"I suppose that escape is possible from Omdurman," she said one day,
constraining her voice to an accent of indifference.
"Possible? Yes, I think so," Durrance answered cheerfully. "Of course it
is difficult and would in any case take time. Attempts, for instance,
have been made to get Trench out and others, but the attempts have not
yet succeeded. The difficulty is the go-between."
Ethne looked quickly at Durrance.
"The go-between?" she asked, and then she said, "I think I begin to
understand," and pulled herself up abruptly. "You mean the Arab who can
come and go between Omdurman and the Egyptian frontier?"
"Yes. He is usually some Dervish pedlar or merchant trading with the
tribes of the Soudan, who slips into Wadi Halfa or Assouan or Suakin and
undertakes the work. Of course his risk is great. He would have short
shrift in Omdurman if his business were detected. So it is not to be
wondered at that he shirks the danger at the last moment. As often as
not, too, he is a rogue. You make your arrangements with him in Egypt,
and hand him over the necessary money. In six months or a year he comes
back alone, with a story of excuses. It was summer, and the season
unfavourable for an escape.
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