George Manville Fenn

“ He took five pinches of snuff in succession so close to Ali Baba that the horse began to sneeze—or snort would be the better term.
Yussuf smiled, and took off his fez, from which he rapidly untwisted the muslin folds.
“Your excellency will condescend to wear my fez?” he said.
“No, sir, I will not,” cried Mr Burne. “Certainly not.”
“But your excellency may suffer from sunstroke,” said Yussuf. “I must insist.”
“You must what?” cried Mr Burne angrily.
“Insist, your excellency,” replied Yussuf gravely. “I am answerable for your safety. Your life, while I am in your service, is more than mine.” ”

“ Lawrence nodded, and went away to try and stalk one of the lizards. The professor was busy making measurements and taking notes, while Mr Burne smoked on peaceably, and the Turk, who had led them here, crouched down and stared at the scarlet and yellow turban as if it fascinated him, while overhead the sun poured down its scorching beams and there was a stillness in the air that was broken by the low buzz and hum of flies, and the deep murmur of the spring below. ”

“ After lending some help the Greek skipper went behind his passengers to the helm, his crew of three swarthy-looking fellows, each with his knife in his belt, threw themselves down amongst the baskets forward, and as the passengers stood or sat watching the glorious panorama of town, coast, and shipping they were passing, Yussuf calmly shook his loose garment about him, squatted down beside the low bulwark, and lighting a water-pipe began to smoke with his eyes half closed, and as if there was nothing more to trouble about in life. ”

“ Their guide’s advice was always so good that they continued their slow progress, the baggage-horses ruling the rate at which they were able to proceed; and for the next hour they went on ascending and zigzagging alone; the rugged mountain track, with defile and gorge and ridge of rock rising fold upon fold, making their path increase in grandeur at every turn, till they were in one of nature’s wildest fastnesses, and with the air perceptibly brisker and more keen. ”

“ They are utterly reckless scoundrels, the sweepings of the country, and they are so powerful, and secure here that they laugh at the law, such law as we have in this unhappy land.”
“But such a state of affairs is monstrous, sir,” said Mr Burne. “I am a lawyer, sir, and I ought to know.”
“It is monstrous, excellency,” said Yussuf; “but these men are outlaws. You see what a stronghold they have if it came to a fight; but your friends or the government would not dare to let it come to a fight, for if they did they would be slaying you.” ”

“ Yussuf smiled.
“Confound you, sir, don’t grin at a man when he’s down,” cried Mr Burne. “You’ve got the better of me, but you need not rejoice like that.”
“I do not rejoice, excellency, only that you believe in me once more.”
“Here! hi! you black-muzzled, unbelieving scoundrels, leave off, will you! Don’t point your guns at us, or, by George and the dragon and the other champions of Christendom, I will fight.” ”

“ More than once there was a disposition to cry halt and rest, for the walk in the darkness was most exhausting; but the danger of being captured urged all to their utmost endeavours, and it was not till daybreak, which was late at that season of the year, that Yussuf called a halt in a pine-wood in a dip in the mountains, where the pine needles lay thick and dry; and now, for the first time, as the little party gazed back along the faint track by which they had come through the night, they thoroughly realised the terrible nature of their road. ”

“ Everyone remained motionless as if changed to stone, while the clattering of the little horse’s hoofs went on, and great fragments went rattling off beneath it to increase their pace and go plunging down into the abyss as if to show the way for the horse to follow to destruction.
It was all a matter of moments, with the gallant little beast making bound after bound downward, as it felt that it could not retain its position, while Lawrence sat well back in his saddle, gripping it tightly with his knees, and holding the loosened rein. ”

“ There is the snow, and the wolves and the bears come down from the mountains. It is a bad time then. But what will you?—is it always summer and sunshine everywhere? Ah! look, effendi Lawrence,” he cried, pointing across the narrow gorge, “you can see from here.”
“See what?” cried Lawrence. “I can only see some holes.”
“Yes; those are the caves where the people here keep their bees. The hives are in yonder.”
“What, in those caves?”
“Yes; the people are great keepers of bees, for they thrive well, and there is abundance of blossom for the making of honey.” ”

“ The peasants call it a spirit light, but it must be the sulphurous glare rising from one of the old cones, above some of which I have seen smoke hanging at times.”
“Why, Yussuf, you are quite a professor yourself, with your cones, and sulphurous, and arguments,” cried Mr Burne.
“A man cannot be wandering all his life among nature’s wonders, effendi, and showing English, and French, and German men of wisdom the way, without learning something. But I will watch each night and see if I can make out the light over the mountains.” ”

“ It will blow coldly when the sun has set.”
He led the way into a wild and awful-looking chasm, for the shadows were growing deeper, and to the weary and hungry travellers the place had a strangely forbidding look, suggestive of hidden dangers. But for the calm and confident way in which Yussuf marched forward, the others would have hesitated to plunge into a gorge of so weird a character, until the sun had lightened its gloomy depths. ”

“ I am not a poor man. I never spend my money.”
“Oh! if it came to that,” said the lawyer, taking some more snuff and snapping his fingers, “young Lawrence here has a pretty good balance lying idle.”
“Mr Burne, for shame!” cried Mrs Dunn; “here have I been waiting to hear you speak, and you encourage the wild idea, instead of stamping upon it like a black beadle.”
“Wild idea, ma’am?” cried the lawyer, blowing a defiant blast.
“Yes, sir; to talk about taking that poor weak sickly boy off into foreign lands among savages, and cannibals, and wild beasts, and noxious reptiles.” ”

“ No, excellency, say no word till we are ready to start, and then say, ‘Come!’”
“You are right, Yussuf,” said Mr Burne. “That woman would chatter all over the place if she knew: say nothing, and we must make the best of them. But I say, isn’t it turning very cold?”
“Yes, excellency, we are high up in the mountains. There is no other place so high as this, and if we do not go soon the winter will be upon us.”
“Winter? not yet,” said the professor.
“Your excellency forgets it is winter in the mountains when it may be only autumn in the plains.” ”

“ As it was, Yussuf was only a few yards from a great mass of rock when his hard-mouthed steed was checked; and as the squeal of one had been sufficient to start the others, who had all their early lives been accustomed to run together in a drove, so the stopping of one had the effect of checking the rest, and they stood together shaking their ears and pawing the ground.
As soon as he could get his breath, Lawrence began to laugh, and Mr Preston followed his lead, while the grave Muslim could not forbear a smile at Mr Burne. ”

“ I don’t know when I have felt so well,” said Lawrence eagerly.
“Bless my soul!” cried the old lawyer, opening and shutting his snuff-box as if for the purpose of hearing it snap, and sending the fine dust flying, “what a young impostor you are! Here, let’s get our bill paid, and our traps on board. There’s no time to spare.”
Lawrence’s face brightened again, and he left the room.
“Tell you what, professor,” said Mr Burne, “you and I have been ready to quarrel several times over about what we do not understand. Now, look here. I want to enjoy this trip. What do you say to burying the hatchet?” ”

“ He drew aside the rug, and the darkness was so intense that they could not see the nearest building as they stepped out; but, to the horror of all, they had hardly set off when a couple of lanterns shone out. A party of half a dozen men, whose long gun-barrels glistened in the light, came round one of the ruined buildings, and one of them, whose voice sent a shudder through all, was talking loudly.
The voice was that of the chief, and as the fugitives crouched down, Yussuf heard him bid his men keep a very stringent look-out, for the prisoners might make an attempt to escape. ”

“ Yussuf looked straight before him; and placing the lamp upon the ground, and shading it with his coat, there, sure enough, not more than a dozen yards away, was a patch of light—blight moonlight.
“I was wrong,” said Yussuf calmly; “this is not the way to a spring, but a road from that temple down to some pathway along by the side of the mountain, and closed up by these fallen stones. Lawrence effendi, we shall not want my ropes to descend from the walls. You have found a way out of the old place that has lain hidden for hundreds of years.” ”

“ I see,” replied Lawrence; “but what a place! Why, they must be without sun half their time.”
“Oh, no, effendi,” said Yussuf; “certainly they are in shadow at times, but though the village seems to lie low, we are high up in the mountains, and when it is scorching in the plains, and the grass withers for want of water, and down near the sea people die of fever and sunstroke, up here it is cool and pleasant, and the flowers are blossoming, and the people gather in their fruit and tend their bees.”
“And in the winter, Yussuf?” said the professor, who had been listening to the conversation. ”

“ Mr Burne blew his nose again fearfully, and created a series of echoes that sounded as if old men were blowing their noses from where they stood right away to Constantinople, so strangely the sounds died away in the distance.
“Then why, sir, in the name of common sense and common law, did you bring us into this out-of-the-way place, among these dirty, ragged, unshaven scoundrels? It is abominable! It is disgraceful! It is—”
“Hush! hush! Burne; be reasonable,” said the professor. “Yussuf has only obeyed orders. ”

“ My dear sir, are you dreaming?”
“Dreaming? No! A ride like that upon a rough Turkish horse does not conduce to dreaming. My dear Burne, did you not know that you made that noise?”
“Noise? What, when I blew my nose, or when I took snuff?”
Lawrence could not contain himself, but burst into another tremendous fit of laughter, while, when the old lawyer looked up at him angrily, and then glanced at Yussuf, it was to see that the latter had turned his face away, and was apparently busily rearranging the bridle of his horse. ”

“ As the gun was fired its report was magnified a hundredfold, and went rolling along in a series of peals like thunder, while the faint blue smoke rose over where Yussuf stood leaning forward and gazing at some broken stones.
Then all at once he raised the gun again as if to fire, but lowered it with a smile, and walked forward to spurn something with his foot, and upon Lawrence reaching him it was to find him turning over a black-looking serpent of about six feet long, with a short thin tail, the body of the reptile being very thick in proportion to its length. ”

“ They did not understand his words, but their tone was sufficient command; besides there was Yussufs pistol, which acted like a magician’s wand in ensuring obedience.
“Tell the scoundrels that we will behave better to them than they have to us, Yussuf,” said the professor; and he took out from the dripping basket a great sausage, a bottle of wine, and one of the tins of biscuit that were within.
“Am I to give them this food, effendi?” said Yussuf calmly. “You will get no gratitude, and the dogs will murder us if they get a chance.”
“Yes; give it to them,” replied the professor. ”

“ Two must sleep, and two must watch night or day. The enemy must not come to the gate and find it open ready for him to enter in.”
“Those are the words of wisdom,” said the professor gravely, and Yussuf’s eyes brightened and he bowed.
“This watchfulness,” he said, “may keep the enemy away if there be one. If there be none: well, we have taught ourselves a lesson that will not be thrown away.”
“Why, Yussuf, I am beginning to think you are a treasure!” exclaimed Mr Burne.
Yussuf bowed, but he did not look pleased, for he had not warmed towards the old lawyer in the slightest degree. ”

“ We are commencing our journey, and are now, as we generally shall be, at the mercy of men who obey the laws when they feel the rod over their backs, but who, when they cannot see the rod, laugh at them.”
“What do you ask us to do, then?” said the professor quickly.
“Be always on guard, but never show it. Be prepared for danger. If there is none, so much the better. Life here is a little matter compared to what I am told it is among you Franks, and it becomes every man’s duty to guard his life.”
“But these Greek sailors?” said Mr Burne sharply.
“I do not trust them,” replied Yussuf calmly. ”

“ Mr Burne tries a Gun.
“Now that’s just what I hate in women,” said the old lawyer, viciously scattering snuff all over the place. “They put you in an ill temper, and rouse you up to think all sorts of bitter things, and then just as you feel ready to say them, they behave like that and disarm you. After the way in which she spoke to Lawrence there I can’t abuse her.”
“No, don’t, please, Mr Burne,” said Lawrence warmly, and with his cheeks flushing, “I am sure she is very nice when you come to know her.”
“Can’t be,” cried the lawyer. “A woman who advocates fire and sword. Bah!” ”

“ Good out of Evil.
“We’ve brought our pigs to a pretty market,” grumbled Mr Burne, as they sat watching Yussuf ride up to the brigands. “It means ruin, sir, ruin.”
“There’s no help for it, Burne,” said the professor calmly; “it is of no use to complain.”
“I am an Englishman, sir, and I shall grumble as much and as long as I please,” cried the old gentleman snappishly; “and you, Lawrence, if you laugh at me, sir, I’ll knock you off your horse. Here, what was the use of our buying weapons of war, if we are not going to use them?” ”

“ No one spoke, every effort being needed for the toilsome task, as they clambered along, now down in narrow rifts, now dragging themselves painfully over the rugged masses of rock which lay as they had fallen from the side of the defile, a couple of thousand feet above them. The scene would have appeared magnificent at another time; the colours of the rocks, the tufts of verdant bushes, the gloriously-mossed stones, the patches of white hail, and the glancing, rushing, and gleaming torrent, which was here deep and dark, there one sheet of white effervescing foam. ”

“ Take care!” shouted Yussuf.
“What’s the good of telling a man to take care when he is down?” cried Mr Burne angrily; and he tried to urge his horse forward, but it refused to stir, while Lawrence’s had behaved in precisely the same manner, and stood shivering and snorting.
“Your gun, sir, quickly!” exclaimed Yussuf.
“What is it? Robbers?” cried Mr Burne excitedly as he handed the guide his double-barrelled fowling-piece.
“No, sir; one of the evil beasts which haunt these valleys and slopes. Is the gun loaded, sir?”
“Loaded? No, man. Do you suppose I want to shoot somebody?” ”

“ Hang it all, sir, I am an Englishman.”
Yussuf bowed.
“Why, he must think me mad, Lawrence.”
“My dear Burne,” said the professor smiling, “Yussuf is quite right. Come, you might make that concession.”
“Sir, do I look like a man who would wear a fez with a jack-towel twisted round it?” cried Mr Burne in the most irate manner.
“You certainly do not, my dear Burne,” said the professor laughing; “but you do look like a man who would make any sacrifice for the benefit of his party.” ”