Shortly after midnight the corporal hurried in from the outpost to report that a djerm (large boat), crowded with men, had been observed dropping down the river.
"Did you see this djerm yourself, Corporal Jones?" asked Holroyd, jumping to his feet.
"Plain as I sees your honour," was the corporal's reply. "We all see it, sir; for the moon's so bright that it's just as clear as day. Sergeant2 Finnigan says as how he thinks it's them Mammyluks as there's been such talk about."
"The deuce he does!" exclaimed Holroyd. "Whereabouts is this djerm? On our side of the river?"
"Yes, your honour; 'twas nigh that chapel-looking place on the river bank."
"Chapel-looking place! You mean the mosque3, I suppose," said Holroyd, smiling. "Come, Tom, we'll go and see for ourselves. Take charge until I return, Sergeant Bullen, and be well on the alert."
We hastened to the outpost, where we found Sergeant Finnigan with his men ready for any emergency. Close to the river bank, within four hundred paces of the outpost, stood a small mosque, its slender crescent-crowned minaret4 shooting up gracefully5 from amid the dark foliage6 by which it was surrounded.
"Very cautiously we made our way down the sand-hills."
"There's a jham yonder, sorr," said Sergeant Finnigan, a fine old fellow, who had put Charlie Holroyd through his facings when he first joined the 35th, and had been my father's orderly in days of yore. "A jham, your honour, full of Mammyluks, I'm afther thinkin'."
"I don't see her, Finnigan," rejoined Holroyd, looking in the direction pointed7 out. "Where is she?"
"The clump8 of trees hides her, sorr," answered the sergeant; "but she's there shure enough. Does your honour think they're the Mammyluks?"
"We'll hope so, Finnigan, but I have my doubts," said Holroyd. "Tom," he added, after a moment's hesitation9, "let you and I creep down nearer the river, and have a look at this mysterious craft. We must discover whether she's a friend or foe1."
Very cautiously we made our way down the sand-hills, moving directly towards the mosque for the first hundred yards, then edging away to the left until we had a full view of the river.
This is what we saw. Just below the mosque were some fishermen's huts, and a small wooden pier10, or wharf11, projecting into the Nile. Within a couple of oars12' length of the wharf lay, not one, but two large djerms, both filled with armed men. By the bright light of the moon we could discern them as clearly as in daytime.
My companion had with him a small field-glass, through which he carefully examined the djerms—or rather their occupants.
"Well, are they the Mamelukes?" I whispered impatiently.
"Egad! they're not," was the reply. "They are Albanians, without doubt, and therefore enemies. Look for yourself, and you will see their kilts, or petticoats."
I took the glass, and saw at once that Holroyd was right; there was no mistaking the Albanian costume.
"There are between two and three hundred of them," said Holroyd, as I returned the telescope. "I must report this at once, Tom."
We hurried back to the piquet, and Corporal Jones was sent off to warn Colonel Macleod of the proximity13 of a large body of the enemy; while another man took a message to Cantillon to advance nearer to the sand-hills, and be on the qui vive in case of a sudden attack.
"Not that I think they'll trouble us yet awhile," observed Holroyd; "so, with the exception of advancing our support, I shall keep to our present position until I receive further orders."
Corporal Jones made good use of his legs, for scarcely half-an-hour elapsed before he returned to the outpost.
"All right!" exclaimed Holroyd, his face darkening; "is that all Colonel Macleod said to you?"
"That is all, sir," was the reply. "I gave the colonel your message, just as your honour gave it to me, neither more nor less. 'Tell Capt'n Holroyd it's all right,' says he. I saluted15, and waited a moment, thinkin' as how he'd say something more, or may-be ask me some questions; but the colonel just waves me away, and says, 'D'ye hear me, corp'ril?—tell your orficer it's all right.' So I comes back as quick as I could, sir."
Holroyd and I stared at one another in astonishment16. That Corporal Jones had delivered the report and brought back the reply correctly we did not for a moment doubt; for Jones was a steady, intelligent man, and thoroughly17 trustworthy, or he would not have been a light company corporal.
"What shall you do, Charlie?" I asked in an undertone. "There must be some mistake."
"A very serious mistake, I should say," he rejoined. Then turning to the corporal, he inquired if Colonel Macleod was in the village.
"No, sir," answered Jones; "the colonel's over yonder—away to our right rear. There's a young orficer with a few men of Rolle's in the village," he added.
Holroyd thought for a few minutes, and then taking me aside, said, "I must let them know in El Hamet the state of affairs, so that they may be prepared in the event of a sudden attack. Do you, Tom, hurry back to the village and warn the senior officer. Tell him that the enemy evidently mean mischief18, and that I advise him to look out for squalls. On your way you can inform Cantillon of the situation, and say that he must be ready to support us the moment he hears a shot fired."
I started off on my errand, and warned both Paddy Cantillon and the officer at El Hamet—a young ensign of De Rolle's, Schmidt by name—that they must be prepared for any emergency. On regaining19 the piquet, I found that several more djerms had dropped down the Nile, and were lying off the little wharf. Holroyd had therefore sent a written report to Colonel Macleod, calling his attention to the gravity of the situation and requesting instructions.
Corporal Jones was again the messenger, and his face was a study when he returned, and reported that the only answer vouchsafed20 by the colonel was "Very well."
"I did, sir; but the colonel only said 'Very well'; not another word, good, bad, or indifferent, your honour."
"Tom, this is too grave a contingency22 to be trifled with," said my captain, taking me aside; "and as Macleod has sent me no orders, I must act on my own responsibility. I fear that our force is so scattered23 that it would be a dangerous matter to bring it together again; knowing this, Macleod is probably unwilling24 to try the experiment, and so has contented25 himself with sending a report to General Stewart of the enemy's proximity. But," he continued, "I am not going to run the risk of being cut off in such an exposed position as this, and therefore I shall warn the officer at El Hamet to put the village into as good a state of defence as time will allow, and we will cover him while so employed. We shall then have something like a post to fall back on, if driven in; for we ought to be able to make a very fair fight of it in the village. Give me a leaf out of your note-book, Tom—I suppose that young fellow understands English?"
"He speaks it fairly well," I answered, handing him a pencil and a piece of paper.
Holroyd wrote his note and despatched it to the village; then we once more took our station with the advanced outpost, in order to observe the first hostile movement that might be made. Towards morning a thick fog came on, completely hiding the mosque and river from our view; indeed we could not see anything fifty yards before us, and had to trust entirely26 to our ears.
I need hardly add that not one of us closed his eyes that night.
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1
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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sergeant
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| n.警官，中士 | |
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mosque
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| n.清真寺 | |
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minaret
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| n.（回教寺院的）尖塔 | |
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gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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clump
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| n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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pier
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| n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱 | |
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wharf
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| n.码头，停泊处 | |
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oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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saluting
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的现在分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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16
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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mischief
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| n.损害，伤害，危害；恶作剧，捣蛋，胡闹 | |
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regaining
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| 复得( regain的现在分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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vouchsafed
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的过去式和过去分词 )；允诺 | |
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21
incensed
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| 盛怒的 | |
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contingency
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| n.意外事件，可能性 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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