may have in understanding me."

"Will that stuff you have got on your skin wash off?" Easton asked.

"Yes, this will with a little difficulty; but I have got some other
stuff that my interpreter tells me will only want renewing once a week
or ten days."

"Then for goodness' sake set to and get it off, Clinton, and put on your
own clothes and let us see you again as you are. I don't seem to be able
to talk to you naturally in that disguise, and it will be a long time
before we get another talk together."

Rupert at once set to work with soap, water, and a nail-brush, and in a
quarter of an hour got his face and hands tolerably white. Then he put
on his uniform.

"Now you are yourself again, Clinton. Sit down and tell us all about it.
What are your plans?"

Rupert told him the arrangements that Major Kitchener was making for
him, and both his companions greatly approved of the purchase of the
fast camels. "That is a capital idea, and if you can get a good start
with them you may laugh at Arabs who are mounted on ordinary camels or
on foot; but you must mind that there are no fellows with horses about
when you make your bolt. You see, all these fellows who led the attacks
were mounted, and I suppose you will find that a few of the principal
men in every large village have horses. Now a horse will go faster than
the fastest camel for a bit, although the camel will beat him in a
long-distance race. What are you going to do about arms?"

"I cannot take any arms, Easton; they would betray me at once."

"You cannot show any, I grant, but there is no reason in the world why
you shouldn't take a brace of revolvers. They could be stowed away
easily enough, with a couple of boxes of cartridges, somewhere in the
saddle. There is room to hide anything in one of these great clumsy
contrivances. Of course pistols would be of no use to you if you are
discovered in the middle of a tribe or a big town; but if you find your
brother, and you make a bolt for it together on these camels and are
pursued, you could make a pretty good fight against half a dozen mounted
men, and the betting is against more than that getting together, if you
had a revolver apiece. I should advise you most strongly to take them."

"I think you are right, Easton: I will certainly do so."

"Have you got a brace?"

"No, I have only one."

"Then you shall have mine, old fellow. What calibre is yours?"

".45."

"Ah! that is the same as mine. I have got