“They all go,” he said simply.
“Good,” said Mr. Hampton, not a little affected. “Good.”
“They say Mr. Bob is worth dying for,” added Ali. “Every man loves him. If there is a fight and they die, well, you know, sir, Paradise awaits the Arab who falls in battle.”
Mr. Hampton nodded, unable to trust himself to speak for a moment, as he thought of Bob and the devotion of these Arabs to him. Then when he found his voice he added huskily:
“If any man dies, I’ll provide for his family, Ali, if he has a family. And to all I’ll give double wages for the entire trip should we get safely back to civilization. Tell them that, please. Also, I’ll give each man right now, or as soon as I can write it, an order on the Cairo bankers for 25 pounds (about $1,250). Thus, if I fall, the men still will be provided for.”
Ali repeated Mr. Hampton’s words, and a hum of approval rose from the half dozen Arabs. The sum mentioned was more than any one of them ever dreamed of possessing at one time, and would represent affluence, indeed.
While the Arabs, under Ali’s direction, sorted out the equipment to be taken and baled up the remainder to be left at the oasis in charge of old Allola, Mr. Hampton retired to his tent to write the necessary bank drafts. Also, he drew up a document for his Cairo bankers, incorporating the provisions of his pledge to the Arabs, which he intended to leave with Allola, with explicit instructions that it should be sent out of the desert by the first trustworthy rider who should appear at the oasis.
To Allola, he made a handsome present in money. As for the old woman’s welfare, she had the sheep and goats, the garden patches, the fig trees, and would not suffer for sustenance, should they fail to return. Soon or later some Bedouins of the desert would arrive at the oasis, moreover. And, as, despite her age, the old woman was spry and could get about easily, she had little to fear.
Disposition of the wounded Athensian puzzled Mr. Hampton. All day the man had been tossing and muttering at a great rate, and Mr. Hampton believed that the fever was leaving him and that in another day or two he would recover consciousness and could be questioned. Even as he wrote, he was conscious of the other man muttering on the divan behind him.
Going to the door, Mr. Hampton called Allola to him and into her care gave the papers he had drawn with explicit order for their disposal, together with a sum of money not only for herself but for the messenger she should select. Of the old woman’s honesty and willingness to carry out his orders, he had no doubt whatsoever, as gratitude for her rescue made her slave-like in devotion.