Author: Henryk Sienkiewicz
Category: Nonfiction
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innocence and unhappy plight, she began to weep and at the sametime wail mournfully as women in the East do after losing husbands orsons. Afterwards she again flung herself with face on the ground, orrather on the carpet with which the inlaid floor was covered, andwaited in silence.
Nell, who towards the close of the dinner felt a little sleepy, becamethoroughly aroused and, having an upright little heart, seized herfather's hand, and kissing it again and again, began to beg for Fatma.
"Let papa help her! Do please, papa!"
Fatma, evidently understanding English, exclaimed amidst her sobs, notremoving her face from the carpet:
"May Allah bless thee, bird of paradise, with the joys of Omayya, oh,star without a blemish!"
However implacable Stas in his soul was towards the Mahdists, he wasmoved by Fatma's entreaties and grief. Besides, Nell interceded for herand he in the end always wanted that which Nell wished. So after awhile he spoke out, as if to himself but so that all could hear him:
"If I were the Government, I would allow Fatma to go."
"But as you are not the Government," Pan Tarkowski said to him, "youwould do better not to interfere in that which does not concern you."
Mr. Rawlinson also had a compassionate soul and was sensible of Fatma'ssituation, but certain statements which she made struck him as beingdownright falsehoods. Having almost daily relations with thecustom-house at Ismailia, he well knew that no new cargoes of gums orivory were being transported lately through the Canal. The trade inthose wares had ceased almost entirely. Arabian traders, moreover,could not return from the city of El-Fasher which lay in the Sudan, asthe Mahdists, as a rule, barred all traders from their territories, andthose whom they captured were despoiled and kept in captivity. And itwas almost a certainty that the statement about Smain's sickness was afalsehood.
But as Nell's little eyes were still looking at her papa appealingly,he, not desiring to sadden the little girl, after a while said to Fatma:
"Fatma, I already have written at your request to the Government, butwithout result. And now listen. To-morrow, with this mehendis(engineer) whom you see here, I leave for Medinet el-Fayum; on the waywe shall stop one day in Cairo, for the Khedive desires to confer withus about the canals leading from Bahr Yusuf and give us a commission asto the same. During the conference I shall take care to present yourcase and try to secure for you his favor. But I can do nothing more,nor shall I promise more."
Fatma rose and, extending both hands in sign of gratitude, exclaimed:
"And so I am safe."
"No, Fatma," answered Mr. Rawlinson, "do not speak of safety for Ialready told you that death threatens neither you nor your children.But that the Khedive will consent to your departure I do not guarantee,for Smain is not sick but is a traitor, who, having taken money fromthe Government, does not at all think of ransoming the captives fromMohammed Ahmed."
"Smain is innocent, sir, and lies in El-Fasher," reiterated Fatma, "butif even he broke his faith with the Government, I swear before you, mybenefactor, that if I am allowed to depart I will entreat MohammedAhmed until I secure the deliverance of your captives."
"Very well. I promise you once more that I will intercede for you withthe Khedive."
Fatma began to prostrate herself.
"Thank you, Sidi! You are not only powerful, but just. And now Ientreat that you permit me to serve you as a slave."
"In Egypt no one can be a slave," answered Mr. Rawlinson with a smile."I have enough servants and cannot avail myself of your services; for,as I told you, we all are leaving for Medinet and perhaps will remainthere until Ramazan."
"I know, sir, for the overseer, Chadigi, told me about that. I, when Iheard of it, came not only to implore you for help, but also to tellyou that two men of my Dongola tribe, Idris and Gebhr, are cameldrivers in Medinet and will prostrate themselves before you when youarrive, submitting to your commands themselves and their camels."
"Good, good," answered the director, "but that is the affair of theCook Agency, not mine."
Fatma, having kissed the hands of the two engineers and the children,departed blessing Nell particularly. Both gentlemen remained silent fora while, after which Mr. Rawlinson said:
"Poor woman! But she lies as only in the East they know how to lie, andeven in her declaration of gratitude there is a sound of some falsenote."
"Undoubtedly," answered Pan Tarkowski; "but to tell the truth, whetherSmain betrayed or did not, the Government has no right to detain her inEgypt, as she cannot be held responsible for her husband."
"The Government does not now allow any Sudanese to leave for Suakin orNubia without a special permit; so the prohibition does not affectFatma alone. Many of them are found in Egypt for they come here forgain. Among them are some who belong to the Dongolese tribe; that isthe one from which the Mahdi comes. There are, for instance, besidesFatma, Chadigi and those two camel drivers in Medinet. The Mahdistscall the Egyptians Turks and are carrying on a war with them, but amongthe local Arabs can be found a considerable number of adherents of theMahdi, who would willingly join him. We must number among them all thefanatics, all the partisans of Arabi Pasha, and many among the poorerclasses. They hold it ill of the Government that it yielded entirely toEnglish influence and claim that the religion suffers by it. God knowshow many already have escaped across the desert, avoiding the customarysea route to Suakin. So the Government, having learned that Fatma alsowanted to run away, ordered her to be put under surveillance. For herand her children only, as relatives of the Mahdi himself, can anexchange of the captives be effected."
"Do the lower classes in Egypt really favor the Mahdi?"
"The Mahdi has followers even in the army, which perhaps for thatreason fights so poorly."
"But how can the Sudanese fly across the desert? Why, that is athousand miles."
"Nevertheless, by that route slaves were brought into Egypt."
"I should judge that Fatma's children could not endure such a journey."
"That is why she wants to shorten it and ride by way of the sea toSuakin."
"In any case, she is a poor woman."
With this the conversation concluded.
Twelve hours later "the poor woman," having carefully closeted herselfin her house with the son of the overseer Chadigi, whispered to himwith knitted brows and a grim glance of her beautiful eyes:
"Chamis, son of Chadigi, here is the money. Go even to-day to Medinetand give to Idris this writing, which the devout dervish Bellali, at myrequest, wrote to him. The children of the mehendes are good, but if Ido not obtain a permit, then there is no other alternative. I know youwill not betray me. Remember that you and your father too come from theDongolese tribe in which was born the great Mahdi."
III
Both engineers left the following night for Cairo where they were tovisit the British minister plenipotentiary and hold an audience withthe viceroy. Stas calculated that this would require two days, and hiscalculation appeared accurate, for on the third day at night hereceived from his father, who was already at Medinet, the followingmessage: "The tents are ready. You are to leave the moment yourvacation begins. Inform Fatma through Chadigi that we could notaccomplish anything for her." A similar message was also received byMadame Olivier who at once, with the assistance of the negress Dinah,began to make preparations for the journey.
The sight of these preparations gladdened the hearts of the children.But suddenly an accident occurred which deranged their plans and seemedlikely to prevent their journey. On the day on which Stas' wintervacation began and on the eve of their departure a scorpion stungMadame Olivier during her afternoon nap in the garden. These venomouscreatures in Egypt are not usually very dangerous, but in this case thesting might become exceptionally baleful. The scorpion had crawled ontothe head-rest of the linen chair and stung Madame Olivier in the neckat a moment when she leaned her head against the rest. As she hadsuffered lately from erysipelas in the face, fear was entertained thatthe sickness might recur. A physician was summoned a
t once, but hearrived two hours later as he had engagements elsewhere. The neck andeven the face were already swollen, after which fever appeared, withthe usual symptoms of poisoning. The physician announced that under thecircumstances there could not be any talk of a journey and ordered thepatient to bed. In view of this it seemed highly probable that thechildren would be compelled to pass the Christmas holidays at home. Injustice to Nell it must be stated that in the first momentsparticularly she thought more of the sufferings of her teacher than ofthe lost pleasures in Medinet. She only wept in corners at the thoughtof not seeing her father for a few weeks. Stas did not accept theaccident with the same resignation. He first forwarded a dispatch andafterwards mailed a letter with an inquiry as to what they were to do.The reply came in two days. Mr.