e favour so granted, though thankfully received by the slaves, was
scornfully refused by their late master, the giant-bodied and
strong-minded Golah.

To accept of food and drink from his enemies, in his present humiliating
position, bound and dragged along like a slave, was a degradation to
which he scorned to submit.

On Golah contemptuously refusing the proffered cup of water, the Arab
who offered it simply ejaculated, "Thank God!" and then drank it
himself.

The well was reached about an hour after midnight; and, after quenching
their thirst, the slaves were allowed to go to rest and sleep, a
privilege they stood sorely in need of, having been over thirty hours
afoot, upon their cheerless and arduous journey.

CHAPTER FIFTY THREE.

AN UNFAITHFUL WIFE.

On waking up the next morning, our adventurers were gratified with a bit
of intelligence communicated by the Krooman: that they were to have a
day of rest. A camel was also to be killed for food.

The Arabs were going to divide amongst themselves the slaves taken from
Golah; and the opportunity was not to be lost of recruiting their
strength for a long journey.

As Sailor Bill reflected upon their sufferings since leaving that same
place two days before, he expressed regret that they had not been
captured before leaving the well, and thus spared the horrors they had
endured.

Stimulated by the remembrance of so much suffering needlessly incurred,
he asked the Krooman to explain the conduct of their new masters.

The Krooman's first attempt at satisfying his curiosity was to state
that the Arabs had acted after a manner peculiar to themselves, in other
words, that it was "a way they had."

The old sailor was not satisfied with this answer; and pressed for a
further explanation.

He was then told that the robbers on the desert were always in danger of
meeting several caravans at a watering-place; and that any act of
violence committed there would bring upon the perpetrators everlasting
disgrace, as well as the enmity of all desert travellers. The Krooman
explained himself by saying, that should a caravan of a hundred men
arrive at the well, they would not now interfere in behalf of Golah, but
would only recognise him as a slave. On the contrary, had they found
him engaged in actual strife with the robbers, they would have assisted
him.

This was satisfactory to all but Bill. Even Colin, who had been buried
alive, and Terence, who had been so un