h that of his Arab
comrades, and Stephens ventured to touch his elbow and to point to his
water-skin, and then to the exhausted lady. The negro shook his head
brusquely, but at the same time he glanced significantly towards
the Arabs, as if to say that, if it were not for them, he might act
differently. Then he laid his black forefinger upon the breast of his
jibbeh.

"Tippy Tilly," said he.

"What's that?" asked Colonel Cochrane.

"Tippy Tilly," repeated the negro, sinking his voice as if he wished
only the prisoners to hear him.

The Colonel shook his head.

"My Arabic won't bear much strain. I don't know what he is saying," said
he.

"Tippy Tilly. Hicks Pasha," the negro repeated.

"I believe the fellow is friendly to us, but I can't quite make him
out," said Cochrane to Belmont. "Do you think that he means that his
name is Tippy Tilly, and that he killed Hicks Pasha?"

The negro showed his great white teeth at hearing his own words coming
back to him. "Aiwa!" said he. "Tippy Tilly--Bimbashi Mormer--Bourn!"

"By Jove, I got it!" cried Belmont.

"He's trying to speak English. Tippy Tilly is as near as he can get
to Egyptian Artillery. He has served in the Egyptian Artillery under
Bimbashi Mortimer. He was taken prisoner when Hicks Pasha was destroyed,
and had to turn Dervish to save his skin. How's that?"

The Colonel said a few words of Arabic and received a reply, but two of
the Arabs closed up, and the negro quickened his pace and left them.

"You are quite right," said the Colonel. "The fellow is friendly to us,
and would rather fight for the Khedive than for the Khalifa. I don't
know that he can do us any good, but I've been in worse holes than
this, and come out right side up. After all, we are not out of reach of
pursuit, and won't be for another forty-eight hours."

Belmont calculated the matter out in his slow, deliberate fashion.

"It was about twelve that we were on the rock," said he. "They would
become alarmed aboard the steamer if we did not appear at two."

"Yes," the Colonel interrupted, "that was to be our lunch hour. I
remember saying that when I came back I would have----Oh, Lord, it's
best not to think about it!"

"The reis was a sleepy old crock," Belmont continued; "but I have
absolute confidence in the promptness and decision of my wife. She would
insist upon an immediate alarm being given. Suppose they started back at
two-thirty, they should be at Haifa by three, since the j