ck by the hand of the biggest, blackest man ever dreamed of in
nightmarious slumber.

"Master! Master!" cried the product of Africa, and, prostrating
himself, flung the desert sand upon his woolly pate; then rising, ran
towards the man who owned him, lifting the black cloak to his huge
mouth through which scintillated white, unblemished ivories.

The Arab stretched out his hand, and laying it upon the girl's cloak
spake but one word, upon which the negro once more prostrated himself
before Jill's camel, covering his already sandy hair with yet more
glistening particles, murmuring something unintelligible, until a sharp
word brought him to his feet, whereupon he backed towards the gates,
flinging them wide apart, falling upon his knees as the camels stalked
disdainfully through the opening.

Through a long avenue of trees they passed, the trunks twisted into
uncouth shapes, the heads of long spear-shaped leaves glistening as
though drenched in dew, the roots buried in masses of flowering shrubs,
behind all of which showed an occasional glint of distant water.

The camels made their sedate way across a great plain of grass,
stretching without a break from the avenue up to a belt of palms,
before which they stopped, swayed a moment, grunting disapprovingly in
chorus, and knelt.

"Your journey's end is here, and even though it should prove the last
effort of your will to combat the fatigue which surely crushes your
slight form, yet will I ask you to give me your hand so that I may lead
you to your dwelling, as by the will of Allah I will lead you slowly or
quickly to that which we call happiness."

And as he spoke the Arab slipped from his camel, to stand tall and
straight beside the little figure enveloped from head to foot in a long
dark veil, from out of the folds of which stretched a little hand,
pulling the flimsy covering from the lower part of the face.

"Nay, that you must not do, for behold! although you see them not the
tenders of my camels hover around, waiting till we have passed on to
fall upon those three beasts and lead them to their stables. Come!"

The silence was intense between the two as Jill, with her hand in that
of the Arab, passed slowly over the grass up to a long, low,
two-storeyed house which, with two wings, made a quadrangle round a
great court, in the middle of which splashed a fountain. A multitude
of figures stood absolutely motionless under the palms surrounding the
house, who, e