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Updated: June 6, 2025
"Why did you not reply to our knocking?" El Bakhat asked angrily. "Is this your hospitality to strangers?" "My lord must pardon me," he said submissively; "but it was but last week that a party of the Mahdi's soldiers came along here and stripped the village of all it possessed, and drove off its bullocks and sheep. Save our grain, we have nought that we can call our own."
If we can get a mile away from the footmen before they come up to us we can thrash the horsemen." The start they had obtained while the man who had recognized El Bakhat was explaining to the others who he was and how much his capture was desired at Khartoum, was invaluable to the fugitives, and the horsemen started in a body, shouting and yelling and firing their guns.
"He has not told me the sum," El Bakhat said. "Tell him the terms, Ben Ibyn," Rupert put in. "Not of course those you have already received for your expenses, but the sum that is to be paid you when you arrive at a port." The sheik repeated the terms to El Bakhat, who at once expressed himself as perfectly satisfied with them. "The English are rich and generous," he said.
Four hundred pounds was the amount that Ben Ibyn had been promised on delivering Rupert in safety at one of the ports, and an equal sum was to be given to El Bakhat.
"I speak a little Arabic," Edgar replied, inwardly congratulating himself upon the trouble he had taken to pick up a little of the language during the time he had been in Egypt. The answer was evidently satisfactory. The chief bowed his head. "It is good!" he said. "The Kaffir is henceforth a slave in the tents of the Sheik Bakhat of the Jahrin tribe."
"El Bakhat will do his best to take them where they wish to go." "Are you thinking of travelling with all this train?" Rupert asked Ben Ibyn. "No, there is no occasion to do so. I have friends at a village on the Nile, and there my followers and their camels will remain, and El Bakhat's wife and child will remain with them also.
"Then the other heirie is yours, El Bakhat," Rupert said, "as a special present from me for the kindness you have shown my brother. What do you both mean to do now?" "We have agreed to journey up the coast together and then to travel across the mountains to Assouan, and there buy camels and goods, or we may buy them here if we see bargains to suit us. Then we shall turn south.
When the Mahdists rode up the sheik rose and saluted their commander. "Who are you?" the officer asked. "I am an humble person, one El Bakhat of the Jahrin tribe, travelling with my camels and some little merchandise." "Have you the permit of one of the Mahdi's officers to trade?" "No, my lord, I did not know that it was needful." "Assuredly it is needful," the officer said.
El Bakhat says that in a casual conversation now no one would notice that I was not a native. So if we do get into any mess and have to ride for it by ourselves, we shall have no difficulty in making our way across the country; but I do not see much chance of that.
Get everything you want; you will have no difficulty in finding everything in the Arab quarter. Skinner, lend me a sovereign, will you? We have been living on barter for a long time, but they will want money here." "This is worth five dollars," he said as he handed the money to El Bakhat; "but, ah! I forgot, Ben Ibyn knows about the value of English money.
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