e professor bantered his
friends about their prospects.

"It means a revival of professional practice for you," he said, "and
that looks prosperous. You only lost your last patient a few hours
ago--that is, if you have lost him--and now a score or two will come
tumbling in."

"Very well," said the doctor coolly; "it shows that they approve of my
treatment. I suppose we shall know at the first halt."

This was many hours in coming, for a long, monotonous march was made
right away to the south-west, with the pile of rocks they had left
gradually sinking till quite out of sight, and then, with the sun
growing hotter and hotter, there was nothing visible on any side but the
long, level stretch of sand.

The halt was not made till near midday, when the heat had become
unbearable, and horses and camels were growing sluggish, and showed
plenty of indications of the need of whip and spur.

Then, apparently without orders, the little knot of horsemen, led by the
Baggara who had had charge of the prisoners, drew up short and faced
round, when taking them as the extreme limit the rest of the train
formed themselves up into a well ordered group as they came on, till,
with the Sheikh's party and their guards as a kind of centre, and the
camels with their loads behind, the horsemen closed them in as if for
strategic reasons, and for the next half hour there was a busy scene,
the camels being relieved of their loads as if the stay were to be of
some hours' length.

This was evidently intended, for fires were lit and food was prepared,
many of the horsemen after picketing their horses settling down at once
to coffee and pipes.

It was while Frank and his friends were partaking of an _al fresco_
lunch, hastily prepared by Sam, that they had their first intimation of
the Baggara chief being with the horsemen, for he cantered up to their
temporary camp in company with his fierce-looking companion, leaped from
his horse, and walked up to the Hakim at once, to give him a smile of
recognition and hold out his left arm, which he tapped vigorously as if
saying: "Look! Quite well again." Then turning round to the Sheikh he
signed to him to approach, and said a few words hastily, before nodding
to the Hakim again, returning to his horse, mounting, and cantering
away.

"Well, Ibrahim," said the professor; "what does it mean?"

"That the chief's arm will soon be well; that the young chief his son
will soon be well; and that the gre