, it is true, but still numerous—had swept -to the foot of the white, loopholed wall itself. The -desperate savages were leaping up to grab the top, -climbing on each other's backs, poking their rifles -through the loopholes, and hammering at the door -with their rifle butts. And at this very time the -Maxims stopped firing; so did the six-pounder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I dashed below.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Go on!" I shouted. "Go on! Why the devil -ain't you firing?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We'll hit the telegraph people, sir!" they called.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't worry about them—fire—fire—carry on -the Maxims," I yelled, "or they'll be inside in a -moment."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I cared not a rap whether we killed all the telegraph -people, so long as we kept the Baluchis outside. Miss -Borsen wouldn't be anywhere near the wall, so we -should not hurt her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Maxims began pumping out more lead—by -good fortune they worked splendidly, the belts jerking -through like lightning—and in less time than it has -taken me to write this the Baluchis had begun to fall -back. Once they were clear of the wall Moore -opened on them with shell, and though these shells -do very little damage in the open they kept them on -the run whilst more Maxim belts were being slipped in.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They fled back to the huts almost too quickly for -the guns to follow them. From the rear of the huts -they burst forth, trying to keep out of sight; but as -they came to the wire-fence they had to climb over it, -and one of the Maxims was waiting for them and -played terrible havoc. The remnant simply flew -down—their heads showing beyond the contour of -the slope—till they disappeared among the date-palm -trees round the Old Fort.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My fellows began to cheer—they had been too busy -before—and the lascars and all the other natives -danced about and cheered too—Percy wildly excited; -all except of course the cook and his mate, who were -busy preparing the men's cocoa, and were apparently -still contemplating their usual early suicide directly -the saucepans had been cleaned again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Jaffa, left to himself, had been firing a rifle. He -looked pleased and happy. As for Mr. Scarlett, he -was beaming.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Drove 'em 'Balooks' back all right, sir!" he -said, rubbing his hands. "They've learnt a lesson -or two, those poor wretched devils," and he jerked -his thumb towards the open sloping ground, which -now looked as if a fierce gust had blown the washing -out of a laundry and distributed it unevenly over the -ground.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I asked him what had been the matter at first, and -why he had broken down the doors of the magazine. -He told me that as Moore had run aft with the key -he had dropped it overboard in his excitement. This -was Moore all over. Just like the idiot he was!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We now had time to look towards the village and -the New Fort.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Only a very occasional shot came from that direction, -and through our glasses we saw that the parapets -and battlements were black with figures, so knew that -the Baluchis had captured it. The trading dhows -were being hauled off-shore and were putting to sea, -their crews working desperately to save them from -falling into the hands of the Baluchis; the bay was -full of their frightened cries as they hoisted their -clumsy sails and tried to gain safety.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Just then bullets began to fall round us, and soon -we were under a brisk, long-range fire—apparently -from the fugitives round the Old Fort. It was so -badly aimed that it was hardly enough to disturb us -but a badly-aimed bullet is just as dangerous as a -well-aimed one—if it happens to find a billet. So -whilst the Maxim crews were getting up more ammunition -and reloading belts, I made Moore throw a few -shells close to the Old Fort. The first few they stood -but at the seventh we had the gratification of seeing -them bolt back into a fold of the ground close to the -landing-place on the other side of the peninsula. -They drove their frightened camels into this shelter -and were safe from any tokens of "esteem" we could -send them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Just then someone called my attention to the -telegraph buildings. I looked and saw the door in the -loopholed wall thrown open, and men began filing -out and racing down the slope—a man in pyjamas -leading them. It was Mr. Fisher. Why they were -coming out goodness only knows; but down they ran, -apparently with the idea of manning the trench and -breastwork. They had almost reached it before I -remembered that some of the enemy might possibly be -there still; and, sure enough, as the leading ones -leapt into the trench on one side, I saw thirty or forty -Baluchis, who had been hidden from us on the other -side, spring up, fire point-blank, and leap over, -dropping their rifles and slashing with swords as they -jumped down among them. We could not possibly -give assistance; we could not fire into the mêlée, and -stood stock-still, holding our breath, watching the -hand-to-hand struggle. It probably did not last fifty -seconds, though it seemed more like fifty minutes, -and at last the telegraph staff began to retreat uphill. -Luckily very few—not half a dozen—followed them; -the rest contenting themselves with lying down and -firing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett, without orders, took the risk and fired -a shell among this lot, and made them scramble over -the breastwork again out of sight. The others stopped -as well and came back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Fisher, in his pyjamas, tried to lead his people -to charge down once more; but they would not follow -him. Instead, they fell back inside the loopholed -wall—the white figure being the last to enter—and I -breathed again when the door was once more closed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We now had all we could do to prevent the -</span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> being damaged by the fleeing dhows. -Their crews had quite lost their heads. One fouled -us amidships and tore a stanchion out before she -drifted clear; another, having cut her "grass" -hawser cable, drifted helplessly right across our bows, -with our little cable tautening under her bottom. -Every single soul of us was trying to shove her free, -and I had to veer cable before she eventually scraped -past, hanging up for a moment as her projecting stern -caught in the stem-post and carried away another -stanchion, which let the whole fore part of the -awning fall over the six-pounder gun—and over us too. -If only the Baluchis had taken advantage of this -moment we could have done nothing. Luckily the -poor wretches were disheartened, or perhaps they -never even saw their chance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Away inshore, by the New Fort, there was much -yelling and screaming. The whole village was -humming like a hive of bees disturbed—the inhabitants -fleeing along the beach and staggering under their -valuables, until some shots, apparently from the New -Fort, fell among them, when they dropped their -burdens and fled all the faster. The enemy in that -fort commanded the track to Old Jask, and these poor -wretches had to make a great circuit before they could -hope to reach safety.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Honestly, I had not imagined that an attack would -have been delivered with so little warning. As -Mr. Scarlett said: "It was not at all like their usual way -of doing things." They ought to have come along in -the daylight, settled themselves across the base of the -peninsula, and then sent in a messenger to ask for a -ransom, failing which they would storm the place. -That had always been the custom in this part of the -world, so both Jaffa and Mr. Scarlett assured me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was not very flattering to our own military -instincts and preparation for defence to realize that if -they had not begun firing their rifles almost before -they had reached the neck of the peninsula, and long -before they ever commenced to dismount from their -camels to charge up the slope, they must have taken -the telegraph-station by surprise. We should have -heard or seen nothing until too late; and I really went -cold "all over", to think what would have happened -inside those walls with the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> absolutely -powerless to interfere. I knew now, though I did not -know it before, that none of these people can control -themselves; they must let off their rifles to work up -their courage to the charging-point, and must -continue wasting ammunition to keep it there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The extraordinary thing was that Jaffa had ridden -nearly twenty miles inland only yesterday, and had -actually visited several villages at the foot of the -mountains, without obtaining any warning whatever.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Hartley began signalling again from the top of the roof.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Two men killed and two missing," I read. "Mr. Fisher -wishes to know if you can clear the trench. -There are fifty or sixty of the enemy still there?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I'd forgotten them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I called out to Mr. Scarlett and asked him whether -he thought we could turn them out with shell and -Maxims. We both agreed that we could not do so -without expending more ammunition than we could -afford.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right oh! We shall have to land and drive 'em -out!" I said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was very anxious to come with me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't leave me this time, sir," he pleaded, and I -could not help but wonder at the change which had -come over him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He saw my look of surprise and burst out with: "I -am a different man now, sir; I feel a different being -altogether since I got rid of that," and he touched -his left arm. I shook my head and told him that he -would have all he could do to keep the main body -back if they had the heart to come along again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I semaphored to Hartley to tell Mr. Fisher to keep -up a fire on the trench, so as to occupy the minds of -those chaps still there, and in half an hour landed in -the dinghy, just below some rocks at the end of the -barbed-wire fences, with Webster, Jones, and Gamble. -Sending the dinghy back for Ellis, Andrews, and -Griffiths, we dashed to the top of the beach and lay -down between the end of the fence and the breastwork. -Until they came it was a very ticklish position -to be in; for if those fifty or so "Balooks" had spotted -us, and had the "heart of a worm", they might have -"done for" all three of us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We lay there absolutely motionless, glued to the -ground, whilst the noise of casual firing from above -told us that the telegraph people were doing what -I'd asked them—firing at the trench farther along. -Not a hundred yards from us rifles began answering -them. It was a great relief when the dinghy came -back and Ellis, Griffiths, and Andrews joined us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then we rose, fixing bayonets and rushing up and -across the open to the wretched breastwork, much too -excited to worry about how many chaps we should -find there. I knew that the trench had no traverses—we -had never thought them necessary; so once we -scrambled over and into it we should be able to sweep -the whole length of it with our rifles.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We just caught sight of the ghastly heaps of dead -lying at the foot of the fence a little farther along, -some actually leaning over as if they were alive. -Then we saw some live Baluchis lying down on our -side of the breastwork, too busily engaged plugging -at the loopholed wall to think of danger behind them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Directly we saw them we yelled—we could not -restrain ourselves any longer—and as we rushed for -them they saw our bayonets, squealed with fright, -and leapt across the breastwork into the trench. We -were after them in a moment, each racing to be first, -jumping the breastwork with a bound, and seeing -them flying helter-skelter to the far end. I jumped -clean on a wounded man, who wriggled up and tried -to slash at me with a sword; but I was away before -the blow touched me. We simply emptied our -magazines into these chaps and they never gave us -a chance to close. A few fell, but our aim was too -wild to account for many, and most of them scrambled -out, over, and down towards the barbed-wire, like a -lot of rabbits making for their "bury". We knocked -over one or two as they flung themselves over the -wires, and the rest simply dashed down the slope to -join the main body hidden in the hollow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A faint cheer came from the loopholed wall, and -I heard a cry of disgust from my own men. Looking -back I saw them bending over the corpse of what had -been one of the Eurasian telegraph people. It was -horribly mutilated.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A little farther on another lay dead, mutilated in -the same hideous manner. It made me sick to look -at them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In fact the whole place was a shambles. There -must have been nearly a hundred—perhaps more—bodies -dotted about in little white heaps near the -fence and the breastwork, the heaps being more -scattered between the breastwork and the wall where -the Maxim had caught them in their final rush. -Along the foot of the wall corpses lay singly. What -grand-looking men they were, too, with fierce -high-bred faces. It was a horrid business.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The edge of civilization! Yes! I was there again, -and the only satisfaction this slaughter gave was -the knowledge of what the fate of those two poor -frightened women would have been had the attack -succeeded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I don't want, in this yarn, to worry anyone with -the thoughts which flashed through my head on this -or that occasion, but I should like to write just this -and have done with it. To stand quietly, as I was -doing then, on that slope where not many minutes -previously four or five hundred raging men in the -prime of life had rushed up with the one idea in their -souls to "kill or die", "kill or die", and to see now -the huddled, white-cloaked figures lying all round, so -calm and still and dignified by death, made me feel -wearily sad.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was my duty to kill them—I was sent there, on -the edge of civilization, to do so—and it had fallen to -my lot to do it. "Kismet!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was only one more wave of fanatical, unthinking, -misdirected barbarism broken again as it tried to wash -back the advance of civilization, and civilization -cannot and must not cease to roll back such waves, -in the eternal progress of the world. I remembered -the day I had walked so jauntily out of the -Admiralty with every contempt for the roar and bustle -of traffic and trade, and every nerve tingling with -delight at soon leaving it for the edge of civilization; -and now that I was there, and had done a man's work -with the tools and engines of war which civilization -had put in my hand, I was neither pleased nor proud.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was all too cruel, too brutal, all so meaningless -and useless a waste of life. These men had died -because we prevented them, by every means in our -power, from obtaining more rifles. They only wanted -them to carry on their family and tribal blood feuds, -to raid other tribes, and to shoot our own soldiers -across the Indian frontier. But to these poor wretches -this was their whole duty in life, and they knew that -the telegraph-cable was one of their chief enemies—it -could give warning of attempts to land arms; it -could summon ships from below the horizon to -prevent them being landed: so they had laid down their -lives in the endeavour to destroy it, and had left their -waiting wives to teach their fatherless children black -hatred of the white man, and to bring them up with -the one idea, later on, when they were big enough -to hold a rifle, of trying to revenge their fathers' deaths -and beat back—in their turn—advancing civilization.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Standing among all these heaped-up corpses I -could not help thinking what a wailing there would -be when these grand men did not return to their -village fastnesses in those grim mountains standing -up like a huge wall against the horizon.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A rifle suddenly went off close to me. Turning, I -saw Webster open his breech and jerk out a cartridge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A wounded chap tried to stab me, sir," he said in -explanation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That was the worst part of it. The wounded never -expected anything but death, and wanted revenge -before they died. It was not the slightest use trying -to attend to their wounds, in fact it was dangerous to -go anywhere near a man, even though he looked as -dead as a stone—he might only be pretending to be -dead and waiting his opportunity for you to get close. -I ought to have given orders for my men to go round -and shoot every one with any sign of life in him, but -this I absolutely refused to do. The poor, ignorant -wretches should have the chance of crawling down -among their own people—if they could.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I called my men away, and, carefully avoiding -every patch of tumbled, distorted bodies, went up to -speak to Mr. Fisher, whom I saw coming towards -me—still in his pyjamas—a revolver in his hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was quite cool. "Thank you very much!" he -said simply.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How is Miss Borsen," I asked eagerly, "and -your wife?" but he did not know. He had not seen -them since the first alarm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What will these Baluchi chaps do now?" I asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Baluchis!" he said. "Most of them are Afghans, -the real fighting Afghan; there are only a sprinkling -of Baluchis. I don't know what they will do, but -they've had such a lesson that they'll probably be off -again to the hills to-night. I've sent off a wire to -Duckworth to tell him that we've been attacked and -that you beat them off by fire from your launch."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He seemed undecided what to do. He still hesitated -about burning those confounded huts which had -already caused so much trouble. He did not want to -irritate the employees who lived there, and kept on -saying: "We'll wait till the morning; there probably -won't be a sign of them then."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But he gladly accepted my offer to mount one of -my Maxims on top of the station, and I went back to -the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> with my people to send it ashore as -quickly as possible.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Already some at least of the Afghans were recovering -their fright, for as we marched down to the beach -we came in for a sharp "sniping", and Jones the -marine was shot through the arm. He dropped his -rifle and swore at Gamble, thinking he had struck -him; then he looked at the place, shook his fist -towards the Old Fort, picked up his rifle with the -other hand, and came on.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was the same arm which had been hit during -the engagement with the Afghans at Bungi whilst -we were trying to get old Popple Opstein out of his -trap.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Once aboard the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> I took charge and -sent Mr. Scarlett ashore with the Maxim.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was delighted to go, unshipped it and lowered -it, with two thousand rounds of ammunition, into the -dinghy, and set off ashore with Jackson and Ellis to -help him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Some of the telegraph coolies were waiting to carry -it up the slope, and as I ate some breakfast which -Percy had ready for me, and afterwards smoked my -pipe, I watched the three of them busy mounting it -at the corner of the parapet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Before leaving the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> I had ordered -steam to be raised, and directly the lascar first-driver -reported the engines ready I signalled to Mr. Fisher -that I intended to steam round to the other -side of the peninsula and try to teach the enemy -another lesson.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This I did, and, as I expected, found them totally -unprepared for my approach. They must have seen -the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> getting under way and steaming -out, but possibly imagined that she was going to sea. -At any rate, as I suddenly appeared round the head -of the peninsula and the rocks there, I found them -crowded together, almost on the shore, among their -camels.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They appeared to be asleep, but woke with a fright -when Moore let rip a shell among them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As they rose to their feet I turned the </span><em class="italics">Bunder -Abbas</em><span> round and gave them a taste of the Maxim as -well.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They had had one lesson at daybreak; they now, -at midday, had a still harder one. It was pure, -undiluted slaughter; but, though sickening, was -absolutely necessary. They fled helter-skelter inland, -leaving their camels to fend for themselves, rushing -behind the ruins of the Old Fort, and, when a couple of -shells drove them out of that, flying panic-stricken in -a long straggling line—the devil take the -hindmost—through the sand-dunes towards the mainland, many -of them making a long detour in the direction of the -New Fort. What I did hate to see was the poor, -wretched, wounded camels hobbling about, falling -down, and struggling to their feet again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Having cleared this side of the peninsula I went -back and anchored at my old billet. From there I -could see the remnant of the enemy huddled round the -walls of the New Fort. I might have stirred them with -a few more shells, but did not. Mr. Scarlett signalled -presently that the Maxim was mounted and ready, so -I ordered him to bring Jackson back to the ship; Ellis -and Hartley between them would be able to work it, -and I was too short-handed already to spare anyone -else. Mr. Scarlett was very pleased with himself and -with the splendid fire zone which the Maxim he had -just mounted could sweep. He had seen the ladies, -and said that though they were very white they -seemed fairly cheerful.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I asked if they'd sent any message to me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mrs. Fisher did, sir, but I'm hanged if I -remember what it was exactly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did Miss Borsen?" I asked, trying to hide my -nervous anxiety to know whether perhaps what had -occurred might have made her show signs of -forgiving me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I felt miserable when he shook his head. "Not -as I remember, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There were two things that troubled him: those -confounded huts, which rather interfered with his -beloved Maxim, and that breastwork. He pointed out -that there were not nearly enough men to defend the -breastwork, and that it formed admirable cover for an -attacking force.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We ought to level it in, that we ought," he said, -shaking his head.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Of course he was right. Hadn't we seen what had -happened that very morning?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Fisher expects them to clear away back to -the hills to-night," I told him. "What do you -think?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He shook his head again. "They don't seem to -be carrying out their usual routine; not a bit of it. -They ought to retire—that is, if experience is -anything to go by. I don't like the look of them -occupying the fort; it looks as if they meant to -stay."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When I asked him whether he thought the Mir -of Old Jask would attack them, and endeavour to -recapture his fort, he only made a grimace.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All that afternoon there was absolute quiet except -for an occasional shot from the New Fort and also -a few shots fired on the slope itself, where the -telegraph coolies were busy dragging the dead into -heaps and burning them. These last shots told me -that some of the wounded Afghans had had to be -dispatched.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett was so anxious for me to try to get -a "move on" Mr. Fisher about burning the huts and -levelling the breastworks that I went ashore later in -the day and again urged him to do this.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nothing I could say could make him realize the -necessity. "I am certain they'll all have cleared -away home by to-morrow morning. We'll wait till -then. Besides, I dare not overwork the coolies. If -I do they will desert," was all I could get out of -him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I suggested that it might be advisable to send -Mrs. Fisher and Miss Borsen on board the </span><em class="italics">Bunder -Abbas</em><span> for the night; but he declined for the same -reason as he declined everything else—that he -expected the Afghans to disappear before morning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you know that you are responsible for much -of this?" he said, as he walked backwards and -forwards with me outside the loopholed wall.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Responsible! What do you mean?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why," he said, "they all know of the loss of -that huge caravan over on the Muscat coast—the one -you and the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> captured between you. It they -had got those rifles and all that ammunition through -to the Indian frontier there would have been another -'rising' there. They were only waiting for them -before giving the signal to the tribes along a hundred -miles of the frontier to pour down through the passes -and lay waste the valleys and murder the tribes living -there under British protection. They all know this, -and to-day they have been trying to revenge -themselves for their lost opportunity. I've seen among -the killed several men I know: powerful sheikhs, -Arabs from the other coast, leading men from Afghan -villages. It is a bigger business than I thought at -first.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"However, they will probably be gone by the -morning, and you may pride yourself that but for -your capturing that big caravan the other day, the -Indian Government would have had another little -war on its hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh," he added, "I'd almost forgotten! I had a -wire from Muscat. The </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> has gone off up the -coast after some more arms."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I went back to the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> rather elated at the -idea that I had helped to stop a little war, and -remembered what Commander Duckworth had said: "They -ought to do something for you." It was rather early -to expect promotion, but it would be grand if it came.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Can't budge him," I told Mr. Scarlett. "He still -thinks they'll have gone back home by the morning. -The </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> has gone after some more arms so we -shan't be disturbed till she gets back. That's one -good bit of news."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Just before sunset a small dhow came drifting slowly -into the bay. She was flying the Muscat red flag and -did not seem to notice anything unusual, or that the -anchorage was deserted of shipping, so I sent Jaffa -across to warn her nakhoda of what was happening. -Jaffa came back to say that he was very grateful and -would put to sea again, but had several passengers for -Old Jask who preferred to land and would take shelter -at the telegraph-station until things were quiet. I saw -them later on—three cloaked figures—land on the -beach and make their way up towards the loopholed wall.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We also saw numerous little spirals of blue smoke -rising into the air round the walls of the New Fort, -so knew that the tribesmen were preparing food; and -Hartley, just about this time, signalled that he could -see a large mass of mounted people moving across the -plains in our direction. This did not worry us. We, -Mr. Scarlett and I, were quite happy. From what he -told me it was out of the question that, even though -they did not retreat that night, they would attempt an -attack. Their ideas of war and sieges were to attack -at dawn; it was a tradition to attack at dawn, and -seldom had they been known to attack at any other time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sun was setting now in its usual magnificence; -everything—the rocks, the telegraph-station over -them, the sandy shores, the walls of the New Fort, -were flooded with delicate rose tints. The mountains -behind and the few wisps of clouds overhanging them -were suffused with the same delicate colours, and out -from behind them rose the moon—nearly full—and we -knew that directly the sun's light vanished her light -would take its place and enable us to defeat any -attack (almost inconceivable) that the Afghans might -attempt.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We only had to keep vigilant watch, and if they -tried to rush the slope again we should see the -white-cloaked figures as plainly as in daytime.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I kept the first watch that night, Griffiths with me. -At about ten o'clock flames burst out ashore, in the -direction of the New Fort, and soon it was evident that -the whole of the village was on fire. It was a grand -spectacle as the flames spread from hut to hut, leaping -high in the air, lighting up the walls of the fort, even -the white walls of the telegraph buildings, and making -the water of the bay and the brasswork of the </span><em class="italics">Bunder -Abbas</em><span> glow red.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The flames and crackling were still fierce when -Mr. Scarlett relieved me at midnight. In his opinion -the Afghans had set the huts on fire purposely, and -were probably retreating inland under cover of the -heavy cloud of smoke which lay above them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I had four hours in which to sleep, so, stretching -myself on my bed, I lay down on that little upper -deck outside our cabin, leaving him and Gamble to -keep the "middle" watch.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="jassim-takes-his-revenge"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XVII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">Jassim Takes his Revenge</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>At four o'clock in the morning Mr. Scarlett shook me -and reported all quiet and the fire on shore dying -down. I scrambled to my feet to take over the -"morning" watch, feeling as fresh and wakeful as -though I had not been to sleep for a fortnight!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The moonlight was very brilliant, so brilliant, -indeed, that the telegraph buildings on the dark rocks -and the New Fort on the white sand stood out quite -as boldly as in the daytime; and all that could be seen -of the remains of the fire was a glowing line of red-hot -ashes extending along the beach, where the village -had been.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The slope leading up to the loopholed wall was so -flooded with light that I could distinguish even the -barbed-wire fence and the shadows of the wires and -uprights.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Of the Afghans themselves nothing whatever could -be made out; but this did not imply that they had -gone away, because most of them might be sleeping -inside the fort and the others behind it, and at the -base of the peninsula the fringe of date-palms threw -such extremely dark, puzzling shadows that the camels -might have been concealed among these, or even been -driven farther along behind the sand-hills without our -having noticed any movement.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At any rate, whatever had or had not happened, -I was not going to leave anything to chance, or take -any risks: so the rest of the hands were called and -stood to their guns; cocoa was served out; and to -make sure that Ellis and Hartley were on the alert -I made a flashing signal to them. As it was answered -I knew that they, too, were "standing by" their -Maxim.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After this there was nothing to do but strain our -eyes shorewards and wait for daylight. In the -half-hour when the increasing light of dawn is absorbing -the light of the moon and rendering the outlines of -objects uncertain and ill defined, this waiting for -an attack is always most scaring. It makes no -difference how often one experiences this feeling of acute -tension, it always seems to occupy one so completely -that not a soul moves or speaks; even breathing is a -difficult matter, and breaths come in deep jerks, only -when they can be held no longer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But if the strain is great when the moon is there -to help, it is ten times as great when there is no -moon and the first glimmer of daylight distorts -everything so strangely and forms such strange weird -shapes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>How grateful we were to the moon that morning!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Daylight did come at last. The fading shadows -under the fringe of date-palm trees showed us -hundreds of motionless lumps which gradually outlined -themselves into camels; figures began moving about -among them, and out from the door of the fort -streamed many more to kneel on the sand, facing -the glory of the rising sun, throw their arms above -their heads, and bend at their devotions.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This might only be the preliminary to an attack; -so still we remained at our guns, until the sight of -many little spirals of blue smoke rising in the calm -morning air, and the little groups of men seated -round them—evidently cooking—made it absolutely -certain that they did not intend any such thing—not -that morning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That finishes the business," Mr. Scarlett said, -drawing a deep breath, and letting it out again with -a jerk.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We had been so certain—Mr. Scarlett and I—that -they would have done the one thing or the other, and -now they had done neither; they had simply stayed -where they were, in complete possession of the base -of the peninsula, and entirely cutting it off from any -assistance from Old Jask.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett shook his head and shrugged his -shoulders. He could not understand these tactics.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It ain't like 'em, sir; it ain't like anything I've -seen or heard of before, and I don't care about it," -he said, as I dismissed the men from the guns to get -their breakfasts and scrub decks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Whilst they were doing this we were startled -suddenly by the sound of rifle firing, a long way off, -in the direction of Old Jask, and drawing rapidly -nearer. Without waiting for the order, the crew -tumbled up from below to their guns, but no one -could see anything happening. At first we made -sure that another band of Afghans were attacking -the old town; but this could not be so, because the -people round the New Fort seemed even more startled -than we had been. They sprang to their feet, seized -their rifles, and whilst some began to "round up" -the camels, driving them close to the wall, others -poured into the fort itself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Whilst we were wondering what all this meant, -the battlements of the fort became alive with dark -turbans; puffs of smoke darted out from them, and -the reports of their rifles came across to us. At what -they were firing we could neither see nor guess.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last, after firing had been going on continuously -for four or five minutes, Mr. Scarlett saw a cloud of -dust, and, looking in the direction of his finger, I -made out a number of mounted men—some on horses, -others on camels—advancing over the plain from Old -Jask. Spurts of light, showing in the cloud of sand -dust over their heads, told us that it was from them -we had heard the first firing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's the old Mir's border police coming to -recapture the fort," Mr. Scarlett sang out. "Now -you'll see some pretty fighting. Just remember, sir, -that they are mostly Bedouins from the other coast, -and they and the Afghans hate each other like poison. -Now watch what's going to happen."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I did; we all did.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The line of men came charging up to the base -of the peninsula, sweeping away to the right and -wheeling round the bend of the swamp lying there, -until they were not more than two thousand yards -from the fort. Firing from both parties was -continuous. Then for a moment I lost sight of them -behind some sand-hills, and expected, when next they -appeared, to find that they had dismounted, left their -horses and camels in rear of those sand-hills, and were -attacking properly—with short rushes or something -of that sort—although I was puzzled to think what -they could effect against the thick walls of the fort.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Instead of this they reappeared in sight—in -somewhat looser formation certainly, but still -mounted—and galloped madly along the intervening sand, -firing rapidly, whilst the fusillade from the parapet -and towers of the fort swelled furiously, and the -people who had driven the camels under cover of -the walls lay down to fire as well.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The attacking party came to five hundred yards—to -three hundred; none of them seemed to have been -hit. Still they galloped, the men on camels -bringing up the rear left far behind. Then the horsemen -suddenly divided into two parties, and, yelling and -firing their rifles, they circled completely round the -fort, enveloping it, meeting in the rear of it, and -dashing round again. A continuous splutter of -musketry burst out from the walls above their heads, -without, as far as we could see, doing the faintest -damage. In fact, the firing was so wild that a good -many bullets began falling round us, and one banged -against the funnel close to where I was standing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The circling rings of horsemen grew larger as they -curveted and pranced in the clouds of dust kicked -up by their own horses' hoofs, until they all swooped -off like a flock of birds and gathered in a knot about -half a mile from the fort; whereupon the firing died -down almost completely. Every now and then a -horseman darted out from among them, dashed -towards the fort, gave a display of horsemanship, -fired his rifle, performed some circus tricks, and then -dashed back again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was so interested and amused that I forgot that -the fort was well within range of our six-pounder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let's help them," I shouted, ordering Moore to -"plug" a shell at the fort.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett only laughed. "You'll see what happens."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Our first shell burst short, burying itself in the -sand; the second blew a hole in the soft bricks of -the fort; and before we could fire a third the whole -covey of those border police had whirled round and -galloped rapidly away, quickly disappearing in another -cloud of dust on their way back to Old Jask, still firing -their rifles furiously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I don't believe that a single man of them had been hit.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Shall we cease fire, sir?" Mr. Scarlett asked. -"We haven't enough ammunition to waste any more -on the fort."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right oh!" I nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The horsemen of the party had galloped off, but -the few men on camels who had been left in the rear -had evidently "rounded up" some of the Afghans' -camels, for they now reappeared beyond the sandhills -trying to drive a dozen—perhaps more—in front -of them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Immediately there was a stir among the Afghans -outside the wall; more poured out through the door -of the fort, and in a twinkling they were after them -on foot, wading across the swamp so as to head off -the party with the camels. Firing burst out more -furiously than ever, and it was not many seconds -before the captured camels were abandoned and the -other fellows followed the horsemen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, sir, that little 'show' was what they call -a battle—a regular 'pitched' battle," Mr. Scarlett -said. "How they decide who's won beats me. It's -an accident if anyone gets killed or even wounded, -but those Bedouins will go back and pour out a long -yarn to the old Mir; every one of them will have to -give an account of the fierceness of the fight, and -probably they'll all desert during the day and go -looting on their own account—looting peaceful -villages, which is much more in their line. We may -as well let our chaps, and the Afghans too, go on -with their breakfasts."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In ten minutes the whole of the tribesmen were -squatting round their fires again as though nothing -had happened.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now that we knew they had not retired—had no -intention of doing so—Mr. Scarlett was as anxious -as I was that those huts should be burnt, the -breastwork levelled, and the trench filled in; so I went -ashore to try to persuade Mr. Fisher to make a start -on these jobs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I found him much more surprised at the -non-retirement of the Afghans than we had been, and -very much more disappointed. In fact, he looked -about as worried as any man could look. He took me -up to the house so that I could personally assure his -wife that the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> would not leave them. -She was in a terrible state of alarm, almost beside -herself; her eyes were terrified, and she clutched my -arm so tightly whilst she was imploring me to stay -that her finger nails left deep marks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why don't you send for the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>? We shall -all be killed," she said in the most agitated manner; -and it was quite useless to tell her that the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> -had gone up the coast and that we could not -communicate with her. When she did let go of my arm -her hands worked convulsively at her sides, and I no -longer wondered why her husband looked so worn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Miss Borsen was not there, of course, and I had -not the courage to ask after her. In fact, I was very -glad to tear myself away and go up to the Maxim on -the roof, to see for myself whether it could sweep the -whole slope.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett had told me correctly. The Maxim -had a grand position, and no one could approach -without coming under its fire except towards the -right, where it was possible to creep up unseen -behind those huts.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ellis and Hartley had filled old flour-sacks with -sand and placed them along the parapet, on each side -of the gun. They were busy bringing up more, and -were quite happy. "If only those huts were out of -the way, sir, nothing could get near us," Ellis said; -and though I again implored Mr. Fisher to burn -them he still refused. He took me to see the two -wounded Eurasians—one shot through the arm and -the other badly slashed about the head. They were -bandaged in very "shipshape" fashion, and looked -comfortable enough.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who did that?" I asked, pointing to their dressings; -and when he told me that Miss Borsen had -looked after them, as she knew something of "first -aid", I envied them for a moment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had now only fifteen of the telegraph staff -remaining, and, as he said, none of them knew -anything about fighting. He was doubtful about -trusting rifles to the servants and telegraph employees, -because these were of all nationalities—Zanzibaris, -Baluchis, Tamils, and various half-castes; but he -had collected the rifles strewn over the slope -yesterday when those fellows had been shot down—nearly -a hundred of them there were, of all patterns. Very -little ammunition had been found on the dead bodies, -and that, too, was all mixed up—Mauser, Mannlicher, -Le Bras, Lee-Metford, Martini—all in a -hopeless jumble. He promised to have them sorted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then I was taken all round the outside of the -loopholed wall, and discovered—what I had not -thought of before—that it was possible for an enemy -to crawl along the rocks on the eastern side—the -right side looking inland—without being seen, to -clamber up them, and attack that flanking wall -without exposing themselves. However, the man who -designed the wall must have realized this and had -built it nearly fifteen feet high, so that unless they -brought ladders with them it would be difficult to -scale. The cable-house—a little square building -into which the cable from Muscat wriggled out of -the sea—stood isolated on the rocks, and could be -attacked at night with impunity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Walking round the rear wall I satisfied myself that -no attack could be made from that quarter, because -the rocks at the end of the peninsula could only be -reached in boats, and as the sea was always rough -there at this time of year a landing was out of the -question. The western side—the one looking over -the bay where the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> was anchored—was -fairly safe, though here again a daring enemy might -creep round by the beach (where I had just landed) -and attack from short range. However, so long as -the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> remained (or had ammunition), -and the nights were moonlit, this possibility did -not worry me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Fisher kept on complaining of the few men -he had left—fifteen all told—which was a ridiculous -number to protect all three of the vulnerable sides; -but I implored him to arm the servants and any of -the labourers he could trust, and gradually convinced -him that this was safe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As we came back to the front side I saw that thirty -or forty men were already shovelling the breastwork -back into the trench. This pleased me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then he took me through the door—covered with -bullet marks and the dents of rifle butts—as I wanted -to see where best to make a defence should the wall -itself be captured. I went all round the buildings, -and came to the conclusion that his own house would -be the most suitable. It was strongly built; it had a -raised veranda running round it, and was almost -overlooking the left-hand corner of the loopholed wall—the -corner nearest to the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>. This was the -house on the roof of which the Maxim was already -mounted, and from the parapet there it would be easy -to pick off any Afghans who had gained a lodgment -on the wall itself. Another point in its favour was -that the well was close to it—in the rear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I urged him to get sand-bags and pile them up -round the veranda and in the open door-ways or -windows. I also urged upon him the necessity of bringing -in food from the telegraph stores and also all the -reserve ammunition. All my arguments could not -convince him that this was necessary, and he pointed -out that, whatever happened, he could not abandon -the telegraph instruments in the other building.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We must keep them working at all costs," he -said stubbornly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had not said this many seconds before up -came a messenger, followed by an excited Eurasian -"operator", to tell him that the overland wire to -Karachi had been cut again some fifteen miles out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That solves part of the difficulty," I said, smiling. -"You cannot pass on cable messages, so won't want -so many of the staff at work."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He too seemed relieved, and told me that half his -fellows had been lining the wall all last night and the -other half working the instruments. "They can't -keep awake twenty-four hours out of the twenty-four. -Now they'll be able to get a little sleep.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, I forgot," he went on; "a dhow which came -in last evening brought some passengers for Old Jask. -They stayed here during the night, and are waiting -to see me at my office, though how they think I can -get them through I don't know. By the way, they -brought a letter for your gunner. I've been carrying -it about in my pocket. Here it is," and he handed -me an envelope addressed in Arabic. "You might -give it him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I caught sight of Miss Borsen coming towards us -and evidently wishing to speak to Mr. Fisher; so, as -I did not want to worry her with my presence, and -had done all I wanted to do, I took the letter and -went down the slope to the dinghy and so back to -the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Here's a letter for you," I told the gunner. "It's -not Jassim's writing this time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He grinned as he read it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's from the governor of the Muscat fort. He -says that Jassim's got out. I didn't imagine he'd keep -him there long after my back was turned."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, he won't bother us here," I said, much -more amused to think how Mr. Scarlett's dread of -him had disappeared than alarmed at any possible -danger to myself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For the rest of the morning and afternoon we kept -a good look-out, in case the Afghans made any move; -though, except for a few small foraging parties, they -simply slumbered or smoked at the foot of the walls, -shifting round with the shade as the sun travelled -westwards.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a great temptation to stir them up with a few -shells; though, if we had done so, we should only at -the best have driven them out of range and out of -sight, and once out of sight we should not have been -able to observe their movements. There was another -reason—a much more pressing one: we had none too -much six-pounder ammunition.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>An hour before sunset Mr. Fisher made a signal -that he wanted to see me again, and he came down -to the beach to meet me. The Afghans had sent a -messenger in to say that they would attack at dawn -next morning with twice as many men as they had -had yesterday, and he wanted my advice.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Of course it's only bluff," he said nervously; "but -I want you to persuade my wife and Miss Borsen to -go aboard the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the way up to the door in the loophooled wall -he took me along the trench to see how well his -people had been working. They had filled in about -a hundred yards of it, and were still busy. Those -wretched huts, however, still stood there, right in the -line of fire.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why the dickens don't you burn them?" I said, -really angry, and he was muttering a half-apology -when some noise behind me and a warning shout -made me turn round.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Not ten yards from me stood Jassim. I knew him -at once—how could I forget him?—his face flaming -with hatred, the veins of his neck standing out; and -in his hand he held a Mauser pistol levelled at me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He fired, and instinctively I ducked, seized a spade -which was lying at my feet, and dashed at him. -Mr. Fisher drew a revolver from his pocket and I -heard him fire. Then I felt something hit my chest -on the right side. It tumbled me over like a rabbit; -but I was up again on one knee in time to see -Mr. Fisher fire a second shot and Jassim stagger back. -He still had those awful eyes fixed on me, glaring -death, and as he raised his pistol again I rolled into -the trench to escape being hit a second time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Something filled my throat, and I spat up a lot of -bright blood, and felt dazed and foolish. I was trying -to get to my feet again when Mr. Fisher came to me -with a face as white as a sheet, jumped into the trench, -and made me lie back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There!" I said, spitting up more blood; "he got -me there," and I put my finger where the bullet had -hit me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I felt no pain whatsoever—only a peculiar half-drunk -feeling—and tried to sit up again; but this -only brought on more coughing, and Mr. Fisher -pressed me down.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then I knew that I should be no more use—only -a burden to everyone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I looked up at him apologetically.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Get me aboard the '</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>'; I shall be all right -soon:" but the effort of speaking forced more blood -into my mouth, and I had to stop.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With a frightened expression on his face he bade -me stop talking and lie still.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll have you carried down," he said; "wait till -we can get a stretcher."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By this time there was a whole crowd of people -round me, though I seemed hardly to notice them; -someone put my topee over my eyes, to shield them -from the slanting sun.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently, as if in a dream, I heard Mr. Fisher's -voice.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He's shot through the lung—the right side, thank -God!" and someone touched my wrist very gently; -and although I could not see her, on account of the -topee over my face, I knew it was Miss Borsen's hand. -My mouth filled with blood again, and everything -became quite dark and peaceful.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I opened my eyes, feeling most horribly weak, and -not knowing what had happened or where I was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Opposite me were two parallel streaks of white -light, and these seemed to hypnotize me. I could -not move my eyes from them for a long time; but -gradually my brain pulled itself together, and my -sense of surroundings came back. I was in a square -room with shutter-closed windows all round it. Deep -shadows on the whitewashed walls seemed to come -from a lamp behind me, and I was lying on a little -trestle-bed. Presently I realized that those two streaks -of light were made by the moonlight forcing its way -in through cracks in one of the shutters, and just -below them I saw something white resting on a chest -of drawers, and recognized my own topee.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I noticed that I could hardly breathe; something -seemed to be squeezing my chest, and I put up one -hand—very shakily—to find out what it was. As I -did this there was a rustle behind my shoulder, and -a very small white hand took hold of mine and put it -back where it had lain, and Miss Borsen's voice, -sounding ever so far away, told me to lie absolutely -still and not attempt to speak.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I felt so extraordinarily weak—just as if I had lost -all control of myself—that I obeyed without the -slightest effort to resist. I did try to turn my head, -but it seemed to be wedged on each side with pillows, -and a finger she placed on my forehead stopped me -immediately.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I lay quite still, staring at the ceiling and the round -patch of light thrown on it by the lamp, until all that -had happened came back to me. I looked at my -topee to make sure, and the hard luck of being -knocked over just when there was so much to be -done made me so miserable that I could not help -groaning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You must not make the least noise or speak; you -must not move your hands or feet; it's your only -chance," Miss Borsen said, speaking from the head -of the bed: and her voice had such a soothing, hypnotizing -effect that I closed my eyes and seemed to float -away into space almost immediately.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When I woke again Mr. Fisher was sitting by my -bedside. He turned quickly when my eyes opened, -and he too said the same thing: "Lie absolutely still, -and don't speak."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He saw by my face that I wanted to ask him -something, and guessed what it was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Jassim is dead," he said. "I shot him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Poor devil!" I thought, and was sorry.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He then went on to tell me that Mr. Scarlett had -been informed of all that had happened, and had -come ashore to see me whilst I was asleep, and make -all arrangements for the night in case the Afghans -attacked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We are all ready. Your two men (the signal-man -and the man you sent with the Maxim) and I are -taking it in turn to keep watch down by the fence all -through the night. The signal-man is there now, and -half my fellows and twenty of the coolies are lining -the wall, so they can't take us by surprise. The -greater part of the trench is filled in, and there is -nothing more to be done until daylight. I've wired -to Muscat to tell the political agent about everything, -and of you being wounded, and have asked him to -inform the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>, but she is not back yet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's nearly midnight now, and my turn for the -wire fence. Keep absolutely still, and try to go to -sleep until I come back."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He rose—his shadow was thrown on the wall as he -bent over to lower the lamp—and I heard him go out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But sleep was now impossible; my chest was so -tightly bandaged that I could hardly breathe, and -though I counted all the cracks in the shutter through -which the moonlight was showing, counted them time -after time until it was almost maddening, sleep would -not come.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It seemed ages before I heard a very soft footstep -creeping towards me, and the lamp threw the shadow -of a woman on the wall, and for a moment the -silhouette of Miss Borsen's face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For a second I had a great longing to ask her if she -would forgive me, but I still seemed to be under the -spell of her orders not to speak or move, and, fearful -of seeing her, I closed my eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She felt my pulse, lowered the lamp the slightest -degree more, and I heard her go out as noiselessly as -she had entered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After that the night dragged on somehow. I -seemed to be rather delirious, and fancied all sorts of -strange things. At one time the shadows on the wall -took on the shape of old Popple Opstein, and I -thought we were sitting yarning on the little deck -outside the cabin; and at another they turned to -Jassim, and I thought he was "coming" for me -again. Then I thought I was once more trying to -carry Miss Borsen down to the dinghy, but my feet -would not move, and Jassim was after us. It was -horrid.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With the first streaks of daylight I came to my -senses again, and waited and waited to hear the sound -of firing and the yells of the Afghans charging up to -the loopholed wall. I strained my ears to catch the -noise of the six-pounder, but all was still. Gradually -the light grew stronger, people began moving about -in the house, and presently, when it was quite -daylight—even though the shutters were closed—Mr. Fisher -came in with a joyous expression on his face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They've thought better of it," he said. "They're -still down there, but aren't making a move.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't talk," he added as he saw I wanted to ask -him something, and he brought me a block of -notepaper and a pencil. He held the note-paper whilst -I wrote in a very shaky way: "Thirsty", for I was -most terribly dry.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He gave me some beef-tea of "sorts", holding -the cup to my lips. My aunt, but it was good! I -could have drunk a bucketful.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I pleaded with my eyes for more, but he shook his -head. "Acting under orders—Miss Borsen's orders; -can't," he said, and, thinking to relieve my mind, told -me that his men were already at work on the trench.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He could only spare me a very few moments, but -came in every now and then throughout the day.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ellis and Hartley occasionally put their heads inside -the door to tell me that everything was quiet, and -Mr. Scarlett paid me a visit during the afternoon. -He was fearfully apologetic about my wound, and -seemed to think it was his fault entirely. In case -I wanted them he had brought me a clean uniform -and my dispatch-box with all my letters.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've been down the slope, sir, to have a look for -that chap, Jassim," he said, "but I'm hanged if -I can find him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I was too weak to worry about this.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mrs. Fisher visited me once and tried to read to me, -but the effort was too great for her nerves, so she did -not stay very long. Miss Borsen never came near -me, and it was the old butler or head boy who was -my most constant visitor, bringing me beef-tea and -jelly, feeding me, and trying to make me comfortable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>About sunset Hartley came in to tell me that several -large bands of Afghans could be seen winding their -way down from the mountains in our direction, and -when Mr. Fisher came later to confirm this, I wrote -on the note-paper block: "Send women to </span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>," -because I fully expected that the great attack must come -next morning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With very great difficulty he at length persuaded -his wife to go aboard the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>, but nothing -would induce Miss Borsen to accompany her.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She's got the idea into her head that she's responsible -for the two Eurasians and yourself, and is -not going to leave any of you till you're on your legs -again," Mr. Fisher told me hopelessly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That night was even more unpleasant than the -first, but it did at length pass, and as the daylight -crept through the shutters no attack was made—not -a rifle was fired. It was very strange, and I could -not understand it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Perhaps an hour later Mr. Fisher came in, looking -ghastly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We are isolated!" he cried. "They've crept -round by the rocks during the night to the cable-house, -cut the cable, and must have had a boat helping -them, for we cannot find the sea end. I dare not -send people out to look for it; they'd never pick it up."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I wrote: "Try. </span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span> will help," and wrote a -signal to Mr. Scarlett to get up steam and go round -to the east bay.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Fisher promised to try, but did not see how -they could succeed, as they had no proper grappling -gear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The cutting of the cable seemed to determine him -to follow my advice about preparing his house for any -emergency. All day I heard people lumbering in -and out, and the old butler, looking scared, told me -that they were putting sand-bags round the veranda -and filling the upper rooms with stores, the most -portable of the telegraph apparatus, and ammunition. -They even carried sand-bags through my room and -piled them up on the balcony outside.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ellis and Hartley supervised these preparations -and kept me informed of what the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> was -doing; and when, later on, I heard a good deal of -rifle firing and one or two rounds from her -six-pounder, they told me that the Afghans were sniping -at the boat whilst it was trying to grapple the end of -the cable.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I could not help wondering whether this was very -soothing to Mrs. Fisher's nerves, and I pictured her -in the cabin with that six-pounder going off just -below her, and wishing that she had remained on -shore. At sunset they reported that the boat had -returned, unsuccessful, and that the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> -had steamed round to her former anchorage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I now had not spoken for forty-eight hours, and had -lain like a log all the time. I felt distinctly stronger, -and no blood had come into my throat and mouth -since the early morning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I slept fairly well that third night, and was awakened -from a nightmare by real shrieking and yelling, by -the firing of hundreds of rifles beneath the windows, -and the tut-tut-tut-tut of the Maxim on the roof above -me. A moment later came the comforting sound of -the six-pounder and the noise of the other Maxim -aboard the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Not a soul could I hear stirring in the house, and -the feeling of being left quite alone, without knowing -what was happening and how things were going, was -almost insupportable. A bullet, splintering a shutter, -flattened itself against the wall over my bed and -dropped with a thud on the floor, a shower of plaster -following it, and some dropping on my face. Outside -the wall of the room there was a sound as if men were -hammering on the stonework, and I gradually realized -that these were bullets, not hammers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The horrid noises seemed to be drawing closer, and -I thought that they were growing louder away to the -right, where those huts stood.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="to-the-rescue"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XVIII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">To the Rescue</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>As I lay there on my trestle-bed, groaning at my -miserable position, more bullets came in through the -shutters and brought down showers of plaster from -the wall behind me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last I could stand the strain no longer, and was -on the point of trying to reach the shutters and open -them, so that at least I could see what was happening, -when Miss Borsen, white as a sheet, came in, -and, seeing me with one leg over the side of the bed, -bade me angrily to lie down and not move or speak.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I lay down, but had to speak to tell her to crouch -on the floor, out of the way of the bullets, and the -effort made more of that blood come into my mouth. -Down I lay as flat as a pancake, and she huddled on -the floor too, because, whilst she was bending over me -to wipe the blood from my mouth, another bullet had -smacked up against the wall and sprinkled her with -plaster.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She crouched there, her face twitching as the Maxim -overhead rattled, and the clamour and shrieking outside, -coming from the direction of the slope and barbed-wire -fence, seemed to grow nearer and louder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At last the appalling uproar sounded as if it were -right under the loopholed wall itself—almost under the -windows of the house. Ellis's Maxim stopped—stopping, -I realized, because the loopholed wall now -screened the Afghans from its fire; but the Maxim -aboard the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" fired more vigorously than ever, -and six-pounder shells were bursting rapidly, one -after the other, quite close beneath us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Miss Borsen had buried her face in her hands. -Suddenly she raised herself, and, with open mouth and -eyes, listened. The character of the yells had altered; -they were screams now, they were going away from -us. The attack was failing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Maxim on the roof opened again as the Afghans -fell back from the cover of the loopholed wall. I heard -Ellis and Hartley shouting joyously, and knew they -had got them on the run.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The second attack had been driven back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Miss Borsen gave a great gulp and sprang to a -shutter, opened it, and looked out. In a moment she -had recoiled, covering her eyes with her hands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They're flying down the slope; those awful white -heaps are growing near the fence. Oh God, it is -awful!" she cried, and she burst into tears and ran -away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ellis's Maxim ceased firing, and gradually all -became quiet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In perhaps half an hour Mr. Fisher ran in to see -me—flushed and excited. He stopped for a moment -when he saw the blood-stain on my pillow, but then -burst out with: "We've beaten them off! we've -beaten them off! Thank God! Now they'll go! I'm -sure they'll go! The Maxim from the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> -got them whilst they were crowded under the wall -and crumpled them up—crumpled them up—swept -them down!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ellis came in too, grinning as he reported: "That -little lot 'as gone 'ome—what was left of them, -sir—'oping as 'ow you're going on all right; but we ain't -more'n 'arf a beltful of cartridges left, sir, that we -ain't. If it 'adn't been for them blooming 'uts they'd -never 'ave got near 'arfway."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Fisher jerked out: "It's no good burning the -huts now. They'll go back to the mountains to-night! -I'm certain they will! It's no use burning them now!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had been very enthusiastic about the slaughter -and the terrible punishment the Afghans had received, -but when he came to count the dead there were only -thirty-two on the slope; and although that meant -thirty-two fewer Afghans, it was more than -counter-balanced by a very grave signal from Mr. Scarlett -saying that he had fired forty-eight rounds of -six-pounder ammunition and eight hundred rounds from -the Maxim, leaving only thirty-five more six-pounder -and three thousand rifle and Maxim rounds on board. -This meant, as I knew only too well, that to repulse -one more attack would leave the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" practically -helpless to assist again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I kept this knowledge to myself, and sent a signal -to Mr. Scarlett to come and see me and bring ashore -with him another thousand rounds of ammunition for -Ellis's Maxim.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A good deal of firing began again, as if to contradict -Mr. Fisher's optimism, and I heard isolated shots, -from a considerable distance, with occasionally the -smack of a bullet on the outer wall of the house, -though, as no one was with me, I did not know what -was actually happening.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently the gunner arrived, with a very long face. -"I was careful as I could be, sir, but you know what -it is, and things looked so precious ugly at one time -that we had to fire fast. It's my belief they simply -did it a' purpose, just to make us waste ammunition. -They haven't lost heart over it either, for they're -skulking all over the place, down among the trees -round the Old Fort, and along the beach. They -potted at me all the way from the '</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>', that they did. -They are firing at everyone who shows his nose -outside the wall, and none of these here people can go on -with levelling the breastwork. They've given that up -as a bad job and gone inside again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's a nasty bit of work this, sir, and the sooner I -have you safe and sound aboard the '</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>,', sir, the -better I shall be pleased. And the little lady too; -she ought to come and keep Mrs. Fisher company. -Mrs. Fisher, sir," he added, lowering his voice and -smiling grimly, "tried to come ashore again, but I -locked her up in the cabin before I started, and told -Percy to shove her breakfast through the port-hole."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I smiled too, for I could quite imagine him doing -this, and not wasting any words over it either.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was the only thing I could do, for the cabin's -made of good steel plate, and if she'd been left to -wander round she might have been hit by some of -them bullets," he explained.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm certain we shall find them gone to-morrow -morning," Mr. Fisher cried, coming abruptly into the -room; "and if we don't, the Muscat people will know -that the cable is interrupted and something wrong, so -will tell the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> as soon as she gets back from -the coast. We shall have her here in no time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you know that we've only got enough ammunition -for one more show like this morning? That's a -fact," Mr. Scarlett growled, turning furiously on him. -"This is going to be a regular siege; none of your -rushing and firing, packing up and going home -again. Them Afghans mean to get inside here, and -if we can't stop them you can't. The sooner everyone -comes aboard the '</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>' safe and sound, and waits -there for the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>—well—the sooner the better. -This isn't any darned tomfoolery business, I tell -you—twenty times I'll tell you. If your chaps can't stand -a few bullets smacking among 'em down by that -trench," he went on savagely, "they'd better get -along ramming sand into more sacks, bags, anything -they can get hold of, and make this house shipshape."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I don't think that Mr. Fisher much cared about -being spoken to like that.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If you can get any work out of them you're -welcome to try; I can't," he said sharply. "They've -been awake and working, off and on, for the last -thirty hours."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right you are, sir; you bet I will. If I can't do a -bit of slave-driving there is no one in the British Navy -who can," and, taking him at his word, Mr. Scarlett -darted off.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had hardly gone when Hartley ran in to say that -a hundred or more Afghans had rushed up the slope -from the Old Fort, and behind the sand-hills there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They've gone and 'idden among those blessed huts, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Firing broke out again almost immediately, and -bullets came thudding against the wall outside my -room. Mr. Fisher darted away to line the loopholed -wall with his men, and Hartley, singing out: "They're -trying to knock out the Maxim; Ellis and me must get -more sand-bags round it," disappeared too.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I knew that if one lucky bullet pierced the -water-jacket the gun would be useless, and I lay there -listening to Ellis and Hartley cursing, as they dragged -heavy weights across the roof over my head, and to -the patter-patter of bullets thudding against the outer -wall and parapet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Those chaps must not be allowed to stay down by -the huts—that was imperative. If they got a firm -footing there the others would join them during the -night, and they would be within a stone's throw of -the loopholed wall. Others could creep round at the -foot of the rocks on the east of the building and -attack the wall on that side; we could not stop them. -Mr. Scarlett and Mr. Fisher both came to my room, -and both were of the same opinion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll signal to the '</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>' to plug in a few shells till -they see us come out of the door, and Ellis and Hartley -can work the Maxim, whilst we rush down and drive -'em out," Mr. Scarlett said, his eyes glowing with -excitement. What a change had come over him!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And we'll burn the huts whilst we're about it," -Mr. Fisher added in a crest-fallen, disappointed, -rather shamefaced manner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The two of them went away to collect some men, -and I heard either Ellis or Hartley running down the -stairs from the roof to join them. Firing went on -vigorously from the direction of those huts. I heard -the buzz of excited voices as people collected under -the windows, somewhere near the door in the wall, -and waited to hear it opened and the sortie commence. -Presently "boom" came the report of the six-pounder -from the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>", and the Maxim overhead began -rattling. Then the bolts of the door were thrown back, -and I heard Mr. Scarlett's voice yelling hoarsely, -"Come along," and the crush of people pressing out -through the door-way after him with rather -half-hearted cheers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Miss Borsen entered the room and stood listening. -"They've left me all alone," she said; "I am -frightened," and the next moment, with a scared -face, was at a window looking down the slope.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They are rushing down," she cried. "Mr. Fisher -and your gunner and the man ahead of the others. -A shell has just burst in the huts. I can't see anyone -firing at them. Oh, Mr. Fisher has tumbled down! -He's up again. He's catching up your gunner." The -Maxim overhead ceased firing. "Now they're right -among the huts. The telegraph people are nearly -there—yes, they've got there too. Some of them have -cans with them—paraffin cans. There they go! there -they go! The Afghans are bolting down the slope! -Smoke's coming out of the huts. Why don't they -come back?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now they're coming. Your gunner is helping -Mr. Fisher. He's hurt; I know he is. I must go -and see" and she ran away again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" fired a few rounds of precious Maxim -ammunition, and by the time all was quiet Mr. Scarlett -had come to tell me, with a chuckle, that "That -little business is all done correct, sir. Mr. Fisher got -a bullet through his left shoulder, but it ain't done -much damage."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Soon I heard the crackle of the flames and smelt the -smoke from those huts, so knew they would not bother -us any more.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That bullet through his shoulder muscles (I think it -broke off a bit of bone there) seemed to alter -Mr. Fisher completely. When I saw him next—rather -pale, and with his arm in a sling—he had given up -all pretence of imagining that the Afghans would -retire. In fact it was he now who suggested, feverishly, -doing things to make the house ready to stand an -assault. "But for goodness' sake," he told me, -"don't let anyone suggest abandoning the telegraph -buildings or going aboard the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>. I won't -do so until the very last moment—I can't—I daren't. -If the Afghans got inside for even half an hour they'd -wreck the whole of the transmitting instruments, and -it would be six months before the cable would work -again."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With Mr. Scarlett, Ellis, and Hartley to help him, -the four of them began to get things into order, divide -the people into parties—those they could trust with -rifles into batches, under Eurasians, to man the wall -whilst the others rested; those for whom there were no -rifles, or who couldn't be trusted with them, being set -to work to complete the defence and provision the house.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>All the rest of that day they laboured; the house -was turned upside down and a litter of sand-bags -filled up every aperture in the walls and along the -verandas and balconies. Pillow-covers, blankets, -sheets, everything that could be made to hold sand -was requisitioned—and I could not help smiling -when finally two burly nigger Zanzibaris dragged -through my room one of Mrs. Fisher's dresses bulged -out with sand and threw it on top of a wall of other -sand-bags blocking a window. It was a jolly good -thing that she was safely out of the way, and I wished -most earnestly that Miss Borsen could be induced to -go as well.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After the Afghans had been driven from the huts, -and these had been burnt to the ground, they remained -quiet for the rest of the day. Mr. Scarlett returned to -the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>", the sun set, there was a very unpleasant -half-hour before the moon rose sufficiently to give -light, and almost as soon as it did so distant firing -began—a scattered occasional shot every now and -again, quite sufficient, however, to keep everyone on -the alert and nervous. The old head boy brought me -some food and fed me. He also brought me a lamp, -for which I was very grateful, as on account of the -sand-bags in the windows the moonlight could not -enter, and it was almost completely dark.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was, I think, the worst night since my wound; -for the atmosphere of the room was stuffy and smelly, -hardly a breath of air came through the blocked -windows, rifle bullets occasionally thudded up against -the sand-bags, and with Mr. Fisher wounded I did not -know who was carrying on in command in case the -Afghans attacked during the night. Why they didn't -Heaven knows. If they had done so there was -nothing to keep them out; but I suppose that they would -not depart from their usual habits. At any rate they -waited till dawn, when just the same awful din broke -out, and they made just such another rush up the -slope. The "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" chipped in as she had done before, -and eventually the attack recoiled; but I had counted -twenty-three rounds of six-pounder, so knew that for -all practical purposes she had none left—not half a -dozen, anyway.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mr. Scarlett almost immediately reported by -signal—ammunition remaining—four six-pounder, twelve -hundred Maxim and rifle. At the same time -Mr. Fisher, haggard and drawn, staggered in to tell me -that although the main body had been repulsed a -large number had succeeded in reaching the fifteen-foot -wall on the east side and could not be dislodged.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They're there now," he said hopelessly. "We -can't touch them; they're firing up through the -loopholes. They tried to climb the wall, but I got some of -my men and your man Ellis to fire from the roof of an -outbuilding close there, and they've cleared them off. -What shall we do? Could the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> steam -round and drive them away?" As this seemed reasonable -I wrote out a signal telling Mr. Scarlett to raise -steam at once and come round to the east bay. But -the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" could not move for at least two hours, and -meanwhile Ellis and his few natives remained on top -of that outbuilding, lying down behind the parapet -ready to pick off any Afghan who attempted to climb -the wall. More ammunition and some sand-bags were -sent across to him to make his position more secure. -However, the Afghans were quite content to wait -where they were—under the foot of the wall—and -made no offensive movement.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>If they had done so the time might have gone by -more quickly. As it was, it seemed an eternity -before Hartley reported that the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> was -under way.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Perhaps half an hour afterwards I heard her Maxim -firing—at a great distance seemingly—firing only a -few of her precious rounds and then ceasing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It turned out that she had driven the Afghans away -from the rocks near the cable house, but owing to the -contour of the ground she could not reach the fellows -under the wall itself. She stayed there to prevent any -reinforcements joining them, and then had to come -back hastily again because more parties of enemy -were taking advantage of her absence from the west -bay to creep along the beach there—the beach where -we always landed in the dinghy—to try to find a -lodgment under the opposite wall of the telegraph-station.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>However, the Maxim on the roof kept those in -check, and directly the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" appeared round the -end of the peninsula they all fled back to the New Fort.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One thing gave me much relief: we had not expended -many rounds of ammunition.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The situation was now alarming, to say the least of -it. If those fellows stayed where they were there was -nothing to prevent them climbing the wall during the -night, and Mr. Fisher explained (and I was perfectly -convinced) that if they did this most of our natives -would simply bolt. The Eurasians might put up -some sort of a fight, but there were only eight of them -now unwounded and they were almost exhausted.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>We both realized that there were only two courses -open: the first, to abandon the telegraph-station and -take refuge aboard the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>; the second, -practically to abandon the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> and bring -her white crew on shore with their rifles and the few -remaining rounds of ammunition.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As Mr. Fisher absolutely refused to consent to the -first, the second plan was the only alternative. I -decided to do this. First of all I took the block of -note-paper and wrote: "Miss Borsen must be sent to -</span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span>"; but she, coming into the room at this -moment, read what I had written and shook her head. -She said there was work for her to do here and she -wouldn't leave it; she stamped her foot angrily when -Mr. Fisher implored her to go.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So I sent for Mr. Scarlett, and with my scribbled -notes and Mr. Fisher's explanations we made him -understand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was very furious, and "swung off" at Mr. Fisher -for exposing everyone to such risks, doing his utmost -to point out the horrible consequences which might -happen if once the </span><em class="italics">Bunder Abbas</em><span> was abandoned and -escape cut off, looking at me to back him up.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He felt that this second plan was more a disgrace to -us than the abandoning of the station would be to -Mr. Fisher; instead, he offered to bring ashore all the men -he could spare, make a sortie, and drive the Afghans -away from that side wall just as he and Mr. Fisher -had driven them from the huts yesterday. He would -bring his men ashore during the few minutes of dark -after sunset (when they might hope to escape -observation), lead them round the west wall and the wall -towards the end of the peninsula, and then swoop -along the eastern fifteen-foot wall from the top end. -The Afghans would never expect an attack from that -quarter, and whilst he was doing this he wanted -Mr. Fisher (if his damaged shoulder let him), Ellis, and -Hartley, with as many men as possible, to make a -sortie through the door in the wall facing the slope, -to creep along the face of that wall to the corner, and -thus catch the enemy between two fires.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I, too, hated so much the idea of abandoning the -"</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" that I nodded my head in consent, and, having -made all the arrangements with Mr. Fisher, he went -back to the dinghy, though not before Mr. Fisher had -implored Miss Borsen again, unavailingly, to -accompany him. Not long afterwards he made a signal -that he had determined to bring all hands with him, -and that until they returned the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>" would be quite -safe at her anchor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I only hoped that she would, and I lay there -dejected in the extreme, to think that now, of all -times, I was helpless. It was no use pretending -that I was not. Even without Miss Borsen to assure -me that my only chance lay in remaining absolutely -still, there was a funny feeling in my chest that the -least exertion would finish me altogether. One or -two drops of blood had come into my mouth during -the day, and I instinctively knew that more was -only waiting its chance. It was an extremely -unhappy position to be in.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The remainder of the afternoon passed fairly quietly, -and the dread of the coming night seemed to make the -hours of daylight fly very quickly. Miss Borsen -brought me some tea, and whilst she was in the room -I remembered some signal I wanted to make to Mr. Scarlett. -But the pencil had dropped off the bed and -broken its point, so that it would not write, and I -motioned to her that there was a knife in my dispatch-box. -Whilst she was looking for it, jumbling among -my letters and other papers, out slipped that little -velvet bow, the one which had stuck to my button -the night I had carried her over the swamp and -made her so angry.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She picked it up, grew red, and I thought she was -very angry at being reminded of the quarrel; because -she shut up the box, said: "Bother the knife; it isn't -here," and went away, sending in Hartley to help me -with the signal.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This added to my worries.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As dark came on—very completely in the room, -because of the sand-bags—I pictured the dinghy pulling -to and fro to land Mr. Scarlett and the rest of the -crew, and had a horrid feeling that they ought never -to have left her. I feared, too, that they had not done -this unobserved, because a good deal of firing broke -out from the direction of the beach. However, there -was no one to tell me what was happening, so I had to -guess, listening anxiously to the murmur of voices -outside, below the balcony, as Mr. Fisher and the -others gathered near the door in the wall and -prepared for their sortie.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I could hear them filling the magazines of their -rifles, occasionally dropping a cartridge on the -ground, and my ears were straining to hear the -bolts fly back and to hear them rushing out; but -instead of this a tremendous fusillade broke out -down the slope, and the same yelling which had -always accompanied the previous attacks broke the -silence. So fearfully excited was I that more blood -came into my mouth, and thoroughly frightened I lay -flat, hardly able to breathe. The noises seemed to -grow until they became one awful roar, dinning into -my ear-drums till they seemed to overpower my brain -altogether, and I must have lost consciousness.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I had a dim recollection of men running through -my room, of rifles going off, and then woke to the -fact that rifles were being fired quite close to me, -outside on the balcony, their flashes lighting up the -room, and that from every quarter came the most -fearful uproar. People were running backwards and -forwards, up and down the stairs; Zanzibari niggers -came dragging sand-bags back through my room; the -old butler, without his turban, came and went without -giving a glance at me; no one seemed to take the -least notice of me, and for some time I thought it -must be another of those nightmares and I should -presently waken.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then the uproar seemed to grow more distant; a -red glow filled the room with weird shadows, and -what finally brought me to a realization that I was -actually awake was Miss Borsen's hand sliding down -to my wrist to feel my pulse.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hush!" she whispered; "keep still; you're all -right now. They've got inside the walls and have -gone off to burn down the other buildings. -Mr. Fisher is down below—most of the others too; we -are safe for some time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>I remembered that Mr. Scarlett and all the rest of -my men ought to be on the outside of the wall, and -wondered what had become of them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mr. Scarlett?" I muttered, but she put a finger -on my lips. "Be quiet; be still."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The niggers and servants must have torn away -some of the sand-bags to make better openings to fire -through or to take them somewhere else, for the room -now was filled with a red glare. The crackling noise -of flames seemed to grow more furious and closer; -but above everything I heard Hartley's voice down -below shouting orders.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was a comfort even to know that he was there.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then men began to climb the stairs outside the -room, panting heavily and running down again. -Miss Borsen went out to see what they were doing. -She crept back, terrified.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They're carrying water up to the roof—the flames -are so close. It's awful—awful!" and she crouched on -the floor with her hands over her eyes. She pulled -herself together when Hartley—bleeding from a wound -on his head—rushed in to tell me that we were fairly -safe for the present, but that Ellis and a few natives -on the top of that outbuilding, where they had been -all day, were cut off, and that no one knew what had -become of Mr. Scarlett and his party. "What with -the moonlight and these 'ere flames from the mess -buildings," he said, "it's as light as day now, and -the Afghans won't come out in the open. They're -skulking in the shadows under the walls, and daren't -run across the open spaces."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After this—for a time—there was but little rifle -firing near us, and the glare from the burning -building died down somewhat. Outside on the balcony -I could see the Zanzibaris there moving about in -the shadow behind the sand-bags and peering over -them to look below. Presently one of them saw -something to fire at, for he let off his rifle and called -to the others. A regular fusillade broke out, and in -the midst of it I heard, to my intense relief, -Mr. Scarlett's stentorian voice roaring out: "Stop that -firing," and then shouting something in Hindustani.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Before I realized what was the meaning of this -Miss Borsen sprang to her feet and was out on the -balcony in a moment, pulling the wretched servants -and Zanzibaris away from the sand-bags and calling -out: "Stop! stop!</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's Mr. Scarlett and your men climbing over the -loopholed wall," she cried. "They are crawling over -the corner just below us."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In a very few minutes Mr. Scarlett was standing in -the room.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We got caught on the 'hop' that time, sir; they -saw us coming ashore and we had a fight for it. -Managed to get up the slope near the wall, but then -had to fall back again. Couldn't make headway -against them. Jones was wounded again—badly this -time. Most of the chaps were knocked about, so we -dragged him back among the rocks and kept the -Afghans off till they cleared out up here to join in -the loot. We found the dinghy on the rocks with -her bottom stove in, so couldn't send Jones on board, -and we've brought him along with us—dodged the -Afghans and hoisted him in over the wall. He's -down below—pretty comfortable; but Moore's missing. -No one's seen him since we had the first 'scrap', -poor devil. I hope he's killed outright.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't you go fussing," he went on. "There's five -of us, besides Hartley and me, and we'll pull you -through—and the little lass too. We're just off to -line the veranda and the sand-bags there till those -devils come at us again at daybreak. They'll come -sure enough then. I'm off now, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He left me alone again, for Miss Borsen had slipped -away directly she had heard that there was another -wounded man below, and she did not come back.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To know that Mr. Scarlett and his men were safe -and were on the veranda below put heart into me; -but the position seemed so desperate that I wonder -my brain didn't throb itself out of my skull that -night. It seemed to be trying to do so. The noise -of the flames had died down; but scattered rifle shots -rang out in the compound below every few minutes -hour after hour, and the room seemed to be so full -of smoke that I could hardly breathe. The old butler, -going out to the balcony with food for the people -there, gave me some water once, and I was very -grateful.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Towards dawn there was an almost complete lull, -as if everyone was too tired to go on shooting. -Mr. Scarlett took this opportunity to come in and tell me -that, so far, the Afghans had not broken into the -building where the transmitting instruments were. -They had to cross the concrete tennis-court to get -to it, and Ellis and his people had kept them out -so far. "We've done our little bit too, sir," he -added, quite pleased with himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As dawn broke the Afghans first turned their attention -to that outbuilding from the roof of which Ellis -had punished them so heavily during the night. Of -course I could not see this, but heard the uproar and -the shooting, and in the middle of it Mr. Scarlett and -Mr. Fisher came in (his left arm bound to his side) -looking very anxious.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We'll have to go along and bring Ellis out of it," -the gunner said; "he and his chaps can't hold out -much longer. Don't you worry, sir; we'll be back in -a 'brace of shakes'." Stooping, before he left me, -he placed a revolver on the chair at the head of the -bed. "If you want it, sir," he said, and I understood.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They both went away, and I knew that they were -going to lead another sortie across the compound and -that open tennis-court. I heard them run down the -stairs, heard the burst of cheering as they and others -dropped down from the veranda, whilst the natives -still on my balcony crowded away to the right of it -and opened fire.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Almost immediately the noise of fierce hand-to-hand -fighting came through the windows, and I waited, -tremblingly, to hear the cheers which would tell me -that Mr. Scarlett's people were coming back with -Ellis; but, instead, the Afghans began yelling -triumphantly, as if they were getting the upper hand. -I turned my head and saw Miss Borsen stagger into -the room, her face whiter than the dress she wore.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She stood still for a moment, listening, then saw the -revolver, glided across and steadied herself to pick it -up and to open it. She made sure it was loaded, and -then, in a broken voice, told me that Mr. Fisher, -Mr. Scarlett, and the rest had been cut off and forced back -against the telegraph building.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The Afghans are flocking down here now, and -there is no one left in the house—only a few of the -telegraph people down below, and they can't do it," -she moaned. Then she stood at the side of my bed -and handed me the revolver, saying, in a very low -voice: "If the Afghans break in I want you to kill me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She looked me through and through as I took it, -as though she was not certain that she could rely on -me; but then she seemed satisfied, for she knelt down -close to the bed, with her head just above the edge of -it, staring fixedly out to where the daylight grew and -to where a surging wave of roaring, savage yells -seemed to be beating round and against the whole house.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Zanzibaris began coming back into the room -from the balcony, grey with fright, running, throwing -away their rifles and looking for somewhere to hide, -taking not the slightest notice of us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was "all up" with us now, I felt sure, and I had -to speak to her before the end did come.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Will you forgive me?" I asked. "You know -what for! I'm sorry."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She put out a hand and touched mine, the one -which held the revolver, and said: "I have—for a -long time." Then she turned her head away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There we stayed—for how long I do not know—and -although every moment I expected to hear the -Afghans breaking into the rooms below us and -charging up the stairs, and knew what I should have to do -then, I felt quite happy.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Suddenly, among all the furious tumult and clamour -below and all round us, I heard, we both heard, -another sound—the sound of cheering—cheering loud -and lusty. All the noises seemed to die away before -it; it grew; nearer and nearer it came; it swelled -through the windows, across those sand-bags, in a -continued shout of victory; rifle firing died down as -though by magic, then burst out again; those shouts -of despair which we knew so well by this time -filled the whole of the compound, and Miss Borsen, -springing to the balcony, tore away a sand-bag, looked -down, and rushed back to me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span>!" she cried, fell on her knees, and -sobbed as if her heart would break.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-grey-eyed-lady-decides"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XIX</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold large">The Grey-eyed Lady Decides</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Dear old Popple Opstein was the first to find us, -rushing up the stairs two steps at a time, calling out -my name, and bursting into the room, his yellow hair -standing up from his forehead like a parrot's, and his -eyes staring out of his violet face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Miss Borsen flung herself at him, clinging to his -great sunburnt hands, laughing and crying hysterically. -She would not let him do more than grip my -hand, taking him away very quickly for fear the -excitement should start the bleeding again, although -I imagined that if the agony of that last half-hour had -not done so nothing else would.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Presently she brought Nicholson, who came lumbering -into the room, fat and jolly as ever, felt my -pulse, heard what she had to say about me, and told -me the same old thing: "Just you lie still, absolutely -still, and don't speak". He promised to come and -overhaul me properly later on.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've a terrible lot of jobs on hand now," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He must have given orders for no one to visit me, -because I was left entirely alone, impatient to hear -of all that had happened, and listening to the heavy -booming of guns—the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid's</em><span> guns, out at -sea—shelling the retreating Afghans. At least I imagined -that was what they were doing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In about an hour's time the old head boy brought -another trestle-bed into my room, and, whilst I was -wondering who was going to use it, Mr. Scarlett was -carried in, quite unconscious, his head swathed in -bandages.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nicholson followed, and told me that he had had -"the devil's own whack" with the butt end of a rifle, -and there was no knowing what would happen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The reaction after the strain of the last four days -was now very great, and there was no disguising the -fact that I was as weak as a cat. I had had no real -sleep for at least four nights, and listening to the -long, slow, snoring noise coming from Mr. Scarlett's -bed made me drop off to sleep too. When I woke -it was night, but by the light of the lamp I saw -Percy—a melancholy-looking figure in white—squatting -on the floor at the side of the gunner's bed, with -his eyes fixed on his hero's bandaged head. He -turned and smiled at me when I moved, but only -for a moment, turning again like some big faithful -dog to watch the gunner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For two whole days the only other people I saw -were Nicholson, who doctored me, and the head boy—his -yellow turban once more as smart as a new pin—who -brought me food and fed me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At the end of those two days Mr. Scarlett began to -show signs of returning consciousness, and Percy, -who had not left him day or night, wept tears of -joy when his eyes opened and he asked where he was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Popple Opstein was now allowed to come and talk to me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>From him I heard how the </span><em class="italics">Intrepid</em><span> had been called -away from Muscat, on what turned out to be a -wild-goose chase, after some dhow reported to be loading -rifles down the coast; how she had heard on her -return that Jask telegraph-station had been attacked -in force and the telegraph cut; and how she had come -across at full speed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm almost certain Jassim was the chap who -brought the news which took us down the coast. -We heard he'd shot you dangerously, and I put two -and two together. My dear old chap, I was in the -dickens of a funk. The skipper had the men all -ready waiting to land; they were over the side and -in the boats almost before the anchor dropped, and -we were only just in time. Your fellows were all -pushed up against the side of the building, with a -crowd of chaps howling round them, and were -getting the worst of it, half of them laid out already. -Another half-hour and it would have been 'finish'."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He gave me a list of the casualties, and they were -very severe. Jones had died of his wounds, and -Moore's body had been found on the rocks close to -the smashed dinghy, with three dead Afghans near -him; so the poor, irritating chap had made a great -fight for his life. There was not a single one of the -"</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>"'s who had not a wound of "sorts".</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Mrs. Fisher had come ashore from the "</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>", but -her nerves were so completely shaken that she -intended to go down to Karachi very shortly. Miss -Borsen was to accompany her. Both of them visited -me occasionally, but always together, and I was -longing for the day to come when Nicholson would give -me permission to talk, because I had much to tell the -little, sad, grey-eyed lady, and much, very much, to -ask her. At last came the great day when I was -allowed to sit out on the veranda and talk—just a -little—as long as I did not raise my voice. By this -time Mr. Scarlett was very nearly his old self, or, -rather, his new self, once more; and Percy was so -happy that we had to make the head boy kick him—half -a dozen times a day—to stop him singing to -himself. We now had crowds of visitors, from -Commander Duckworth, Mr. Fisher (his shoulder nearly -well), and Popple Opstein, down to Jaffa, clean and -white and as impenetrable as ever. The one I wanted -most was Miss Borsen, but she seldom came, and -then only with Mrs. Fisher. As I recovered, so she -seemed to shrink from coming near me, and I counted -the days before she was to sail for Karachi in fear lest -I should never have a chance of speaking to her alone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One evening, as Mr. Scarlett and I were sitting on -the veranda, watching the last glow of the sunset -on the Baluchistan mountains, Popple Opstein came -bounding up the stairs and out to us.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We've just got the news!" he cried excitedly. -"There's going to be a great 'show' here. The -Indian Government is sending a whole brigade from -Karachi, the Persian Government has ordered round -the old </span><em class="italics">Persepolis</em><span> with a lot of troops, the flagship's -on her way from Bombay, and we're going to land -a naval brigade—with guns. There's to be a regular -expedition into the mountains to punish those Afghans, -and who d'you think is going in charge of the guns? -Why, you, old chap, you! The skipper has just sent -me along to tell you the great news. The Indian -Government has asked for you. Just fancy that! It's -a reward for collaring that caravan. 'Nick' says -you'll be as fit as ever by the time everything's ready -to start. I am so glad, old chap, and you bet I'll find -some excuse for coming along as well, even if it's -only to carry old Nick's 'first-aid' bag."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What a ripping show!" I said, tremendously -pleased, and Mr. Scarlett came over to congratulate -me, as pleased as I was.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>My chum fidgeted about, and although it was now -too dark for me to see his face I knew that he had -something else to tell me.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Out with it! What is it?" I asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Smacking his knees, he burst out with: "I've done -it! Old Martin, I've done it!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Done what?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't you know? Can't you guess? Little -'Grey-eyes' and I are engaged—engaged! What -d'you think of that, old tongue-tied? I've felt it -would come ever since we met her in the steamer -coming out, and the last few days have done the -trick. Isn't it glorious? She goes home to-morrow, -worse luck! but I couldn't let her go without telling -her, and we're to be spliced as soon as ever I get -back to England. You'll have to do 'best man'. -You will, won't you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was dark. I stuttered out how pleased I was, -and he, too excited to suspect anything, dashed -downstairs again, singing lustily.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"D'you think you could manage to take me along -with you, sir, when you land in charge of those -guns?" Mr. Scarlett asked me diffidently.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will," I told him. "We'll land together, and -have another smack at those Afghans—the treacherous -brutes. We'll go back to the old '</span><em class="italics">B.A.</em><span>' to-morrow -morning, doctor or no doctor. We can't stay loafing -round here any longer. I'm sick of being a cripple."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The night air seemed to have turned cold, so we -went back into our whitewashed room with its bullet -marks on the wall behind my bed, and as Mr. Scarlett -lighted the lamp we heard Popple Opstein -whistling "Two Eyes of Grey" somewhere down the -slope towards the beach.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That used to be your tune," Mr. Scarlett said as -he closed the shutters; "d'you remember, sir—a while -back? It used to get on my nerves at times; that -it did!"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 6em"> -</div> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="backmatter"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst" id="pg-end-line"><span>*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK </span><span>GUNBOAT AND GUN-RUNNER</span><span> ***</span></p> -<div class="cleardoublepage"> -</div> -<div class="language-en level-2 pgfooter section" id="a-word-from-project-gutenberg" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<span id="pg-footer"></span><h2 class="level-2 pfirst section-title title"><span>A Word from Project Gutenberg</span></h2> -<p class="pfirst"><span>We will update this book if we find any errors.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This book can be found under: </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46460"><span>http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46460</span></a></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>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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