r the saddle
was wide and had the shape of a palanquin without a roof. Dinah sat
behind Chamis, the others took separate camels, and the party started.

If the station-master had stared at them longer he might perhaps have
wondered that those Englishmen, of whom Idris spoke, rode directly to
the ruins on the south, while this party at once directed its movements
towards Talei, in a different direction. But the station-master before
that time had returned home as no other train arrived that day at
Gharak.

The hour was five in the afternoon. The weather was splendid. The sun
had already passed on that side of the Nile and declined over the
desert, sinking into the golden and purple twilight glowing on the
western side of the sky. The atmosphere was so permeated with the
roseate luster that the eyes blinked from its superfluity. The fields
assumed a lily tint, while the distant sand-hills, strongly relieved
against the background of the twilight, had a hue of pure amethyst. The
world lost the traits of reality and appeared to be one play of
supernal lights.

While they rode over a verdant and cultivated region, the guide, a
Bedouin, conducted the caravan with a moderate pace. But with the
moment that the hard sand creaked under the feet of the camels,
everything changed.

"Yalla! Yalla!" suddenly yelled wild voices.

And simultaneously could be heard the swish of whips and the camels,
having changed from an ambling pace into a full gallop, began to speed
like the whirlwind, throwing up with their feet the sand and gravel of
the desert.

"Yalla! Yalla!"

The ambling pace of a camel jolts more, while the gallop with which
this animal seldom runs, swings more; so the children enjoyed this mad
ride. But it is known that even in a swing, too much rapid movement
causes dizziness. Accordingly, after a certain time, when the speed did
not cease, Nell began to get dizzy and her eyes grew dim.

"Stas, why are we flying so?" she exclaimed, turning to her companion.

"I think that they allowed them to get into too much of a gallop and
now cannot check them," answered Stas.

But observing that the little girl's face was becoming pale, he shouted
at the Bedouins, running ahead, to slacken their pace. His calls,
however, had only this result: that again resounded the cries of
"Yalla," and the animals increased their speed.

The boy thought at first that the Bedouins did not hear him, but when
on his repeated orders there