hot through Frank, as
he gazed for a few moments, and then thought of the Hakim and the need
for his ministrations there.

He turned quickly to his companion, who seemed to be reading his
thoughts, for he nodded, and together they touched the flanks of their
horses and cantered and then galloped off the field of blood, eager to
leave the quivering bodies and headless corpses far behind.

The young Emir was perfectly silent now, and Frank had ceased to suffer
from the repugnance he felt, for he could only think of what he had
seen, so that it seemed but a matter of minutes before they had reached
the gateway of the Emir's palace, though a good half hour had passed
away.

A minute later he had given the young Emir a quick nod, leaped from his
horse, thrown the rein to one of the guards who followed him in, and run
to their quarters at the garden end, where the camels were browsing
contentedly and their keepers looking on, when, finding the rooms empty,
the young man looked out.

Frank felt that the Hakim must be with the Emir's friend, and hurrying
through the passages and intervening rooms, he found Morris with the
professor, Sam, and the Sheikh near to an angareb, or bedstead, on to
which the wounded man had been carefully lifted a few minutes before.

Better still for the young man's mission, the Emir himself was standing
there as if he had been looking on, and he raised his head at the young
Englishman's entrance and gave him a friendly smile.

It was very near. Frank almost betrayed himself by bursting out
passionately with his news; but he recalled his position just in time,
signed to the Hakim for his tablets, and in a few brief words wrote of
the mutilated prisoners, and urged that the Hakim should ask for leave
to try and save the sufferers' lives.

Seeing that something terrible was wrong, Morris leaned over his young
companion's shoulder and read off the words he hastily wrote upon the
china tablets he carried in a folding book.

Then, nodding gravely, he glanced at the Emir, who was gazing at him
intently, and told the Sheikh to ask for permission to attend the
prisoners.

The Emir's countenance became very stern and hard as he listened to the
Sheikh's interpretation, and then replied--

"Tell the great Hakim that his mission is to heal the sick and wounded,
and that I know his heart and that of his young black slave are as
tender and compassionate as those of the angels of light. But I cannot
d