heir comrades, who had gone on in
advance. Not, however, till they were at a considerable distance, did I
venture to arouse my companions. I then got Boxall to look out at them,
for I suspected he might otherwise suppose that the account I had to
give was a creation of my imagination.

He and the rest were all now convinced of the danger we had escaped.
The question as to whether we should leave our place of concealment was
settled, too, for the present; for, of course, we determined to remain
where we were till the Arabs had left the neighbourhood.

I have not repeated one tenth part of the curses heaped on our heads, or
the threats of vengeance uttered by our pursuers. Their chief cause of
anger, however, was the loss of the famed Bu Saef. Among them I now
recognised Siddy Boo Cassem, as well as several of his relatives and
friends; and I had not the slightest doubt but that they would have put
us to death in revenge for our having carried off the animal. Should
they overtake Ben, his fate would be sealed; but we had little fear on
his account, as he must, unless some accident had happened to him, be
many leagues ahead of his pursuers.

None of us felt inclined to go to sleep again; but we judged it prudent
to remain close in our lair, for fear any passer-by should catch sight
of us, and inform our enemies on their return. At length we suffered so
greatly from thirst, that we were induced to let Selim creep out to try
and find water. Boxall had thoughtfully brought away a leathern bottle,
such as Arabs always carry with them; but he had not filled it, on
account of the weight. We charged Selim not to go far, however, and to
conceal himself as much as possible, while he kept a sharp look-out on
every side, as it would be far better to endure the severest thirst
rather than run the risk of being discovered. Often before had we
endured thirst, but on such occasions we had been unable to obtain
water; now that it was possible to get it, we could not resist the
temptation, notwithstanding the risk to be run.

Having removed a few of the stones, Selim crawled out, and scrambled
down among the ruins; but we could not watch him without exposing
ourselves, and had therefore to remain in anxious suspense during his
absence. It seemed to us a terribly long time; and at length we began
to fear that Siddy Boo Cassem's party would return before he got back to
us. We waited and waited, our thirst increasing till we cou