h, whining and sniffing as they went, and Touaa
stayed a moment to lick the hand which had so often pulled her silky
ears, and Iouaa rose for an instant upon his hind-legs, and scratched
at his master's boot, as he had so often done when impatient to be up
and away across the desert.

Then, side by side, they crossed to where the man stood watching, with
nails driven into the palms of his hands and tears in his sorrowing
eyes.

Touaa wagged her tail once, Iouaa drove his head fiercely against the
clenched hand, it was their only way of asking what had happened to
make Him sleep so very soundly.

And Ben Kelham bent down and, putting his hand under their mighty jaws,
lifted their heads so that their sorrowful eyes looked into his, and
slowly shook his head. And they turned and walked close against each
other to the outside of the tent, and there they sat upon their
haunches and lifted their heads and howled.

Three times the despairing cry, the Last Post of the faithful friends,
rang out across the plain; then they turned and walked slowly back,
close together, and, separating at the foot, went up to the head of the
couch and sat down upon their haunches one on each side of Him;
immovable; as though carved by grief out of stone.

Ben Kelham, with the one thought of shutting the tragic picture, if
only for a moment, from his eyes; of hiding his grief if only from the
great dogs, blindly pulled back the curtain and stumbled into the
silent room of prayer lit by a silver lamp.

He stood staring down at the water with which his friend had so lately
prepared himself for the hour of prayer; he stooped to pick up the
white handkerchief he had evidently dropped.

And he stood and stared and stared as he turned the little lace-trimmed
square over and over in his hand. It was wringing wet, it smelt
faintly of the perfume the girl he loved had always used; it had her
initials woven in one corner.

"My God!" he whispered, as he looked round the little room; then
crossed to the spot near the curtain where the sand had been disturbed,
and then followed the prints of small feet across the floor to the
further side.

"My God!" he repeated. "I understand." He turned his head and looked
back at the curtain which divided him from his friend. "Carden, old
fellow, I understand what you gave your life to make me understand."
And his heart beat with a great love and a greater gratitude as he
parted the curtain and went out int