dvanced, in line of battle,
up the slope. The devil himself could scarce withstand such an assault.
England, Scotland, Ireland, abreast, _tres juncti in uno_, united in
thought, aim and action, was there aught upon earth, biped, quadruped,
or _mille-pied_, that must not yield to the charge?

If there was, it was not that animal oscillating along the saddle of
sand, progressing from pommel to cantel, like the pendulum of a clock.

Whether natural or supernatural, long before our adventurers got near
enough to decide, the creature, to use a phrase of very modern mention,
"skedaddled", leaving them free, so far as it was concerned, to continue
their retreat unmolested.

It did not depart, however, until after delivering a salute, that left
our adventurers in greater doubt than ever of its true character. They
had been debating among themselves whether it was a thing of the earth,
of time, or something that belonged to eternity. They had seen it under
a fair light, and could not decide. But now that they had heard it, had
listened to a strain of loud cachinnation, scarce mocking the laughter
of the maniac, there was no escaping from the conclusion that what they
had seen was either Satan himself, or one of his Ethiopian satellites.

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.

THE HUE AND CRY.

As the strange creature that had threatened to dispute their passage was
no longer in sight, and seemed, moreover, to have gone clear away, the
three mids ceased to think any more of it; their minds being given to
making their way over the ridge without being seen by the occupants of
the encampment.

Having returned their dirks to the sheath, they continued to advance
towards the crest of the transverse sand-spur, as cautiously as at
starting.

It is possible they might have succeeded in crossing without being
perceived, but for a circumstance of which they had taken too little
heed. Only too well pleased, at seeing the strange quadruped make its
retreat, they had been less affected by its parting salutation, weird
and wild as this had sounded in their ears. But they had not thought of
the effects which the same salute had produced upon the people of the
Arab camp, causing all of them, as it did, to turn their eyes in the
direction whence it was heard. To them there was no mystery in that
screaming cachinnation. Unearthly as it had echoed in the ears of the
three mids, it fell with a perfectly natural tone on those of the Arabs:
for