yisha."

"But I have her," said Narayan Singh with a great laugh.

"Maybe. But you haven't settled yet with Ali Higg. Arrange good
terms for my ransom, and I will see that Ali Higg wipes off
Ayisha's score."

"We shall see about that; we shall see," he answered.

"Yes, yes! You go and see! Go to him now!"

"When we halt," the Sikh answered.

"In an hour it may be too late," she insisted. "If Ali Higg is
prowling and should swoop down on you who would bargain then?"

By that time it was light enough to see clearly at close range,
and Narayan Singh caught my eye behind her back. I nodded. If
there were any likelihood of Ali Higg being on the prowl why
should she be in such a hurry to make terms?

Right then Grim called a halt--none too soon for the camels--in a
semicircular space protected by a low cliff that might have been
a quarry-face two thousand years ago; what might have been a pit
was all filled in by drifted sand. But he had his own mat spread
on the top of the cliff, whence he could keep an eye on the
surrounding country, and gave none of the prisoners a chance to
talk to him.

Nobody helped Jael Higg from her camel, for she jumped down like
an acrobat and stood staring about her at Ali Baba's gang, and
being stared at as they went about the business of off-loading
the complaining beasts. I saw Ayisha get out of the _shibriyah,_
face around slowly, and meet Jael's eyes.

Neither woman spoke for a minute, or made any sign, but you could
almost see the alternating current of scorn and hate that passed
between them. Then Ayisha fell back on insolence and walked past
Jael deliberately, with dark eyes flashing and a thin smile on
her lips.

"So you are now a Pathan's light o' love?" Jael sneered in Arabic.

At that Ayisha turned again and faced her.

"Who speaks? She whom the Lion could not trust to go to Hebron?
_Um Kulsum!"_*

------------
* Um Kulsum was a lady in Arabic legend whose immoralities have
made her name a byword.
------------

Ayisha passed on with a scornful shoulder movement. Narayan Singh
grinned with malicious amusement. And I was just in time to catch
two of the men again attacking my medicine-chest. Instead of
trying to open it they were dragging it along the ground, and
they were as pleased with themselves as two small dogs caught
burying a boot.

"She has given us money!"

"Who has?"

"The lady Ayisha. We are to bring her this, and she will take
poison from it and p