carrying out our plans. The great
difficulty was to communicate with the boats, but Jack undertook the
task. While employed in the harbour he had observed where some small
skiffs lay, and he declared that he could easily steal off with one of
them, and should without difficulty fall in with the boats. The next
day was to be spent in marking out our line of retreat, and in settling
the spot at which the boats were to land.

In the afternoon Mr Vernon was sent for to exhibit his jewels, and I
went with him. The Sheikh laughed at the idea of he himself having any
to sell, but he had no objection to buy some; and that the ladies of the
harem might select for themselves, we were ushered to the entrance of
its sacred precincts. I kept my eyes very sharp about me, and I saw
that, by scaling a not very high wall, we could easily get up to the
very door of the harem, which was separated from the main building. I
at once recognised Miss Norman, though she was veiled like the rest of
the ladies. She came forward to examine the jewels, and looked at
several which the Sheikh offered her. One after the other she put them
back into the box, till at last Mr Vernon contrived, unobserved, to
slip a paper into her hand.

"It's all right," thought I. "Miss Norman will now be prepared when we
are ready to help her to escape."

A few jewels were bought; but Mr Vernon signifying that he would be
happy to return on the following day, should any of the ladies desire to
change their mind, they unanimously declared that he must certainly
come.

Several times during the day Jack made excuses for coming up from the
harbour, and each tune brought his ample pockets full of rope. As soon
as it was dark he came cautiously into our chamber, where we all set to
work, and in a short time had manufactured a rope-ladder quite long
enough to go over the garden wall.

"Now," said he, "I must be off, and try and fall in with the frigate's
boats. I have a skiff all ready, but I may have some way to pull; so
don't, sir, make a start till I come back and let you know all's right."

Several very anxious hours passed away after Jack's departure, and Mr
Vernon and I at last began to fear that some accident had occurred to
him, or that he had missed the boats, and that we should have to risk
another day within the old Sheikh's power. Major Norman and his
daughter must have been still more anxious, for they were separated from
each other, and less a