x yourself up in treasonable
risings again. You can take him away with you," he added to Edgar.

Sidi moved away from his companions with an unsteady step. He had made
up his mind that his fate was sealed, and had been prepared to meet it,
and the sudden revulsion of feeling was almost too much for him. He gave
his hand silently to Edgar, and as the latter bowed and murmured his
thanks to the general, they went out together, one of the soldiers
accompanying them. In spite of his Arab stoicism, the tears were running
down Sidi's cheeks as they issued into the open air.

"I am not crying for joy that I am freed, brother," he said, "but with
pleasure at seeing you alive. When we got to the end of that street and
saw, for the first time, that you were not with us, and, looking back,
could see that your horse had fallen, we gave you up for dead, and
bitterly did my father reproach himself for having permitted you to
share in our attack. He is among the dead, brother; I saw him fall. I
had been separated from him by the rush of the French horsemen, but I
saw him fighting desperately, until at last struck down. Then, almost
mad, I struck wildly. I felt a heavy blow on my head, and should have
fallen had not a French soldier seized my arm and dragged me across his
saddle in front of him. I was dimly conscious of being handed over to
the infantry, and placed with some other prisoners. I sank down, and
should have bled to death had not an Arab among them bandaged my head.
The fight was nearly over then, and I was brought up here."

"I can give you good news, Sidi. I went last night with the two men whom
we had left behind, and searched for some hours among the dead for you
and your father, and found him at last. He was insensible, but not dead.
We carried him off, and the other two are with him in a grove six miles
away, and I have every hope that he will recover. He has five or six
wounds, but I do not think that any of them are mortal."

Sidi fairly broke down on hearing the news, and nothing further was said
until they had issued from the gate. The officer was still there who had
spoken to Edgar on entering.

"So you have saved your friend?" he said pleasantly, as Edgar passed.
"He is lucky, for I fancy he will be the only one of the Arabs who will
issue out of here to-day."

"I thank you much, monsieur, for having let me pass," Edgar said
gratefully. "I feared so much that I should not be allowed to enter to
speak for h