|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 97
"It's the morning after," said Billy, testing his shoulder with wry
grimaces. "It's yesterday's speed--and then this infernally cold
night. No wonder we're lame. Why, I have one universal crick
wherever I used to have muscles. But let me call your attention to
the fact that we are in the wilds of Egypt and that tangerines are
hardly a lasting breakfast. Something has to be done."
"Not upon camels," said Arlee fixedly.
"They say it doesn't hurt after an hour or so more."
"I shouldn't live to find out."
"A walk," he suggested, "a slow, swaying, gently undulating
walk----?"
"A long, lingering, agonizing death," the young lady translated.
She tossed the curly end of her braid over her shoulder and rose,
with sounds of lamentation. "I ought to have known better than to
sit down again when I was once up," she confided sadly.
"Just what," inquired her companion, "is your idea for the day? How
do you expect to reach Girgeh? It can't be very far away now----"
"Then we'll walk--_we'll_ walk," she emphasized, "and tow those
ships of the desert after us. That will be bad enough, but
better--_what's that?_"
Like a top, for all his stiffness, Billy spun about to stare where
her finger pointed. Over the crest of a hillock, far to the
north--yes, something was hurrying their way.
"A man on horseback," said Arlee anxiously. "They can't have traced
us, can they, all this way----?"
"Of course not--but we'll take no chances," returned Billy briskly;
"no more talk of pedestrian tours now!" and promptly he helped the
girl, no longer demurring, into the saddle, and thwacked her camel
into arising, just dodging the long, yellow teeth that the resentful
beast tried to fasten upon his shoulder.
They started at no soothing walk, but at a hurrying trot.
Worriedly, her delicate brows knitting, "It's absurd, but," said
Arlee, "they could have traced us, I suppose, from my telegraphing
at that little native station for my trunks to be sent."
"And mine," said Billy. "And from my trying to get my letter of
credit cashed."
"That Captain could have telegraphed to all the places down the
line to know if we'd been seen----"
"Even if we hadn't wired or tried to get money, our presence alone
and our buying food would have aroused talk. I told everybody," the
young man continued, "that I was an artist and you were my sister,
and that passed all right--but if Kerissen has been making
inquiries----"
"I'm desperately glad we didn't go back toward Assiout," she thrust
in. "We'd have walked right into some trap of his!"
"Lord knows what we ought to have done! Lord knows what we ought to
do now!"
"Just keep on going," she encouraged. "We can't be very far from
Girgeh, can we?"
"I don't know," said Billy soberly. "It may be half a day or a whole
day more--you remember how vague that old woman was last night...!"
Bitterly he added, "And I'm afraid you've got a chump of a guide."
"I've the best one in the world!" she flashed indignantly.
But her assurance brought no solace to the young man's troubled
soul. He reflected that they could have taken a train the day
before. To be sure, he had not money enough for tickets to Luxor,
yet he had enough for two to Girgeh. But Arlee had shrunk from
entering a train in her dishevelled costume, fearful of watching
eyes and gossiping tongues, and had advised riding on to Girgeh,
where shops and banks would help them, and he had yielded apparently
to her desires, but in reality to his own secret self that clung to
every joyful contraband moment of this magic time with her.
Sincerely he had thought their danger ended.... But those trailing
horsemen--"_Brute!_" he raged dumbly at himself. "Dolt! Idiot!"
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|