While Mustapha was gone, I replaced the stone door and shoveled back the dirt. Mustapha returned with the camels. They knelt as we loaded the sacks upon them. Around them we piled the bags of dates that had already formed the camels' freight. We turned towards Derne and rode like the wind.
Many hours would pass, I reasoned, before Murad would begin his search. If then he suspected that the tomb had been robbed and made inquiries, many more hours must pass before he could start in pursuit.
As things happened, however, it was not from behind us that danger came. We came into the vicinity of Derne at nightfall, and drove our jaded camels as fast as we could make them fly, fearing always an encounter with the soldiers of Joseph Bashaw. We succeeded in gaining the city's bounds with no adventure except passing through a volley fired at random by guards whom we passed too swiftly to permit them to arrest us, but as we rode through the town at gray dawn we observed no signs of our troops.
We learned from old Omar, an inn-keeper who came drowsily out to open for us, that the ship Constellation had arrived bearing orders to General Eaton to quit Derne at once, since Consul-General Lear had concluded a peace with Tripoli. He told us that General Eaton and all of the Christians in the party, together with Hamet Bashaw and his suite, had embarked on the Constellation in a secret manner, for fear that the people of Derne, and their allies, the Arab supporters of Hamet, would attempt to massacre the party when they found that the war had been abandoned and that they were left to the mercy of Joseph.
Omar described how, when General Eaton had barely gotten clear of the wharf, the soldiers and citizens of Derne had crowded down to the shore shouting prayers to the general and Hamet not to leave them to the mercy of Joseph's soldiers. Finding their pleas of no avail, the soldiers had seized the horses the party had left behind, plundered the tents of the departing officers, and fled towards Egypt.
After this occurrence a Tripolitan officer, a messenger from Joseph Bashaw, had landed from the Constellation under a flag of truce, bearing a message to the people of Derne that Joseph Bashaw would pardon all who laid down their arms and renewed their allegiance to him. Joseph's troops were to begin the occupancy of Derne that morning.
Omar shook his head.
"For myself, I fear nothing. Allah is good. Under his guidance I remained loyal to Joseph. The returning Governor will know that Omar is faithful. But as for my neighbors—let them not trust too much in the Bashaw's promises. If I had fought on Hamet's side I should flee to the mountains!"
Mustapha and I exchanged worried glances. Here we were abandoned by our friends and facing capture by Joseph's soldiers when they entered the city. In that case, our gold and jewels would go to adorn the greedy Joseph's throne. The main object of our treasure search, to provide the general with funds to continue the expedition, could not be carried out. There was nothing to do but flee—but where? From the camp of the enemy came sounds of soldiers assembling. The triumphal entry would soon begin.