n them with a word of warning to Harry not to look at the paper
till they were gone.

"_Cheer up! Friends are near.--Frank_."

That was all; and those words lay all through the visit ready to Frank's
hand, while with patient endurance his brother toiled away, coming and
going with horse and camel, till the young Emir began to grow impatient
and Frank dared not express a desire to see more, nor yet turn to look
after the slave leading away the last horse.

But Frank felt that the visit was not in vain. He had gained something,
and he said to himself if he could get to the Emir's place some day
alone and under some pretence about the horses, he might manage to have
a word or two with the prisoner.

But what was the excuse to be?--Could he contrive to get there alone
some day when the young Emir was away with his followers?

That seemed very doubtful, for twice of late when he had taken his men
out upon the sandy plain away from the river he had invited and taken
Frank with him, and the rides had been startling, for the young chief's
manner suggested that since their encounter with the dervishes he had
some thought of making him one of his followers, a member of a wild
troop of desert warriors.

Still Frank thought that there must be some way of compassing a meeting
with his brother, one that would excite no suspicion, and one evening
when he had been talking the matter over with his friends, and a score
of ideas had been proposed, each of which possessed some failing spot
and caused it to be thrown aside, the right thought came.

They were sitting together feeling rather despondent, and the Hakim as a
last resource began to talk of the possibility of an appeal to the Emir
to gain the liberty of the young English slave, but only to make Frank
shake his head sadly.

"He would not do it," said the young man, "and he will never part with
us. See how the sufferers have been coming in these last three days."

"Yes," said the Hakim, with a droll look of perplexity in his
countenance; "no sooner is one cured than another appears."

"Yes, two," said the professor; "we did not think you were coming out
into the Soudan to find a tremendous practice waiting, and no pay."

"But board and lodging, my dear Fred," replied the doctor, smiling.

"Exactly, and certainly that is of the best. But by the way, have you
quite done with Emir Rontgen?"

"Quite," said the doctor. "Ibrahim told him that he was well off my
hands t