that after dozing off and waking again and again, hot,
feverish, and uncomfortable, he was not sorry to see the first signs of
dawn peering through his blinds.

Getting from beneath the mosquito curtain, he opened the window wider,
and then stayed for a few minutes to wonder that the morning air should
be so cool to his heated brows.

Returning to bed, he lay thinking for a few minutes, and then all at
once thought ceased and he slept soundly for an hour, to start up in
horror, full of the impression that he had overslept himself.

But a glance at his watch showed that it was still early, as he began to
dress, meaning to have a look round the place before breakfast.
Matters, however, shaped themselves differently, for on going to the
window and looking out, there to the left lay the hotel garden with its
clumps of palms and orange trees, where beneath the former he saw an
early visitor in the shape of the tall, dignified-looking Sheikh in his
clean white robes and turban, walking slowly to and fro, as if in
expectation of seeing the professor.

Frank hurried down, too eager to reach the garden to pause and look
about at the Eastern aspect of everything around; but he found that he
was not first, for there before him were the professor and the doctor
just passing out, and he joined them just as they reached the Sheikh,
who greeted them all with solemn dignity.

"I have slept on the matter, O Excellencies," he said.

"And now you think better of it?" said the doctor sharply.

The Sheikh smiled.

"I have thought much of it, Excellency," he said gravely, "but the
matter was agreed upon last night. All that remained was to find out
the best way and the safest. I feel that it must be as I said; we--my
people and I--must journey through the desert to avoid the windings of
the great river, taking with us such merchandise as the Mahdi's people
will be glad to buy, and once at Khartoum or Omdurman we must trust to
our good fortune about finding the prisoner. Once we do find him the
merchandise must go, and we shall trust to our fleet camels and
knowledge of the desert to escape. What do your Excellencies say?"

The professor turned to Frank.

"Will you tell him?" he said. "It was your idea."

Frank shrank for the moment, but mastering his hesitancy he turned to
the old Sheikh, and rapidly growing earnest and warm, he vividly
described his plans, while the old man stood stern and frowning,
apparently receiving ev