treat them.

In answer to Abdul's question, Michael yawned and stretched out his
arms. "Yes, greatly refreshed, Abdul. How long have I slept? What
time is it? I feel very much better."

"The Effendi's words give happiness to his servant," Abdul said. "With
care my master will enjoy good health in a day or two."

"I'm all right now, Abdul. That last compress has done me a world of
good. My headache has lifted." It was characteristic of Michael's
temperament that when he was down, he was very, very down, and when he
was up, he bounded and became scornful of all care and precautions.

"Everything is in readiness when my master is ready," Abdul said.
"There are still three hours before sunset."

Michael rose from the impromptu couch which Abdul had made for him
under the shadow of a mighty rock. The desert was no longer a
shoreless sea of golden sand; they were reaching the reef of hills
which was their objective.

When Michael found himself on his feet and ready to mount his
camel--that undignified proceeding, which always made him realize his
own helplessness and evoked from the camel ugly roars of justifiable
resentment--he found himself scarcely as fit as he had thought; he was
giddy and still distressingly tired. It was very annoying, not feeling
up to his best form, now that they were drawing so close to the
exciting spot. He had imagined that he would feel like a gold-miner
hurrying to peg out his claim, instead of which he was conscious of but
one feeling, physical and nervous exhaustion.

He braced himself up. The air was cooler; a little breeze was lifting
the sand and carrying its invisible atoms across the surface of the
desert. How many times on his journey he had seen this noiseless
drifting of the sand! Now, as he watched it from his high seat, it
made him think of the saint's grave. Even in this short time much sand
would have collected on the mound which covered his bones.

This ceaseless drifting of the sand was an object-lesson which
illustrated very practically the complete obliteration of Egypt's
ancient cities and lost civilizations. Michael knew that on such a day
as this he had only to lay some small object down in the desert, and
very soon an accumulation of sand would gather round it. After a
little time the object would be completely lost to sight, and in its
place there would be a little mound, which would grow and grow as the
years rolled on, until it became a feature i