. He informed his
companions that should a fire be kindled on their line of march, the
insects, instead of attempting to pass around it would move right into
its midst until it should become extinguished with their dead bodies.

After amusing himself for a few moments in observing these insects, the
sheik mounted his camel, and followed by the kafila, commenced moving
through the living stream.

A hoof could not be put down without crushing a score of the creatures;
but immediately on the hoof being lifted, the space was filled with as
many as had been destroyed.

Some of the slaves, with their naked feet, did not like wading through
this living crawling stream. It was necessary to use force to compel
them to pass over it.

After looking right and left, and seeing no end to the column of
insects, our adventurers made a rush, and ran clear across it.

At every step their feet fell with a crunching sound, and were raised
again, streaming with the blood of the mangled locusts.

The belt of the migratory insects was about sixty yards in breath; yet,
short as was the distance, the boy slaves declared that it was more
disagreeable to pass over than any ten miles of the desert they had
previously traversed.

One of the blacks, determined to make the crossing as brief as possible,
started in a rapid run. When about half way through, his foot slipped,
and he fell full length amidst the crowd of creepers.

Before he could regain his feet, hundreds of the disgusting insects had
mounted upon him, clinging to his clothes, and almost smothering him by
their numbers.

Overcome by disgust, horror, and fear, he was unable to rise; and two of
his black companions were ordered to drag him out of the disagreeable
company into which he had stumbled.

After being rescued and delivered from the clutch of the locusts, it was
many minutes before he recovered his composure of mind, along with
sufficient nerve to resume his journey.

Sailor Bill had not made the crossing along with the others; and for
some time resisted all the attempts of the Arabs to force him over the
insect stream.

Two of them at length laid hold of him; and, after dragging him some
paces into the crawling crowd left him to himself.

Being thus brought into actual contact with the insects, the old sailor
saw that the quickest way of getting out of the scrape was to cross over
to the other side.

This he proceeded to do in the least time and with the grea