contents of the bowl, and then handed it
down to Ben,--who went back with the same caution as before and procured
an additional supply for himself and us. Having satisfied our thirst,
we hauled him up; and then sitting down on the side of the well, we
consulted what we should next do. I was of opinion that Boxall had not
been carried to this camp; but that the Arab we had seen belonged to
some other tribe, and probably had been reconnoitring in the
neighbourhood, and, catching sight of Boxall, he had hoped to gain some
advantage by making him prisoner. Ben, on the other hand, who was
convinced that our companion had been carried to the camp, was anxious
to be certain whether this was the case or not. I warned him of the
risk we should run if discovered in the neighbourhood.

"Well, they can't do more than kill us," he answered. "If they make
prisoners of us, we must do our best to escape; and if the blackamoors
have got hold of Mr Boxall, and we find him, we shall be able to help
him to get off too."

"But if we don't find him, we shall have had all our risk for nothing,"
said Halliday.

"Nothing venture, nothing win," answered Ben. "Just let me go, and I'll
take good care that these Arab rascals don't get hold of me."

At length Halliday and I, won over by honest Ben's arguments, agreed to
let him do as he proposed; it being settled that we should wait for him
close to the well.

"Thank you, gentlemen," he said. "I will make a `circumbendibus' of the
camp; and if so be I can't get sight of Mr Boxall, I will be back here
in an hour at the furthest. If I am caught or knocked on the head by
the Arabs, it will all be in the way of duty; and you will say a good
word for Ben Blewett if you ever get home."

Shaking hands with us warmly, as if he were going on a forlorn hope, he
stole off round the well towards the Arab camp.

It did not occur to us at the time, but we had really chosen as
dangerous a spot as any in the neighbourhood. In the first place, wild
beasts prowling about at night were very likely to approach the spot to
drink; and then, as a pathway led down to the well from the opposite
side, the Arabs of the camp were sure, at early dawn, to come down to
fill their water-skins,--so that should we, while waiting for Ben, fall
asleep, we must inevitably be surprised. Fatigued by our long march,
however, we could not resist the temptation of stretching our limbs on
the sand, regardless of the risk w