ember that if it was not for
me, your blood would have flowed under Gebhr's courbash--yours and that
little 'bint's' also."

"I therefore shall intercede for you only; but Gebhr shall swing on the
rope."

At this Idris gazed at him for a while as if with astonishment and said:

"Our lives are not yet in your hands and you already talk to us as our
lord--"

After a while he added:

"You are a strange 'uled' (boy), and such a one I have not yet seen.
Thus far I have been kind to you, but take heed and do not threaten."

"God punishes treachery," answered Stas.

It was apparent, however, that the assurance with which the boy spoke
in connection with the evil omen in the form of a snake which succeeded
in escaping, disquieted Idris in a high degree. Having already mounted
the camel he repeated several times: "Yes, I was kind to you," as if in
any event he wished to impress this upon Stas' memory, and afterwards
he began to finger the beads of a rosary made of the shells of "dum"
nuts, and pray.

About two o'clock, though it was in the winter season, the heat became
unusual. In the sky there was not a cloudlet, but the horizon's border
was disfigured.

Above the caravan hovered a few vultures whose widely outstretched
wings cast moving, black shadows on the tawny sands. In the heated air
could be smelt an odor like the gas exhaled from burning charcoal. The
camels, not ceasing to run, began to grunt strangely. One of the
Bedouins approached Idris.

"Some evil is brewing?"

"What, do you think?" asked the Sudanese.

"Wicked spirits awoke the wind slumbering on the western desert, and he
rose from the sands and is rushing upon us."

Idris raised himself on the saddle, gazed into the distance, and
replied:

"That is so. He is coming from the west and south but is not as furious
as a Khamsin."* [* A southwest wind which blows in the spring.]

"Three years ago near Abu-Hamed he buried a whole caravan and did not
sweep the sand away until last winter. Ualla! He may have enough
strength to stuff the nostrils of the camels and dry up the water in
the bags."

"It is necessary that we speed so that he strike us only with a wing."

"We are flying in his eyes and are not able to avoid him."

"The quicker he comes, the quicker he will pass away."

Saying this, Idris struck his camel with a courbash and his example was
followed by the others. For some time could be heard the dull blows of
the thick whips, resembl