d of him," said the Colonel.

"He has the name of being one of the boldest and the most fanatical
of all the Khalifa's leaders. Thank God that the women are out of his
clutches."

The two Arabs had been talking in that stern, restrained fashion which
comes so strangely from a southern race. Now they both turned to the
dragoman, who was still kneeling upon the sand. They plied him with
questions, pointing first to one and then to another of their prisoners.
Then they conferred together once more, and finally said something to
Mansoor, with a contemptuous wave of the hand to indicate that he might
convey it to the others.

"Thank Heaven, gentlemen, I think that we are saved for the present
time," said Mansoor, wiping away the sand which had stuck to his
perspiring forehead. "Ali Wad Ibrahim says that though an unbeliever
should have only the edge of the sword from one of the sons of the
Prophet, yet it might be of more profit to the beit-el-mal at Omdurman
if it had the gold which your people will pay for you. Until it comes
you can work as the slaves of the Khalifa; unless he should decide to
put you to death. You are to mount yourselves upon the spare; camels and
to ride with the party."

The chief had waited for the end of the explanation. Now he gave a brief
order, and a negro stepped forward with a long, dull-coloured sword in
his hand. The dragoman squealed like a rabbit who sees a ferret, and
threw himself frantically down upon the sand once more.

"What is it, Cochrane?" asked Cecil Brown,--for the Colonel had served
in the East, and was the only one of the travellers who had a smattering
of Arabic.

"As far as I can make out, he says there is no use keeping the dragoman,
as no one would trouble to pay a ransom for him, and he is too fat to
make a good slave."

"Poor devil!" cried Brown. "Here, Cochrane, tell them to let him go. We
can't let him be butchered like this in front of us. Say that we will
find the money amongst us. I will be answerable for any reasonable sum."

"I'll stand in as far as my means will allow," cried Belmont.

"We will sign a joint bond or indemnity," said, the lawyer. "If I had
a paper and pencil I could throw it into shape in an instant, and the
chief could rely upon its being perfectly correct and valid."

But the Colonel's Arabic was insufficient, and Mansoor himself was too
maddened by fear to understand the offer which was being made for him.
The negro looked a question a