to secrecy, and as
for the cave, he would order the natives to wall up its mouth for fear
of evil magic.

Following his visit to Wabiti's tribe, Dick returned to the Taharan
village, where he began teaching the natives the simple arts that they
could practice.

The women were shown how the wool of wild sheep and the hair of goats
could be spun into yarn, and he had primitive looms set up in caves,
where cloth was woven.

Veena, the pretty little handmaiden of the old queen, was quick to
learn and as she was fond of Dick and anxious to please him, she was
among the first to produce a fine piece of cloth.

Veena blushed with pleasure when he praised it and looked at him shyly,
then cast down her blue eyes much like one of the girls at home. With
her fair skin and blond hair, Veena might have been his own sister.

The sharp-faced Queen Vanga, was given an occupation to keep her quiet.
Now that she no longer ruled the tribe, Vanga was set to overseeing the
women who spun and wove. She did it with relish.

"Work faster, you lazy creatures!" she cried. "Don't stop to gossip!
Don't go to sleep over your work!" and if any of them talked back, she
did not hesitate to box their ears. Old Vanga was still a queen.

Dan was especially useful in teaching the men of the tribe something
about farming and horse-breaking. Both Dan and Dick had been in
Arizona long enough to see how the cowboys did things and soon the
Taharans had learned to make lariats out of their palm fibre ropes.
Dick and Dan took turns in showing them how to lasso and throw the
little wild horses, which the tribe owned but had never learned to use.

"Can you beat it!" exclaimed Dan. "These fellows think a pony is good
for just one thing. They raise them for food."

"They are rather small to ride," said Dick, "but I'll tell you what,
we'll break a few to the saddle anyhow."

"First we'll have to make a saddle."

"And then we'll show these Taharans what a horse-breaker their king can
be."

But that plan had to be delayed for before the horse-breaking could
begin a reign of terror swept like a hurricane over the peaceful
kingdom of Tahara.

CHAPTER III

ARAB RAIDERS

Dan came running to Dick Oakwood and cried, "Say it looks to me like a
sandstorm over there. Maybe we had all better get under cover!"

Across the desert, far away, Dick saw a cloud of dust rising into the
hot blue sky and called Raal.

"Is that a sandstorm?" he aske