"We must endeavour to light a fire and cook this food," observed Boxall.
"If we attempt to live much longer on raw provisions, we shall be attacked by scurvy, and shall a.s.suredly be unable to continue our journey."
"As there are no trees hereabouts, and as we have neither flint nor tinder, I don"t see how we shall get a fire to cook our food," Ben observed.
"But there are roots on some of the sand-hills; and here is a stone I picked up, which I think is a flint," answered Boxall.
We could, however, find neither roots nor shrubs of any sort for fuel, and were obliged to content ourselves with chewing some of the mussels to stay our hunger as we walked along.
Having trudged on for some miles, some slight signs of verdure again greeted our eyes, although the bushes rose scarcely a foot above the ground. The branches, however, from their dry state, would, we imagined, ignite; though it would require a large number of them to make even a tolerable fire. We carried our fuel to a hole between two sand-hills, hoping that the smoke, by the time it had ascended above them, might become so attenuated as not to be observed by any pa.s.sing Arabs. The difficulty was how to light our fire. We required first the means of striking a spark, and then the tinder to catch it, and finally to produce a flame. Boxall tried with his knife and the stone he had picked up, but was much disappointed when no spark proceeded from them, the knife and stone producing only a light with a phosphoric appearance.
"We must not give it up, though," he said. "I have another idea--we must form a burning-gla.s.s."
"How is that to be done?" I asked.
"Let me look at your watch, that I may compare it with mine," he said.
The gla.s.ses exactly corresponding in size, he took them both out.
"Now," he continued, "by filling the interior with water we shall have a powerful burning-gla.s.s, which will in a few seconds set fire to any inflammable substance, or burn a hole in our clothes."
I bethought me at that moment of the inside cotton-wool lining of my cap, on which the rays of the sun had been beating all the morning, and I felt sure that it would quickly catch fire; so teasing out a small piece, I followed Boxall down to the beach, where he was employed in filling the two watch-gla.s.ses with water. I held the wool, while he lifted the gla.s.ses over it; and in a few seconds a hole was burned, and I observed some sparks travelling round it. I rushed back to the heap of fuel, blowing as I went; while Halliday stood ready with a leaf of paper, which he had torn from his pocket-book, and with a heap of withered twigs and leaves, which with infinite perseverance he had gathered together. By all of us blowing together a flame was produced, to our infinite joy. A milky sap, however, came from the shrubs, and only a small portion of them would ignite, while the smoke which ascended was so pungent and smelt so disagreeably that we could scarcely bear it. It had the effect, however, of keeping the mosquitoes, which had hitherto annoyed us terribly, at a distance. By degrees also a few burning embers appeared, and we placed our sh.e.l.l-fish upon them. Seeing Ben poking in his wooden sword, I asked, "Why are you burning that?"
"I am not burning it, sir, but hardening the point and edge; and I would advise you to do the same with yours."
And following his example, we found it greatly improved our weapons.
In a short time the sh.e.l.l-fish were cooked, and we enjoyed our repast, though we should have been glad to have had some subst.i.tute for bread to eat with the molluscs. Having cleaned out some of the larger sh.e.l.ls, we cooked a further supply, which we packed within them, and then tied them up in our handkerchiefs, that we might be saved the necessity of lighting another fire. Indeed, we should, we knew, be unable to do so, except during the daytime, unless we could pick up a real flint--and that Boxall feared we were not likely to find.
Our hunger being satisfied, our thirst returned, and our next object, as we advanced, was to discover water. The tide being high, we were compelled to seek the harder ground on the summit of the sand-hills, as the mosquitoes and sand-flies rendered walking on the sand excessively disagreeable. We kept in a line, as we had before done in our search for water, at a short distance from each other,--Boxall having chosen a position on the left,--and had trudged on for a couple of miles or more, as we calculated, without discovering any signs which tempted us to dig; for we were unwilling to make the attempt without a prospect of success.
I was next to Boxall; and after we had gone some way he came nearer to me, and shouted that he would diverge to the left, towards a slight elevation, desiring us to go on slowly, and to halt should we lose sight of him. "I will make a signal, should I find any sign of water," he added. By this time my mouth and tongue had become fearfully parched, and I earnestly hoped that he would succeed. Continuing to look out for the usual signs--a little verdure, with a slight depression in the sand--I went on slowly till I got near enough to Halliday to tell him what Boxall had said; and he repeated the order to Ben. We had not gone much further when I felt great hopes, from the appearance of a spot before me, that water might be found; so calling to Halliday and Ben, they joined me. I looked round to make the sign agreed on to Boxall, when, to our dismay, we saw an Arab on a camel rapidly approaching him!
We had been partly concealed by a sand-hill, and so the Arab had not, apparently, observed us. It was evident, however, that Boxall had not a chance of escape. He must have thought so himself, as he stood calmly awaiting the arrival of the Arab, who pulled up his camel as he got close to him. We stood for a minute irresolute, not knowing what to do; but as the Arab did not raise his weapon, we believed he had no hostile intentions, and was not likely to injure our friend. Boxall had now thrown down his wooden sword, and was holding out his hand as if to greet the Arab in a friendly way. The latter also stretched out his hand, and we hoped that the interview would pa.s.s off peaceably, when, to our astonishment, we saw the Arab lean over from his saddle, and by a sudden jerk seize Boxall by the arm and place him by his side; then giving the animal a blow with his spear or goad, it set off at a gallop across the desert.
We now rushed forward, Halliday and I shouting to the Arab to stop, while Ben with loud cries advised Boxall to give the black rascal a thundering clout on the head, and that we would quickly come to his a.s.sistance; but I am inclined to think that neither the one nor the other heard us. Boxall did endeavour to release himself, but the Arab held him fast. Indeed, at the rate the camel was going, he could not otherwise have stuck on.
Fast as the wind, the fleet creature, regardless of the weight of the two men struggling on its back, moved across the desert, its broad feet scarcely making an impression on the sand. We ran and shouted in vain: the camel rapidly distanced us, and making towards the south-east, disappeared at length among the sand-hills; while we, almost exhausted, sank down on the ground.
All our previous misfortunes had not weighed so heavily on me as this.
As far as we could tell, our friend might be carried into helpless captivity far away in the interior of Africa. Poor fellow! my heart bled for him. He had fully expected to obtain his promotion on returning home, and to be married to a very charming girl, of whom he had often spoken to me; for he had an independent property, though, having no interest, he had long remained a mate.
We felt ourselves still at liberty, and did not consider that his fate might probably be ours before long; for how could we hope, without the help of his judgment and thoughtfulness, to make our way over some hundred miles of desert? Had we known, indeed, one tenth part of the difficulties to be encountered, we should have said that it was impossible.
"We are not going to let Mr Boxall be carried off by that black chap without trying to get him back, I hope," exclaimed Ben at length.
"Certainly not," I said.
"Of course not," exclaimed Halliday. "We must follow him till we get near the Arab camp, and then try and let him know that we are near at hand to help him to escape."
It struck me that this proposition was very good in theory, but unlikely to succeed in practice. I did not say so, however, as I was unwilling to damp the ardour of my companions, or to show any want of interest in our friend.
"If we are to overtake him, we must set forth at once," I observed. "It will be difficult enough to trace him in the daytime, and impossible in the darkness; and that fleet camel may have pa.s.sed over many miles of ground before night sets in."
Halliday, I should have said, had a small compa.s.s attached to his watch-chain. It was a trifling little thing, and of scarcely any use at sea; but, placed on the ground, it would enable us to take the bearings of an object with tolerable accuracy. He at once put it down, and we marked the direction the Arab had taken; it was almost due south-east.
"Shall we make sail, sir?" asked Ben, who was eager to be off.
"Yes," I said. "You, Ben, lead, and keep straight ahead for the northern end of the most distant sand-hill in sight; while Mr Halliday and I will keep twelve paces apart, and twelve paces behind you. We shall thus form a triangle, and if we see you turning we will put you straight again. I think in that way we shall be able to keep a direct course."
"I understand, sir," said Ben.
Having measured our distances, we set off. We were already on the edge of the level desert, so that we had no impediments to interfere with our march. Had I been more sanguine of success, I should have gone on with better spirits; but with the slight hopes I entertained of overtaking Boxall, and suffering in common with my companions from excessive thirst, my spirits flagged, and I could with difficulty drag on my weary feet over the hot sand. But having reached the point for which we had been steering, we brought up; and again placing the compa.s.s on the ground, took a fresh departure. We had now no object by which to direct our course, and had it not been for the plan I had thought of, we should have had constantly to stop and ascertain by the compa.s.s whether we were steering right. The long shadows in front of us--or rather somewhat to the left--showed us that the sun was sinking low, and that unless we could reach the neighbourhood of the Arab camp before dark we should have to pa.s.s the night in the open desert. We pushed on bravely.
Still, I confess I could hardly drag my feet after me; and I observed when I turned my eyes towards Halliday, that he was walking with yet greater difficulty, though unwilling to complain. Longer and longer grew our shadows--still the apparently illimitable desert stretched out before us--but nowhere was the camel to be seen. Influenced by Ben"s zeal, I had been induced to undertake the pursuit; but I now began to repent having yielded to it.
At length Halliday cried out, "Charlie, I can do no more!" and sank on the ground. So I called to Ben to stop, and we threw ourselves down by our companion"s side.
CHAPTER EIGHT.
THE SEARCH FOR BOXALL--THE ARAB ENCAMPMENT--WE FIND WATER--BEN MAKES A "CIRc.u.mBENDIBUS" OF THE ARAB CAMP--CAPTURED BY BLACK ARABS--ANTONIO"S ESCAPE FROM THE WRECK--HIS RECEPTION BY THE OUADLIMS.
Night found us in the midst of the vast desert, numberless low sand-hills scattered about around us, and the starry sky overhead. Here we must remain until daylight, or retrace our steps to the sea-sh.o.r.e.
We might manage to get back, if we had strength sufficient to walk, as the stars would serve us as a guide, and a few points out of our direct course would not make much difference; whereas, should we attempt to keep to the south-east, we should very probably pa.s.s some distance either on the one side or the other of the line we wished to follow, and miss the Arab camp altogether. We could not hide from ourselves, too, the danger to which we were exposed from wild beasts; for besides hyenas--of the existence of which in the neighbourhood we had had ocular evidence--there was reason to believe that tigers, panthers, and even lions might be prowling about in search of prey; and our wooden swords, even though their points had been hardened in the fire, would be of little avail should we be attacked. I did not express my apprehensions to my companions, however, though I had no doubt they also entertained them. My duty, I felt, as the leader of the party in the place of Boxall, was to do my utmost to keep up my own and their spirits.
We sat silent for some time; Halliday was the first to speak. "I wish that I had a mouthful of water," he said, in a hoa.r.s.e voice. "Should we push on and find none to-morrow, what are we to do?"
I could not answer his question.
"But we may find some, sir," said Ben. "The Arabs are sure not to encamp unless they can get it for themselves and their beasts."
"But suppose we miss the Arab encampment?" asked Halliday.
Ben could not answer _that_ question. I thought it was time for me to speak.
"I am very unwilling to give up the search for Mr Boxall," I said; "but unless we are prepared to lose our own lives, with a very remote prospect of a.s.sisting him, I believe that our only course is to make our way back to the coast, where we have a better chance than here of obtaining both food and water. I propose, therefore, that we remain here till we are rested, and then make the best of our way to the sea-sh.o.r.e. We must manage, in the meantime, to do without water; and as we have a supply of cooked limpets in our pockets, we had better make our supper off them, and then lie down and rest. I am ready to take the first watch; you, Ben, shall take the second; and that will give time to Mr Halliday, who is more tired than either of us, to recover his strength."
My companions agreed to the proposal; and hunger being our sauce, we managed to get down a considerable portion of our store of limpets.
Knowing that should I go to sleep both myself and my companions might be pounced upon by some wild beast, I did not venture to lie down, but leaned forward as I sat on the ground, supporting my hands on my wooden sword; and the moment I began to get drowsy I rose to my feet, with the intention, as long as I could walk, of pacing up and down close to them.
I had just risen, when, turning my eyes to the north-east, I observed a bright glare in the sky. My first idea was that it must be the moon rising; and then I recollected that it would not appear above the horizon for some hours, and was convinced that the light was produced by an extensive fire. Never having heard of prairie fires in that part of Africa,--there being little or no gra.s.s to burn,--I came to the conclusion that there must be a camp in that direction; possibly the one to which the Arab had carried off Boxall, though he appeared to us to have taken a much more southerly route. I watched the light carefully, till I was convinced that I was right, and that it came from an Arab camp; then I at once aroused my companions.
"Now is the time to get near them, then," exclaimed Ben. "We shall be able to see them though they cannot see us, and we shall thus have a better chance of finding out whether Mr Boxall is among them."
We at once got up; and, guided by the light, we made our way without difficulty. It evidently proceeded from a large encampment, as the fires covered a considerable extent of ground,--which showed us that there must be a number of bushes or trees in the neighbourhood, to supply fuel. On we went, the light still increasing, till we found ourselves on somewhat rougher ground, slanting upwards, behind which we had no doubt the camp would be found. After going on for some time longer, we could clearly distinguish the forms of a number of horses standing up, and of camels lying down, with their drivers among them-- the light of the fires on the further side throwing them into bold relief. As we walked side by side, with our eyes turned up at them, we were all three nearly falling down together head foremost into a deep hole, to the edge of which we had suddenly come. Ben, who was the first to see it, caught hold of me, and I held back Halliday.
"What can it be?" he asked, kneeling down and peering into the hole.
"A well," I answered, "at which probably the animals from yonder encampment have been watered."
"I only hope, then, that they have left us enough to quench our thirst,"
said Halliday.
Ben offered to go down and explore the hole, for in the darkness we could not see how deep it was; and we knelt down, grasping him by the hand while he descended.