d with the remains of them because they chafed his sore limbs,
and his fair skin, not excluding that of his face, was a mass of
blisters, raised by the sun. In fact he was so disfigured that his worst
enemy would not have known him. He yawned, stretched himself, always a
good sign in man or beast, and asked for a bath.

"I am afraid you will have to wash yourself in sand here, sir, like them
filthy Arabians," said Quick, saluting. "No water to spare for baths in
this dry country. But I've got a tube of hazeline, also a hair-brush and
a looking-glass," he added, producing these articles.

"Quite so, Sergeant," said Higgs, as he took them; "it's sacrilege to
think of using water to wash. I intend never to waste it in that way
again." Then he looked at himself in the glass, and let it fall upon the
sand, ejaculating, "Oh! good Lord, is that me?"

"Please be careful, sir," said the Sergeant sternly; "you told me the
other day that it's unlucky to break a looking-glass; also I have no
other."

"Take it away," said the Professor; "I don't want it any more, and,
Doctor, come and oil my face, there's a good fellow; yes, and the rest
of me also, if there is enough hazeline."

So we treated each other with the ointment, which at first made us smart
fearfully, and then, very gingerly sat down to breakfast.

"Now, Sergeant," said Orme, as he finished his fifth pannikin of tea,
"tell us your story."

"There isn't much of a story, Captain. Those Zeu fellows came back
without you, and, not knowing the lingo, I could make nothing of their
tale. Well, I soon made Shadrach and Co. understand that, death-wind or
no death-wind--that's what they call it--they must come with me to look
for you, and at last we started, although they said that I was mad,
as you were dead already. Indeed, it wasn't until I asked that fellow
Shadrach if he wanted to be dead too"--and the Sergeant tapped his
revolver grimly--"that he would let any one go.

"As it proved, he was right, for we couldn't find you, and after awhile
the camels refused to face the storm any longer; also one of the Abati
drivers was lost, and hasn't been heard of since. It was all the rest
of us could do to get back to the oasis alive, nor would Shadrach go out
again even after the storm had blown itself away. It was no use arguing
with the pig, so, as I did not want his blood upon my hands, I took two
camels and started with the dog Pharaoh for company.

"Now this was my thoug