pulled at their clothes and ran by their
side, where every now and then a brown-skinned Arab, on a slow-moving
camel, made his way through the throngs of veiled Turkish women, Syrians,
Arabs, and Egyptians. Laura and Lenora, at any rate, attracted by the
curious novelty of the scene, forgot the heat, the street smells, and the
filthy clothes of the mendicants and loafers who pressed against them.
They bought strange jewellery, shawls, beads and perfumes. The Professor
had disappeared for some time but rejoined them later.

"It is all arranged," he announced. "I found a dragoman whom I know. We
shall have four of the best camels and a small escort ready to start
to-morrow morning. Furthermore, I have news. An Englishman whose
description precisely tallies with Craig's, started off, only an hour ago,
in the same direction. This time, at any rate, Craig cannot escape us."

"He might go on past the Mongar camp," Quest suggested.

The Professor shook his head.

"The Mongar village," he explained, "is placed practically at a cul-de-sac
so far as regards further progress southwards without making a detour. It
is flanked by a strip of jungle and desert on either side, in which there
are no wells for many miles. We shall find Craig with the Mongars."

They made their way back to the hotel, dined in a cool, bare room, and
sauntered out again into the streets. The Professor led the way to a
little building, outside which a man was volubly inviting all to enter.

"You shall see one of the sights of Port Said," he promised. "This is a
real Egyptian dancing girl."

They took their seats in the front row of a dimly-lit, bare-looking room.
The stage was dark and empty. From some unseen place came the monotonous
rhythm of a single instrument. They waited for some time in vain. At last
one or two lights in front were lit, the music grew more insistent. A girl
who seemed to be dressed in little more than a winding veil, glided on to
the stage, swaying and moving slowly to the rhythm of the monotonous
music. She danced a measure which none of them except the Professor had
ever seen before, coming now and then so close that they could almost feel
her hot breath, and Lenora felt somehow vaguely disturbed by the glitter
of her eyes. An odd perfume was shaken into the air around them from her
one flowing garment, through which her limbs continually flashed. Lenora
looked away.

"I don't like it," she said to Quest simply.

Suddenly La