by Lewis Hough
CHAPTER NINE.
THE ARMY OF HICKS PASHA.
It may have seemed to you that Harry Forsyth took the death of theEgyptian soldier rather callously, seeing that he was not used to suchscenes, and that he ought to have been a little more impressed. But yousee he had resided in Egypt, and been some way up the Nile before; andin hot countries people not only live a good deal, but die a good deal,in the open air, so that he had seen human bodies; and more than once,in the course of his journeys, he had come upon one such lying much asyou will see that of a dog on the mud of a tidal river at home at lowwater.
It is astonishing how soon we grow hardened to such spectacles. Andthen, unless he has become exceptionally cosmopolitan, a Briton finds itvery difficult to reckon an African, or even an Asiatic, as _quite_ ahuman being. Of course he knows that he is so, just as much as himself.He knows, and perhaps vehemently asserts, if necessary, that even thelowest type of negro is a man and a brother, and not a connecting linkbetween man and monkey. But he cannot _manage_ to feel that he is ofthe same value as a European, or to look upon his corpse with a similarawe.
In the early days of the Australian colonies, an officer in a Scottishregiment quartered out in that hemisphere caught a native robbing hisgarden, chased him with a club, and hit him harder than he intended, sothat the man fell down and never got up again, for which the officer wassorry, though held justified. About that time bad news from homeoppressed his spirits to such an extent that his soldier-servant, whowas much attached to him, and was allowed considerable freedom of speechin consequence of his value and fidelity, thought fit to remonstrate.He attributed his master's lowness of spirits entirely to his broodingover the accident, and said one morning when he had brushed the clothesand brought the shaving-water--
"I ask your pardon, meejor; but it's sair to see you take on so abootthe likes of that heathen body. A great traveller I was conversing withlast night, and a respectable and trustworthy man, sir, told me thatthere's thousands and thousands of them up the country."
He thought that his master was fretting over the wanton destruction of arare specimen, a sort of dodo!
Howard and Forsyth left Khartoum and strolled towards the plain wherethe Egyptian army lay. A town of tents, well pitched indeed, anddressed in parallel lines, and kept fairly clean--the English officers,though they had had all their work cut out, had at length taught theEgyptians that--but wanting in all those little embellishments whichdistinguish an English or French encampment, especially if it is at allpermanent. No little flags to mark the companies; no extemporisedminiature gardens; no neat frames to hang recently-cleaned accoutrementson. The sentries mooned up and down, carrying their rifles as if theywere troublesome, heavy things, they longed to threw down, that theymight put their hands in their pockets.
In one block of tents, however, which they passed through there was agreat difference.
The sentry stood to his front and shouldered arms, as he saw Howardapproach, smartly and with alacrity. The men were cleaning their armsas if they took pride in the task, not like paupers picking oakum;others were laughing loudly, or playing like schoolboys, and Harrynoticed they were all black.
"These niggers look much finer fellows than the rest," he observed.
"I should think they were!" replied Howard. "These are Nubians, and Iwish we had more of them. They hate the Arabs, too, and that is anothergood thing."
"What a lot of camels!" exclaimed Harry, as, passing over the top of alittle hill, they came in sight of lines and lines of those ships of thedesert, lying down, kneeling, standing; "and how strong they smell. Onemight fancy oneself in a menagerie."
"Yes; Hercules himself could not have kept that quarter clean; theAugean stables were nothing to it. But look at these fellows we arecoming to now. You seem to be a bit of a military critic; what do youthink of them, and how do you like their mounts?"
They were now passing a small camp on the further side of the mound theyhad crossed. Three rows of tents, and aligned with each on the reverseflank a line of horses picketed--small, almost ponies, thin in theflank, wiry, but extremely rough. There had been no pains taken ingrooming them evidently. As for the men loafing or swaggering about,those who were fully dressed were so stuck all over with arms--pistols,swords, daggers--that one wondered if they were suddenly attacked whatweapon they would have recourse to first, and if they would make uptheir minds in time.
"I am no critic at all," said Harry, laughing, "though every Englishmanthinks he is a judge of horseflesh, and I fancy those might possessendurance, if not up to much weight. As for the men, they seem to fancythemselves more than the Egyptians; but a more villainous, blood-thirsty, thievish-looking set of scoundrels, it has never been my luckto see herded together."
"You are not far out," said Howard, laughing. "I should not like one ofthem to come across me if I were wounded and helpless, and had anythingworth stealing about me, let me be friend or foe. But they are usefulfor scouting, and there are only three hundred of them. They are calledBashi-Bazooks, you know."
"Yes," said Harry; "from _Bash_, a head; _da_, without; _zook_, brains.So called, as the `Old Skekarry' said, because they live on their wits:_lucus a non lucendo_."
"My dear fellow," remonstrated Howard, "have I come all this way fromconventional England to the wilds of Africa to hear once more thatdreadful quotation? Go on; give us _Sic vos non vobis_, and follow itup with _Tempora mutantur nos et mutamur in illis_, or any other littleHouse-of-Commons delicacy; only don't say _et nos_, as some of thesenators, who cannot, alas! Be flogged for it, often do."
Harry apologised, and they now approached the English officers'quarters, the Egyptian flag marking that of the General commanding theexpedition.
"Wait here a little," said Howard; "I will see if the chief isdisengaged and able to see you," and he entered the tent.
Harry sat down on a rude lounging chair he found just outside under theshade of a palm-tree, and tried to reflect, not with any great success.He was thoroughly bewildered with the events of the morning, followingthe variations of hope and despondency produced by the near approach tothe object of his journey, and then finding it elude him, which hadoccurred twice in the last few weeks. Without knowing it, he wasbecoming a practical fatalist, inclined to do what seemed best at themoment, and let things slide, forming no plans for a future which was sovery uncertain. Not a bad state of mind this for a hot country, whereworry of mind is especially trying. Perhaps that is why Asiaticsencourage it so much.
It was not long before Howard came to the tent door and beckoned Harryin. On entering, he saw the General seated at a table covered withwriting materials, finishing a despatch for which an orderly waswaiting. He was dressed in a sort of loose tunic, with pantaloons andriding-boots, and the sword which trailed by the side of his chair wasstraight. A pith helmet stood on the table before him, and altogetherhe looked like an Englishman, and not at all like a Pasha, as from thename Harry somewhat absurdly expected.
Presently Hicks Pasha looked up, and Harry at once recognised one who isborn for command. There was no mistaking the bright eye, which seemedto look _into_ the man it rested upon; the firm and manly features, the_will_ expressed in the strong nervous hand. But it is in vain toattempt to explain this, which at the same time everybody canunderstand. The school-boy with his master, the soldier with hisofficer--every subordinate knows instinctively if it is of any use"trying it on." Not that he looked like one who would be harsh ortyrannical. On the contrary, his face was lit up by a courteous smileas Howard introduced his newly-found friend.
"Glad to see you," said the General, offering his hand. "The country isin a disturbed state for travellers, and I fear that you will hardly getout of it without some risk. The river is still open to Berber, and youmight get across from there to Suakim. But I cannot promise to help youmuch."
"It is not my object to get out of the country at present," said Harry;"quite the reverse. I thought that perhaps you might be a
ble to makeuse of me in some way, and wished to volunteer my services. I can makemyself understood in Arabic, if that is any use."
"Well, we have an interpreter," replied Hicks Pasha. "If you had servedwe might be glad of you, but you are too young for that."
"I learned my drill as a volunteer," said Harry, "and I have beensuccessful at Wimbledon as a shot."
"Well, but I cannot put you in the ranks with natives," said theGeneral, laughing, "and I cannot take you about as a sort of animatedmachine-gun. Can you ride?"
"Yes," replied Harry, who indeed had a very fair seat on horseback.
"I might make use of you then to gallop for me, or to go out with thescouts, as you speak Arabic. Well, we will attach you as a volunteercadet to a company _pro tem_, at all events. An Englishman is alwaysuseful to control the fire in action. But you must understand I do notguarantee you any pay; we will put you on rations, and if yourcommission is made out and confirmed I will do my best to obtain arrearsfor you; but you must take your chance of all that."
Harry said that he quite understood, and only asked to be allowed toaccompany the expedition to El Obeid in any capacity. And then theinterview was over, and Harry left the tent, feeling quite as gratefulas he had expressed himself, and glad also to serve under such a chief.
It is curious how little things turn our minds in one direction or theopposite. Twenty-four hours before, Harry Forsyth had no sympathywhatever with the Turks and Egyptians, while he thought the wild tribesof the Soudan fine fellows, and worthy of the independence they soughtto establish. Indeed, he had seen too much of the shameless corruptionand cruel extortion of Egyptian officials to feel differently.
And now, because he wanted to get to El Obeid on the chance of catchingDaireh, and because English officers of position and experiencecommanded an Egyptian army, and the General of it had a "presence" whichinspired him with confidence and respect, he was ready to take up armsin defence of a cause which had nothing, so far as he knew, to recommendit, except that a certain amount of civilisation, the wearing oftrousers and petticoats, banking, railways, and steam navigation were onone side, and a very primitive mode of life with nudity, or getting onto it, on the other. True, that there is the question of the slavetrade, and that iniquitous business is kept up entirely by the Arabs,but that very important matter had no weight at that time with Harry,who merely knew that the slaves he had met were almost as free and muchbetter off than the Fellaheen or peasantry of Egypt.
"You must now come and make the acquaintance of my particular chief,"said Howard, as they left. "You must know that I am an irregularvolunteer like yourself; at least, my appointment as surgeon requiresconfirmation."
And so they went to the medical quarters, and Harry was introduced tothe head of that department, who took a professional view of the adventof the new-comer, and observing that he was very young for the workbefore him, asked if he was acclimatised.
But when he learned that he had got through the hot season without anyserious illness, he concluded that he had as good a chance of standingthe campaign as any one. That same evening, Harry made acquaintancewith the other English officers, to the company of one of whom he wasnext day posted in orders. And then came the matter of getting uniform,a horse, and a sword, which was accomplished at once, without muchdifficulty in the shops of Khartoum; and he found himself once moreEuropeanised.
There was no time for delay, as the expedition was to set out in a fewdays. The seniors received Harry kindly and cordially enough, but theywere extremely hard-worked, every man having to do the duty of ten.They were full of high spirits and confidence, however, sure ofdefeating the Mahdi, recapturing El Obeid, and conducting the campaignto a satisfactory conclusion, and the men caught a great deal of theirspirit.
The mass of them had fought under Arabi at Tel-el-Kebir, and had thereconceived a great idea of the prowess of their conquerors. Englishofficers they imagined could not be defeated, and led by them they feltcertain of victory. They were also much inspirited by the martial musicwith which the air was always filled. The bugle bands were really good,and some of the native airs lively and harmonious, but the constantbeating of their tam-tams would have been somewhat trying to a nervousperson, to whom quiet was the first condition of happiness.
Plenty was found for Harry to do, and as he showed zeal, alacrity, andintelligence, he soon became a favourite. "Send the young 'un" wasoften the decision come to when a matter requiring promptitude andgumption, and which the seniors could not well leave work in hand toattend to, had to be done. The great ambition of a subaltern in anycapacity, civil or military, should be that his superior may learn totrust him; and Harry Forsyth succeeded in that.
He was happier now than he had been for a long time, for he was too muchoccupied with his new duties to worry about Daireh and the missing will.And if a shadow of melancholy came over him, it was when he thought ofthe cottage at Sheen, and the anxiety his mother and sister would be inon his behalf. He wrote a long letter home, giving an account of allhis proceedings and his present occupation, and sent it off the daybefore the march across the desert commenced.
At length the camp was struck, and the army was on the march--7,000infantry, 120 cuirassiers, 300 Bashi-Bazooks, and 30 guns with rocketbattery. There were some 1,000 camp followers, and 6,000 camels andhorses. At first the route of this seemingly never-ending cavalcade layalong the Nile bank.
Then it was committed to the desert. One hundred and eighty miles oftrackless, parched waste lay between them and El Obeid. The first fewdays had indeed been weary work; the ground was full of broad, deepcracks, for it had been under water when the Nile rose, and on the riverreceding the fierce sun had had this effect upon the mud. Mimosa shrubalso grew thickly in parts; and it was important that the men should notstraggle, for that was the opportunity the Arabs were on the look-outfor, and so many fearful disasters had already occurred from this verycause. For the soldiers, if the fierce children of the desert rushedupon them unexpectedly when they were in loose formation, were ashelpless as sheep, though, when in a compact body, and under theimmediate eyes of their English officers, they could fight steadilyenough, as was proved at the battle of Marabia in the spring of thatsame year, when they inflicted very severe losses upon the Arabs, whomthey totally defeated at little cost to themselves.
But though the march had been toilsome, the river was near at hand, andthe worst enemy of the desert, _thirst_, was not to be dreaded. But nowthey were to leave the Nile behind them, and depend for their watersupply entirely on the wells, which were understood to be at certainplaces on the line of march, though these were often found to be at muchgreater distances than had been represented.
The progress was very slow, for they had to march in square--the leadingbattalion in line, the rear also in line, the right and left facesmoving in fours, or in column, according to circumstances. In thecentre were the camels and other baggage animals, with the two thingswhich were as necessary to existence as air to breathe--ammunition andwater.
When, through inequality of ground or any other cause, the lines bulged,or the columns were broken, it was necessary to halt till all closed upagain, and this of course delayed the march very much. Ten miles a daywere the utmost they could accomplish without running most unjustifiablerisk. The irregular cavalry now proved of extreme value; preceding thearmy, scattered out in front and on each flank, they were bound to comeupon any ambushed enemy in time to gallop back and warn the main body,who would then be able to close up, and present a front on every side,which the enemy would find no opening to break in at.
On the fourth day, as the troops were passing over a plain of sand whichstretched away to the horizon all round, without a shrub to break themonotony, only here and there a block of rock, or the skeleton of acamel, showing where some wretched overtried animal had sunk under thetoo great presumption upon his wonderful powers of endurance, the scoutsgave notice of Arab approach, and a figure could be seen coming over thesummit of a sand-
hill, thus proving that the ground, though apparentlyflat, was undulating.
Field-glasses were turned towards the object, which could then berecognised as a man mounted on a camel, and the distance beyond him waseagerly scanned for the host of which he was assumed at first to be theprecursor. But no one else appeared; he was quite alone, and he camedirectly towards the troops.
As he was well mounted, and they were moving to meet him, it was notlong before he was quite close, and then it could be seen that he wasdressed in robe and turban, with a shawl round his waist, and that thesegarments, as well as his face, were stained with blood. And he leanedforward on his camel, as if well-nigh exhausted with wounds and fatigue.
When the officer out with the scouts met and accosted him, he demandedto be led to the chief, and when he was accordingly brought before theGeneral, he said--
"I am the Sheikh Moussa. Neither I nor any of my tribe haveacknowledged the Mahdi, whom we hold to be a False Prophet and impostor.Whereupon he sent a body of troops to attack the village where sevenfamilies of us dwelt. They came at the rising of the moon, and set fireto our huts, but we flew to arms, and thrice drove them back, slayingtwo for one. But they were ten to one, and at each onset we were fewerand more weary. At last the fight turned to mere slaughter. I soughtmy dromedary and fled, in hopes of vengeance. They have slain my wife,my children, my slaves; there is a blood feud between the Mahdi and me.Then I remembered that the Turks led by Englishmen were at Khartoum,preparing for an attack upon my enemy, and I said, I will seek theEnglish Turk, the Hicks Pasha, and I will say, `I would be avenged uponmy enemy, but I am alone, and what can one arm do? I have a sharpsword, I have a far-killing gun, I have a blood feud with your enemy.Let me fight in your ranks.' I rode part of a night, and a day, and asecond night; I had only filled my water-bottle once. It ran dry; mywounds grew stiff. I said, `I shall never reach Khartoum, I shall dieunavenged. It is Allah's will; praise to Allah, and the One Prophet,for whom I am.' When lo! The English-led Turk army has risen up andgone forth to meet me. It is Fate."
He had a drink of water given to him, and then the General asked him ifhe knew El Obeid well.
"Every street, every corner of the ramparts," he replied. "Did I nottake part in the defence when the Mahdi--may his grave be defiled!--wasdriven from them with slaughter?"
"You may ride with us," said the General. "Look to his cuts, Howard,"he added, seeing him close by, with a sponge and a bandage already inhis hand.
It was a sparing drop of water that was used, and that was presentlydrunk with avidity, defiled as it was. Howard declared the cuts to bemere flesh wounds of no consequence.
"I am the most unlucky fellow that ever was!" he exclaimed; "I never doget any gun-shot wounds, hardly."
The Sheikh Moussa certainly proved an acquisition that day, for he tookthem a route diverging somewhat from that which they had been following,and so cutting off some three miles of their journey to the wells wherethey were to halt till the moon was up. And three miles when the wateris running low are a matter of tremendous import to the traveller in thedesert. After that the General often sent for the Sheikh Moussa to ridewith him on the march; and he questioned him, and compared his answerswith the maps and plans he had. And the more he was tested the moregenuine did the man appear. The tribe, too, to which he claimed tobelong was known to be friendly, and not as yet overawed into owningallegiance to the Mahdi.
And so the square dragged slowly on from well to well through the longscorching mornings and the bright moonlight nights, and was swallowed upin the desert.