hen, suddenly, the pounding began again, more furiously than ever. It
was as if demons had taken the place of men.

"It is Maieddine, I'm sure!" cried Victoria. "I seem to know what is in
his mind. Something has made him desperate."

"There's a chance for us," said Stephen. "What I believe has happened,
is this. They must have stationed a sentinel or two outside the bordj in
case of surprise. The raised voices we heard, and the stopping of the
work on the roof for a minute, may have meant that a sentinel ran in
with news--good news for us, bad news for the Arabs."

"But--would they have begun to work again, if soldiers were coming?"

"Yes, if help were so far off that the Arabs might hope to reach us
before it came, and get away in time. Ben Halim's one hope is to make an
end of--some of us. It was well enough to disguise the whole band as
Touaregs, in case they were seen by nomads, or the landlord here should
escape, and tell of the attack. But he'd risk anything to silence us
men, and----"

"He cares nothing for Saidee's life or mine. It's only Maieddine who
cares," the girl broke in. "I suppose they've horses and meharis waiting
for them outside the bordj?"

"Yes. Probably they're being got ready now. The animals have had a
night's rest."

As he spoke, the first bit of ceiling fell in, rough plaster dropping
with a patter like rain on the hard clay floor.

Saidee cried out faintly in her corner, where Nevill had fallen into
semi-unconsciousness behind the screen. Rostafel grumbled a "sapriste!"
under his breath, but the Highlanders were silent.

Down poured more plaster, and put out the last candle. Though a faint
dawn-light stole through the holes in door and window, the room was dim,
almost dark, and with the smell of gunpowder mingled the stench of hot
tallow.

"Go now, dearest, to your sister," Stephen said to the girl, in a low
voice that was for her alone.

"You will come?"

"Yes. Soon. But the door and window must be guarded. We can't have them
breaking in two ways at once."

"Give me your hand," she said.

He took one of hers, instead, but she raised his to her lips and kissed
it. Then she went back to her sister, and the two clung together in
silence, listening to the patter of broken adobe on the floor. At first
it was but as a heavy shower of rain; then it increased in violence
like the rattle of hail. They could hear men speaking on the roof, and a
gleam of daylight silvered a crack, as