, as you say, great."

"Go, then, and think it over, Muley."

Edgar went out of the tent and squatted down (a position which had at
first been very fatiguing, but to which he was now accustomed) by the
embers of the fire before it, and thought over what had best be done.
For himself, he felt sure that he could make his escape, for though a
general watch might be kept, one man could doubtless crawl away in the
darkness; but he felt that he could not abandon the sheik in a moment of
danger. It was, in fact, owing to himself that the sheik was now in his
present position. It was true that the Arab had refused to give him up
to the Mahdi's people at Metemmeh, not from any love towards him, but
of his own obstinate and headstrong disposition. However, that refusal,
whatever its motive, had undoubtedly saved his life; and, moreover, the
sheik had behaved with great kindness to him since, and he felt that it
was clearly his duty to do all in his power to assist him now; but how?

It was upwards of an hour before he rose from the fire and again entered
the sheik's tent. The sheik was sitting smoking gravely. Amina was
baking some bread over the embers in the middle of the tent.

"What is your counsel, Muley?" she asked.

"I see no plan," he said, "by which my lord can get away with all his
followers and camels. One or two might steal out from the camp, and I
thought at first that if Yussuf and myself--who would not be so closely
watched as he will be, for there are two sentries outside the
tent--could manage to steal out with our guns and to open fire in the
darkness upon the camp, the Mahdists, thinking they were attacked, would
seize their arms and run out, and in the confusion my lord and you and
some of the others might make their escape. But this plan is full of
danger, and it might not succeed, for they might suspect that those who
attacked them were of your party, and a portion would remain to keep
guard over you. This, then, should be the last resource, for if the
attempt was made and failed, escape would be more difficult than ever.

"It appears to me that the first thing to do is to try and bribe the
chief. At present he only suspects you of trading without a license, and
were my lord to see him and to offer him half the camels and the
burdens, to let him go free with the remainder, he might accept it. If
that failed, we can still try my plan. I would take my gun and crawl out
with Yussuf. I would go two or three