Plan he had none, save to hail the enemy in Arabic and English, and
then put up a strenuous fight for the benefit of those who approached
nearest.
Round the shoulder of the rock he could look eastward, and a glimmering
mist in that direction reminded him of the sea, and of the _Aphrodite_.
What a difference a hundred miles made! The luxuriously appointed yacht
sailed out there in the midst of the ghostly cloud not so long ago. And
here was he, clutching a rifle and preparing to sell his life in order
to save most of her passengers and crew from a sudden attack by a gang
of bloodthirsty ruffians led by a frenzied Italian. As a study in
contrasts that was rather striking, he fancied.
At last he heard the shuffling of camels' feet and the mutterings of
men. The Hadendowas were crossing the river bed.
"Stop!" he shouted, in Arabic. "You die otherwise!"
There was an instant silence. They were evidently not prepared for this
bold challenge.
"I am an Englishman," he added, still in Arabic, and, in the belief
that some of them might at least recognize the sound of English, he
went on:
"You have no right to molest me and my servants.
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