far.

Yet away from Toudja he must go, since it was impossible to care for him
properly there, and the bullet which had wounded him was still in his
side.

Fortunately the enemy had left plenty of camels. They had untethered
all, hoping that the animals might wander away, too far to be caught by
the Europeans, but more than were needed remained in the neighbourhood
of Toudja, and Rostafel took possession of half a dozen good meharis,
which would help recoup him for his losses in the bordj. Not one animal
had any mark upon it which could identify the attackers, and saddles and
accoutrements were of Touareg make. The dead men, too, were impossible
to identify, and it was not likely that much trouble would be taken in
prosecuting inquiries. Among those whose duty it is to govern Algeria,
there is a proverb which, for various good reasons, has come to be much
esteemed: "Let sleeping dogs lie."

Not a man of the five who defended the bordj but had at least one wound
to show for his night's work. Always, however, it is those who attack,
in a short siege, who suffer most; and the Europeans were not proud of
the many corpses they had to their credit. There was some patching for
the surgeon to do for all, but Nevill's was the only serious case. The
French doctor, De Vigne, did not try to hide the truth from the wounded
man's friend; there was danger. The best thing would have been to get
Nevill to Algiers, but since that was impossible, he must travel in a
bassour, by easy stages, to Touggourt. Instead of two days' journey they
must make it three, or more if necessary, and he--De Vigne--would go
with them to put his patient into the hands of the army surgeon at
Touggourt.

They had only the one bassour; that in which Saidee and Victoria had
come to Toudja from Oued Tolga, but Nevill was delirious more often than
not, and had no idea that a sacrifice was being made for him. Blankets,
and two of the mattresses least damaged by fire in the barricade, were
fastened on to camels for the ladies, after the fashion in use for
Bedouin women of the poorest class, or Ouled Nails who have not yet made
their fortune as dancers; and so the journey began again.

There was never a time during the three days it lasted, for Stephen to
confess to Victoria. Possibly she did not wish him to take advantage of
a situation created as if by accident at Toudja. Or perhaps she thought,
now that the common danger which had drawn them together, was ove