blacksmith. The chains
were knocked off without a word spoken.

"Come," said Abou. "There will be no moon to-night. How long before they
discover you are gone?"

"Who knows? Perhaps already Idris has missed us. Perhaps he will not
till morning. There are many prisoners."

They ran up the slope of sand, between the quarters of the tribes,
across the narrow width of the city, through the cemetery. On the far
side of the cemetery stood a disused house; a man rose up in the doorway
as they approached, and went in.

"Wait here," said Abou Fatma, and he too went into the house. In a
moment both men came back, and each one led a camel and made it kneel.

"Mount," said Abou Fatma. "Bring its head round and hold it as you
mount."

"I know the trick," said Trench.

Feversham climbed up behind him, the two Arabs mounted the second camel.

"Ten miles to the west," said Abou Fatma, and he struck the camel on the
flanks.

Behind them the glare of the lights dwindled, the tapping of the drums
diminished.

CHAPTER XXX

THE LAST OF THE SOUTHERN CROSS

The wind blew keen and cold from the north. The camels, freshened by it,
trotted out at their fastest pace.

"Quicker," said Trench, between his teeth. "Already Idris may have
missed us."

"Even if he has," replied Feversham, "it will take time to get men
together for a pursuit, and those men must fetch their camels, and
already it is dark."

But although he spoke hopefully, he turned his head again and again
towards the glare of light above Omdurman. He could no longer hear the
tapping of the drums, that was some consolation. But he was in a country
of silence, where men could journey swiftly and yet make no noise. There
would be no sound of galloping horses to warn him that pursuit was at
his heels. Even at that moment the Ansar soldiers might be riding within
thirty paces of them, and Feversham strained his eyes backwards into the
darkness and expected the glimmer of a white turban. Trench, however,
never turned his head. He rode with his teeth set, looking forwards. Yet
fear was no less strong in him than in Feversham. Indeed, it was
stronger, for he did not look back towards Omdurman because he did not
dare; and though his eyes were fixed directly in front of him, the
things which he really saw were the long narrow streets of the town
behind him, the dotted fires at the corners of the streets, and men
running hither and thither among the houses, making th