taken. No money was found on board the
steamer. We stripped her of the brass work, and took the wood ashore,
to burn. The sheik gave us a dollar and a half a man, for what we had
done. There may have been some money found on the ship, but as his own
men were on board first, and took all that they thought of value, I
have naught to say about it."

"And you never heard of anything being hidden, before the British
troops arrived?"

The Arab shook his head.

"No, my lord, but there may have been, though I never heard of it. I
went and fought at Kirkeban; and when we were beaten, I fled at once to
Berber, and remained there until the white troops had all gone down the
country."

"I may want to question you again tomorrow," Gregory said. "Here are
two dollars. I shall give you as much more, if I want you again."

The third man was then called up. He was evidently in fear.

"Do not be afraid to answer me truly," Gregory said. "If you do so, no
harm will come to you, whatever share you may have had in the affair.
But if you answer falsely, and the truth is afterwards discovered, you
will be punished. Now, where were you when this business took place?"

"We were all ordered, by Wad Gamr, to gather near his house; and, when
the signal was given, we were to run in and kill the white men. We saw
them go up to the house. They had been told to leave their arms behind
them. One of the sheik's servants came out and waved his arms, and we
ran in and killed them."

"What happened then?"

"We carried the bodies outside the house. Then we took what money was
found in their pockets, with watches and other things, in to the sheik;
and he paid us a dollar and a half a head, and said that we could have
their clothes. For my share, I had a jacket belonging to one of them.
When I got it home, I found that there was a pocket inside, and in it
was a book partly written on, and many other bits of paper."

"And what became of that?" Gregory asked, eagerly.

"I threw it into a corner. It was of no use to me. But when the white
troops came up in the boats, and beat us at Kirkeban, I came straight
home and, seeing the pocketbook, took it and hid it under a rock; for I
thought that when the white troops got here, they would find it, and
that they might then destroy the house, and cut down my trees. Then I
went away, and did not come back until they had all gone."

"And where is the pocketbook, now?"

"It may be under the rock where I hid