sees trouble accumulating upon trouble.

"It is the Emir Abderrahman," said he. "I fear now that we shall never
come to Khartoum alive."

The name meant nothing to the others, but Colonel Cochrane had heard of
him as a monster of cruelty and fanaticism, a red-hot Moslem of the
old fighting, preaching dispensation, who never hesitated to carry the
fierce doctrines of the Koran to their final conclusions. He and the
Emir Wad Ibrahim conferred gravely together, their camels side by side,
and their red turbans inclined inwards, so that the black beard mingled
with the white one. Then they both turned and stared long and fixedly at
the poor, head-hanging huddle of prisoners. The younger man pointed and
explained, while his senior listened with a sternly impassive face.

"Who's that nice-looking old gentleman in the white beard?" asked Miss
Adams, who had been the first to rally from the bitter disappointment.

"That is their leader now," Cochrane answered.

"You don't say that he takes command over that other one?"

"Yes, lady," said the dragoman; "he is now the head of all."

"Well, that's good for us. He puts me in mind of Elder Mathews, who
was at the Presbyterian Church in minister Scott's time. Anyhow, I had
rather be in his power than in the hands of that black-haired one with
the flint eyes. Sadie, dear, you feel better now its cooler, don't you?"

"Yes, Auntie; don't you fret about me. How are you yourself?"

"Well, I'm stronger in faith than I was.

"They haven't hurt you, Norah, have they?"

"I set you a poor example, Sadie, for I was clean crazed at first at the
suddenness of it all, and at thinking of what your mother, who trusted
you to me, would think about it. My land, there'll be some headlines in
the _Boston Herald_ over this! I guess somebody will have to suffer for
it."

"Poor Mr. Stuart!" cried Sadie, as the monotonous, droning voice of the
delirious man came again to their ears. "Come, Auntie, and see if we
cannot do something to relieve him."

"I'm uneasy about Mrs. Shlesinger and the child," said Colonel Cochrane.
"I can see your wife, Belmont, but I can see no one else."

"They are bringing her over," cried he. "Thank God! We shall hear all
about it. They haven't hurt you, Norah, have they?" He ran forward to
grasp and kiss the hand which his wife held down to him as he helped her
from the camel.

[Illustration: They haven't hurt you, Norah, have they p139]

The kind, grey eyes and