white garments, rode forward
from the young man's left, and, checking his horse close by the kneeling
line, shouted an order.

In an instant the swords of the men behind the prisoners gleamed in the
afternoon sunshine, they drew back the white sleeves from their dark
arms, and one by one, and in nearly every case at a single blow,
following what seemed like a lightning flash, head after head dropped
upon the sand, and the quivering bodies fell forward amidst the
triumphant shouts of the crowds around.

As the last head fell, the last body lay giving out the remnants of its
life, Frank drew a hoarse breath of thankfulness and relief that all was
over.

It was too soon, for his companion touched him again, to point to the
right, where a fresh horror was about to begin, and after watching once
more the riding forward of the officer, and hearing him shout his order,
the young Englishman closed his eyes, with the sickening sensation
coming back, as he asked himself whether it was not some frightful
dream; and with this thought he opened his eyes again that he might be
sure.

But it was too true, for there was another score of prisoners who were
mercifully spared from death, but were to suffer the new Mahdi's
judgment against them for revolt against the officers appointed by him
to be his vice-gerents in the city while he was away.

The mercy meted out was that of the tiger, not of the man. For swords
were busy, keen and trenchant blades hewing and hacking at the
unfortunate wretches, till all was over, and those who might recover
would pass to the end of their miserable days crippled and helpless,
each with his right hand and left foot shorn from the limbs.

Frank sat there motionless, for the power of action was completely gone,
and like one absolutely stunned and dead to mental and bodily feeling,
he looked and looked till there arose a wild, wailing outburst which
thrilled him to the core. It was as if the sound were two-edged, Frank
feeling that it was not uttered by the prostrate, partially butchered
prisoners, who lay as they had been thrown, giving forth no moan, not so
much as watching, with agonised eyes, their life-blood trickling into
the sand; the cry came from the trembling crowd of women and friends of
the victims, who had been waiting till they might dare to run forward in
a body to bear away husband or brother, and see if his life could be
saved.

It was now that a spasm of energy and excitement s