Chapter 35 | Brought to Bay | Yussuf the Guide

The strangers were some fifty yards away, and thoroughly blocked all further progress. What they were was not open to doubt; but, though they sat there presenting their guns, they did not attempt to fire, nor yet to advance, contenting themselves by barring the travellers’ way.

“Do you think they are enemies, Yussuf?” said Mr Preston calmly.

“There is no doubt of it, effendi,” was the reply.

“But had we not better ride boldly forward? They will not dare to stop us. Besides, if they do, we are well-armed.”

“They are twenty and we are only two, effendi, for we cannot depend upon three of our party. It would be no use to attack. We must retreat steadily, and get back to the village; they will not dare to follow us so far.”

“What do you propose doing, then?”

“For one of us to remain here facing them, till the others have got fifty yards back. Then one is to turn and face the scoundrels till I have ridden in, and on with the others another fifty yards or so, when I face round, and the one on duty rides in, and so on by turns. If we keep a bold front we may hold them off.”

“A good plan,” said the professor; “but would it not be better for two to face them, and two to go forward—I mean, to retreat?”

“No, effendi; there is not too much room for the horses. Do as I ask.”

Mr Preston obeyed on the instant, and with Hamed in front the retreat was commenced, all retiring and leaving Yussuf on the projecting corner, weapon in hand, and a sword hanging from his wrist by the knot.

Then, at about fifty yards, Mr Preston halted and faced round, with gun presented, and as the others still rode on, Yussuf left his post and joined the professor, passing him and riding on another fifty yards behind, where he faced round in turn.

As the professor made his horse face about and rode on, he had only just reached the guide, when a clattering of horses’ hoofs behind him made him look sharply round.

The enemy had advanced, and about half a dozen men had taken up the vacated position at the elbow of the track.

There they stopped, looking menacing enough, but making no advance, merely watching the progress of the little party as they retreated round the curve towards the other corner which they had passed on their way.

“Had we not better get on faster?” said the professor.

“No,” replied Yussuf; “we must go slowly, or they will close in; and your excellency does not want blood to be shed. Our only chance is by keeping a bold front, and retreating till we can get help. They will not dare to attack us if we keep on like this, for they do not care to risk their lives.”

“Go on then,” said the professor; and the retreat was kept up for about ten minutes, and then came to a stop, for Hamed, on reaching the other corner with his baggage-horses, stopped short suddenly, and on Lawrence trotting up to him, the professor saw him too stop, and present his gun.

“We are trapped, effendi,” said Yussuf sadly.

“Trapped!” cried Mr Preston sharply. “What do you mean?”

“The dogs have another party who have been hidden in that side track, and they have come out as soon as we passed. We are between two fires. What shall we do?”

It was plain enough, for the next minute Hamed and Lawrence were seen to be driven back, and a party similar to that upon the first corner stood out clearly in the morning air—a gang before, and one behind, and the precipice above and below. It was either fight or yield now, and Yussuf had asked the question, what was to be done.

Shut in as they were completely, the little party closed up together on the curved path, Hamed requiring no telling, while the enemy made no attempt to advance.

Mr Burne took out his box, had a large pinch of snuff, and then blew his nose so outrageously that the horses pricked their ears, and Ali Baba snorted and looked as if he would try another of his wonderful leaps if that kind of thing were to be continued.

“Well, Yussuf,” said the professor, “what is to be done?”

The guide sighed deeply and looked full in his employer’s face.

“Excellency,” he said softly, “I feel as if all my bones were turned to water.”

“Oh, indeed, sir,” cried Mr Burne sharply; “then you had better turn them back to what they were.”

“What is to be done, Yussuf?” continued the professor. “If we make a stout resistance, shall we beat them off?”

“No, effendi,” said Yussuf sadly; “it is impossible. We might kill several, but they are many, and those who are left do not value life. Besides, effendi, some of us must fall.”

“What are these people, then?”

“Brigands—robbers, excellency.”

“Brigands and robbers in the nineteenth century!” cried Mr Burne angrily; “it is absurd.”

“In your country, excellency; but here they are as common as they are in Greece.”

“But the law, sir, the law!” cried Mr Burne. “Confound the scoundrels! where are the police?”

Yussuf shrugged his shoulders.

“We are far beyond the reach of the law or the police, excellency, unless a little army of soldiers is sent to take or destroy these people; and even then what can they do in these terrible fastnesses, where the brigands have hiding-places and strongholds that cannot be found out, or if found, where they can set the soldiery at defiance?”

Mr Burne blew his nose again fearfully, and created a series of echoes that sounded as if old men were blowing their noses from where they stood right away to Constantinople, so strangely the sounds died away in the distance.

“Then why, sir, in the name of common sense and common law, did you bring us into this out-of-the-way place, among these dirty, ragged, unshaven scoundrels? It is abominable! It is disgraceful! It is—”

“Hush! hush! Burne; be reasonable,” said the professor. “Yussuf has only obeyed orders. If anyone is to blame it is I, for I wished to see this ruined fastness of the old Roman days.”

Yussuf smiled, and gave the professor a grateful look.

“Humph! It’s all very well for you to take his part. He ought to have known,” grumbled the old lawyer.

“Travellers are never free from risk in any of the out-of-the-way parts of the country,” said Yussuf quietly.

“And of course we knew that, and accepted the risk,” said the professor. “Come, come, Burne, be reasonable. Yussuf is not to blame. The question is, What are we to do—fight or give up?”

“Fight,” said Mr Burne fiercely. “Hang it all, sir! I never give in to an opponent. I always say to a client, if he has right upon his side, ‘Fight, sir, fight.’ And that’s what I’m going to do.”

“Fight, eh?” said the professor gravely.

“Yes, sir, fight, and I only wish I understood the use of this gun and long knife as well as I do that of a ruler and a pen.”

“Look here, Yussuf, if we fight, what will be the consequences?”

“I will fight for your excellencies to the last,” said the Turk calmly; “but I am afraid that we can do no good.”

“Confound you, sir!” cried Mr Burne; “if we give in they will take off our heads.”

“No, no, excellency, they will make us prisoners, and strip us of our arms and all that we have of value.”

“Humph! Is that all?”

“No, excellency. They will demand a heavy ransom for your release—so many Turkish pounds.”

“Then we’ll fight,” cried Mr Burne furiously. “I never would and I never will be swindled. Ransom indeed! Why, confound it all, Preston! is this real, or is it a cock-and-bull story told in a book?”

“It is reality, Burne, sure enough,” said the professor calmly; “and I feel with you, that I would sooner fight than give up a shilling; but, cowardly as it may seem, I fear that we must give up.”

“Give up? Never, sir. I am an Englishman,” cried the old lawyer.

“But look at our position. We are completely at their mercy. Here we are in the centre of this half-moon curve, and the scoundrels hold the two horns in force.”

“Then we’ll dash up the mountain.”

“It is impossible, excellency,” said Yussuf.

“Then we’ll go downwards.”

“To death, Burne?” said the professor smiling.

“Confound it all!” cried Mr Burne, “we are in a complete trap. Here, you, Yussuf, this is your doing, and you are in league with these rascals to rob us.”

“Excellency!”

“Oh, Mr Burne!” cried Lawrence, with his face scarlet; and he leaned towards Yussuf, and held out his hand to the Turk, who sat with angry, lowering countenance upon his horse.

“Mr Burne is angry, Yussuf,” said the professor in a quiet, stern manner. “He does not mean what he says, and I am sure he will apologise as an English gentleman should.”

Yussuf bowed coldly, and Mr Preston continued:

“I have the most perfect confidence in your integrity, sir, and as we are brothers in misfortune, and you know these people better than we—”

“Of course,” said Mr Burne, with an angry ejaculation.

“I ask you,” said Mr Preston, “to give us your advice. What had we better do—fight or give up?”

Yussuf’s face brightened, and he turned to the old lawyer.

“Effendi,” he said gravely, “you will know me better before we part, and you will tell me you are sorry for what you have said.”

“I won’t, sir! No, confound me, never!” cried the old lawyer; and he blew his nose like a challenge upon a trumpet.

“I am deeply grieved, effendi,” continued Yussuf, smiling as he turned to the professor, “for this is a terrible misfortune, and you will be disappointed of your visit to the old city. But it would be madness to light. We should be throwing away our lives, and that of the young effendi here, who has shown us of late that he has a long and useful life to lead. It is our fate. We must give up.”

“Never!” cried Mr Burne, cocking his gun.

“Don’t be foolish, my dear Burne,” said the professor. “I would say, let us fight like men; but what can we do against fifty well-armed scoundrels, who can shelter themselves and pick us off at their ease? Come, keep that gun still, or you will shoot one of us instead of an enemy.”

“Now, that’s cruel!” cried Mr Burne with an air of comical vexation. “Well, I suppose you are right. Here, Yussuf, old fellow, I beg your pardon. I was only in a savage temper. I suppose we must give in; but before I’ll pay a shilling of ransom they shall take off my head.”

Yussuf smiled.

“Confound you, sir, don’t grin at a man when he’s down,” cried Mr Burne. “You’ve got the better of me, but you need not rejoice like that.”

“I do not rejoice, excellency, only that you believe in me once more.”

“Here! hi! you black-muzzled, unbelieving scoundrels, leave off, will you! Don’t point your guns at us, or, by George and the dragon and the other champions of Christendom, I will fight.”

He had looked at the two points of the half-moon road, and seen that about a dozen men were now dismounted, and were apparently taking aim at them.

“Well, Yussuf, we give up,” said the professor. “Perhaps, after all, they may be honest people. Will you go to them and ask what they want with us?”

“They are brigands, excellency.”

“Well, ask them what they will take to let us continue our journey in peace,” cried Mr Burne. “Offer ’em five shillings all round; I suppose there are about fifty—or, no, say we will give them ten pounds to go about their business; and a precious good day’s work for the ragged jacks.”

“I will go forward,” said Yussuf. “Excellency,” he continued to the professor, “trust me, and I will make the best bargain I can.”

“Go on, then,” said the professor; “but is there any risk to yourself?”

“Oh, no, effendi, none at all. I have no fear. They will know I come as an ambassador.”

“Go on, then,” said the professor; and the Turk rode slowly forward to the men, who blocked their way, and who still held their guns menacingly before them as if about to fire.