pon the ground,
clutching the sand with his fingers in the last convulsions of the
throes of death. But the hesitation of the boy ended, and when Idris
sauntered fifty paces toward him, he began slowly to raise the weapon
to his eye.

But before he touched the trigger with his finger, from beyond the
dunes, about a few hundred paces distant, could be heard tumultuous
cheers, and in the same minute about twenty riders on horses and camels
debouched on the plain. Idris became petrified at the sight. Stas was
amazed no less, but at once amazement gave way to insane joy. The
expected pursuit at last! Yes! That could not be anything else.
Evidently the Bedouins had been captured in a village and were showing
where the rest of the caravan was concealed! Idris thought the same.
When he collected himself he ran to Stas, with face ashen from terror,
and, kneeling at his feet, began to repeat in a voice out of breath:

"Sir, I was kind to you! I was kind to the little 'bint'! Remember
that!"

Stas mechanically extracted the cartridges from the barrels and gazed.
The riders drove horses and camels at the fullest speed, shouting from
joy and flinging upwards their long Arabian rifles, which they caught
while in full gallop with extraordinary dexterity. In the bright
transparent air they could be seen perfectly. In the middle, at the
van, ran the two Bedouins waving their hands and burnooses as if
possessed.

After a few minutes the whole band dashed to the caravan. Some of the
riders leaped off the horses and camels; some remained on their
saddles, yelling at the top of their voices. Amid these shouts only two
words could be distinguished.

"Khartum! Gordon! Gordon! Khartum!"

Finally one of the Bedouins--the one whom his companion called
Abu-Anga--ran up to Idris cringing at Stas' feet, and began to exclaim:

"Khartum is taken! Gordon is killed! The Mahdi is victorious!"

Idris stood erect but did not yet believe his ears.

"And these men?" he asked with quivering lips.

"These men were to seize us, but now are going together with us to the
prophet."

Stas' head swam.

XIV

It was evident that the last hope of escaping during the journey had
become extinct. Stas now knew that his schemes would avail nothing;
that the pursuit would not overtake them, and that if they endured the
hardships of the journey they would reach the Mahdi and would be
surrendered to Smain. The only consolation now was the thought that