same age, whom I love more than my own life, and for her sake I
have done everything which I have done. Christ will judge me for
this--Up to this time she wears under her dress, on her breast, a
silver cross.--Her name is the same as yours, little one. Were it not
for her, I would have preferred to die rather than to live in this
hell."

He was deeply moved. For a while he was silent, after which he rubbed
his forehead with his hand and began to speak of something else.

"The Mahdi sends you to Fashoda with the idea that there you will die.
In this manner he will revenge himself upon you for your stubbornness,
boy, which touched him deeply, and he will not lose his fame for
'mercy.' He always acts thus. But who knows who is destined to die
first? Abdullahi suggested to him the idea that he should order the
dogs who kidnapped you, to go with you. He rewarded them miserably, and
now he fears that they may publish it. Besides, they both preferred
that the people should not be told that there are still in Egypt
troops, cannons, money, and Englishmen.--It will be a hard road and
distant. You will go into a country desolate and unhealthy. So guard,
as the eye in the head, those powders which I gave to you."

"Sir, order Gebhr once more not to dare to starve or hit Nell," said
Stas.

"Do not fear. I commended you to the old sheik who has charge of the
post. He is an old acquaintance of mine. I gave him a watch and with
that I gained his protection for you."

Saying this, he began to bid them farewell. Taking Nell in his arms, he
pressed her to his bosom and repeated:

"May God bless you, my child."

In the meantime the sun descended and the night became starry. In the
dusk resounded the snorting of horses and the groans of the heavily
loaded camels.

XX

The old sheik Hatim faithfully kept his promise given to the Greek and
watched over the children with great solicitude. The journey up the
White Nile was difficult. They rode through Keteineh, Ed-Dueim, and
Kawa; afterwards they passed Abba, a woody Nile island, on which before
the war the Mahdi dwelt, in a hollow tree as a dervish hermit. The
caravan often was compelled to make a detour around extensive floating
masses overgrown with pyrus, or so-called "sudds," from which the
breeze brought the poisoned odor of decomposed leaves carried by the
current of water. English engineers had previously cut through these
barriers, and formerly steamboats could ascend