ling themselves nearly to bursting, lay down in the
stream until the sergeant and Edgar went out and compelled them to
return to shore, when they set to work cropping the long grass that
grew abundantly there, while their riders sat down and made a meal from
the contents of their haversacks.

"Well, at any rate," the sergeant said, "we can do nothing just at
present. The troops may be within a mile, and they may be ten miles off;
there is no saying. There is nothing for us to do but to wait until we
hear something of them. If we do not hear anything of them we shall know
that they either have not struck the river, or have struck it so far off
that we cannot hear the guns. In that case my opinion is that we may as
well rest here for to-day. Before we move I think it will be decidedly
better to take the saddles off the camels and hide them in the bushes,
and then move away some distance and hide up ourselves. This is
evidently a cultivated country, and if there are any natives about they
will be sure to see the camels, so we had better not be near them. There
is no fear of the animals straying; they will be eating and drinking all
day."

The saddles were accordingly removed from the camels' backs and hidden;
the two men went back a few hundred yards from the river and lay down
amongst some bushes. Edgar was just dropping off to sleep, when the
sergeant exclaimed, "Listen! they are at it."

Edgar at once roused himself, and distinctly heard the boom of a distant
gun.

"That is one of the seven-pounders," the sergeant said; "and I think I
can hear the sound of musketry, but I am not sure about that."

Presently, however, the wind brought down distinctly the sound of
dropping shots.

"Skirmishing, lad! I suppose the enemy are hovering about them, but
haven't come to close quarters yet."

"It is horrible being here instead of with them!" Edgar exclaimed as he
rose to his feet.

"It is no use thinking of moving, lad; they are four or five miles away
certainly, and as the Arabs are probably all round them, there wouldn't
be the slightest chance of our joining them. There is nothing to do but
to wait here. The sound comes from inland, so it is certain they have
not got to the river yet. As far as I can judge it is pretty nearly
behind us, so when they lick those fellows they are likely to come down
on the river somewhere near this point. They will be down before
evening. You may be sure they had not got water enough to