Then friend and foe turned and, shoulder to shoulder, faced the onslaught of the new terror which fell upon them out of the night, whilst Abdul flung himself down upon the body of the white man he loved, and ripping the cloak from a dead Arab, covered him and pulled him under the sheltering bodies of two dead camels.
Zarah turned in her saddle and emptied her revolver into the group of Bedouins who, lying upon their horses’ necks, raced down upon her; then shouted to Al-Asad and, giving the stallion his head, fled for her life. They did not skirt the camp; they rode right through it and over everything they encountered in their path, heedless of the curses called down upon them by the wounded they trampled underfoot. Out into the coming dawn they sped, guided by the stars for which Sir Richard had so ardently longed, with the limp body of the English girl as their sole reward for the disastrous night.
The stars went out and the sky lightened down in the east as the Bedouins sat in a circle, taking counsel together.
The camels and horses that were fit for use stood hobbled, placidly ruminating or fretting and fidgeting, near the spot where the west tent had stood; the prisoners lay groaning on the ground, or sat, with the fatalism of the East, awaiting their sentence.
The sky was covered, as far as eye could see, with vultures, whirling and swooping, settling as near as they dare to the feast awaiting them, or standing motionless until some noise or movement sent them flying in flocks skywards, an offence against the glory of the heavens.
The unconscious form of Ralph Trenchard lay at the feet of the Bedouin chief, whilst Abdul, by his side, craftily bargained for their lives.
“A man of much wealth thou hast seized, O my brother! A great sheikh in a country where the towns are paved with gold, the bazaars are full of jewels, and the streets of houris of the greatest beauty.”
“Perchance ’tis true; but how know we that he will give us of his wealth once we have nursed him back to life and allowed him to depart from us?”
Abdul turned in the direction of Mecca and lifted his hand.