red slave back to his duties.

But this did not happen, and though much of the information which
Ibrahim brought in was simply rumour, he was able to supply facts, and
among these were the announcements that the house of Harry's master was
closely shut up and guarded by a few men, and that the whole city was
thronged with savage-looking dervishes who plundered as they chose
slaying and destroying where there was any resistance, while the whole
place was in a state of siege.

"The time has not come yet, Excellencies," the old man said, "but it may
arrive at any moment, and we will be ready to start."

"Where for?" said the doctor sternly.

"Who can say, Excellency? That must depend on fate. If we can, our
place of refuge must be with the British troops; if we cannot reach them
there is the desert."

"But why not try for the desert now, striking right away for the open
parts, far away from the ordinary caravan routes?" said the professor.

"Because we should be cut off by some of the wandering bands before we
could reach those distant parts, Excellency; and yonder there are other
enemies: the sun to strike us down, and the dry sand. How can we
journey on through the burning desert where there are not springs or
wells?"

"Could we not keep to the river?" said the doctor.

"If there were none of the dervishes there we could, Excellency," said
the Sheikh; "but it is certain now that the British force is steadily
coming on to reach Khartoum, and the Khalifa's men are gathered all
along the river banks, increasing daily like the desert sands. There is
nothing open to us but to wait."

"And the Emir and his friends will return, and we shall be worse off
than ever."

"Can the young Excellency say for certain that the Emir and his friends
will return?" continued the Sheikh. "Surely it is more likely that the
dervish army will be scattered like dust before the desert wind. Think
of the long preparations that have been made, of the steady, slow
advance of the English army. Every step of the way has been made sure
with road and station, where are supplies for the fighting men. This
will be the great blow struck at the new Mahdi's power, to put an end
for ever to the bloodshed, pillage, and outrage of his savage bands, and
I dare prophesy that this time he and his will be driven back into the
desert from whence they came--a plague of locusts that they are; while
if this great blow is struck--"

"It will be here