IT was a long and tedious journey to the dwelling-place of the tribe of the Fessarah, but we made it without adventure. I had restored my charges to the arms of their kindred, had been blessed with all the choicest blessings of this world and the world to come, and had parted from the grateful people laden with gifts, and was now taking the shortest route to Khartum, where I was to resign my "Asaker" to their rightful commander, the Reis Effendina, Achmed Abd el Iusaf.

It was not long after the rains, and the savannah, which at that season is covered with verdure in the northern and western part of Kordofan, although later it resembles a barren desert, was still so green that had I been mounted on a horse instead of a "hedschin," as riding camels are called, I should have thought myself back in one of our own Western prairies.

Thanks to the juicy grass, we were able to ride longer than usual before seeking water for our beasts, but when we came to the "bir atschahn," which means "thirsty lake," and is so called because during the dry season it lacks water, it was high time that we filled our skins again and watered our camels. I should never have found the lake, for it lay in the midst of the flat savannah, with no tree or shrub to mark the spot, but it was well known to our guide, whom the Fessarah Sheik had sent to conduct us to Khartum, and who knew every foot of the country as

well as he knew the long Arabian gun which he carried. This gun was the idol of his heart; it was never out of his hand, and he loved to talk about it. As we sat down by the edge of the lake he caressed it lovingly and said: "Did you ever see such a work, Effendi? Is it not marvelous?"

The barrel of the gun was inlaid with ivory in a design that I could not make out, so I answered discreetly: "It's fine, really magnificent! But what is it?"

"What is it?" he cried. "What a question! Don't you see what it is? Here, look at it closely." And he held the barrel under my very nose.

I did my best to make out what the thing was, but in vain; it was not an inscription, not a picture -- it was absolutely nothing.

"You are blind!" cried its owner. "May Allah enlighten your eyes! But you are a Christian, so it is not strange that you do not recognize the figure; a believing Moslem would have known at a glance what it was. Can't you see that it is a head?"

A head! There was not the least trace of one; at most, it might have been taken for the unformed head of a hippopotamus. So I shook my own head.

"You cannot? Allah, wallah, tallah. It is the head of the Prophet, who sits in the highest heaven."

"Impossible! There is no sign of a head here. Where is the nose?"

"There is none, Effendi. The Prophet needs no nose; he is the purest of spirits, possessing in himself ten thousand sweet odors."

"Where is the mouth?"

"It is lacking, for the Prophet needs no mouth; he speaks to us through the Koran."

"Well, I don't see the eyes."

"Why should there be eyes? The Project needs not to see, for before Allah all things are open."

"I've been looking for the ears, but I cannot find them."

"Because there are none. The Prophet does not need to hear our prayers, for he himself wrote them for us before we were born."

"Where is the beard?"

"There is none. Who would dare profane in ivory the beard by which we swear our most sacred oaths?"

"Then there is nothing of the head here but the brow?"

"Not that, either. The brow is the seat of the spirit; it must not be represented."

"Do you mean there is nothing there at all?"

"Nothing at all," he nodded complacently, "yet I know every feature of the face. The artist who carved this knew not the command that we should not make the image of a man. He had seen the Prophet only in spirit, for the gun is very ancient; it was made before the Prophet was born."

"That can't be, for then powder was not in use."

"Effendi, do not deprive me of the glory of possessing such a gun. Why should there be powder? If Allah wills it so, a man can shoot without powder."

"I admit that Allah can work miracles; here there seems to be two; first, a shotgun made before powder was invented, and, secondly, a portrait of the Prophet made before he was born."

"I have already told you that the artist saw the Prophet in spirit. It was a vision, and therefore this is a vision gun."

"Ah, a vision gun! That is good. I don't believe there is another existing."

"Yes, it is the only one. You are right, and I am glad that at last you see its value. It is sacred to me; it has

come down to me from father to son from the artist, whose descendant I am; I shall leave it to my oldest son. It does not shoot straight; I can never aim directly at what I wish to shoot, it must point a little higher, a little lower, or to the left or the right, but I will not have a new barrel put in, for it would be sacrilege, and it is enough to own such a gun without hitting what I shoot at."

"That is a matter of choice; for myself, I should consider that the best gun which attained the end for which it was made."

"Which is what my gun does! My vision gun proves that my ancestor saw the Prophet, and that is more than enough; it does not matter how it shoots."

"And in the meantime," I cried, springing to my feet, "here comes a rider."

The man had ridden softly over the grass without our hearing him, and now dismounted close behind us.

"Sallam aaleïkum! Will you permit me, sir, to water my camel at this lake?" he said, "and also slake my own thirst ?"

"Aaleïkum sallam! The lake is here for every one, and I cannot hinder you from using it if you will," I replied ungraciously, for he struck me unfavorably.

The stranger gave me a mistrustful glance, led his camel to the water, filled his water skin, and turned to me. "I am a peddler," he said before I could ask a question. "I ride from lake to lake to find those who may be camping along the way and learn what they need."

"You seem to be a novice in the business," I said. "An experienced merchant would come provided with wares, while you carry nothing."

"I return by the same route," he replied, scowling: ''when I bring what is ordered. I carry little, because I do

not wish to retard my camel's speed. Whence do you come? Are these 'Asaker' with you?"

I knew he had lied to me, and I felt too sure what he was to answer him truthfully, so I said: "I come from Badjaruja, and I came upon these 'Asaker' here; they allowed me to rest and refresh myself by the lake."

The corners of his mouth drew together in a derisive curve, but he acted as though he believed me. "I wish I could ask the 'Asaker' to be as good to me, but my time is so closely reckoned that I must resume my ride at once," he said, going over to his camel and mounting. Just as he was about to pass out of hearing he turned in his saddle and called to me: "Sallam, Effendi! You have told me whence you came, but I do not believe you. You have not told me who you are; I think I can guess, however, and you shall learn to know me better."

I remained lying quietly in the same position, and he waved his hand to me mockingly and disappeared from sight.

"What was the meaning of that?" cried our guide. "That was an insult. He did not believe you, and he guessed who you were! What do you think he wants?"

"My life, apparently, as well as yours and the 'Asakers'. There's going to be a fight, and as your vision gun doesn't obey you, perhaps you had better ride home again."

"Effendi, that is unkind! I was to conduct you to Khartum, and I will never leave you till I have done my duty. Why should you think of a fight? "The tribes hereabout are in profound peace at present."

"Because that merchant who just left us is a spy. I believe he comes from Ibn Asl, who seeks revenge for the rescue of your women and who may easily know that I

am going to Khartum. Is there a wooded spot near here where they may be hiding?"

The guide had heard me with horror on his face, but he pulled himself together and said: "I know the very place. If we were to start at once we should get there a half-hour before sunset; it is a small forest of cassia trees."

"Then come," I cried, starting up, "for I am convinced the band is waiting for us, and that spy has ridden on to tell them that he has found us."

We saddled, mounted, and rode rapidly away, following the trail made by the spy when he rode toward us. In half an hour we came upon another trail approaching from the right and uniting with the first one; I dismounted and satisfied myself that they were both made by the spy's camel, which "interfered," and so was easy to identify, and that he had ridden round about to return to the path by which he had come. The last tracks showed that he was riding very rapidly, confirming the theory that he was hastening to carry his news to his leader.

We continued our way, following the double trail, and after an hour came upon a place where the riders had halted. The grass was crushed, and an old trail of three camels, with a new one of one beast led easterly; a single trail ran toward the north and south.

"You see this proves that I was right," I said. "Our foes are in the cassia woods, and the leader had sent out a line of sentinels. Three men came here; two camped here, while the third, the spy we saw, rode farther. He came back announcing that he had found us, and rode on to inform the leader, while the other two went to recall the other sentinels from the north and south to the woods. Look at this crushed grass; the fellows must think we are either blind or fools. Since three men were sent in this

direction it is probable an equal number went in the other ways, which shows we shall have to deal with a considerable force. The trail shows that they are short sighted, but strong in numbers. I will leave it to you what we shall do. Shall we fight them, or shall we avoid them, which we can easily do, now that all the sentinels have been recalled to the woods?"

"Fight, fight!" rose the unanimous answer from all sides.

"Good! We will go to the left and come upon the woods from the north, while they are looking for us from the west. We must ride faster to make up for the extra distance."

We rode on as fast as our camels could run, and after a time came upon the trail of the other sentinels returning. We kept on northeasterly, then for two hours rode southerly, and at last saw a dark line against the horizon, which was the woods. Guided by our Fessarah friend, we approached the place from a point whence a larger force than ours might have been unseen.

The first thing to be done was to learn the plans of our foes, and the task of spying upon them I took upon myself. We hid our camels in a thick growth of balm of gilead trees, behind which no one would see them, and I made ready to reconnoiter. Laying aside my white helmet, I donned a dark garment, reassured Ben Nil, who feared to let me go alone, and started off. I crept through the thick undergrowth for what may have been a quarter of an hour, when it seemed to me that I heard voices to the left. I stood up and listened; yes, there really were voices, men talking not loudly, but yet with no attempt at especial caution. I crept up as near as was safe and recognized one of the voices. It belonged to our recent acquaintance, the spy, and the other was nothing else than

the voice of Abd Asl, the father of the slave-dealer, the holy old fakir who had so nearly murdered Ben Nil and me.

"We will kill them all," he was saying amiably, "except the Christian; him we will spare."

"Why him?" asked the spy. "He should be the first to be killed."

"No, I will take him to my son; he shall suffer long and horrible torture. A quick death for him would not satisfy me. What sort of death would be the best for one who has slain our comrades and spoiled our plans?"

"Those Fessarah slaves would have brought heavy profits. You must cut off his hands and tongue, so that he cannot speak nor write, and can betray nothing. Then you must sell him to the most cruel Negro chief you can find."

"Not a bad idea. Perhaps we will carry it out; perhaps we shall think of a better plan. The foreign dog deserves the worst we can do, for with the devil's help he has discovered all our plans, and has escaped when we were sure we had him."

"Take care he does not escape this time!"

"Have no fear; it is impossible, and when the Reis Effendina has fallen into the trap my son has laid for him, and is even now executing, we shall have wound up the affairs of the entire gang."

I had heard enough and crept back to my comrades, not a little disturbed by the fakir's last words. Evidently I must get through this business quickly and hasten on to Khartum. "Now," I said to the "Asaker" crowding around me when I had repeated to them what I had heard and seen; "now, we are to creep upon them, surprise them, and knock each man senseless with the butt of our guns.

We will not try to kill them, but if one gets a harder blow than we intend we must bear up under his loss. I will undertake the fakir and the spy. As soon as I break through the bushes follow me. There can be no commands given, for no one must speak; unless the surprise is complete they will conquer us, as they outnumber us. You must each knock down three or four foes, so you must be as quick as cats."

"Your plan pleases me, Effendi," said the guide as we started. "I cannot depend on my aim, but the but of my vision gun will make these fellows see stars."

We reached the spot where I had been hidden without being seen, and found everything as it had been a short time before. It took a little time to place my men and indicate to them what each one was to do. Then I hid in a good position, and each of us kept his eyes fixed on his appointed prey. When I saw that everything was ready I sprang through the bushes into the clearing, turned to the right, and with two rapid blows knocked the fakir and the spy senseless. Behind me a mighty wind seemed to be rushing through the bushes -- my "Asaker" were following me. A few feet from my victims sat four men, so stunned by my sudden appearance that they made no attempt to move. I knocked down the first one and the second one; the third attempted defense, but I disposed of him, nevertheless. The fourth tried to escape, but I knocked him down on the other three. I had taken care to strike with the flat side of the gun-handle, which stunned, but did not injure them. Then I looked around to see how the rest were getting on, for six men was my allowance. It was a scene never to be forgotten. The "Asaker" had obeyed my injunction and worked in silence, with the anticipated result, for this very silence had increased the horror of the

onslaught. Beyond the fact that it is never pleasant to see men stricken down, it would have been a delight to the eye of a soldier to see how the "Asaker" performed their task. From the instant when I had sprung through the bushes, to that when the last foe had been laid low scarcely two minutes elapsed, and not a shot or a blow had our foes got in. This was the result of the surprise, such a complete, paralyzing surprise as it had never been my good luck to see. Even now, when it was all over, the "Asaker" remained quiet and looked to me to learn what was to be done next.

"Bind them all, quickly," I cried. "Take ropes, thongs, chains, strips of your clothing, anything. There is no more need of silence; you may speak."

Speak! What is the use of talking of speech in connection with African "Asaker" in such a case? If I had said, "You may howl," it would have been far from an adequate word for what followed. The twenty voices broke into unearthly yells; it sounded as though a hundred demons had broken loose -- yet while they yelled they did not neglect to carry out my orders.

I naturally turned my attention to the fakir and his spy. There was plenty of material at hand for binding the prisoners, for every Bedouin carries rope with him during a long ride; and, besides, the long cords ornamenting and fastening their garments are useful in cases of necessity.

I sat down by my would-be murderer, who shut his eyes to avoid seeing me, either from rage or shame, it did not matter which. "Hail, O great and renowned saint!" I said. I am delighted to see you here, and I hope that you, too, are rejoiced to look upon my countenance."

"Curse you!" he growled half aloud, and without opening his eyes.

"You mistake; you meant to say Bless you! For I know how you have longed for me. You even sent out messengers to look for me. Unfortunately, this desire of yours would have been disastrous to me, for you would have shot down my 'Asaker' and cut off my hands and tongue, and sold me to the most cruel Negro chief."

"He is omniscient!" he exclaimed, opening his eyes in spite of himself to glance at his comrade, whose gaze did not wander from my face, on which it was fastened in a look of bitterest hatred. I nodded to the spy in a friendly way, and said: "You were quite right when you said that I should soon see you again, and learn to know you better. I hardly think you realized how truly you spoke. It was you who conceived the happy idea of cutting out my tongue and doing all the rest of those pleasant things you proposed, and you are not wrong if you anticipate finding me fully appreciative of your intentions."

"I do not understand you," he said. "Why am I bound? Why have you attacked us? I demand to be set free."

"We will fulfil your desire joyfully; you shall be relieved of your bonds when you are delivered over to the executioner. In the meantime meditate on the beauties of Nature around you, on the singular uncertainty of human plans, and on the terrors of death, which awaits you speedily." So saying, I walked away to arrange for our night camp, well-pleased that at last the murderous old humbug of a fakir was come to the end of his rope.

Contents

Introduction