on.

All agreed that the maherry had made away with the old man-o'-war's-man.
There could be no doubt about it. Bill's shouts, as he was hurried out
of their hearing, proved that he was doing his best to bring to, and
that the "ship of the desert" would not yield obedience to her helm.

They wondered a little why he had not slipped off and let the animal go.
They could not see why he should fear to drop down in the soft sand.
He might have had a tumble, but nothing to do him any serious injury,
nothing to break a bone or dislocate a joint. They supposed he had
stuck to the saddle from not wishing to abandon the maherry, and in hope
of soon bringing it to a halt.

This was just what he had done for the first three or four hundred
yards. After that he would only have been too well satisfied to
separate from the camel and let it go its way. But then he was among
the rough, jaggy rocks through which the path led; and then dismounting
was no longer to be thought of without also thinking of danger
considering that the camel was nearly ten feet in height, and going at a
pitching pace of ten miles to the hour. To have forsaken his saddle at
that moment, would have been to risk the breaking of his neck.

From where they stood looking after him the mids could not make out the
character of the ground. Under the light of the moon the surface seemed
all of a piece--all a bed of smooth, soft sand. For this reason were
they perplexed by his behaviour.

There was that in the incident to make them apprehensive. The maherry
would not have gone off at such a gait without some powerful motive to
impel it. Up to that moment it had shown no particular penchant for
rapid travelling, but had been going under their guidance with a steady
sober docility. Something must have attracted it towards the interior.
What could that something be, if not the knowledge that its home or its
companions were to be found in this direction?

This was the conjecture that came simultaneously into the minds of all
three, as is known the correct one.

There could be no doubt that their companion had been carried towards an
encampment; for no other kind of settlement could be thought of in such
a place. It was even a wonder that this could exist in the midst of a
dreary wild expanse of pure sand, like that surrounding them. Perhaps,
thought they, there may be "land" towards the interior of the country, a
spot of firm soil, with vegetation upon it;