Her further remarks, however, were checked by her efforts to pull in her camel; for the west wind had brought to its nostrils the scent of vegetation, and its pace had suddenly increased.
Muriel turned in her saddle as her own beast hurried forward, and waved her hand excitedly to Mr. Bindane, who was holding on to his pommels with both hands, his head wobbling, and his body swaying.
As they neared their destination the police officer overtook her, and directed her towards the south end of the Oasis, where, a little removed from the palm-groves, some whitewashed buildings were cl.u.s.tered together. He explained that these formed the headquarters of the Frontier Patrol, near which their camp would be pitched; and soon he had galloped ahead, followed by one of his troopers, to herald their arrival.
The sun was setting when at last the party dismounted within the walled compound of the outpost; and it was dark before the baggage caravan came creaking and grunting into the circle of light cast by the lanterns of the police. Kate and her husband had at once gone into the bare-walled room which had been placed at their disposal; but Muriel, who was experiencing an extraordinary sense of activity, went out with the dragoman to supervise the erection of the tents in the open desert some little distance from the buildings.
For some time she lent a hand to the work, but at length she sat herself down upon a derelict packing-case, and watched the figures moving to and fro, now lit up by the flickering light of the lanterns, now pa.s.sing again into the darkness.
The evening was warm, for the month of March had begun; and there was not that sharp tingle in the air which had been experienced up in the high ground they had lately traversed. On her one hand there were the dark palm-groves, their branches silhouetted against the brilliant stars: she could hear the rustling of the leaves, and there came to her ears, also, the sound of a flute, the notes rising and falling in plaintive inconsequence like babbling water in a forest at night. On her other hand the open desert lay obscure and mysterious, the darkness made more intense by contrast with the flicker of the lanterns and the light issuing from the open doorways of the adjacent buildings.
It was so strange to feel that she was separated from El Hamran, and from the man she loved, by no more than thirty miles-an easy day"s ride to the southwest; and her heart was restless as she realized that Mr.
Bindane proposed to make an extended tour of the northern Oases before getting into touch with Daniel. It seemed to her that she could not tolerate another day of absence from him; and a wild thought entered her mind that she would give her friends the slip next morning and ride alone to El Hamran. It was, indeed, the thought of such an escapade which sent her presently hurrying back to the light of the outpost, as though in flight from the mad suggestions of the starlit s.p.a.ces about her.
The evening meal was served in the room where Mr. and Mrs. Bindane had settled themselves; and it was still early when they went to their tents. Muriel was already yawning loudly, as she helped Kate to doctor herself; and no sooner was she alone than she crawled into bed, and, in spite of the barking of the dogs, the lowing of the cattle, and the braying of a donkey; fell instantly asleep.
On the following morning Benifett Bindane displayed unwonted briskness, and, after an early breakfast, set out with the native officials to make a tour of inspection of the Oasis. His plan was to continue his journey next day to the large Oasis of El Arabah, to the northwest, where he would spend the night. Then, returning to El Homra, where they were at present, he would ride northwards on a tour which would occupy twelve or thirteen days; and that being accomplished, he would, if necessary, visit El Hamran where Daniel was staying, though he had now received the latter"s very full reply to the questions on which he had desired information.
When he got back to the camp, however, after his first day"s work, he found that his wife and Lady Muriel had made certain plans of their own, consequent upon Kate"s abrasions. They had decided to remain where they were while Mr. Bindane paid his short visit to El Arabah; and it was hoped that on his return his wife would be sufficiently recovered to go north with him on his longer trip.
He received the news with apparent indifference, merely remarking that he would take with him on this short trip only one servant and one tent, leaving the remainder of the camp where it was, under the care of the two dragomans. The Bedouin of the Oases were a peaceful, law-abiding people; and the two ladies would be as safe here, he well knew, as they would be in an English village at home.
That night, after Muriel had gone to her bed, Kate Bindane took her husband into her confidence.
"I don"t know what"s going on in Muriel"s head," she told him, "but it seems to me that she"s about the most love-sick creature I"ve ever struck. She won"t even look in any other direction except the southwest, because that"s where her Daniel is."
A slight expression of interest came into her husband"s blank face. He was sitting in his striped pyjamas on the side of his bed, scratching himself dreamily; but now he paused and his arms fell loosely upon his pointed knees. "I thought," he said, "she had got over all that. She has been jolly enough all the way here."
"Yes," answered Kate, "but now that she"s within a day"s ride of her young man, she seems to have come over all funny-like. I can"t make her out." She waited a moment. "Wouldn"t it be possible for us to go to El Hamran before we make the northern trip?" she asked, poking the wick of the candle, absently, with the stump of a match.
Her husband shook his head. "No," he replied. "The plans are all fixed.
And, you see, I don"t suppose Mr. Lane will give me more than a couple of days of his time just now; and I"d rather have it at the end of my tour, when I know what I"m talking about, than now when I hav"n"t yet seen the lie of the land. I want to be able to come to him with a definite offer."
He relapsed into silence for some time, resuming his leisurely scratching; but at length he surprised his wife by asking a further question as to Muriel"s state of mind.
"Why, Benifett," she said, smiling upon him, "you seem quite interested.
You know, I believe you"re rather a sport, after all."
He looked at her with his mouth open. "Oh, it"s a recognized maxim of the commercial world," he answered: ""Make yourself a party to the love affairs of your business friends.""
"But Muriel isn"t a business friend," said Kate.
"No," he replied, "but her father is." And with that enigmatical remark, he blew out the candle.
At sunrise next day he was up and about; and an hour later he had a.s.sembled his party for the start upon their journey. Kate and Muriel watched them as they filed out of the compound in front of the police buildings, in the brilliant light of the morning.
"Tomorrow evening, probably," called Mr. Bindane, waving his hand to them; and, "No hurry," replied Kate, casually: "we"ll be quite all right."
With that he moved away, riding with the fat Egyptian from the Ministry of Agriculture. Behind him followed the police-officer and the native secretary, and after them went their servants and baggage camels.
As the cavalcade pa.s.sed out of sight behind the palm-trees, Kate turned to her friend. "Now for a quiet time with the ointment pot," she laughed; but her words were checked as she observed the surprising expression on Muriel"s face. "Why, what"s the matter?" she exclaimed.
Muriel caught hold of her arm. "Kate," she said, "I"m going to shock you. I"m going to Daniel."
Mrs. Bindane stood perfectly still, her hands upon her hips in the manner of a fishwife. "What the h.e.l.l d"you mean?" she asked.
Muriel confronted her, the monkey expression suddenly developing upon her face-her jaw set, her eyes wide open. "I"m going to leave you, Kate," she said. "I made up my mind in the night. I can"t bear it another moment: I"m going to start at once."
"Don"t be a d.a.m.ned fool," her friend e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed, angrily.
Muriel shrugged her shoulders. "I shall take my dragoman with me," she went on. "He knows all the roads hereabouts. I shall be quite safe. I"m going to Daniel for a fortnight: I"ve thought it all out, and I know now that"s what he"s been wanting me to do. You"ll find me at El Hamran when you come there-if you do come, and, if not, I"ll join you here."
"But, my good idiot," cried her friend, "there"ll be the most awful scandal! What d"you think Benifett will say?"
"I"ll leave that for you to find out," she answered. "I don"t see Master Benifett changing his plans for anybody. You can say I was ill, and therefore went off to Daniel so that I shouldn"t spoil your trip or delay you. Father need never know, and I"m sure Benifett won"t give me away. Not that a scandal isn"t just what he wants. Doesn"t he want to oblige Daniel to remain here in the Oases?-Oh, but I know what I"m doing. Daniel never wanted to marry me: he wanted me to run away with him."
"Yes, but where are you going to run to?"
"To seed," Muriel replied, with a little laugh. "I can"t help it. He"s won: I can"t stay away from him. I"m going to have this fortnight with him, if I hang for it!"
"Oh, you"re mad!" exclaimed Kate, and, clutching hold of Muriel"s arm, she led her into her tent.
Here they argued the matter to and fro; but it was apparent from the first that the thing was irrevocably sealed, and that all the details of the plan had been thought out so as to prevent the adventure becoming public.
"Very possibly there"ll be no scandal at all," said Muriel; "the natives can be bribed not to tell. I shall come back with you to Cairo when you return there, and who is going to give me away?"
"But what is a fortnight?" asked Kate, in despair. "Good G.o.d!-what is a fortnight, when it means even the _possible_ ruin of your whole life?"
"I can"t look so far ahead," Muriel replied. "I only know I want him now. And I"m going to him, Kate; I"m going to the man I love, the man who loves me!"
She ran out of the tent, calling to her dragoman, Mustafa, who appeared at once from the domestic quarters. He received the news without perturbation.
"Yes, my leddy," he said. "I varry pleased. My wife"s brother him live at El Hamran. Thirty mile"-it is nudding: five, six hours riding; and the road him varry good, varry straight."
She told him to get two camels ready at once, to fill the water-bottles, collect a few eatables, and-to hold his tongue. "I have to take some important papers over to Mr. Lane," she said, and he smiled at the lie.
Her large dressing-case was already packed; but, returning to her tent, she opened it to put into it her little revolver, which, for the fun of the thing, she had purchased in Cairo. This done, she went back to Kate, who received her in cold silence.
"Oh, Kate," she cried, "don"t be beastly to me. I"m only going to do the sort of thing that"s been done by most of the girls we know. It"s human nature, Kate. When you love a man and feel you absolutely can"t live without him, you"ve got to surrender to him and do what he wants; and I know now that this is what he"s been asking me to do all along." She put her arms about her neck, and kissed her.
Kate looked at her sorrowfully, and her face softened. "Muriel, you blinkin" idiot," she said, "I don"t know what"ll come of this, but whatever happens, old bean, I"m with you."
CHAPTER XXV-BREAKING LOOSE