ing the
head-dress back to Mr Burne.

"Humph!" ejaculated that gentleman, putting it on with a comical
expression of disgust in his countenance. "Here, you, Lawrence, if you
dare to laugh at me, I'll never forgive you."

"Do, please, Mr Burne," cried the lad, "for I must laugh: I can't help
it."

So he did laugh, and the professor too, while the old lawyer gave an
angry stamp.

"Look here," said the professor; "shall I wear the fez, and you can take
my hat?"

"Stuff, sir! you know your head's twice as big as mine," cried Mr
Burne.

"Have mine, Mr Burne," said Lawrence.

"Bah! do you think I've got a stupid little head like you have. No, I
shall wear the fez, and I hope we shall meet some English people. It
will be a warning to them not to come out into such wild spots as this."

The fact was that the old gentleman looked thoroughly picturesque, while
Yussuf looked scarcely less so, as he rapidly turned the roll of muslin
which he had taken from his fez into a comfortable white head-dress and
put it on.

Then, taking the stick and the straw hat, he climbed up to the top of
the ridge, where they saw him shoulder the stick and walk to and fro as
if on guard, before rapidly arranging the hat upon the top of a little
cypress-tree, and placing the stick through the branches at a slope.

So cleverly was this done, that even from where the travellers stood
just below, the ruse was effective. Seen from a quarter of a mile away
it must have been just like Mr Burne on sentry.

"There," said the old lawyer with comic anger, "worse and worse. I am
being set up in effigy for these barbarians to laugh at."

"No," said the professor, "we are having the laugh at them."

Yussuf came down smiling after finishing his task, and then, a final
glance round having been given, and a look at the arms, they prepared to
mount.

One of the baggage-horses bore the grain used for their supply, and as a
good feed for six horses night and morning had somewhat reduced his
load, he was chosen to bear Hamed.

For the driver, in spite of the bold face he put upon the matter, was
quite unfit to walk. The rough treatment he had received when his legs
were tied together had completely crippled him, and in addition his head
was injured by a kick from his horse when he fell.

The man was brave, though, as soon as he found that he was not to be
left behind, and all being now ready, Yussuf climbed the ridge once more
to see whether the