Sidi," Edgar said. "Who would have thought of
our meeting those two scoundrels again? I am sorry that I had to kill
that man, but it was his life or mine."

"You have assuredly again saved my life, Edgar. I am sure that they
would have murdered me."

"No doubt they would," Edgar said. "But as I was with you, and was not
likely to stand and look on while they did it, it was a fight of two
against two, and you did your share."

"It was a poor share, brother. You drew off the attention of the man
that would have killed me, and I had but to strike him down without
danger to myself. Again you have saved my life."

"That may be, but I think that you in turn saved mine, for I doubt
whether I should have got on as well with the second fellow as I did
with the first."

"Oh, I have no doubt you would!" the young Arab said confidently. "How
did you kill him? I saw nothing of it."

"It was simple enough," Edgar replied, and related how the short
conflict had begun and ended.

"You must really teach me these things, Edgar. It is wonderful how quick
you are, and with a knife too; for I have heard you say that in England
people never fight with knives."

"One learns quickness from boxing," Edgar said carelessly. "That is one
of the advantages of it. It teaches one to think quickly and act
quickly; and if one can fight with one's fists, of course one can fight
with a knife. It was a boxing trick I used, and a very useful one, and
more easy than it would be against a good boxer, who would have hit me
with his left before I could strike my blow, but of course this fellow
had no idea of doing that, so that unless I had failed to grasp his
wrist it was a certainty. Did the other hurt you? I heard you go down
with a crash."

"I feel stiff," Sidi replied, "and I expect that I shall be a good deal
worse to-morrow, for I am sure I am bruised all down the back; but that
is no matter. It is a good thing that we have done with those two men; I
felt sure that they would try to be revenged on us if they ever fell in
with us again."

The next day, the anniversary of the establishment of the republic, was
celebrated by a grand review of the troops, and a few days later the
news came that Desaix's division, which had set out in pursuit of Mourad
on the day after the battle of the Pyramids, had overtaken him, and
another fierce fight had ensued. The charge of the Mamelukes had broken
one of the French squares, and for a time great confusi