Charles Neufeld

“ George caught a glimpse of steel as the men closed on their victims, then without waiting for anything further, he gave one ringing cheer, and bounding into the open, brandished his club aloft as he dashed into the struggling mob.
The suddenness of his attack for an instant paralyzed the would-be murderers, and ere they had time to recover, he was laying about him with all the power at his command. In a moment two men fell, and as their heavy sticks slipped from their hands, Mark and Charlie seized them and ranged themselves at Helmar's side. ”

“ Swift and silent in their movements, covering the ground at four or five times the speed of trained troops, every man, when the moment of attack came, accustomed to fight independently of orders, lithe and supple, nimble as cats and as bloodthirsty as starving man-eating tigers, utterly regardless of their own lives, and capable of continuing stabbing and jabbing with spear and sword while carrying half a dozen wounds, any one of which would have put a European hors de combat—such were the 75,000 to 80,000 warriors which the Khaleefa had ready to attack the Sirdar’s little army. ”

“ Any prisoner who went down on such a night never got up again alive; his cries would not be heard above the pandemonium of clanking chains and bars, imprecations and cursings, and for any one to attempt to bend down to assist, if he did hear, only meant his going under also. In the morning, when we were allowed to stream out, five and six bodies would be found on the ground with the life crushed and trampled out of them. Occasionally, when the uproar was greater than usual, the guards would open the door, and, standing in the doorway, lash at the heads of the prisoners with their hide whips. ”

“ The young man pleased him greatly; his sturdy hopefulness, his bright way of facing troubles, his general optimism, all combined to make the older man admire him. But, with better practical experience of the East, he did not share Helmar's view of the matter; he looked upon the Pasha's visit as of evil omen, to be treated with suspicion—to be watched with a lynx eye, and combatted with all the subtle means so dear to the Eastern heart. He vowed that if aught of evil befell his friend and protégé, some one should pay dearly for it.
Instead of replying to George's words Naoum turned the subject. ”

“ Often and often, when allowed to sleep in the open air at night-time, instead of experiencing all the horrors of a night in the common cell, the cool night-air would send me off into a sound sleep, from which I would start up from some confused dream of old days, and, looking up to the sky, would wonder to myself, half awake and half asleep, which was the dream and which the reality, the old loved scenes, or the prison of es-Saier at Omdurman. ”

“ A row of prisoners were lying down on their stomachs, moaning in the courtyards, awaiting their punishment; men of all nationalities and ages, varying from fifteen to seventy. Each was, in turn, tied to the pillar with his back bared, and received so many strokes from the cat at the hands of a marine, whilst the officer in command counted each blow, as it fell on the lacerated back. As the skin gradually turned red, blue, and then swelled, and the shrieks and yells of the victim filled the air, Helmar uttered a suppressed groan and turned his head, but he could not leave the courtyard. ”

“ The Khaleefa has told me to instruct you in the true religion; your fellow-prisoners will tell you how Hicks Pasha was, with all his army, killed by the angels; not a single shot was fired, or a spear thrown, by the Ansar; the spears flew from their hands, and, guided by the angels, pierced the breasts of the unbelievers, and burned up their bodies. God is great. You will soon learn that you are mistaken, and that all your world is wrong; there is no religion but that of the Mahdi, How happy you should be to have lived in his time and entered into the company of the Ansar. God now loves you ”

“ When Gordon fell, his life’s blood was pouring from a spear and pistol-shot wound in his right breast. When Gordon fell, his boots were slippery with the blood of the crowd of dervishes he shot and hacked his way through, in his heroic attempt |303| to cut his way out and place himself at the head of his troops. Gordon died as only Gordon could die. Let the world be misinformed and deceived about Soudan affairs with the tales of so-called guides and spies, but let it be told the truth of Gordon’s death. ”

“ It was Mark Arden. Helmar had not been altogether unprepared for this meeting. Mark, he knew, was in the neighbourhood, but he had not been certain he was to be the arbitrator of his fate. He thought swiftly, and quickly realized that no feelings of similar nationality and education would help to save him from this villain's vengeance. He therefore determined to put on the boldest face possible, and meet defiance with defiance, hatred with contempt, and let his captor understand that he did not care a jot for anything that he could do to him. ”

“ The whole truth came out when Osman Digna came back to Omdurman to report to the Khaleefa.
"What news have you brought me,and how fare the faithful?" inquired Abdullahi. "Master," replied Osman, "I led them to Paradise." Now, Osman had been doing this at every battle for years, and the Khaleefa's patience was exhausted; he wanted victories, and not pilgrimages of his best troops to the next world. ‘Then why did you not go with them?" retorted Abdullahi. "God," replied Osman, "had not ordained it so; He must have more work for me to do; when that work is finished, He will call me." ”

“ Half-way up they came to a solid stone wall, the sight of which filled George with dismay, but the guide, with perfectly assured action, stooped and in a moment touched a spring, and the solid mass revolved on a pivot, disclosing more steps. They passed through the opening, and the stone swung back into its original position as they hurried up the steps.
"We are quite safe from pursuit now," said the guide. "They cannot move that stone; only three persons know its secret—Naoum, Mariam, and I. We have nothing to fear until we reach the open air." ”

“ If I had my say in the matter, when next the Government troops come face to face with the tribes, whom Lord Kitchener in his clemency spared to gather again around the Khaleefa, I should make it a drum-head court-martialling business for any doctor who risked the lives of his wounded in hospital by attempting to throw away his own in attending to a wounded dervish who does not want to live. He is wounded to death or would not be lying or sitting there, and he wants to die—but to die killing; he wants your life’s blood, not your aid and succour. ”

“ George burst into a laugh, and Belbeis looked disgusted.
"You do not understand our people, there is some trick on hand, they know their business; besides, if it came to a fight with such a number, I would not wager on the rebels."
"Allah is great," replied Belbeis solemnly, "His ways are mysterious, but I cannot understand."
"No," said George, smiling, "neither will Arabi, he does not know the sons of the West. They will dare anything."
"Allah is powerful," replied Belbeis, "and we are but His children." ”

“ Gordon, I had been told, towards the end, called the Europeans together in Khartoum, and telling them that, in his opinion, the Government intended to sacrifice him, recommended them to make their escape. A deliberate attempt to sacrifice him could not have succeeded better. What wonder, when such thoughts as these and many others had been affecting me for hours, that when Awwad came, as darkness was setting in, the darkness of night had settled too upon my mind. ”