Those who have passed through a nerve storm such as this which had laid him low will know that convalescence5 seems like a welcome awakening6 from a dreadful dream. It was indeed in a state between awaking and dreaming that Robert Cairn took counsel with his father—the latter more pale than was his wont7 and somewhat anxious-eyed—and determined8 upon an Egyptian rest-cure.
"I have made it all right at the office, Rob," said Dr. Cairn. "In three weeks or so you will receive instructions at Cairo to write up a series of local articles. Until then, my boy, complete rest and—don't worry; above all, don't worry. You and I have passed through a saturnalia of horror, and you, less inured9 to horrors than I, have gone down. I don't wonder."
"Where is Antony Ferrara?"
Dr. Cairn shook his head and his eyes gleamed with a sudden anger. "For God's sake don't mention his name!" he said. "That topic is taboo10, Rob. I may tell you, however, that he has left England."
In this unreal frame of mind, then, and as one but partly belonging to the world of things actual, Cairn
[75]
found himself an invalid11, who but yesterday had been a hale man; found himself shipped for Port Said; found himself entrained for Cairo; and with an awakening to the realities of life, an emerging from an ill-dream to lively interest in the novelties of Egypt, found himself following the red-jerseyed Shepheard's porter along the corridor of the train and out on to the platform.
A short drive through those singular streets where East meets West and mingles12, in the sudden, violet dusk of Lower Egypt, and he was amid the bustle13 of the popular hotel.
Sime was there, whom he had last seen at Oxford, Sime the phlegmatic14. He apologised for not meeting the train, but explained that his duties had rendered it impossible. Sime was attached temporarily to an archæological expedition as medical man, and his athletic15 and somewhat bovine16 appearance contrasted oddly with the unhealthy gauntness of Cairn.
"I only got in from Wasta ten minutes ago, Cairn. You must come out to the camp when I return; the desert air will put you on your feet again in no time."
Sime was unemotional, but there was concern in his voice and in his glance, for the change in Cairn was very startling. Although he knew something, if but very little, of certain happenings in London—gruesome happenings centering around the man called Antony Ferrara—he avoided any reference to them at the moment.
Seated upon the terrace, Robert Cairn studied the busy life in the street below with all the interest of a new arrival in the Capital of the Near East. More than ever, now, his illness and the things which had led up to it seemed to belong to a remote dream existence. Through the railings at his feet a hawker was thrusting fly-whisks, and imploring17 him in complicated English to purchase one. Vendors18 of beads19, of fictitious20 "antiques," of sweetmeats, of what-not; fortune-tellers—and all that chattering21 horde22 which some obscure process of gravitation seems to hurl23 against the terrace of Shepheard's, buzzed about him. Carriages and motor cars, camels and donkeys mingled24, in the
[76]
Shâria Kâmel Pasha. Voices American, voices Anglo-Saxon, guttural German tones, and softly murmured Arabic merged25 into one indescribable chord of sound; but to Robert Cairn it was all unspeakably restful. He was quite contented26 to sit there sipping27 his whisky and soda28, and smoking his pipe. Sheer idleness was good for him and exactly what he wanted, and idling amid that unique throng29 is idleness de luxe.
Sime watched him covertly30, and saw that his face had acquired lines—lines which told of the fires through which he had passed. Something, it was evident—something horrible—had seared his mind. Considering the many indications of tremendous nervous disaster in Cairn, Sime wondered how near his companion had come to insanity31, and concluded that he had stood upon the frontiers of that grim land of phantoms32, and had only been plucked back in the eleventh hour.
Cairn glanced around with a smile, from the group of hawkers who solicited33 his attention upon the pavement below.
"This is a delightful34 scene," he said. "I could sit here for hours; but considering that it's some time after sunset it remains35 unusually hot, doesn't it?"
"Rather!" replied Sime. "They are expecting Khamsîn—the hot wind, you know. I was up the river a week ago and we struck it badly in Assouan. It grew as black as night and one couldn't breathe for sand. It's probably working down to Cairo."
"From your description I am not anxious to make the acquaintance of Khamsîn!"
Sime shook his head, knocking out his pipe into the ash-tray.
"This is a funny country," he said reflectively. "The most weird36 ideas prevail here to this day—ideas which properly belong to the Middle Ages. For instance"—he began to recharge the hot bowl—"it is not really time for Khamsîn, consequently the natives feel called upon to hunt up some explanation of its unexpected appearance. Their ideas on the subject are interesting, if idiotic37. One of our Arabs (we are excavating38 in the Fayûm, you know), solemnly assured
[77]
me yesterday that the hot wind had been caused by an Efreet, a sort of Arabian Nights' demon39, who has arrived in Egypt!"
He laughed gruffly, but Cairn was staring at him with a curious expression. Sime continued:
"When I got to Cairo this evening I found news of the Efreet had preceded me. Honestly, Cairn, it is all over the town—the native town, I mean. All the shopkeepers in the Mûski are talking about it. If a puff40 of Khamsîn should come, I believe they would permanently41 shut up shop and hide in their cellars—if they have any! I am rather hazy42 on modern Egyptian architecture."
Cairn nodded his head absently.
"You laugh," he said, "but the active force of a superstition43—what we call a superstition—is sometimes a terrible thing."
Sime stared.
"Eh!" The medical man had suddenly come uppermost; he recollected44 that this class of discussion was probably taboo.
"You may doubt the existence of Efreets," continued Cairn, "but neither you nor I can doubt the creative power of thought. If a trained hypnotist, by sheer concentration, can persuade his subject that the latter sits upon the brink45 of a river fishing when actually he sits upon a platform in a lecture-room, what result should you expect from a concentration of thousands of native minds upon the idea that an Efreet is visiting Egypt?"
"Don't you think—"
"If you mean don't I think the result would be the creation of an Efreet, no, I don't!"
"I hardly mean that, either," replied Cairn, "but this wave of superstition cannot be entirely48 unproductive; all that thought energy directed to one point—"
Sime stood up.
"We shall get out of our depth," he replied conclu
[78]
sively. He considered the ground of discussion an unhealthy one; this was the territory adjoining that of insanity.
"Hold on," said Cairn smiling; "this chap is not an Egyptian; let us ask him if he has heard the rumour52 respecting the Efreet!"
Sime reseated himself rather unwillingly53. The fortune-teller spread his little carpet and knelt down in order to read the palm of his hypothetical client, but Cairn waved him aside.
"I don't want my fortune told!" he said; "but I will give you your fee,"—with a smile at Sime—"for a few minutes' conversation."
"Yes, sir, yes, sir!" The Indian was all attention.
"Why"—Cairn pointed54 forensically55 at the fortune-teller—"why is Khamsîn come so early this year?"
The Indian spread his hands, palms upward.
"How should I know?" he replied in his soft, melodious56 voice. "I am not of Egypt; I can only say what is told to me by the Egyptians."
"And what is told to you?"
Sime rested his hands upon his knees, bending forward curiously57. He was palpably anxious that Cairn should have confirmation58 of the Efreet story from the Indian.
"They tell me, sir,"—the man's voice sank musically low—"that a thing very evil"—he tapped a long brown finger upon his breast—"not as I am"—he tapped Sime upon the knee—"not as he, your friend"—he thrust the long finger at Cairn—"not as you, sir; not a man at all, though something like a man! not having any father and mother—"
"You mean," suggested Sime, "a spirit?"
The fortune-teller shook his head.
"They tell me, sir, not a spirit—a man, but not as other men; a very, very bad man; one that the great king, long, long ago, the king you call Wise ——"
"Solomon?" suggested Cairn.
[79]
"Yes, yes, Suleyman!—one that he, when he banish59 all the tribe of the demons60 from earth—one that he not found."
"One he overlooked?" jerked Sime.
"Yes, yes, overlook! A very evil man, my gentlemen. They tell me he has come to Egypt. He come not from the sea, but across the great desert—"
"The Libyan Desert?" suggested Sime.
The man shook, his head, seeking for words.
"The Arabian Desert?"
"No, no! Away beyond, far up in Africa"—he waved his long arms dramatically—"far, far up beyond the Sûdan."
"The Sahara Desert?" proposed Sime.
"Yes, yes! it is Sahara Desert!—come across the Sahara Desert, and is come to Khartûm."
"How did he get there?" asked Cairn.
"I cannot say, but next he come to Wady Halfa, then he is in Assouan, and from Assouan he come down to Luxor! Yesterday an Egyptian friend told me Khamsîn is in the Fayûm. Therefore he is there—the man of evil—for he bring the hot wind with him."
The Indian was growing impressive, and two American tourists stopped to listen to his words.
"To-night—to-morrow,"—he spoke62 now almost in a whisper, glancing about him as if apprehensive63 of being overheard—"he may be here, in Cairo, bringing with him the scorching64 breath of the desert—the scorpion65 wind!"
He stood up, casting off the mystery with which he had invested his story, and smiling insinuatingly66. His work was done; his fee was due. Sime rewarded him with five piastres, and he departed, bowing.
"You know, Sime—" Cairn began to speak, staring absently the while after the fortune-teller, as he descended67 the carpeted steps and rejoined the throng on the sidewalk below—"you know, if a man—anyone, could take advantage of such a wave of thought as this which is now sweeping68 through Egypt—if he could cause it to concentrate upon him, as it were,
[80]
"By what process should you propose to make yourself such a focus?"
"I was speaking impersonally70, Sime. It might be possible—"
"It might be possible to dress for dinner," snapped Sime, "if we shut up talking nonsense! There's a carnival71 here to-night; great fun. Suppose we concentrate our brain-waves on another Scotch72 and soda?"
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1
Oxford
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| n.牛津（英国城市） | |
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wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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radius
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| n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限 | |
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4
physically
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| adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律 | |
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convalescence
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| n.病后康复期 | |
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6
awakening
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| n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的 | |
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7
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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inured
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| adj.坚强的，习惯的 | |
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10
taboo
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| n.禁忌，禁止接近，禁止使用；adj.禁忌的；v.禁忌，禁制，禁止 | |
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11
invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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12
mingles
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| 混合，混入( mingle的第三人称单数 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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13
bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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14
phlegmatic
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| adj.冷静的，冷淡的，冷漠的，无活力的 | |
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15
athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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16
bovine
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| adj.牛的；n.牛 | |
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17
imploring
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| 恳求的，哀求的 | |
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18
vendors
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| n.摊贩( vendor的名词复数 )；小贩；（房屋等的）卖主；卖方 | |
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19
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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20
fictitious
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| adj.虚构的，假设的；空头的 | |
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21
chattering
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| n. （机器振动发出的）咔嗒声，(鸟等)鸣，啁啾 adj. 喋喋不休的，啾啾声的 动词chatter的现在分词形式 | |
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22
horde
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| n.群众，一大群 | |
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23
hurl
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| vt.猛投，力掷，声叫骂 | |
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24
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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25
merged
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| （使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中 | |
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26
contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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27
sipping
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| v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 ) | |
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28
soda
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| n.苏打水；汽水 | |
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29
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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30
covertly
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| adv.偷偷摸摸地 | |
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31
insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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32
phantoms
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| n.鬼怪，幽灵( phantom的名词复数 ) | |
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33
solicited
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| v.恳求( solicit的过去式和过去分词 )；（指娼妇）拉客；索求；征求 | |
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34
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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35
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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36
weird
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| adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的 | |
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37
idiotic
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| adj.白痴的 | |
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38
excavating
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| v.挖掘( excavate的现在分词 )；开凿；挖出；发掘 | |
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39
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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40
puff
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| n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气 | |
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permanently
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| adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地 | |
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42
hazy
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| adj.有薄雾的，朦胧的；不肯定的，模糊的 | |
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43
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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44
recollected
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| adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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45
brink
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| n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿 | |
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46
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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47
glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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48
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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49
proffered
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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51
growled
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| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
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52
rumour
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| n.谣言，谣传，传闻 | |
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53
unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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54
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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55
forensically
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| adv.forensic（法庭的，法庭用的；法医的；公开辩论的，论争的）的变形 | |
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56
melodious
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| adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的 | |
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57
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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58
confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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59
banish
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| vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除 | |
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60
demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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61
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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62
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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63
apprehensive
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| adj.担心的，恐惧的，善于领会的 | |
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64
scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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65
scorpion
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| n.蝎子，心黑的人，蝎子鞭 | |
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66
insinuatingly
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67
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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68
sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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69
transcend
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| vt.超出，超越(理性等)的范围 | |
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70
impersonally
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| ad.非人称地 | |
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71
carnival
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| n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演 | |
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72
scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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