Guardian of the Horizon - Elizabeth Peters [69]
“That’s a good one,” Ramses said appreciatively. “New, is it?”
Daoud beamed and Masud backed off, wringing his hands and nodding energetically. Whether it was the promise or the implicit threat, he had been cowed, and although the rest of the men did not look happy, I did not believe they would rebel, as our former crew had done.
Emerson agreed. “These fellows are loyal; they are only a bit timid. Ah well, tomorrow will tell the tale. By morning we will be halfway between the river and the first oasis. If we can get them past that point, they will have to come on with us or risk getting lost and running out of water. Let us hope there are no more untoward incidents tonight.”
“Untoward incidents, indeed,” I said sarcastically. “Another attack, you mean.”
“The Tebu do not attack at night,” said Emerson, with a certainty I wished I shared.
As it turned out, they did not. Morning dawned clear and bright and the first rays of the sun illumined the landmark we sought: a tumble of black stone, marked by a pair of columnar shapes. As Emerson had discovered on our first trip, it was the ruin of a small building, most probably a shrine, dating from Meroitic times. The desert had been less arid when the noble families of that vanished civilization traveled westward. There may have been water here two thousand years ago, though there was certainly no evidence of it now, nor of any life.
The fact that the night had passed without “untoward incident” had restored the confidence of our drivers. I had thought they might entertain superstitious fears of the ancient ruin—which, as all men knew, were haunted by ghosts and afrits—but as I overheard one of them remark, “The Father of Curses and the Sitt Hakim know how to drive off demons, and if evil men come, we can hide behind the stones.”
It was a very sensible way of looking at the matter.
So there was relieved laughter and even a snatch of song as the men set up the tents and tended to the camels. As I had expected he would, Emerson immediately discarded his coat and began crawling round the tumbled stones, emitting little yelps of excitement like a dog nosing out rabbit burrows. Ramses paced restlessly back and forth, while Selim and I boiled water for tea. I did hope Ramses was not still brooding about my request. It did not seem likely. My son was not one to let his imagination run away with him.
“Father,” he said suddenly. “Have a look, will you?”
“What is it?” I exclaimed, rising to my feet. “Oh dear, not the Tebu again!”
“No, it’s all right,” Ramses said. “But something’s coming this way. I can’t make it out, the sun is in my eyes. Father?”
Emerson’s eyes followed the direction of his pointing finger. “An animal of some sort.”
“Yes, sir,” Ramses said patiently.
“Well, curse it, your eyes are better than mine. If you can’t tell what sort of animal, how do you expect me to? It’s not moving very fast. A gazelle?”
“Out here?”
In my opinion this was no time for idle speculation, however much they appeared to enjoy it. “Use the binoculars,” I said, somewhat sharply.
“What? Oh,” said Emerson. “Where are they?”
“Where you left them, I suppose. Never mind, I will get them.”
I went back to the tent and located Emerson’s binoculars, under his coat and hat, which he had thrown on the ground. When I returned to the group, the men, including Selim, were still arguing. They had agreed that the animal must be a camel, but could not identify the nature of its rider.
“It is a strange shape,” Selim said somewhat nervously. “Not like a man. Does it have—does it have two heads?”
Honestly, I thought. Men. Raising the binoculars to my eyes, I adjusted the focus. The animal was a camel. There were two heads, which was not surprising, since there were two people. I recognized one of them immediately—Mr. Newbold, the Great White Hunter, who did not look very great at that moment. In one arm he held the other individual, who lay limp in his grasp. The features were hidden, but I felt sure I knew who it was.
Six
From Manuscript H
Ramses couldn’t get the image out of his mind: