n
and wind. They were a startling pair.

Gravely, with unchanging eyes, he acknowledged the introduction, and
then, "What's this about robbers?" he went on. "What kind of a yarn
are you putting over?"

"Nothing I want put over on the general public." Billy was thinking
very hard. "You're going to be our salvation, Burroughs, but even to
you--well, I'll put it briefly. We were having a desert ride and
some Turkish fellows who have annoyed her before chased us. There
are our camels, just outside. And you can see one of the fellows on
horseback keeping watch. The others are somewhere about.... And now,
for heaven's sake, get us a drink of water."

Burroughs walked to the door of the tomb and looked out an instant,
then he turned and went toward the back, returning with a small
native jar full of water.

"I've no glass, but if you can manage this----?" he said to Arlee,
and she clutched the cool pottery with two hot little hands and,
murmuring a quick affirmative, she put it to her lips.

Then she held it out to Billy.

"I suppose--we mustn't---drink as much as we want."

"I couldn't," said Billy, after a grateful swallowing. "I'd drain
the Nile.... Got a camp here?"

"Yes. You'd have seen my men any other time of day, but we knocked
off a while out of the sun," Burroughs explained. "I've rigged up
this tomb as living quarters while I'm here. Now what do you want me
to do? Would you like a guard?"

"We'd like a guard and a bath and cold cream," said Billy joyfully.
"And then we'd like dinner and donkeys."

Burroughs grunted.

"Umph--I should say you'd one donkey already in your
party--careering around the desert with a little girl like this," he
vouchsafed, and Arlee's eyes widened at his brusque nod at her. She
was staring about her now with a curious interest, for all her
aching tiredness, gazing wonderingly at the dazzling white walls
with their strange and brilliant paintings. She saw they were in a
long, deep chamber, from which other openings led to unimagined
deeps.

"I guess you never were in a place like this before?" Burroughs
inquired, and she shook her head dumbly, feeling suddenly too spent
for words.

"Can she get a rest here?" said Billy anxiously. "We've had the
devil of a ride."

"The place is all hers," returned Burroughs. "I'll send you some
food and cold cream--you mustn't wash that sunburn, you know, or
you'll be a sorry girl to-morrow--and then you can rest as long as
you like. Ho