“Well, either defending ourselves or pursuing the raiders.”
“Pursuing them?” asked Frank.
Jack nodded.
“When that old woman is able to talk, we’ll find out what happened here tonight,” he said. “If Sheik Abraham and his few tribesmen and women were carried off captive, and there is a chance we can help them, I know father will want to do it.”
“And I’ll want to do it, too,” said big Bob, gruffly. “Darned shame these people getting into trouble, and perhaps on our account, too.”
“Our account?” It was Jack’s turn to look surprised.
“Sure thing,” said Bob, slangily. “Why not? How else can you figure it? Who was killed? Nobody but the Professor and Ben Hassim, the two men who had penetrated the Shaitun Mountains and found this old city and learned about a way to get to Athensi. Who killed ’em? Well, by the looks of that wounded fellow your father is doctoring, it was a raiding party of Athensians.”
Everybody looked thoughtful. As for Jack, he felt increased respect for his big friend’s powers of reasoning.
“But, great Scott, Bob, what would bring them six or seven days across the desert?” he demanded. “As far as the Professor ever could discover, they never left their hidden strongholds. Oh, of course, once a year a party went to Gao. But I understood that lay in an opposite direction from this oasis across the desert.”
Ali, who had been an interested listener to this discussion, interrupted.