by G. A. Henty
The General was for a minute or two silent. "Well, Hilliard," he said at last, " on thinking it over as you put it, I do not know that I should be justified in refusing your offer; it is a very gallant one, and may possibly meet with success."
" Thank you, sir! I shall be really glad to enter upon the work I have looked forward to. Although it may have no direct bearing upon the discovery of my father's fate, it will be a start in that direction. Do you think that I had better go mounted or on foot?"
"I should say certainly on horseback, but there is no occasion for any hasty determination; every step should be carefully considered, and we should, as far as possible, foresee and provide for every emergency that may arise. Think it over well yourself. Some time to-morrow I will discuss it again with you."
Gregory went straight back to his hut.
" Come in, Zaki, I want to speak to you. Light the lamp and shut the door. Now sit down there. Do you know the country between this and Metemmeh?"
"Yes, master; I travelled there with my father six years ago."
"Is it difficult to find the way?"
" It is not difficult. There are many signs of the passage of caravans. There are skeletons of the camels of the English expedition; there are very many of them. It would not be difficult, even for one who has never passed them, to find the way."
"And there are wells?"
"There are wells at Howeyat and Abu Haifa, at Gakdul and Abu Klea, also at Gubat."
"That is to say, water will be found nearly every day?"
"Quite every day, to one on horseback. The longest distance is from Gakdul to Abu Klea, but that would not be too long for mounted men, and could even be done by a native on foot in a long day's march."
" Do you know whether Mahmud's army is in Metemmeh or outside the town?"
"From what I have heard, most of the Dervish force is on the hills behind the town. They say Metemmeh is full of dead, and that even the Dervishes do not care to live there."
"The Baggara are mostly mounted, are they not?"
" Most of them are so, though there are some on foot. The leaders of the tribesmen who fight for the Khalifa are all on horseback, but most of the army are on foot."
"You do not speak the Baggara language, I suppose?"
Zaki shook his head. "I know a little Arabic, but not much."
" I suppose most of the Arab tribes in the Soudan speak a dialect very much like the Baggara?"
"Yes; it is everywhere Arabic, and there is but little difference; they can all understand each other and talk together. May your servant ask why you put these questions?"
" Yes, Zaki, but you must not mention what I tell you to a soul."
"Zaki will be as silent as the grave."
" Well, I am going up dressed as a Mahdist. I can speak the Baggara tongue well. I am going to try and find out what they are going to do: whether they will march to Berber, or come here, or remain at Metemmeh."
Zaki stared at his master in speechless amazement. Gregory could not help smiling at the expression of his face.
"There does not seem much difficulty in it," he said. "I can speak with you in the dialect of Dongola, but the Baggara language is much easier to me, because I have been accustomed to speak Arabic since I was a child. Of course my skin will be dyed and I shall wear the Dervish dress. There is no difficulty in this matter."
"But they would cut you in pieces, my lord, if they found out that you were a white."
"No doubt they would, but there is no reason why they should find that out. It would be much more dangerous for you to go into their camp than it would be for me. In the first place, you can scarcely speak any Arabic; and in the second, they would see by your features that you are one of the Jaalin. Whereas my features, when stained, would be much more like those of the Arabs than yours would.
"Where should I be most likely to meet the Dervishes first?"
" I do not think any of them are much this side of Metemmeh at present. Sometimes parties ride down to Gakdul, and they have even passed on till they are within sight of this camp; but when they have found out that the wells are still unoccupied and the army here quiet, they go back again."
" If I go on horseback, Zaki, I shall want someone with me who will act as a guide, and who will look after his horse and mine at some place near the river, where he can find a hiding-place while I am away in the Dervish camp."
"Would you take me, my lord?" Zaki said quickly.
"I would much rather take you than anyone else if you are willing to go, Zaki."
"Surely I will go with my lord," the native said. "No one has ever been so good to me as he has. If my lord is killed I am ready to die with him. He may count on me to do anything that he requires, even to go with him into the Dervish camp. I might go as a slave, my lord."
"That would not do, Zaki. I do not wish to travel as a person who could ride attended by a slave. People might say, who is this man I where does he come from ? how is it that no one knows a man who rides with a slave? My great object will be to enter the camp quietly as one who has but left half an hour before. When I have once entered it, and they ask whence I came, I must tell them some likely story that I have made up: as, for example, that I have come from El Obeid, and that I am an officer of the governor there; that, finding he could not get away himself, he yielded to my request that I might come and help to drive the infidels into the sea."
Zaki nodded. "That would be a good tale, my lord, for men who have escaped from El Obeid and have come here have said that the Khalifa's troops there have not been called to join him at Omdurman, for it is necessary to keep a strong force there, as many of the tribes of the province would rise in rebellion if they had the chance; therefore you would not be likely to meet anyone from El Obeid in Mahmud's camp."
" How is it, Zaki, that when so many in the Soudan have suffered at the hands of the Dervishes, they not only remain quiet, but supply the largest part of the Khalifa's army?"
"Because, my lord, none of them can trust the others. It is madness for one tribe to rise as the Jaalin did at Metemmeh; the Dervishes wiped them out from the face of the earth. Many follow him because they see that Allah has always given victory to the Mahdists; therefore the Mahdi must be his prophet. Others join his army because their villages have been destroyed and their fields wasted, and they see no other way of saving themselves from starvation. There are many who fight because they are fond of fighting. You see how gladly they take service with you and fight against their own countrymen, although you are Christians. Suppose you were to conquer the Khalifa to-morrow, half his army would enlist in your service if you would take them. A man who would be contented to till his fields, if he could do so in peace and quiet, fears that he may see his produce eaten by others and his house set on flames, and would rather leave his home and fight—he cares not against whom. The Mahdist army are badly fed and badly paid; they can scarce keep life together. But in the Egyptian army the men are well taken care of; they have their rations and their pay. They say that if they are wounded, or lose a limb and are no more able to fight, they receive a pension. Is it wonderful that they should come to you and be faithful?"
" Well, Zaki, we won't talk any longer now. It is agreed, then, that if I go on this expedition you will accompany me?"
"Certainly, master; wherever you go I am ready to go. Whatever happens to you will, I hope, happen to me."
On the following afternoon Gregory was sent for. " I have given the matter a good deal of thought, Mr. Hilliard," the General said, "and have decided to accept your offer. I suppose that you have been thinking the matter over. Do you decide to go on foot or mounted?"
"On horseback, sir. My boy is perfectly willing to go with me. He knows the way and the position of the wells on the road. My plan is that when we get near Metemmeh he shall remain with the horses somewhere near the river, and I shall enter the camp on foot. I am less likely to be noticed that way. If questioned, my story will be that my father was at El Obeid, and
that the governor there is by the Khalifa's orders holding his force in hand to put down any outbreaks there may be in the province, and that wishing to fight against the infidel I have come on my own account. If I am asked why I had not come on horseback, I shall say that I had ridden to within the last two or three miles, and that the horse had then died. But I do not expect to be questioned at all, as one man on foot is as nothing in an army of twenty or thirty thousand gathered from all over the Soudan."
" You quite understand, Mr. Hilliard, that you are taking your life in your hands, and that there is no possibility whatever of our doing anything for you if you get into trouble?"
" Quite, sir. If I am detected I shall probably be killed at once. I do not think that there is more risk in it than in going into battle. As I have told you, I have, so far as I know, no relatives in the world, and there will be no one to grieve if I never come back again. As to the clothes, I can easily buy them from one of the natives here. Many of them are dressed in the garments of the Dervishes who were killed when we came up here, except, of course, that the patches were taken off. I will get my man to buy a suit for himself and one for me; it would be better than having new clothes made, for even if these were dirtied they would not look old. When he has bought the clothes he can give them a good washing, and then get a piece of stuff to sew on as patches.
"I am afraid, sir, that there will be little chance of my being able to obtain any absolute news of Mahmud's intentions, but only to glean general opinion in the camp. It is not likely that the news of any intended departure would be kept a secret up till the last moment among the Dervishes as it would be here,"
"Quite so," the General agreed. "We may take it as certain that the matter would be one of common talk. Of course Mahmud and his principal advisers might change their minds at any moment; still, I think that were it intended to make a move against us or to Berber, it would be generally known. I may tell you that we do not intend to cross the Bayuda desert. We shall go up the river, but this is a secret that will be kept till the last moment. And before we start Ave shall do all in our power to spread a belief that we are going to advance to Metemmeh. We know that they are well informed by their spies here of our movements. We shall send a strong force to make a reconnaissance as far as Gakdul. This will appear to be a preliminary step to our advance, and should keep Mahmud inactive till too late. He will not dare advance to Berber, because he will be afraid of our cutting him off from Omdurman.
"You are satisfied with your horse? It is advisable that you should have a good one, and yet not so good as to attract attention."
"Yes; I could not want a better horse, General. He is not handsome, but I have ridden him a great deal, and he is certainly fast; and being desert bred I have no doubt has plenty of endurance. I shall of course get one for my boy."
" There are plenty in the transport yard. They have been bought up from fugitives who have come in here. I will write you an order to select any one you choose, and if you see one you think better than your own, you can take it also, and hand yours over to the transport to keep until you return. You should take a Martini-Henri with you. I will give you an order for one on one of the native regiments. They are, as you know, armed with them, and have, of course, a few cases of spare rifles. A good many have fallen into the hands of the Dervishes at one time or another, so that your carrying such a weapon will not excite any remark. It would not do to take a revolver, but no doubt you will be able to buy pistols that have been brought down by the fugitives. You will certainly be able to get them at some of those Greek shops; they buy up all that kind of thing. Of course you will carry one of the Dervish long knives. Is there anything else that you can think of?" "Nothing, sir."
"When will you be ready, do you suppose?" " By the day after to-morrow, sir. I shall start after dark, so that no one will notice my going. With your permission I will come round before I set off, so that you can see whether the disguise is good enough to pass."
CHAPTER VII
TO METEMMEH
ZAKI at once set to work to collect the articles needed for the journey, and Gregory obtained from the transport another horse and two native saddles. He was well satisfied with his own animal; and even had he found in the transport yard a better horse he would still have preferred his own, as they were accustomed to each other. He bought pistols for himself and Zaki, and a matchlock for the latter. Everything was ready by the time Gregory went to the mess to lunch, on the day fixed for his departure. Nothing whatever had been said as to his leaving, as it was possible that some of the native servants who waited upon them might have picked up sufficient English to gather that something important was about to take place. When, however, the meal was over and he said carelessly, "I shall not be at mess this evening," he saw by the expression of the officers' faces that they all were aware of the reason for his absence. One after another they either shook hands with him or gave him a quiet pat on the shoulder, with the words " Take care of yourself, lad," or " A safe journey and a speedy return," or some other kind wish.
Going to his hut he was shaved by Zaki at the back of the neck up to his ears, so that the white closely-fitting cap would completely cover the hair. Outside the tent a sauce-pan was boiling with herbs and berries, which the lad had procured from an old woman who was considered to have a great knowledge of simples. At four in the afternoon Gregory was stained from head to foot, two coats of the dye being applied. This used but a small quantity of the liquor, and the rest was poured into a gourd for future use. The dresses were ready with the exception of the Mahdi patches, which were to be sewn on at their first halting-place. Before it was dark, Gregory went across to the General's quarters. The black sentry stopped him.
"The General wants to speak to me," Gregory said in Arabic.
The man called up the native sergeant from the guard tent, who asked what he wanted.
" I am here by the orders of the General."
The sergeant looked doubtful, but went in. He returned in a minute and motioned to Gregory to follow him in. The General looked at him from head to foot.
"I suppose it is you, Hilliard," he said, "but I certainly should not have recognized you. With that yellowish-brown skin you could pass anywhere as a Soudan Arab. Will the colour last?"
"I am assured that it will last for some days, but I am taking enough with me to renew it four or five times."
"Well, unless some unexpected obstacle occurs, I think you are safe from detection. Mind you avoid men from El Obeid; if you do not fall in with them you should be safe. Of course when you have sewn on those patches your disguise will be complete. I suppose you have no idea how long you will be away?"
"It will take me five days to go there, and five days to come back. I should think that if I am three days in the camp I ought to get all the information required. In a fortnight I should be here, though, of course, I may be longer.
If I am not back within a few days of that time you will know that it is because I have stayed there in the hopes of getting more certain news. If I don't return in three weeks it will be because something has gone wrong."
"I hope it will not be so, lad. As regards appearance and language I have no fear of your being detected, but you must always bear in mind that there are other points. You have had the advantage of seeing the camps of the native regiments when the men are out of uniform—how they walk, laugh uproariously, play tricks with each other, and generally behave. These are all natives of the Soudan, and no small proportion of them have been followers of the Mahdi and have fought against us, so they may be taken as typical of the men you are going among. It is in all these little matters that you will have to be careful. Now, I will not detain you longer. I suppose your horses are on board?"
It had been arranged that Gregory should be taken down to Korti in a native craft that was carrying some stores required at that camp.
"Yes, sir; my boy put them on board two hours ago."
"Here is the pass by which you can enter or le
ave the British lines at any time. The boat will be there before daylight, but the landing of the stores will not, of course, take place until later. Show this pass to the first officer who comes down. It contains an order for you to be allowed to start on your journey at once. This other pass is for your return. You had better, at your first halt, sew it under one of your patches. It is, as you see, written on a piece of linen, so that however closely you may be examined, there will be no stiffness or crackling, as would be the case with paper. Now good-bye, Hilliard! It is a satisfaction to me that you have undertaken this journey on your own initiative, and on your own request. I believe that you have a fair chance of carrying it through—more so than men with wider shoulders and bigger limbs would have. If you come to grief I shall blame myself for having accepted your offer, but I shall at least know that I thought it over seriously, and that, seeing the importance of the object in view, I did not feel myself justified in refusing."
With a cordial shake of the hand he said good-bye to Gregory. The latter went off to his hut. He did not leave it until dusk, and then went down to the boat, where Zaki had remained with the horses. As soon as it started, they lay down alongside some bales on the deck of the native craft and were soon asleep. They did not wake until a slight bump told them they were alongside the wharf at Korti. Day was just breaking, so no move was made until an hour later. An officer came down with the fatigue party to unload the stores that she had brought down. When the horses were ashore, Gregory handed the pass to the officer, who was standing on the bank. He looked at it with some surprise.
"Going to do some scouting," he muttered, and then called to a native officer, "Pass these two men beyond the outposts. They have an order from General Hunter.
"Will you be away long?" he asked Gregory in Arabic.
" A week or more, my lord," the latter replied.
"Ah! I suppose you are going to Gakdul. As far as we have heard, there are no Dervishes there. Well, you must keep a sharp look-out; they may be in hiding anywhere about there, and your heads won't be worth much if they lay hands on you."