gyptian
night was upon them.

The fellaheen muttered among themselves, and one or two of them wandered
off on some pretext. The rest threw down their tools and looked at
Smith. "Men say they no like stop here. They afraid of ghost! Too
many _afreet_ live in these tomb. That what they say. Come back finish
to-morrow morning when it light. Very foolish people, these common
fellaheen," remarked Mahomet, in a superior tone.

"Quite so," replied Smith, who knew well that nothing that he could
offer would tempt his men to go on with the opening of a tomb after
sunset. "Let them go away. You and I will stop and watch the place till
morning."

"Sorry, sah," said Mahomet, "but I not feel quite well inside; think I
got fever. I go to camp and lie down and pray under plenty blanket."

"All right, go," said Smith; "but if there is anyone who is not a
coward, let him bring me my big coat, something to eat and drink, and
the lantern that hangs in my tent. I will meet him there in the valley."

Mahomet, though rather doubtfully, promised that this should be done,
and, after begging Smith to accompany them, lest the spirit of whoever
slept in the tomb should work him a mischief during the night, they
departed quickly enough.

Smith lit his pipe, sat down on the sand, and waited. Half an hour later
he heard a sound of singing, and through the darkness, which was dense,
saw lights coming up the valley.

"My brave men," he thought to himself, and scrambled up the slope to
meet them.

He was right. These were his men, no less than twenty of them, for with
a fewer number they did not dare to face the ghosts which they believed
haunted the valley after nightfall. Presently the light from the lantern
which one of them carried (not Mahomet, whose sickness had increased too
suddenly to enable him to come) fell upon the tall form of Smith, who,
dressed in his white working clothes, was leaning against a rock. Down
went the lantern, and with a howl of terror the brave company turned and
fled.

"Sons of cowards!" roared Smith after them, in his most vigorous Arabic.
"It is I, your master, not an _afreet_."

They heard, and by degrees crept back again. Then he perceived that in
order to account for their number each of them carried some article.
Thus one had the bread, another the lantern, another a tin of sardines,
another the sardine-opener, another a box of matches, another a bottle
of beer, and so on. As even thus there were not en