In the grip of the Mullah: A tale of adventure in Somaliland

  CHAPTER XVII

  A DASH FOR LIBERTY

  For some little while Jim and his father sat close beside one anotherwith heads touching, conversing in whispered tones, for it was necessarythat the prisoner should be instructed precisely how to act when theywere outside the hut.

  "You must tell me what I am to do clearly and concisely, my boy, for Iam entirely in your hands," whispered the colonel. "It seems strangethat I, who have always prided myself upon my resourcefulness, and whohave always been the leader when you and I have been together, shouldgive place to you. But, then, you see, you have all the strings in yourfingers, and know exactly which one to pull, and when to let go yourhold. Indeed, so far as I have been able to gather in these few seconds,you have shown yourself to possess a master's mind. But come, let us begoing, for I dread that at any moment an alarm may be given, and then wecan scarcely hope to escape."

  "You understand, then, father, that you follow me closely out of thehut, and slip to the back of it. I shall wrap the blanket about myshoulders and march round and round, to put the other sentry at ease.Then we shall disappear into the darkness, and I shall lead the way toour rendezvous. It will not be long before my absence will be noticed.Then, no doubt, the Somali sentry will discover the body of his comradeand your flight. But they can kick up as much row as they like, for weshall be in hiding, and even if we were discovered, we have sufficientguns with us to make a tough fight of it."

  "Depend upon it, we will," was the colonel's hearty response. "Put aweapon into my hand, and I will cause them to regret the day when theyfirst made me captive. This Mullah and his followers shall find thattheir slave has strength for fighting, as well as for chopping wood anddrawing water."

  "That reminds me, father. Here is the sentry's sword. Take it, for youmay perhaps require something. I have the spear and my revolver."

  Having settled their arrangements, the two rose to their feet, andsilently crept to the door. Then Jim gently pushed it open a few inches,and, thrusting his head out at the bottom, looked in the direction ofthe Mullah's house. Striding stalwartly out of the firelight, as he haddone so often before, came the athletic watchman, his spear swingingeasily over his shoulder, and his head held well in the air. That he wasunsuspicious of the events which had happened so close at hand wasevident, for as he walked he hummed a dismal native air in the sonoroustones common to these people, while his thoughts were undoubtedly faraway. Most likely he was still thinking of his comrades who wereattacking the infidel zareba, for he paused every now and again tolisten, and stopped his song, only to be disappointed, however, and taketo his lonely beat again with an impatient stamp of his foot.

  Now was the time for the fugitives, for the Mullah's hut suddenly cutoff the warrior's figure. The next instant Jim pushed the door openquietly, and stepping out, stood there while his father emerged. Then,as the colonel darted round the hut, Jim placed the blanket about hisshoulders, and, walking some distance to the left, waited for theappearance of the sentry again. The instant he caught sight of him hebegan to saunter forward, and yawned deeply again, as though he had onlyjust awakened from a sleep in which he had indulged on the farther sideof the building.

  Three times in succession did Jim make the complete circle, slouchinground as though the effort were too much for him. Then, as he cameopposite his father again, he tossed the blanket to one side, and,catching him by the arm, drew him away towards the village.

  "Now for the store-hut," he said in an exultant whisper, feeling asthough all their difficulties were ended. "Come this way along the darkside of the street, and when we halt, lie down in the shadow of thewall, for it will be as well to see that we are not followed. Afterthat, all we have to do is to slip across the street, open the door, andenter."

  "As simple as A, B, C, old boy. Lead the way, Jim, and you can rely uponmy following your orders. Now, on you go!"

  Pressing forward, Jim quickly made his way along the darkest side of thevillage street, and, ere many minutes had passed, had reached a spotwhich was exactly opposite to the store-hut. And here, in accordancewith the directions which he had already given, he threw himself flatupon the ground.

  "Good!" he whispered, when some little time had passed without a soundhaving disturbed the silence. "No one suspects us, so we may make readyto cross the street."

  "Hu-s-s-sh! Keep your eyes open," came his father's voice at that momentin warning tones, while his hand gripped Jim by the arm, and steadily,and with every caution, pushed it in a direction which pointed to a spotacross the street and slightly to the left. Instantly Jim's eyes turnedto the place, and peering into the darkness, he quickly became aware ofthe fact that a stealthy figure was moving there.

  "Was it the sentry who had suddenly discovered the absence of hiscomrade and the flight of the prisoner, or was it some other native ofthe village, whose suspicions had been aroused in some unforeseenmanner?" Jim asked himself the question as he lay there, but for themoment could find no answer, for the stranger's figure was hidden almostcompletely, while his features were entirely invisible. Creeping alongin the shadow of the farther wall, he soon reached a point which wasexactly opposite to the fugitives, and separated only from them by amatter of a few yards. Then he crept slowly into the middle of thesun-dried road, and turning, faced the store-hut, bending his headforward as if he wished to inspect it closely. Fortunately for Jim andhis father, the man had chosen a site to which a few stray rays of thewatch-fire contrived to penetrate, and this light falling upon his face,revealed the fact that he was not the sentry, but the native who, whenJim's dagger was found, had suggested that the white prisoner and hisrescuer had taken refuge in the store-hut. Evidently, in spite of theMullah's derision, he had come at length to investigate the matter forhimself. With a start of surprise our hero recognized him.

  "Our game is up," he whispered; "that is the man who declared to hiscompanions that we must be hiding in the village. And now he has come toset the question at rest, and so that he should not incur the ridiculeof his comrades, has selected this late hour in which to put in anappearance. What can we do?"

  "Do?" murmured the colonel. "We must manage to silence the fellow, orthe whole village will be upon us. But I confess that it is almost animpossibility, for he is bound to discover us before we can get withinreach of him. In that case, we must effectually silence him and thenescape, for otherwise he would set his comrade upon us. Hush! he islooking in this direction."

  As he spoke the native turned round slowly, peering into the darkness inall directions, and, as his eyes fell upon the shadow in which they werelurking, he started backwards. Then, as if uncertain of his powers ofvision, he crept a few paces closer, and, shading his eyes with bothhands, as though they would help him to penetrate the darkness, staredsuspiciously at the two figures crouching there. A second later he hadgiven vent to a shout, and, turning upon his heel, fled down the street,making the air ring with his calls.

  Jim was utterly bewildered at the turn which events had taken, butColonel Hubbard was a man who had faced danger in many forms, and whosewits had been sharpened upon many a field of battle. Realizing at oncethat this man would not only arouse his comrades, but would lead them inthe pursuit, he, too, was upon his feet and dashing along between thehouses before an instant had passed. Fear seemed to lend fleetness tohis feet, for though the native spy sped onward at a rapid pace, hecould not outdistance his pursuer. Indeed, the colonel seemed to come upwith him by leaps and bounds, and then with one gigantic spring to landupon his shoulders. What followed Jim could not make out, but whenColonel Hubbard returned he knew that they were safe. The man whom hehad followed had paid for his persistence with his life.

  Meanwhile Jim had not been idle. Grasping the fact that the store-housecould not longer afford a safe shelter, he had at once darted across thestreet and hurled the door open. Then, as a figure appeared to bar hisprogress, and he heard the sharp click of a gun-lock, he called a loudwarning to John Margetson, and leapt hurriedly aside. Well was it f
orhim that he had the presence of mind to do so, for, suddenly arousedfrom the slumber into which he had fallen, Margetson had seized one ofthe Mullah's weapons which lay close to his hand, and, hearing the doorburst open and the commotion outside, had discharged the contents intothe darkness.

  "Steady, old man!" shouted our hero; "it's Jim, and I've come to tellyou that we must make a bolt for it. Out you come at once!"

  To say that John Margetson was surprised at the sudden turn which eventshad taken was to express the situation mildly. For half an hour afterJim's departure he had remained in the store-hut, looking out throughthe aperture between the roof and the wall; but, wearied of seeingnothing, and having by now no small amount of confidence in the youngfellow who had so miraculously come to rescue him, he had sat down upona bag of dates, just to rest for a few moments. Then the heavyatmosphere within the hut--the aroma of dried dates and the store ofwine--had overcome him, and little by little his eyelids had droopedtill he was fast asleep. Roused by the alarm and by the opening of thedoor, he had started to his feet, and, rushing at once to the conclusionthat the natives had discovered his lair, he immediately opened fire,without thought of the harm he might have done to his young companion.

  "What, you!" he exclaimed in bewilderment, appearing at the door with asmoking weapon in his hand. "Have I hurt you? Good heavens! Don't saythat my bullet wounded you!"

  "There's nothing wrong with me; but I'm in a desperate hurry!" criedJim again. "Bring your gun, and come along quickly, for we haven't amoment to lose."

  "But the prisoner, your father?"

  "He's here. I've managed to get him safely out of his cell, and now wemust fly for our lives. Ah----"

  At that moment Jim became aware of the fact that a tall figure wasrushing down upon them from the direction of the Mullah's house, andinstantly realized that it must be the sentry who for a short period oftime had claimed him as a comrade that evening. Already the man waswithin a few paces of him, and, with lowered spear-point, and shieldheld well forward so as to protect his body, came headlong towards them.

  "Look out!" shouted John Margetson.

  But Jim needed no warning, for, hazardous though the position was, hehad never for one moment allowed his coolness to desert him. Withoutmoving, therefore, from the spot upon which he stood, he turnedslightly, and whipping the revolver from his waistcloth, levelled it atthe advancing sentry. Click! Back went the lock as he gave the firstpressure upon the trigger. Snap! The hammer fell; but there was noexplosion, no bullet flew from the muzzle, for by an evil chance asplash of the river had damped the cap.

  Undaunted, however, Jim gave vent to an exclamation of annoyance, andthen, without lowering his arm, jerked at the trigger again. Bang! Thistime the hammer had fallen upon an undamaged cartridge. Jim heard thebullet strike the man's breast, and then, ere the flash of the powderhad died down, he saw him suddenly plunge forward, with arms thrown outbefore him, while spear and shield were cast high into the air. A secondlater, with a clatter which could be heard all over the village, themuscular figure of the unfortunate sentry came crashing to the ground,where it lay motionless.

  And now the Mullah's village, which a moment before had been peacefullyslumbering, was suddenly plunged into a state of wildest turmoil. A verypandemonium seemed to have broken loose, for in all directions doorswere flung wide open with a series of resounding bangs, while loudvoices rent the silence of the night. Then, just as had happened on aprevious evening, a tall figure suddenly appeared beside the flagstaffwhich stood upon the roof of the central dwelling, and the voice of theMullah rang out clearly, drowning every other sound.

  "Catch them!" he shouted. "After them, every one of you! For if theseimpudent dogs escape this time we shall be for ever disgraced. Followthem, I say! Pick up their tracks, and when you have done so, I myselfwill lead you."

  "Come down, then, and show us the way now!" called out one of the fewmen who had been left in the village. "We can see no sign of them,though here, in front of the store-hut, are the bodies of two of ourcomrades."

  "A third is here!" shrieked another at this moment, happening to stumbleupon the sentry who lay behind the prisoner's hut. "It is Abdul Hamid,who kept watch over our white slave. See," he continued, appearing amoment later, dragging the body towards the watch-fire, "he is dead.Allah has taken him, and the thrust of a sword has sent him to his end.Where are these infidels? Lead us, you who are our ruler, and show usthat you have those powers of which you boast."

  That the incident which had so suddenly and unexpectedly aroused thevillage had angered the warriors there was little doubt, for they nowcame crowding round the Mullah's residence, and forgetting the humblemanner in which they were apt to address him, demanded hotly that heshould do something in the matter.

  "It is a disgrace to our manhood!" cried one of them bitterly. "If thesemen, whoever they may prove to be, escape us, the tribes who live withintouch of our camp will jeer and point the finger of disdain at us, andwill speak of us as women, fit only to toil in household work, andhandle the staff with which our corn is crushed, instead of shield andspear. Up, then, and lead us in the pursuit!"

  That the indignant words had their due effect upon the Mullah wasevident, for scarcely had the speaker ended the sentence when the doorof the central hut flew open with a crash, and the leader sprang intothe firelight, brandishing a sword above his head.

  "Ay!" he shouted. "Women we should be, and worse! Dogs, indeed, to letthese men get safely away. You have called upon me to show you how toact, and, therefore, stand still now and listen. These are the facts, asI see them. Our brothers are abroad between this and the desert, and itwould be a clever fugitive who could contrive to slip between theirranks, even upon a dark night such as this is. It is clear, therefore,that these infidels have turned their faces in another direction. To theriver, then! Run down some of you, and see whether a trace of theirflight cannot be discovered."

  At his order half a dozen of the men who surrounded him turned quickly,and rushing to the watch-fire, each picked up a smouldering brand, andran off towards the river. By the time they had reached the banks theimpact of the air upon the glowing ends of the wood had fanned them intoflames, and converted them into excellent torches. Scattering withthese in their hands, they proceeded to search every foot of theneighbourhood, and ere long came upon signs which rewarded them fortheir trouble. Then a shout rang out in the air.

  "Silence!" bellowed the Mullah, who had again taken his post upon thetop of his hut. "Let every man remain quiet, so that we may hear what issaid."

  "Our father is right," shouted the man again. "He is a wise leader,indeed, for here are sure signs of the dogs who have disturbed us. Boatsare missing from the banks, and by the aid of my torch I can see them onthe farther side. Wait while I go over to look further into the matter."

  There was a splash as the Somali plunged into the water, and then, asall eyes were turned in that direction, he could be seen swimmingsturdily by the aid of one arm and his legs, while with the other heheld the flaring stake above his head. About him the stream flashed andeddied, while the light was reflected from a thousand brilliant points,and clearly showed the seething wake which he left behind him. Then, erehe had traversed half the distance, another voice awoke the silence.

  "Ha! Here is another boat!" one of the searching party shouted. "I cansee it stuck high and dry upon the reef which crosses the river at thefoot of the village. It is stranded and empty."

  "And here are five more!" called the first, who had now reached theopposite side, making a funnel of his hands, so that his voice shouldcarry the more surely; "and by their side, and for some feet on themarshy edge of the water, the mud and grass is trampled by a hundredfeet. It is clear that this alarm was caused by more than one of theenemy."

  For a minute there was silence as the Mullah cogitated, and then mindfulof the fact that he must not hesitate--for to do so would be to showweakness before his followers--he once more issued his orders.

  "Few or ma
ny, we must follow, and that at once," he called. "Therefore,I command that the greater part of you at once cross the water andsearch out the tracks of these invaders. Others shall mount the fleetesthorses we possess, and gallop to their brothers with the word that theyare to leap into their saddles and come hither like the wind. Then, withmyself at their head to lead and guide them with my wisdom, we, too,will ford the stream and take up the chase. Be sure, my men, that Allahwill aid us in this matter, as He has always done, for are we not braveand deserving of His favour?"

  His followers were eager to obey his words, and before a quarter of anhour had passed some fifteen of them rode down to the water's edge, andspurring their ponies into the water, swam them boldly across. Then witha forest of blazing torches held high above their heads, they took upthe supposed tracks of the fugitives, and followed them to the rocky andhard ground beyond. But here their cunning and native craft werebaffled, for not a scratch, not a hoof-mark could be seen upon theuneven surface, in spite of the fact that each one of the warriors wastrained in such matters, and possessed eyes as keen as those of aferret. An hour passed, and still they could make nothing of thedifficulty, and were compelled to send one of their number to the Mullahwith a message to that effect.

  "What! No further sign of them!" exclaimed the latter wrathfully,issuing from his hut. "I will return with you and see into thismatter."

  Diving back into the darkness of his dwelling, he reappeared in a fewminutes with a flowing robe about him and a rifle of modern workmanshipin his hand. At a shout from one of the men near at hand, a pure-bredArab, clean of limb, and with tossing mane, was led up by a nativeslave, who stood there, bridle in hand, holding the finely workedstirrup for his lord and master. Scarcely had he arrived when theleader, disdaining the aid so invitingly held out towards him, leaptwith a bound into the saddle. With the certainty of a practisedequestrian, his feet fell into the stirrups, while his left hand pickedup the embroidered reins. Then, waving his rifle above his head, heplunged the cruel rowels with which his heels were armed into the flanksof the noble animal, which at once sprang forward with a bound thatwould have unseated any but an accomplished horseman. With a snort, anda shout from the rider, they plunged recklessly into the river, andbegan to swim across. It was grand to see the manner in which the Arabthoroughbred clambered to the top of the bank beyond, and shook himselfthere like a dog, while the gleam of the torches shone upon his silkycoat. It was splendid, too, to watch this Mullah, forgetful of intrigueand of the arts by which he maintained his authority over his followers,become a man again. Tossing the reins upon the animal's neck, he placeda hand upon the pommel of the saddle, and then leapt lightly to theground.

  "A torch!" he cried sharply. "Fools! Give me one of the brands, that Imay search with my own eyes. Ha! Now follow behind me, and beware howyou tread, for I wish not to be led away by the footprints which youyourselves have made."

  Cowed by his fierceness, the search-party promptly obeyed his orders,falling in behind him, and following every movement he made.

  "Let me start at the beginning, and then work from the river," cried theMullah, striding to the edge of the water, where he sank to his anklesin the soft mud. "Here is the groove which the prow of the boat cut asit was run to the shore, and here, deeply impressed in the ooze, is thesandal-mark of the man who first leapt overboard. See!" He turned, anddigging his heels into the ground, so as to lend power to his arms, hedragged the craft still higher. "And here are the prints of those whofollowed him. One, two--I count eight of them, but--what is this? Eachone is broad and long and of precisely the same pattern. It is strangethat all the infidels who landed here should be possessed of feet whichdo not differ in size. We must be careful, for this enemy of ours is acunning one, and has already proved difficult to deal with."

  Something had awakened the suspicion of this crafty leader, for, as if asudden thought had come to him, he bent low, till his head and beardalmost swept the ground, and peered at the various depressions to beseen there. Then he stalked away from the edge of the water, bearing thetorch at his feet, until he came to the broken ground beyond. He did notventure as yet, however, to give his views to those who accompanied him,but, satisfied that he would learn nothing more at that spot, he trudgedacross to where a second boat lay drawn up on the shore. Repeatingprecisely the same process as before, he passed to the third and fourthin succession, and, finally, to the last. Only then, when there was nolonger room for doubt in his own mind, did he permit his warriors togain an inkling of his thoughts. But now the evidence of a ruse was soclear that there was no fear of making a blunder, and consequently oflosing prestige amongst his men. Therefore, calling them about him witha peremptory wave of the torch, he addressed them in deep tones, whichtrembled, so great was his anger.

  "Where would you be had you not myself to guide you?" he asked, staringeach man in turn in the face. "You would be as children without amother, as sheep without a herd. For, had it not been for my presencehere to-night, you would have ridden your horses to this spot, and then,unmindful of the cunning of your enemies, would have galloped away intothe country beyond, bent on hopeless pursuit. Listen! The dogs who camehither to-night, and disturbed the peace of our village, escaped byanother way, leaving a trap behind them, in the hope that it would putyou aside and give them a longer start. As I have said, had it not beenfor me, you would ere now have been gone on a useless mission, havingfallen victims to this ruse."

  "A ruse?" shouted his followers, pressing closer in their eagerness. "Weare not blind; but in this we cannot follow your thoughts, and cannotagree with all that you say."

  "Fools! Did I not declare that without your leader you are lost? Comewith me, and I will show you the truth of my words."

  Grasping the nearest man by the shoulder, with such fierceness that hewould have started back had not a hand detained him, the Mullah draggedhim across the turf towards the spot where one of the native craft laystranded. From there he proceeded to the others in turn, followedclosely all the while by the remainder of the party.

  "Have you no eyes?" he demanded impatiently, directing their attentionto the various footprints. "Measure the marks in your minds, and tellme, if you can, that they do not resemble one another. Look! The sandalupon the right foot of the infidel who planned this trap had had aportion of its inner edge cut away by some jagged stone, and the mudtells us of it as surely as could the owner. Then search about, and youwill find that every print of the right foot, whether here or at theother landing-places, bears the same impression."

  Following the directions of their leader, the warriors ferreted aboutbeside the river, like so many dogs hunting for rats; and then,convinced of the wisdom of the Mullah, they returned to his side,feeling more than ever that he was, indeed, a mighty man.

  "It is wonderful!" exclaimed one of them humbly. "You say truly that,had it not been for you, we should have entered upon a chase which wouldhave been fruitless. Tell us, you who are our father, what is thereading that you gather from these signs. For my part, I could havesworn by Allah that no fewer than a hundred of the enemy had landedhere."

  "A hundred! I read it that one alone came here, and having settled theboats in their various positions, swam back again to the village. Then,when the trap was ready, by which he hoped to smother his trail andthrow dust in our eyes, he made the attempt which has proved successful.But he shall repent. By Allah! whom we all worship, and whose slaves weare, this dog of an infidel shall suffer. Here are my orders. Cross oncemore to the village, and then ride hard to join your comrades. Tell themthat the fugitives are in their direction, and bid them capture themalive. When the day dawns, I shall expect to see my warriors riding backtriumphant."

  Once more the Mullah treated each one in the party to a stern andcritical inspection, and then, striding to where his Arab charger stoodshivering in the cold night air, he vaulted into the saddle withouttouching the stirrup, and in a moment was plunging into the river again.With his rifle grasped in his left hand, and the reins h
ooked over thebarrel, he forded the stream with the aid of the light cast by theflaming torch which he still retained. Half a minute sufficed for him toreach the opposite shore, when, turning in his saddle to take onebackward glance at his followers, he tossed the brand into the river andspurred his animal on. A few paces brought him to his own dwelling,which was surrounded by a host of excited women, who were still ignorantof the cause of the uproar, and were fearful for their lives. But hethrust them aside haughtily, and springing nimbly to the ground,disappeared from view. A flickering light, however, showed that he didnot seek repose, but was even then busily making preparations for thepursuit which was to be carried out on the morrow.