Produced by Daniel Fromont

[Transcriber's note: Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846-1916), In Desert andWilderness (1910), 1917 edition. The original title is: W pustynii w puszczy. There was also a French edition: Le gouffre noir.]

IN DESERT

AND WILDERNESS

BY

HENRYK SIENKIEWICZ

AUTHOR OF "WITH FIRE AND SWORD," "QUO VADIS," "WHIRLPOOLS," ETC.

TRANSLATED FROM THE POLISH BY

MAX A. DREZMAL

BOSTON

LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY

1917

Copyright, 1912,

BY LITTLE, BROWN, AND COMPANY.

Printers

S. J. PARKBILL & Co., BOSTON, U.S.A.

PART FIRST

IN DESERT AND WILDERNESS

I

"Do you know, Nell," said Stas Tarkowski to his friend, a little
English girl, "that yesterday the police came and arrested the wife of
Smain, the overseer, and her three children,—that Fatma who several
times called at the office to see your father and mine."

And little Nell, resembling a beautiful picture, raised her greenisheyes to Stas and asked with mingled surprise and fright:

"Did they take her to prison?"

"No, but they will not let her go to the Sudân and an official hasarrived who will see that she does not move a step out of Port Said."

"Why?"

Stas, who was fourteen years old and who loved his eight-year-oldcompanion very much, but looked upon her as a mere child, said with aconceited air:

"When you reach my age, you will know everything which happens, notonly along the Canal from Port Said to Suez, but in all Egypt. Have youever heard of the Mahdi?"

"I heard that he is ugly and naughty."

The boy smiled compassionately.

"I do not know whether he is ugly. The Sudânese claim that he ishandsome. But the word 'naughty' about a man who has murdered so manypeople, could be used only by a little girl, eight years old, indresses—oh—reaching the knees."

"Papa told me so and papa knows best."

"He told you so because otherwise you would not understand. He wouldnot express himself to me in that way. The Mahdi is worse than a wholeshoal of crocodiles. Do you understand? That is a nice expression forme. 'Naughty!' They talk that way to babes."

But, observing the little girl's clouded face, he became silent andafterwards said:

"Nell, you know I did not want to cause you any unpleasantness. Thetime will come when you will be fourteen. I certainly promise you that."

"Aha!" she replied with a worried look, "but if before that time the
Mahdi should dash into Port Said and eat me."

"The Mahdi is not a cannibal, so he does not eat people. He only killsthem. He will not dash into Port Said, but even if he did and wanted tomurder you, he would first have to do with me."

This declaration with the sniff with which Stas i

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