her. Would they yield to our inferior numbers? They
stood still, as if in doubt--perhaps intending to wait till we and our
beasts were satisfied, unaware of the numerous bands in our rear.

As I looked at them I could not help fancying that one of the persons on
foot was a white man. I asked Halliday if he could make him out.

"A white man he certainly is, and it is my belief that it is Boxall," he
answered.

I thought so too, but feared I might be mistaken. We waved our hands.
He recognised us, I felt sure, though Halliday doubted it; at all
events, we were about to hurry forward to meet him, regardless of our
thirst, when the leading columns of the caravan appeared in the
distance, and the strangers, seeing that they had no prospect of
successfully disputing the water with us, hauled the men on foot up on
their saddles, and went off at a round gallop. We were grievously
disappointed at thus missing the opportunity of speaking to Boxall; and
should he have failed to recognise us, the chances of our being able to
hold any communication with each other would be greatly lessened.
However, as he was in the neighbourhood, we might still hope to meet
him, and concoct some plan for effecting our escape.

The pool over which the Arabs would have been ready to shed each others'
blood was between thirty and forty feet in circumference, five or six
feet deep, and contained little more than a foot or so of stagnant
water; but, stagnant as it was, we drank eagerly of it. At the edge was
sitting a huge frog, its sole living occupant, as far as we could see.
We were about to drive the reptile away, when the sheikh exclaimed, in
an agitated tone, "Stay, Nazarenes! disturb not the creature. It is the
guardian of the pool, and should it be destroyed the water may dry up
for ever." Obeying the sheikh's commands, we let his frogship watch on;
but I suspect that he must have had an uneasy time of it, while the
animals of the caravan were drinking up his water till every drop was
exhausted.

As we travelled on, we frequently came in sight of other Arab tribes,
but though moving in the same direction we never pitched our tents near
each other. Occasionally, however, when the chiefs were on friendly
terms, they would ride on together; though they always parted before the
time of camping arrived. This was done because of the difficulty of
finding water and food for their cattle. Sometimes we fell in with
hostile tribes, when th