very one, the bride and all the Agha's family had in
the midst of the celebrations suddenly gone out to the _douar_, the
desert encampment of the tribe over which Ben Raana ruled as chief. This
was unprecedented for the wedding of great personages that the end of
the entertainment should take place in the _douar_; but it was said that
the bride was ill with over-excitement, and rather than put off the
marriage, her father had decided to try the effect of desert air.

This was the news which was told to Max at the Agha's gates after his
forced march from Touggourt. It was translated for him into French by
his interpreter, the dark-faced man who covered his mouth even more
closely than did the dwellers in the black tents near Touggourt; for
Max, though he had studied Arabic of nights in the Legion's library, and
taken lessons from Garcia, could not yet understand the desert dialects
when spoken quickly. An interpreter was a real necessity for him on a
desert journey with Arabs to command, and as the two talked together
outside the open gate in the high white wall, discussing the situation,
neither the Agha's men nor any man of the caravan could understand a
word. The language they used was a mystery. French, English,
Spanish--all were jargons to these people of the southern desert.

"At the _douar_!" Max repeated. "Where is it?"

"Not twenty miles away," answered Manoeel, keeping all feeling out of his
voice, as an interpreter should. "But it's between here and Touggourt.
Not exactly on the way, still we could have reached it by taking a
detour of a few kilometres off the caravan track and saved hours,
precious hours."

"Never mind," said Max, worried though he was because of the delay that
meant something to him, if not as much as to Manoeel. "Never mind. We
shall be in time yet. They say the festivities are only half over. That
means she isn't married. Buck up! I know this is a shock; but it isn't a
surprise that the wedding feast should be on. You've been expecting
that. You've even been afraid it might be all over."

"But something has happened, or they wouldn't have taken her away,"
Manoeel said.

"Perhaps she tried to escape," Max suggested. "Would it be harder for
her to do that at the _douar_ than here?"

"In a way, yes. Here she might be hidden for a while in some house of
the village: it's a rabbit warren, as you can see. Whereas, round the
_douar_ lies the desert open to all eyes. Still, it's easier to g