son to believe, however, that their consideration of the sad
lot of "the poor" at home did not render less profound or sweet that
night's repose in the great African wilderness.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

ADVENTURES AMONG THE SOUDANESE, AND STRANGE MEETING WITH THE MAHDI.

Day after day, for many days, our captives were thus driven over the
burning desert, suffering intensely from heat and thirst and hunger, as
well as from fatigue, and treated with more or less cruelty according to
the varying moods of their guards.

At last one afternoon they arrived at a city of considerable size,
through the streets of which they were driven with unusual harshness by
the Arab soldiers, who seemed to take pleasure in thus publicly heaping
contempt on Christian captives in the sight of the Mohammedan
population.

Their case seemed truly desperate to Miles, as he and his comrades
passed through the narrow streets, for no pitying eye, but many a frown,
was cast on them by the crowds who stopped to gaze and scoff.

What city they had reached they had no means of finding out, being
ignorant of Arabic. Indeed, even though they had been able to converse
with their guards, it is probable that these would have refused to hold
communication with them.

Turning out of what appeared to be a sort of market-place, they were
driven, rather than conducted, to a whitewashed building, into which
they entered through a low strong door, studded with large iron-headed
nails. As they entered a dark passage, the door was slammed and locked
behind them. At first, owing to their sudden entrance out of intensely
bright day, they seemed to be in profound darkness, but when they became
accustomed to the dim light, they found that they were in the presence
of several powerful men, who carried long Eastern-like pistols in their
girdles, and curved naked swords in their hands. These stood like
statues against the wall of the small room, silently awaiting the orders
of one whose dress betokened him of superior rank, and who was engaged
in writing with a reed in Persian characters. A tall, very
black-skinned negro stood beside this officer.

After a few minutes the latter laid down the reed, rose up, and
confronted the prisoners, at the same time addressing some remark to his
attendant.

"Who is you, an' where you come fro?" asked the negro, addressing
himself to Miles, whom he seemed intuitively to recognise as the chief
of his party.

"We are Bri