arly full bred, and can
swing along as fast as a horse can trot, and keep it up for twelve hours
at a stretch."

The march was resumed at midnight. The two sheiks rode ahead, Edgar and
Rupert followed on the heiries, while Yussuf was mounted on one of the
spare camels, and rode with the other Arab in the rear. The two brothers
talked by turns, and both were surprised when the first streak of
daylight appeared. The party now separated, the sheik's wife and child
taking their seats on one of the camels. She took a warm farewell of
Edgar.

"Amina will never forget the young white man who has lived in her
tents," she said. "He is brave in war, and is a wise counsellor; he will
be a great man among his own people."

"And I shall never forget you," Edgar replied, "and your kindness to the
white slave. When the sheik returns from Massowah he shall bring with
him tokens of my remembrance."

As soon as the party had separated the sheiks put their camels to their
best speed. Yussuf had been taken up by Edgar and rode behind him, the
heiries carrying the double weight with ease. At sunset they halted.

"We are now," El Bakhat said to Edgar, "beyond the reach of pursuit. We
may be stopped and arrested by others, but those from El-Obeid will
never see the tails of our camels."

"I wish," Edgar said as they were riding along the next morning, "that
you could get rid of that wig and your dye for five minutes, Rupert, so
that I could see what you really look like. You are such an awful object
with that bush of hair that I do not seem to recognize you at all. It is
different with me. I am only brown, while you are a sort of dirty black,
and when this cloth round my head is off you really see me as I am."

"We should not have known each other by our figures. It is nearly three
years since you left Cheltenham, and of course we have both widened out
a lot since then. You have widened more than I have, but I have grown
most."

"Yes, you are quite two inches taller than I am, Rupert. What are
you--six feet?"

"About half an inch under."

"Ah! then you are just the two inches taller. I am forty, chest
measurement."

"I am not more than thirty-seven, Edgar."

"Ah! I expect you will be forty before you have done, Rupert; you see
neither of us is anything like his full width yet. I have had harder
work than you have."

"Ah! Edgar, if we could both play in the house team now it would make a
difference, wouldn't it? You remember