times at work,
and held their courage in the deepest respect.

The next day there was a grand feast, several kids being slaughtered for
the purpose. The following morning a caravan was seen approaching, and
the whole encampment turned out to meet it, the men discharging their
guns and shouting cries of triumph and welcome, to which the new-comers
replied with many shouts. In front of the caravan two horses were led;
then followed the camels of the dervishes, behind which came those of
their captors.

The sheik pressed forward to the leader of the party.

"There were four horses and three men," he said; "have you them all?"

"Two of the horses and the men were killed," he replied. "The others, as
you see, we captured."

"Allah be praised!" the sheik said fervently; "then not one of the
dervishes has escaped, and the secret of our place of refuge here is
preserved."

Some more kids were killed and another grand feast was held. The
captured camels were divided between the two parties. The sheik took one
of the horses and the leader of the other party the second, and on the
following morning the rescuing party started on their return journey to
the wady they had left a week before, greatly satisfied with their
journey. They had lost three men in the fight with the dervishes, but
were the richer by eight camels, a horse, and the arms and ammunition of
ten of the dervishes, that being the number they had accounted for,
while thirty had been killed by the defenders of the zareba.

Edgar had been fully occupied during those days assisting the negro
slave who had remained with the party left behind in looking after the
camels, drawing water, and fetching wood for the fire. The sheik had
spoken little to him since his return, being busied with the duties of
entertaining his guests; but it was evident that he had highly commended
him to his wife, who bestowed upon him night and morning a bowl of
camel's milk in addition to his ordinary rations. After the caravan had
started the sheik called him into his tent.

"Muley," he said, "you have done us great service. I acted upon your
advice and it has turned out well; and you have shown that you are a
brave fighter as well as one strong in counsel. I have no son, and if
you are willing to accept the true faith I will adopt you as my son, and
you will be no longer a slave but one of the tribe."

Edgar was silent for a minute or two, thinking over how he had best
couch his ref