fore that the white slave was journeying in
disguise with his captor.

"This is my brother, sheik," Edgar said to him. "He has come all this
way in disguise to look for and rescue me."

"He has done well," the sheik said warmly, while Amina clapped her hands
in pleasure.

"Is the story about the pursuit after us true?" Edgar asked.

"Yes, quite true. The horsemen will not be many hours before they
overtake us."

A hurried consultation was held between the two sheiks, and it was
decided to strike off to the south-east again, and as soon as the
followers arrived with the camels the united parties left the road and
made across the country, Edgar taking his place on the camel behind
Rupert. He still felt like one in a dream, and even now could scarce
believe that it was really Rupert who was riding before him. The latter,
who had been looking forward to the meeting, was yet scarcely less
surprised at what had taken place. It had seemed such a hopeless task
looking for Edgar over so wide an expanse of country that he could
scarcely credit that he had succeeded in finding him, and for a time the
feelings were so deep on both sides that hardly a word was spoken. It
was not, indeed, until the camels came to a halt late in the evening
that they began to talk naturally.

CHAPTER XXI.

HOME!

"You are a nice fellow, ain't you, Edgar, to give us all this trouble,"
Rupert said, as he held him at arm's-length and gazed at him in the
light of the fire that Yussuf had lighted.

"I see now that I made an awful ass of myself," Edgar said; "but I think
you would have done the same if you had been in my place, Rupert, and
had heard what I heard."

"I have no doubt I should," Rupert agreed; "it must have been an awful
thing to hear. Still you must have seen by the advertisements that
father did not believe the woman's story."

"I did not see the advertisements," Edgar said. "I would not look at a
paper, because I thought he would advertise for me to come back, and I
felt I could not do so, and it would have been harder to keep away if I
had seen them. You told me they were all well at home."

This was the first question he had asked after he had mounted Rupert's
camel.

"Quite well when I last heard. I wrote and told them all about you."

"Then the sergeant was found, and did not die?"

"He died the first day after we found him," Rupert said gravely. "He was
insensible when we discovered him; and I should have kn