CHAPTER XXXVIII.
CAPTAIN BECKER LOSES A WAGER.
"No, no, gentlemen. I respectfully beg leave to differ with you. Africanever gives up her white slaves."
Captain Lucius Becker emphasized his words by bringing his fist downheavily on the frail table before him, and replacing his meerschaumbetween his lips, he glared defiantly at his two companions.
It was a hot and sultry afternoon in March--such a March as onlytropical Africa knows--and the place was the German military station ofNew Potsdam, on the left bank of the river Juba, a few miles from itsmouth, in eastern Africa.
On the broad bosom of the river the sun was beating fiercely, and themangrove jungles and lofty palm trees drooped motionless in the deadcalm. Upon the flat roof of the little station, however, the refiningtouches of civilization had done much to mitigate the severity anddiscomfort of the heat. An awning of snowy canvas, shaded by theprojecting clusters of a group of palms, made a cool and gratefulshelter, and under this the three officers had been dining.
Captain Becker continued to blow out great clouds of white smoke asthough he had completely squelched all further argument on the subjectunder discussion.
The silence was broken at last by Dr. Moebius Goldbeck.
"My dear captain," he said, in slow, measured tones, as he adjusted hiseyeglass, "I cannot agree with you. Africa has passed through manychanges of late years. These men will surely be heard from again, andmay even be freed eventually."
"Yes, yes, you are right, doctor; your views are eminently sound," saidLieutenant Carl von Leyden.
Captain Becker removed his meerschaum from his lips, and shook himselfin his chair until his sword clanked on the floor.
"Now listen," he cried. "These men of whom we speak, the governor ofZaila, the English colonel, the captain of the Aden steamer, and theother two unfortunate Englishmen, not one of these men will ever comeout of Africa alive, I will wager a hundred thalers."
"Done!" cried Lieutenant von Leyden.
"Done!" echoed Dr. Goldbeck.
Hardly had the echoes of their voices died away when the sentry wheeledabout hastily and said: "Captain, something comes down the river. It hasjust rounded the bend. It looks too large for a boat."
Captain Becker rushed down below, hurried back with a pair of glasses,and took a long survey.
"It is a raft," he cried, turning to his companions. "Men are lying onit; whether dead or alive I cannot tell. Man a boat at once. The currentruns swift, and we will have barely time to reach it."
The boat was ready almost as soon as they reached the ground, and underthe steady movement of four pairs of oars they shot swiftly out on theyellow tide of the Juba.
In silence they approached the drifting object, the boat's prow cuttingsharply the opposing waves.
Now it was twenty yards away--ten yards--five yards--then the boatbumped gently on the logs and Dr. Goldbeck boarded the raft, followedquickly by his two companions.
"_Mein himmel!_" he cried. "What can this mean? Six dead bodies!Horrible! horrible!"
He turned pale for a moment. Then, as his professional instinct asserteditself, he knelt beside the motionless forms, and one by one tore thebreast covering away and applied his hand to the heart.
"Ach!" he cried joyfully, rising to his feet, "they still live; therestill remains a spark of life! To the shore, quick! lose no time, or allwill die!"
A rope was speedily hitched to the raft, and the men began to pulllustily for the bank.
"Captain Becker," exclaimed Lieutenant von Leyden, suddenly smackinghis knee, "you are two hundred thalers out of pocket. There lie the lostmen now. That is Sir Arthur Ashby with the sandy beard, and the othersare no doubt his companions."
"_Tausend donner!_ that is true!" cried the doctor. "You are right,Carl. It is miraculous!"
Captain Becker smiled grimly, but said nothing.
A severe pull of ten minutes brought the raft to the little wharf, andin the strong arms of the German soldiers the rescued men were bornetenderly into the garrison-house and placed on cots that had been madeup in readiness for them.
Never did Dr. Goldbeck have a more arduous task, but with medicine chestat his side, and two able assistants to carry out his instructions, hetoiled unceasingly for hours.
Then success crowned his efforts, and the patients came slowly back toconsciousness. For nearly a week they hovered between life and death,but finally all were pronounced out of danger except Bildad, who wasstruggling in a high fever.
At first they knew nothing, could remember nothing, but gradually memoryreturned, and they realized the full measure of their wonderful escape.
Guy was the first to rally, and Sir Arthur was the last, but ten daysafter their rescue all were able to sit up, and after that they gainedstrength rapidly.
The marvelous tale of their adventures was discussed over and over withtheir new friends--for most of the Englishmen could speak German--andfrom Captain Becker they learned the latest news from Zaila, which wasto the effect that the place had been retaken by the English after abrief but desperate struggle. This information had been brought to thestation by a German gunboat six weeks before.
Guy was very curious to know how far they had drifted down the Jubabefore they were rescued, but of course it was impossible to tell.
"It's my opinion," said Captain Becker, "that the exit from thatunderground river is somewhere in the vicinity of the big falls, fiftymiles above here. I have heard that there are caverns along the bankfrom which the water pours furiously."
"That is probably the place, then," returned Guy, "for the bushes hungso low that they dragged the canoe from the raft and tore the skin frommy face. I have a dim recollection of all that, but I remember nothingmore."
Guy's companions, however, could not remember even this. The strugglewith Bildad was the last tangible recollection. After that all was ablank. Although they had regained a fair share of strength, the awfulexperiences of the cruise down the underground river had left indelibletraces of suffering. Colonel Carrington's hair had turned white, andeven Chutney and Forbes had gray locks sprinkled through their darkones. Their faces were hollow, their bodies lean and emaciated, and, infact, they were changed beyond all power of recognition. Contrary toexpectation, Bildad was now also convalescent.
As soon as their recovery was assured, Captain Becker had verycourteously sent to the chief station on the Durnford River, some milessouth of the Juba, to obtain, if possible, a steamer; and one morning,four weeks after their arrival at New Potsdam, a noble vessel steamed upthe river and anchored before the station.
It was the German steamer Rhine Castle, and was at the disposal of SirArthur, who had assumed the expense of chartering it on behalf of hisgovernment.
The commander of the vessel, Captain Wassman, brought a piece of newsthat made Sir Arthur desperately anxious to get back to Zaila, and veryconsiderably stirred up the rest of the party.
A certain Portuguese, he said, was in high favor at Zaila on account ofservices rendered in retaking the town from the Arabs and Somalis, andit was rumored that the government intended to bestow upon him aninfluential post.
"That must be Manuel Torres," remarked Sir Arthur to Chutney. "Blessme, we'll make it hot for the scoundrel!"
With many regrets they parted from Captain Becker and his friends, and afew hours after the German flag on the garrison house faded from viewthe Rhine Castle was beating swiftly up the eastern coast of Africa onher two-thousand-mile trip.