Chapter 51 - The Boy Slaves by Mayne Reid
THE SHEIK'S PLAN OF REVENGE
The second sand-pit was dug a short distance from the first; and when it had been sunk to the depth of about four and a half feet, Golah commanded the blacks to leave off their labor,—one of them being sent back to the line to be seated along with his fellow-slaves.
By this time the tents had been struck, the camels loaded; and all but Golah and Fatima appeared willing and anxious to depart from the spot. These were not: for their business at that camping-place had not yet been completed.
When the two guards had again resumed their former stations in front of the line,—as before with their muskets at full cock,—Golah advanced towards the woman, who, disengaging herself from her children, stood up at his approach.
Then succeeded a moment of intense interest.
Was he going to kill her?
If so, in what manner?
All looked on with painful anticipation of some dire event.
It soon transpired. The woman was seized by Golah himself; dragged towards the pits that had been dug; and thrust into one of them. The slave who wielded the spade was then commanded to fill up the excavation around her.
Terence was the first to speak.
"God help her!" he exclaimed; "the monster is going to bury her alive! Can't we save her?"
"We are not men if we do not try!" exclaimed Harry, as he suddenly sprang to his feet.
His example was immediately followed by his white companions.
The two muskets were instantly directed towards them; but at a shout from Golah their muzzles were as quickly dropped.
The sheik's son then, at his father's command, ran to the pit to secure the woman, while Golah himself rushed forward to meet the helpless men who were advancing towards him.
In an instant the four were thrown prostrate to the earth.
With their hands tied, the powerful sheik upset them as easily as though they had been bags of sand.
Raising Harry by the hair of his head with one hand and Terence with the other, he dragged them back to their places in the line where they had been already seated.
Sailor Bill saved himself from like treatment by rolling over and over until he had regained his former place. Colin was allowed to lie on the ground where the sheik had knocked him over.
Golah now returned to the pit where the woman stood half buried.
She made no resistance—she uttered no complaint—but seemed calmly to resign herself to a fate that could not be averted. Golah apparently did not intend to behold her die, for, when the earth was filled in around her body, her head still remained above ground. She was to be starved to death! As the sheik was turning away to attend to other matters, the woman spoke. Her words were few, and produced no effect upon him. They did, however, upon the Krooman, whose eyes were seen to fill with tears that rapidly chased each other down his mahogany-colored cheeks.
Colin, who seemed to notice everything except the fate threatening himself, observed the Krooman's excitement, and inquired its cause.
"She ask him to be kind to her little boy," said the man, in a voice trembling with emotion.
Are tears unmanly?—No.
The shining drops that rolled from that man's eyes, and sparkled adown his dusky cheeks, on hearing the unfortunate woman's prayer for her children, proved that he was not a brute, but a man,—a man with a soul that millions might envy.
After leaving the place where the woman was buried, Golah walked up to Colin; and, dragging him to his feet, led him away to the other pit.
His intentions were now evident to all. The two individuals, who had aroused his anger and jealousy, were to be left near each other, buried alive, to perish in this fearful fashion.
"Colin! Colin! what can we do to save you?" exclaimed Harry, in a tone expressing despair and anguish.
"Nothing," answered Colin; "don't attempt it, or you will only bring trouble on yourselves. Leave me to my fate."
At this moment the speaker was thrown into the pit, and held in an upright attitude by Golah, while the black slave proceeded to fill in the earth around him.
Following the philosophical example set by the woman, Colin made no useless resistance; and was soon submerged under the sand piled up to his shoulders. His companions sat gazing with speechless horror, all suffering the combined anguish of shame, regret, and despair.
The sheik was now ready to depart; and ordered the slave who had been assisting him in his diabolical work to mount the camel formerly ridden by the woman who was thus entombed. The black obeyed, pleased to think that his late task was to be so agreeably rewarded; but a sudden change came over his features when Golah and Fatima passed up the three children, and placed them under his care.
Golah had but one more act to perform before leaving the spot. It was an act worthy of himself, although suggested by Fatima.
After filling a bowl about half full of water, he placed it midway between Colin and the woman, but so distant from each that neither could possibly reach it!
This Satanic idea was executed with the design of tantalizing the sufferers in their dying hours with the sight of that element the want of which would soon cause them the most acute anguish. By the side of the bowl he also placed a handful of figs.
"There," he tauntingly exclaimed; "I leave you two together, and with more food and drink than you will ever consume. Am I not kind? What more can you ask? Bismillah! God is great, and Mahomet is his prophet; and I am Golah, the kind, the just!"
Saying this, he gave orders to resume the march.
"Don't move!" exclaimed Terence; "we will give him some trouble yet."
"Of course we'll not go, and leave Colin there," said Harry. "The sheik is too avaricious to kill all his slaves. Don't move a step, Bill, and we may have Colly liberated yet."
"I shall do as you say, ov coorse," said Bill; "but I expect we shall 'ave to go. Golah has got a way of making a man travel, whether he be willing or not."
All started forward from the place but the three white slaves and the two whom Golah intended to remain.
"Cheer up, lad," said Bill to Colin; "we'll never go, and leave you there."
"Go on, go on!" exclaimed Colin. "You can do me no good, and will only injure yourselves."
Golah had mounted his camel and ridden forward, leaving to his two guards the task of driving on the slaves; and, as if apprehensive of trouble from them, he had directed Terence, Harry, Bill, and the Krooman to be brought on with their hands tied behind them.
The three refused to move; and when all efforts to get them on had been tried in vain, the guards made a loud appeal to their sheik.
Golah came riding back in a great rage.
Dismounting from his camel he drew the ramrod from his musket; then, rushing up to Terence, who was the nearest to him, administered to him a shower of blows that changed the color of his shirt from an untidy white to the darker hue of blood.
The two guards, following the example of their lord and master, commenced beating Harry and Bill, who, unable to make any resistance, had to endure the torture in silence.
"Go on, my friends!" exclaimed Colin; "for God's sake, go, and leave me! You cannot do anything to avert my fate!"
Colin's entreaties, as well as the torture from the blows they received, were alike without effect. His shipmates could not bring themselves to desert their old comrade, and leave him to the terrible death that threatened him.
Rushing up to Bill and Harry, Golah caught hold of each, and hurled them to the ground by the side of Terence. Keeping all three together, he now ordered a camel to be led up; and the order was instantly obeyed by one of the guards. The halter was then taken from the head of the animal.
"We 'ave got to go now," said Bill. "He's going to try the same dodge as beat me the other day. I shall save him the trouble."
Bill tried to rise, but was prevented. He had refused to walk when earnestly urged to do so; and now, when he was willing to go on, he had to wait the pleasure of his owner as to the manner in which his journey should be continued.
While Golah was fastening the rope to Harry's hands, the sharp shrill voice of Fatima called his attention to some of the people who had gone on before.
The two women, who led the camels loaded with articles taken from the wreck, had advanced about three hundred yards from the place; and were now, along with the black slaves, surrounded by a party of men mounted on maherries and horses.