s he
had been the calm, stern doctor, self-contained, and prepared for all
emergencies. But now they heard him whisper to himself two or three
times, as if uttering words of thankfulness.

As for the professor, he sat listening to the end, and then leaped up.

"Fancy? Imagination? Nonsense, boy, nonsense; it was as real as
anything could be.--What? It must be fancy, or you would have run to
his side and spoken? It would have been fancy if you had. Madness!
Folly! Bedlam-ish lunacy. Why, you would have spoiled everything.
Poor old Hal--poor old Hal! Thank Heaven! At last--at last!"

He set off then walking up and down the tent-like room they were in,
wiping the great drops of dew from his forehead openly as he passed his
two friends; but the moment his back was to them the handkerchief glided
to his eyes, where other salt drops kept on gathering, to be swept
carefully away each time before he turned.

"But who is this chief, Emir, or whatever he is?" said the professor,
stopping before the doctor and Frank suddenly. "I've never heard of him
before."

"I know nothing about him whatever, only what I have told you. He is
some friend of the Emir's son, and of course belongs to their party."

"I suppose so," said the professor excitedly. "Well, it all seems
simple enough now, Robert, my son. You must set Ibrahim to work the
first time the Emir comes in, and tell him we have discovered that this
other Emir's slave--Tut-tut-tut! reduced to camel driving! Poor old
Hal! But better that than having his head cut off, eh? Let's see; what
was I saying? I remember: that this other Emir's slave is a very dear
old friend of ours, and that he must get him set free--or buy him--or
let us buy him to come and help us. Oh dear! oh dear! Only fancy
coming out to the Soudan to buy our old school-fellow! Then when we
have got him we must make our plans and be off some dark night, and--I
say, though," he said piteously, after a pause, "that won't do. Sounds
childish, doesn't it?"

"It would not do," said Frank firmly.

"And it does sound childish, my dear Fred," said the doctor; "don't you
think so?"

"Of course it does," replied the professor. "It would upset everything;
but I'm so completely knocked off my balance that I don't know what to
propose. Yes, I do. Look here: I know. The poor fellow has been a
prisoner for years, and looks old and thin, Frank says. Then we must
send Ibrahim at once to tell him h