," he said.

The woman bowed her shawled head and murmured with emotion after a
silence:

"The blessings of a servant be upon you and yours; may the God of
Israel be with you for evermore."

She dropped back to the rear of the party and the train moved on.

Meanwhile, Keturah, who sat huddled on the floor of Laodice's howdah,
had not moved since they had left the doorway of Costobarus' house.
Momus, on the neck of Laodice's camel, had observed her once or twice,
and now he reached back and touched her. He jerked his hand away and
brought up his camel with a wrench. Hiram, following close behind, by
dint of main strength managed to avoid a collision with Momus' beast
so suddenly halted. The mute leaped down from his place and in an
instant Costobarus joined him. Alarmed without understanding, Laodice
had risen and was drawn as far as she might from the serving-woman.
Momus, lifting himself by the stirrup, seized the stiff figure and
laid it down upon the sands. Aquila dismounted and the three men bent
over the woman. Then Costobarus glanced up quickly at Laodice, made a
sign to Momus, who, with a face devoid of expression, climbed back
into his place on the neck of the camel.

The strange woman who had stood her ground was heard to say in a low
voice, half lost in the muffling of her wrappings:

"One!"

Momus drove on leisurely and Laodice, knowing that she must not look,
slipped down in her place and wrapped her vitta over her face.

Pestilence was riding with them.

After a long time, Costobarus' camel ambled up beside hers, and she
ventured to uncover her eyes. Her father smiled at her with that same
heart-breaking smile which her mother had for her in face of trouble.

"The frosts! The frosts!" he whispered to Momus, and the mute laid
goad about his camel.

Aquila, seeing this haste, checked his horse's gait and fell back
beside the strange woman. Together they permitted the rest of the
party to ride ahead, while they talked in voices too restrained to be
heard.

"There is pestilence in this company," Aquila said angrily; "will that
not persuade you to abandon this plan?"

"No. When all of you are like to die and leave this great treasure
sitting out in the wilderness without a guardian?" she said lightly.
There was no trace of a servant's humility in her tone.

"Hast had the plague that thou seem'st to feel secure from it?" he
demanded.

"O no; then there would be no risk in this game. There is n