s, plantations of mandarins, white houses,
a small mosque with projecting minaret, and, lower, walls surrounding
gardens, all these appeared with such distinctness and at distance so
close that one might assume that after the lapse of half an hour the
caravan would be amid the trees of the oasis.

"What is this?" exclaimed Stas. "Nell, Nell! Look!"

Nell rose, and for a time was silent with astonishment, but after a
while began to cry with joy:

"Medinet! to papa! to papa!"

And Stas turned pale from emotion.

"Truly--Perhaps that is Kharga--But no! That is Medinet perhaps--I
recognize the minaret and even see the windmills above the wells--"

In fact, in the distance the highly elevated American windmills
resembling great white stars, actually glistened. On the verdant
background of the trees they could be seen so perfectly that Stas' keen
sight could distinguish the borders of the vanes painted red.

"That is Medinet!--"

Stas knew from books and narratives that there were on the desert
phantasms known as "fata morgana" and that sometimes travelers happen
to see oases, cities, tufts of trees and lakes, which are nothing more
than an illusion, a play of light, and a reflection of real distant
objects. But this time the phenomenon was so distinct, so well-nigh
palpable that he could not doubt that he saw the real Medinet. There
was the turret upon the Mudir's house, there the circular balcony near
the summit of the minaret from which the muezzin called to prayers,
there that familiar group of trees, and particularly those windmills.
No,--that must be the reality. It occurred to the boy that the
Sudanese, reflecting upon their situation, had come to the conclusion
that they could not escape and, without saying anything to him, had
turned back to Fayum. But their calmness suggested to him the first
doubts. If that really was Fayum, would they gaze upon it so
indifferently? They, of course, saw the phenomenon and pointed it out
to each other with their fingers, but on their faces could not be seen
the least perplexity or emotion. Stas gazed yet once more and perhaps
this indifference of the Arabs caused the picture to seem fainter to
him. He also thought that, if in truth they were returning, the caravan
would be grouped together, and the men, though only from fear, would
ride in a body. But, in the meanwhile, the Bedouins, who, by Idris'
order, for the past few days drove considerably in advance, could not
be se