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Updated: June 2, 2025
Within ten yards of him was a black head, and a moment later Zaki was beside him. He had been working at Gregory's Maxim, and had suddenly missed his master. Looking round, he had seen him struggling with the woman in the stream, and without hesitation had leapt overboard. "I am sorry you came," Gregory said, "for it is only throwing away your life.
"We are off again, Zaki," he said, when he returned to his hut; where the black was engaged in sweeping up the dust, and arranging everything as usual. "Yes, master." Zaki suspended his work. "When do we go?" "Tomorrow morning." "Do we take everything with us?" "No. I start in uniform. We shall both want Dervish dresses, but you need not trouble about them they will be got for us."
"We must drink as little as we can, Zaki, and give the horses only a mouthful, now and then, and let them munch the shrubs and get a little moisture from them. Do you think there is any fear of the Dervishes following our tracks?" "No, my lord. In the first place, they do not know that there are two of us, or that we are mounted.
Several of the native boats, that had already landed their stores, would leave on the following day; and Gregory obtained an order for the passage of the two women. He then drew some money from the paymaster and, on his return to headquarters, gave Zaki a hundred dollars for his sisters. The black was overpowered with joy and, going off, returned with the two girls for they were little more.
When the ball had been extracted from his shoulder, and the wound dressed and bandaged by the surgeon in charge, Gregory went up to the tents again, where he was warmly received by the three white officers of the Negro regiment. Breakfast already had been prepared, Zaki being handed over to the native officers.
With a cordial shake of the hand, he said goodbye to Gregory. The latter went off to his hut. He did not leave it until dusk, and then went down to the boat, where Zaki had remained with the horses. As soon as it started they lay down alongside some bales, on the deck of the native craft, and were soon asleep. They did not wake until a slight bump told them they were alongside the wharf, at Korti.
This was done, the door closed and, as it did not fit at all tightly, the cracks were filled with some damp earth from the watercourse. "What did you pay for the shovel, Zaki?" "Half a dollar, bey. Here is the other half." "Well, you had better go and buy some things for yourself. Tomorrow I will make other arrangements. Get a fire going out here.
Zaki nodded. "Plenty of creatures," he said, "some snakes." "Then we will smoke them out, before I go in. When you have got the rubbish out, make a fire in the middle, wet some leaves and things and put them on, and we will hang a blanket over the window and shut the door. I will moisten some powder and scatter it among the leaves, and the sulphur will help the smoke to bring them down."
Zaki asked, as he came up. "Yes, we must fly at once! I was discovered, and had to kill or at least badly wound a sheik, and they are searching for me everywhere." "I have saddled the horses, and put the water skins on them." "That is well done, Zaki. Let us mount and be off, at once. We will lead the horses. It is too dark to gallop among these bushes, and the sound of the hoofs might be heard.
He therefore walked down again to the spot where he had left them; and, mounting, they rode to the camp, making a wide sweep so as to avoid the front facing Metemmeh. "We could camp equally well, anywhere here, Zaki, but we may as well go round to the extreme left; as, if we have to ride off suddenly, we shall at least start from the nearest point to the line by which we came."
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