y came out on ground which
was firmer, and trotted about a hundred yards. But soon their road was
confronted by a sea of sand, and again they advanced step by step
slowly.

Sweat poured from the men, there was foam on the horses.

"It is hot!" whispered the heir.

"Listen, lord," said Pentuer, "this is not a good day for hunting in
the desert. This morning the sacred insects showed great disquiet, then
dropped into lethargy. Also my knife of a priest went down very little
in the earthen scabbard, which means intense heat. Both these phenomena
the heat, and the lethargy of insects may announce a tempest. Let us
return, for not only have we lost sight of the camp, but even sounds
from there do not reach to us."

Ramses looked at the priest almost contemptuously.

"And dost Thou think, O prophet," said he, "that I, having once
commanded the capture of Musawasa, can return empty handed because I
fear heat and a tempest?"

They went on without stopping. At one place there was hard ground
again, thanks to which they approached the fugitives to within the
distance of a sling cast.

"Hei, ye there!" cried the heir, "yield."

The Libyans did not even look behind, and waded on through the sand
with great effort. After a while one might suppose that they would be
overtaken. Soon again, however, the prince's party struck on deep sand
while the Libyans hastening forward vanished beyond an elevation.

The Asiatics cursed, the prince gritted his teeth.

At last the horses began to stumble more and to be weary, so the riders
had to dismount and go on foot. All at once an Asiatic grew purple, and
fell on the sand. The prince commanded to cover him with a mantle, and
said,

"We will take him on the way back."

After great toil they reached the top of the sand height, and saw the
Libyans. For them too the road had been murderous, two of their horses
had stopped.

The camp of the Egyptian army was hidden completely behind the rolling
land, and if Pentuer and the Asiatics had not known how to guide
themselves by the sun they could not have gone back to the camping-
place. In the prince's party another man fell, and threw bloody foam
from his mouth. He was left, with his horse. To finish their trouble,
on the outline of the sands stood a group of cliffs; among these the
Libyans vanished.

"Lord," said Pentuer, "that may be an ambush."

"Let it be death, and let it take me!" replied the heir, in a changed
voice.

The pr