right
behind him, still shouting in Arabic.

An Arab stepped up behind the guide and slugged him. Rick started to
yell a protest, then a burnoose was tossed over his head and wrapped
tightly around his chest, blocking out the light. He struggled, and was
pushed to the ground. In a moment he was rolled over and knew they were
wrapping him in a blanket or a rug.

He felt pressure as ropes bound him tight, then he was lifted and placed
on something hard, stomach down, like a sack of meal on a chair. The
chair lifted and rocked, and he heard loud groans, as though of a soul
in mortal pain.

He was on one of the camels, and the beast was protesting!

Swaying motion began, and he knew his ungainly steed was underway.

For a moment he seemed to see himself from a distance, wrapped like
Cleopatra in a rug, tossed on a camel like a bag of old clothes, and
carted unceremoniously away by a band of Arabs. The picture was so
ridiculous that he had to grin, in spite of the discomfort and the foul
air that reached him through the dirty burnoose.

Then realization hit him. Youssef was in charge, and Youssef was a tough
professional thief who intended to get the cat. Where was the thief
taking him?

Sudden fear ran through his thoughts.

The camel swayed and jogged along for what seemed hours to Rick. Now and
then he could hear voices, but he made no sense out of the Arabic. The
camels complained constantly, and he felt like moaning with them. His
stomach hurt from the constant rubbing across the saddle and both legs
were asleep from the tight wrapping. His head dangled down, and now and
then his nose banged when the camel lurched. He couldn't remember ever
having been so uncomfortable for so long.

It seemed forever before the camel stopped. Rick hung over the saddle
unprotestingly. There was nothing he could do but wait. Finally the
camel lurched forward and Rick thought he would be thrown off, then the
animal leveled again. The camel had knelt, still complaining.

Hands pulled Rick from the saddle and he felt someone at work on his
bonds while the hands held him upright. Suddenly the burnoose was
whipped off, and the brilliant sunlight made his eyes water. He squinted
against the glare.

[Illustration: _Hands pulled Rick from the saddle_]

An Arab finished unwrapping him and stood back. He would have fallen
except for the hands that still held him from behind. He looked over his
shoulder and the big Sudanese grinned at