rs, and praised it,
giving it a handful of sweets while he did so. Beauty evidently
appreciated the attentions, and replied to him by a low whinny. Then he
took off its saddle and led it to a spot Mulick pointed out, and then
watched the boy tether it, and took off the bridle and carried it back
to the tents. A woman came out from the largest of these. She was not
veiled, for except when they go into the towns the Bedouin women seldom
conceal their faces.

"Ayala," the sheik said, "this is the young white lord who saved Sidi
from those who attacked him; henceforth he is as one of our tribe."

"May the blessings of Allah fall upon you!" the woman said. "Sidi is our
only child. Had he been taken from us our lives would have been desolate
indeed."

"I am very glad that I happened to come along at the time," Edgar said.
"It has been a most fortunate occurrence for me, as much indeed as for
Sidi. I have no friends of my own age, and it will be great pleasure to
me to have him as a sort of brother. I am sure that we shall get on
capitally together. Besides which, your husband has given me a grand
horse, such as I could never have obtained for money. Sidi will be able
to teach me Arab ways, and I daresay I shall be able to show him
something of our customs and life."

Edgar was now shown a tent that had been newly erected for his use. The
furniture was simple, consisting only of a handsome Eastern carpet,
which covered the ground, and a pile of rugs for sofa and bed. Hanging
from one of the sticks that supported the tent was a porous jar of
water. When he had hung up his rifle and pistols, powder-horn and
bullet-pouch, its furnishing was complete.

"Is this all your tribe?" he asked Sidi, as he came out from his tent.

"Oh, no! our tribe dwells in a large oasis a hundred miles to the south,
and fifty miles west of Cairo. There are other portions of the tribe
dwelling not far from the same spot, and we can ride five hundred strong
when we go to fight the Berbers of Morocco. But my father is only sheik
of his section. There are generally but six tents left here to keep
possession, and we are often away for months. We find that we can buy
such goods as the tribe requires cheaper at Alexandria than at Cairo,
where, indeed, we do not often go, for ill-blood exists between us and
the authorities there, who ventured on some complaint to send out a
party of Mamelukes against us. We beat them back handsomely, but had to
leave ou