f
first from his astonishment; and then saying as soon as they were alone:
"What on earth does this masquerade mean, Clinton? have you gone out of
your mind?"

"Then you think I shall do, Easton?"

"Do!" Easton repeated, the truth dawning upon him. "You don't mean to
say that you are going to carry out that scheme you talked about a month
since?"

"Indeed I do, Easton. I have obtained the chief's permission. Major
Kitchener is making the arrangements for me, and I hope in another three
days to be out on the desert again. At any rate you will allow that as
far as appearances go I can pass fairly as a native."

Skinner had not yet spoken. He now walked round and round Rupert two or
three times, and at last gave vent to his feelings: "Well, I am
jiggered! There is no doubt about your disguise, Clinton, at least if
you are Clinton and not a nigger who has stolen his voice. Did you ever
see such a head of hair, Easton?"

"Never mind that," Easton said impatiently; "don't you understand, man,
that Clinton is going away among those Arabs to search for his brother?"

"No, I did not understand; in fact I did not hear a word that was said.
I was too much stunned to do anything but stare. And you are really
going, Clinton, old fellow?"

"Yes, I am off to-morrow at daybreak for Korti. There is a good strong
breeze blowing, and I shall go up as quickly as I came down. There was a
delay of three or four days before we could get hold of the man I am to
go with, if he will take me, so I ran down here partly to get some dyes
for my skin in the bazaar here, but principally to say good-bye to you
both. My wig, that so astonishes you, Skinner, I had made at Cairo and
sent up."

"Well, there is no fear, Clinton, of anyone recognizing you as an
Englishman. You may ride in the middle of them from here to Khartoum,
and they would never suspect you as far as looks go. You have abandoned
that idea about your tongue, I hope?"

"Yes. I have got a bottle of caustic from one of the surgeons. He put me
up to it. He says if I see that I am suspected, if I slip aside and rub
one of these little sticks of caustic over my tongue it will make such a
sight of it that I have only to open my mouth and let them look at it,
and they will believe readily enough that I have got some frightful
disease in my tongue and cannot use it. In case of necessity I can
mumble out a few words, and the state of my mouth will quite account for
any difficulty they