sir, hidden in the bushes; they are scarlet, and belong to one of our
regiments."

The officers speedily gathered to the spot. "They are certainly our
saddles," the officer in command said, "how in the world did the camels
get here? I suppose they must have wandered away during the night march
and been picked up by some of the Arabs and driven on here."

"But they are riding camels," one of the others put in; "they must have
belonged to some of the men who were missing on the night march; the
poor fellows were killed, no doubt."

"They may have ridden them on here," Easton suggested; "after they got
separated from the column the camels may have smelt the water and come
on here before daylight broke."

"That is true, Easton. You see one of these saddles has blood stains on
it; perhaps its rider was wounded. We will search the grove
thoroughly."

The search was renewed, and in a few minutes a sergeant ran up to the
group of officers. "We have found a man, sir; he belongs to the Heavies;
he is insensible."

The officers hurried to the spot. "Yes, the poor fellow is a sergeant of
the Heavies. No doubt you were right, Easton. You see he has been
wounded in the side. He looks in a bad way."

"There are two water-bottles by him," Easton said; "one is empty and the
other is half full," he added as he took them up and shook them. "He
must have a comrade somewhere."

"No doubt he has, Easton; he could scarcely have been in a condition
when he arrived here to take off the saddles and hide them away. What
can have become of the other?" The grove was searched thoroughly from
end to end, but no sign found of the missing man. Some boughs were cut
down and a rough stretcher made, and upon this the sergeant was laid and
the force then moved on, the camels being saddled and mounted by two of
the men, and on arriving at the camp the sergeant was taken to the
hospital.

As soon as dinner was eaten the men were paraded again. A council had
been held to decide upon the best course to be taken, and it was decided
that a fort should be built down by the river, and that the whole force
should establish itself there with the exception of the Guards' Camel
Regiment, which should remain at Gubat so as to prevent any body of the
enemy posting themselves there and keeping up an annoying fire upon the
fort down by the river.

Gubat had already been roughly fortified, and the whole force was
therefore set at work to erect with camel-saddl