and more audacious than the other. First he began to ponder over
whether that smoke in the southern direction necessarily came from
Smain's camp. It might indeed be dervishes, but it also might be Arabs
from the ocean coast, who made great expeditions into the interior for
ivory and slaves. These had nothing in common with the dervishes who
injured their trade. The smoke might also be from a camp of Abyssinians
or from some negro village at the foot-hills which the slave hunters
had not yet reached. Would it not be proper for him to satisfy himself
upon this point?

The Arabs from Zanzibar, from the vicinity of Bagamoyo, from Witu and
from Mombasa, and in general from the territory bordering on the ocean,
were people who continuously came in contact with white men; so who
knows whether for a great reward they would not conduct them to the
nearest port? Stas knew perfectly well that he could promise such a
reward and that they would believe his promise. There occurred to him
another idea which touched him to the depth. In Khartum he saw that
many of the dervishes, particularly those from Nubia, suffered fever
almost as badly as the white people and that they cured themselves with
quinine which they stole from the Europeans, and if it were hidden by
renegade Greeks or Copts they purchased it for its weight in gold. So
it might be expected that the Arabs from the coast would be certain to
have it.

"I shall go," Stas said to himself, "I shall go, for Nell."

And pondering more and more strongly upon the situation he, in the end,
came to the conclusion that even if that was Smain's division, it was
incumbent for him to go. He recollected that on account of the complete
rupture of relations between Egypt and the Sudan, Smain in all
probability knew nothing about their abduction from Fayum.

Fatma could not have had an understanding with him; therefore that
abduction was her individual scheme, executed with the aid of Chamis,
son of Chadigi, together with Idris, Gebhr, and the two Bedouins. Now
these men did not concern Smain for the simple reason that among them
he knew only Chamis, and the others he never saw in his life. He was
concerned only about his own children and Fatma. But he might long for
them now, and might be glad to return to them, particularly if in the
service of the Mahdi he apparently did not meet with great fortune,
since instead of commanding powerful troops or governing some vast
region he was compel