Two or three nights afterwards the
old woman again came to Cuthbert, and asked him, in
her mistress’s name, if in any way he could suggest
a method of lightening his captivity, as his extreme
youth, and bravery of demeanour, had greatly pleased
her.
Cuthbert replied that nothing but
freedom could satisfy his longings; that he was comfortable
and not overworked, but that he pined to be back again
with his friends.
The old woman brought him on the following
night a message to the effect that his mistress would
willingly grant him his liberty, but as he was sent
to her husband by the sultan, it would be impossible
to free him openly.
“From what she said,”
the old woman continued, “if you could see some
plan of making your escape, she would in no way throw
difficulties in your path; but it must not be known
that the harem in any way connived at your escape,
for my lord’s wrath would be terrible, and he
is not a man to be trifled with.”
Looking round at the high walls that
surrounded the garden, Cuthbert said that he could
think of no plan whatever for escaping from such a
place; that he had often thought it over, but that
it appeared to him to be hopeless. Even should
he manage to scale these walls, he would only find
himself in the town beyond, and his escape from that
would be altogether hopeless. “Only,”
he said, “if I were transported to some country
palace of the governor could I ever hope to make my
escape.” The next night the messenger brought
him the news that his mistress was disposed to favour
his escape in the way he had pointed out, and that
she would in two or three days ask the governor for
permission to pay a visit to their palace beyond the
walls, and that with her she would take a number of
gardeners-among them Cuthbert-to
beautify the place. Cuthbert returned the most
lively and hearty thanks to his patroness for her kind
intentions, and hope began to rise rapidly in his heart.
It is probable, however, that the
black guards of the harem heard something of the intentions
of their mistress, and that they feared the anger
of the governor should Cuthbert make his escape, and
should it be discovered that this was the result of
her connivance. Either through this or through
some other source the governor obtained an inkling
that the white slave sent by the sultan was receiving
unusual kindness from the ladies of the harem.
Two nights after Cuthbert had begun
to entertain bright hopes of his liberty, the door
of the cell was softly opened. He was seized by
four slaves, gagged, tied hand and foot, covered with
a thick burnous, and carried out from his cell.
By the sound of their feet he heard that they were
passing into the open air, and guessed that he was
being carried through the garden; then a door opened
and was closed after them; he was flung across a horse
like a bale of goods, a rope or two were placed around
him to keep him in that position, and then he felt
the animal put in motion, and heard by the trampling
of feet that a considerable number of horsemen were
around him. For some time they passed over the
rough, uneven streets of the city; then there was
a pause and exchange of watchword and countersign,
a creaking of doors, and a lowering of a drawbridge,
and the party issued out into the open country.
Not for very long did they continue their way; a halt
was called, and Cuthbert was taken off his horse.
On looking round, he found that he
was in the middle of a considerable group of men.
Those who had brought him were a party of the governor’s
guards; but he was now delivered over to a large band
of Arabs, all of whom were mounted on camels.
One of these creatures he was ordered to mount, the
bonds being loosed from his arms and feet. An
Arab driver, with lance, bows, and arrows, and other
weapons, took his seat on the neck of the animal,
and then with scarcely a word the caravan marched
off, with noiseless step, and with their faces turned
southwards.
It seemed to Cuthbert almost as a
dream. A few hours before he had been exalted
with the hope of freedom; now he was being taken away
to a slavery which would probably end but with his
life. Although he could not understand any of
his captors, the repetition of a name led him to believe
that he was being sent to Egypt as a present to some
man in high authority there; and he doubted not that
the Governor of Jerusalem, fearing that he might escape,
and dreading the wrath of the sultan, should he do
so, had determined to transfer the troublesome captive
to a more secure position and to safer hands.
For three days the journey continued;
they had now left the fertile lowlands of Palestine,
and their faces were turned west. They were entering
upon that sandy waste which stretches between the southern
corner of Palestine and the land of Egypt, a distance
which can be travelled by camels in three days, but
which occupied the Children of Israel forty years.
At first the watch had been very sharply
kept over the captive; but now that they had entered
the desert the Arabs appeared to consider that there
was no chance of an attempt to escape. Cuthbert
had in every way endeavoured to ingratiate himself
with his guard. He had most willingly obeyed
their smallest orders, had shown himself pleased and
grateful for the dates which formed the staple of
their repasts. He had assumed so innocent and
quiet an appearance that the Arabs had marvelled much
among themselves, and had concluded that there must
have been some mistake in the assertion of the governor’s
guard who had handed the prisoner over to them, that
he was one of the terrible knights of King Richard’s
army.
Cuthbert’s heart had not fallen
for a moment. He knew well that if he once reached
Cairo all hope of escape was at an end; and it was
before reaching that point that he determined if possible
to make an effort for freedom. He had noticed
particularly the camel which appeared to be the fleetest
of the band; it was of lighter build than the rest,
and it was with difficulty that its rider had compelled
it to accommodate itself to the pace of the others.
It was clear from the pains he took with it, by the
constant patting and the care bestowed upon its watering
and feeding, that its rider was extremely proud of
it; and Cuthbert concluded that if an escape was to
be made, this was the animal on which he must accomplish
it.
Upon arriving at the end of each day’s
journey the camels were allowed to browse at will,
a short cord being tied between one of their hind and
one of their fore feet. The Arabs then set to
work to collect sticks and to make a fire-not
for cooking, for their only food was dried dates and
some black bread, which they brought with them-but
for warmth, as the nights were damp and somewhat chilly,
as they sat round the fire, talked, and told stories.
Before finally going off to rest, each went out into
the bushes and brought in his camel; these were then
arranged in a circle around the Arabs, one of the
latter being mounted as sentry to prevent any sudden
surprise-not indeed that they had the smallest
fear of the Christians, who were far distant; but
then, as now, the Arabs of the desert were a plundering
race, and were ever ready to drive off each other’s
camels or horses. Cuthbert determined that if
flight was possible it must be undertaken during the
interval after the arrival at the halting-place and
before the bringing in of the camels. Therefore,
each day upon the halt he had pretended great fatigue
from the rough motion of the camel, and had, after
hastily eating the dates handed to him, thrown himself
down, covered himself with his Arab robe, and feigned
instant sleep. Thus they had in the three days
from starting come to look upon his presence sleeping
close to them as a matter of course.
The second day after entering the
desert, however, Cuthbert threw himself down by the
side of an uprooted shrub of small size and about his
own length. He covered himself as usual with
his long, dark-blue robe, and pretended to go to sleep.
He kept his eyes, however, on the alert through an
aperture beneath his cloth, and observed particularly
the direction in which the camel upon which he had
set his mind wandered into the bushes. The darkness
came on a very few minutes after they had halted, and
when the Arabs had once settled round their fire,
Cuthbert very quietly shifted the robe from himself
to the long low bush near him, and then crawled stealthily
off into the darkness.
He had no fear of his footfall being
heard upon the soft sand, and was soon on his feet,
looking for the camels. He was not long in finding
them, or in picking out the one which he had selected.
The bushes were succulent, and close to the camping
ground; indeed, it was for this that the halting-places
were always chosen. It was not so easy, however,
to climb into the high wooden saddle, and Cuthbert
tried several times in vain. Then he repeated
in a sharp tone the words which he had heard the Arabs
use to order their camels to kneel, striking the animal
at the same moment behind the fore-legs with a small
switch. The camel immediately obeyed the order
to which he was accustomed, and knelt down, making,
however, as he did so, the angry grumble which those
creatures appear to consider it indispensable to raise
when ordered to do anything. Fortunately this
noise is so frequently made, and the camels are so
given to quarrel among themselves, that although in
the still air it might have been heard by the Arabs
sitting a short hundred yards away, it attracted no
notice, and Cuthbert, climbing into the seat, shook
the cord that served as a rein, and the animal, rising,
set off at a smooth, steady swing in the direction
in which his head was turned-that from which
they had that day arrived.
Once fairly away from the camping-ground,
Cuthbert, with blows of his stick, increased the speed
of the camel to a long shuffling trot, and the fire
in the distance soon faded out into the darkness.
Cuthbert trusted to the stars as guides.
He was not unarmed, for as he crawled away from his
resting-place, he had picked up one of the Arabs’
spears and bow and arrows, and a large bag of dates
from the spot where they had been placed when their
owner dismounted. He was already clad in Eastern
garb, and was so sun-burnt and tanned that he had no
fear whatever of any one at a distance detecting that
he was a white man.
Steering his course by the stars,
he rode all night without stopping. He doubted
not that he would have at least three hours’
start, for the Arabs were sure to have sat that time
round the fires before going out to bring in their
camels. Even then they would suppose for some
time that the animal upon which he was seated had
strayed, and no pursuit would be attempted until it
was discovered that he himself had made his escape,
which might not be for a long time, as the Arabs would
not think of looking under the cloth to see if he
were there. He hoped, therefore, that he would
reach the cultivated land long before he was overtaken.
He had little fear but that he should then be able
to journey onward without attracting attention.
A solitary Arab when travelling rides
straight, and his communications to those whom he
meets are confined to the set form of two or three
words, “May Allah protect you!” the regular
greeting of Moslems when they meet.
When morning broke Cuthbert, even
when ascending to the top of a somewhat lofty mound,
could see no signs of pursuers in the vast stretch
of desert behind him. In front, the ground was
already becoming dotted here and there with vegetation,
and he doubted not that after a few hours’ ride
he should be fairly in the confines of cultivated
country. He gave his camel a meal of dates, and
having eaten some himself, again set the creature in
motion. These camels, especially those of good
breed, will go on for three or four days with scarcely
a halt; and there was no fear of that on which he
rode breaking down from fatigue, for the journeys hitherto
had been comparatively short.
By mid-day Cuthbert had reached the
cultivated lands of Palestine. Here and there
over the plain, villages were dotted, and parties of
men and camels were to be seen. Cuthbert now
arranged his robes carefully in Arab fashion, slung
the long spear across his shoulders, and went boldly
forward at a slinging trot, having little fear that
a passer-by would have any suspicion whatever as to
his being other than an Arab bent upon some rapid
journey. He soon found that his hopes were justified.
Several times he came upon parties of men whom he
passed with the salute, and who scarcely raised their
eyes as he trotted by them. The plain was an open
one, and though cultivated here and there, there were
large tracts lying unworked. There was no occasion
therefore to keep to the road; so riding across country,
and avoiding the villages as far as possible, stopping
only at a stream to give his camel water, Cuthbert
rode without ceasing until nightfall. Then he
halted his camel near a wood, turned it in to feed
on the young foliage, and wrapping himself in his burnous
was soon asleep, for he ached from head to foot with
the jolting motion which had now been continued for
so many hours without an interval. He had little
fear of being overtaken by the party he had left behind;
they would, he was convinced, be many hours behind,
and it was extremely improbable that they would hit
upon the exact line which he had followed, so that
even if they succeeded in coming up to him, they would
probably pass him a few miles either to the right
or left.
So fatigued was he with his long journey,
that the next day he slept until after the sun had
risen. He was awakened suddenly by being seized
by a party of Arabs, who, roughly shaking him, questioned
him as to where he came from, and what he was doing
there. He saw at a glance that they were not
with the party from which he had escaped, and he pointed
to his lips to make signs that he was dumb. The
Arabs evidently suspected that something was wrong.
They examined the camel, and then the person of their
captive. The whiteness of his skin at once showed
them that he was a Frank in disguise, and without
more ado or questioning, they tied him hand and foot,
flung him across the camel, and, mounting their own
animals, rode rapidly away.
From the position of the sun, Cuthbert
saw that they were making their course nearly due
east, and therefore that it could not be their intention
to take him to Jerusalem, which was to the north of
the line they were following. A long day’s
journeying, which to Cuthbert seemed interminable,
found them on the low spit of sand which runs along
by the side of the Dead Sea. Behind, lofty rocks
rose almost precipitously, but through a cleft in
these the Arabs had made their way. Cuthbert saw
at once that they belonged to some desert tribe over
whom the authority of Suleiman was but nominal.
When summoned for any great effort, these children
of the desert would rally to his armies and fight for
a short time; but at the first disaster, or whenever
they became tired of the discipline and regularity
of the army, they would mount their camels and return
to the desert, generally managing on the way to abstract
from the farms of those on their route either a horse,
cattle, or some other objects which would pay them
for the labours they had undergone.
They were now near the confines of
their own country, and apparently had no fear whatever
of pursuit. They soon gathered some of the dead
wood cast on the shores of the sea, and with these
a fire was speedily lighted, and an earthenware pot
was taken down from among their baggage: it was
filled with water from a skin, and then grain having
been placed in it, it was put among the wood ashes.
Cuthbert, who was weary and aching in every limb from
the position in which he had been placed on the camel,
asked them by signs for permission to bathe in the
lake. This was given, principally apparently
from curiosity, for but very few Arabs were able to
swim; indeed, as a people they object so utterly to
water, that the idea of any one bathing for his amusement
was to them a matter of ridicule.
Cuthbert, who had never heard of the
properties of the Dead Sea, was perfectly astonished
upon entering the water to find that instead of wading
in it up to the neck before starting-to swim, as he
was accustomed to do at home, the water soon after
he got waist-deep took him off his feet, and a cry
of astonishment burst from him as he found himself
on rather than in the fluid. The position was
so strange and unnatural that with a cry of alarm
he scrambled over on to his feet, and made the best
of his way to shore, the Arabs indulging in shouts
of laughter at his astonishment and alarm. Cuthbert
was utterly unable to account for the strange sensations
he had experienced; he perceived that the water was
horribly salt, and that which had got into his mouth
almost choked him. He was, however, unaware that
saltness adds to the weight of water, and so to the
buoyancy of objects cast into it. The saltness
of the fluid he was moreover painfully conscious of
by the smarting of the places on his wrists and ankles
where the cords had been bound that fastened him to
the camel. Goaded, however, by the laughter of
the Arabs, he determined once more to try the experiment
of entering this strange sheet of water, which from
some unaccountable cause appeared to him to refuse
to allow anybody to sink in it. This time he
swam about for some time, and felt a little refreshed.
When he returned to the shore he soon re-attired himself
in his Bedouin dress, and seated himself a little
distance from his captors, who were now engaged in
discussing the materials prepared by themselves.
They made signs to Cuthbert that he might partake of
their leavings, for which he was not a little grateful,
for he felt utterly exhausted and worn out with his
cruel ride and prolonged fasting.
The Arabs soon wrapped themselves
in their burnouses, and feeling confident that their
captive would not attempt to escape from them, in a
place where subsistence would be impossible, paid no
further attention to him beyond motioning to him to
lie down at their side.
Cuthbert, however, determined to make
another effort to escape; for although he was utterly
ignorant of the place in which he found himself, or
of the way back, he thought that anything would be
better than to be carried into helpless slavery into
the savage country beyond the Jordan. An hour,
therefore, after his captors were asleep he stole to
his feet, and fearing to arouse them by exciting the
wrath of one of the camels by attempting to mount
him, he struck up into the hills on foot. All
night he wandered, and in the morning found himself
at the edge of a strange precipice falling abruptly
down to a river, which, some fifty feet wide, ran
at its foot. Upon the opposite side the bank rose
with equal rapidity, and to Cuthbert’s astonishment
he saw that the cliffs were honeycombed by caves.
Keeping along the edge for a considerable
distance, he came to a spot where it was passable,
and made his way down to the river bank. Here
he indulged in a long drink of fresh water, and then
began to examine the caves which perforated the rocks.
These caves Cuthbert knew had formerly been the abode
of hermits. It was supposed to be an essentially
sacred locality, and between the third and fourth
centuries of Christianity some 20,000 monks had lived
solitary lives on the banks of that river. Far
away he saw the ruins of a great monastery, called
Mar Saba, which had for a long time been the abode
of a religious community, and which at the present
day is still tenanted by a body of monks. Cuthbert
made up his mind at once to take refuge in these caves.
He speedily picked out one some fifty feet up the
face of the rock, and approachable only with the greatest
difficulty and by a sure foot. First he made the
ascent to discover the size of the grotto, and found
that although the entrance was but four feet high
and two feet wide, it opened into an area of considerable
dimensions. Far in the corner, when his eyes became
accustomed to the light, he discovered a circle of
ashes, and his conjectures that these caves had been
the abode of men were therefore verified. He
again descended, and collected a large bundle of grass
and rushes for his bed. He discovered growing
among the rocks many edible plants, whose seeds were
probably sown there centuries before, and gathering
some of these he made his way back to the cavern.
The grass furnished him with an excellent bed, and
he was soon asleep.