not desire to
die, and therefore struggled on.

Like men upon a treadmill, they were compelled to keep on moving,
although neither able nor willing.

The hour of sunset found them wading through sand that had lately been
stirred by a storm. It was nearly as light and loose as snow; and the
toil of moving through it was so wearisome that the mounted Arabs,
having some pity on those who had walked, halted early for the night.
Two men were appointed to guard the camp in the same manner as upon the
night before; and with the feelings of hunger and thirst partly
appeased, weary with toils of day, our adventurers were soon in a sound
slumber. Around them, and half buried in the soft sand, lay stretched
the other denizens of the _douar_, all slumbering likewise.

Their rest remained undisturbed until that darkest hour of the night,
just before the dawning of day. They were then startled from sleep by
the report of a musket, a report that was immediately followed by
another in the opposite direction. The _douar_ was instantly in wild
confusion.

The Arabs seized their weapons, and rushed forth from among the tents.

One of the party that ran in the direction in which the first shot was
heard, seeing a man coming towards them, in the excitement of the moment
fired his musket and shot the individual who was advancing, who proved
to be one of those entrusted with the guard of the camp.

No enemies could be discovered. They had fled, leaving the two camp
guards in the agonies of death.

Some of the Arabs would have rushed wildly hither and thither in search
of the unseen foe, but were prevented by the sheik, who, fearing that
all would be lost, should the _douar_ be deserted by the armed men,
shouted the signal for all his followers to gather around him.

The two wounded men were brought into a tent, where, in a few minutes,
one of them, the man who had been shot by one of his companions,
breathed his last. He had also received a wound from the first shot
that had been heard, his right arm having been shattered by a
musket-ball.

The spine of the other guard had been broken by a bullet, so that
recovery was clearly impossible.

He had evidently heard the first shot fired at his companion from the
opposite side of the camp; and was turning his back upon the foe that
had attacked himself.

The light of day soon shone upon the scene, and they were able to
perceive how their enemies had approached so near the camp w