Always, however, it is those who attack,
in a short siege, who suffer most; and the Europeans were not proud of
the many corpses they had to their credit. There was some patching for
the surgeon to do for all, but Nevill's was the only serious case. The
French doctor, De Vigne, did not try to hide the truth from the wounded
man's friend; there was danger. The best thing would have been to get
Nevill to Algiers, but since that was impossible, he must travel in a
bassour, by easy stages, to Touggourt. Instead of two days' journey they
must make it three, or more if necessary, and he--De Vigne--would go
with them to put his patient into the hands of the army surgeon at
Touggourt.
They had only the one bassour; that in which Saidee and Victoria had
come to Toudja from Oued Tolga, but Nevill was delirious more often than
not, and had no idea that a sacrifice was being made for him. Blankets,
and two of the mattresses least damaged by fire in the barricade, were
fastened on to camels for the ladies, after the fashion in use for
Bedouin women of the poorest class, or Ouled Nails who have not yet made
their fortune as dancers; and so the journey began again.
There was never a time during the three days it lasted, for Stephen to
confess to Victoria. Possibly she did not wish him to take advantage of
a situation created as if by accident at Toudja. Or perhaps she thought,
now that the common danger which had drawn them together, was over, it
would be best to wait until anxiety for Nevill had passed, before
talking of their own affairs.
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