e ground.

"Are you hurt?" cried Helmar, dismounting to his assistance.

"Not a bit," replied the fallen man cheerily, springing to his feet.

The officer jumped off his horse, and the three men stood ready to
sell their lives as dearly as possible. They were none too soon,
for, in the darkness, the enemy, riding at full gallop, were almost
on top of them before they could pull up. The moment they were near
enough to see, they poured another murderous volley into the devoted
little party, and the Irishman fell with a bullet through his chest.
In reply, the Captain and our hero blazed away with their rifles
into the cluster of horsemen.

Suddenly a voice rang out above the noise of the cracking rifles,
and the Arabs ceased fire; then clear and strong came in
unmistakable European tones--

"Surrender, you English, or you die!"

In an instant Helmar recognized the voice--it was Arden's. Rage
filled him as he thought that once more he was in the power of this
man, and he made up his mind to fire his last cartridge before he
gave in. He raised his rifle to his shoulder, but Forsyth stayed
him.

"It's no use. He has got us foul. Alive we may escape, but with
fifty to one against us, it is suicide." Then raising his voice to a
shout, he cried, "We surrender!"

The words were hardly out of his mouth when, with a terrific shout,
a volley was poured into the unprepared Arabs, and a frightful
_melee_ ensued as the rest of the patrol, headed by the sergeant,
charged to the rescue.

In the confusion Forsyth and Helmar sprang on to their horses--Brian
was beyond their help--and galloped towards their friends. The
darkness was so intense that the two men immediately got separated.
Helmar unconsciously altered his direction and immediately fell in
with a party of horsemen galloping off. Thinking it to be the
patrol, he joined them, and raced away. His horse was very fresh and
quickly forged ahead into the midst of his companions, when, to his
dismay, he discovered his mistake--he was in the midst of the flying
enemy.

With an exclamation of horror he endeavoured to pull up, but this
attracted attention, and the men beside him, turning, saw his white
face and shouted to their leader. George raised his revolver, but
ere he could pull the trigger it was knocked from his hand and he
was defenceless.

The Arabs now closed all around him--there was no possibility of
escape. One man had seized his horse's bridle, and he was fo