bitterly and glanced at the grumbling man with a
contemptuous expression on her face.

"Yes, John, very inconsiderate of me, I daresay. But how was I to know
that there was a _mugger_ (crocodile) in the tank?"

Then for the first time she realised the nearness of the water.

"Good gracious! I thought I was much farther--how did I get so close to
it? Did I slip down in my sleep?"

"No; there are the trees," said Raymond. "It's extraordinary. The whole
tank seems to have shifted."

The Resident was mopping his bald scalp and lifted his hat to let the
gusty wind cool his head. A sudden squall blew the big pith sun-helmet
out of his hand. Wargrave caught it in the air and returned it to its
owner.

"By Jove! it's a regular gale," he said. "I think I know what's
happened. This wind's so strong that it's blown the water of the tank
before it and actually shifted the whole mass thirty or forty yards this
way."

"Yes, I've known that to occur before with shallow ponds," said Raymond.
"I've heard the passage of the Red Sea by the Israelites and the
drowning of Pharaoh's Army explained in the same way. It's said that the
crossing really took place at one extremity of the Bitter Lake through
which the Suez Canal passes."

Major Norton was staring at the far end of the tank now left bare.

"There may be some interesting insects stranded on the bottom uncovered
by the receding water," he said, abstractedly, and was moving away to
search for them when Wargrave said disgustedly:

"Don't you think, sir, that, as Mrs. Norton has had such a shock, the
sooner we get off the better?"

"Yes, yes. Very true. But you can order the camels to be saddled while
I'm having a look," replied the enthusiastic collector. "I really must
go and see. There may be some very interesting specimens there."

And he hurried away. His wife smiled rather bitterly as he went. Then
she turned to the two subalterns.

"But tell me what happened? How did the _mugger_ come here? How was I
saved?"

Raymond rapidly narrated what had taken place. Violet looked at Wargrave
with glistening eyes and held out her hands to him.

"So you saved my life. How can I thank you?" she said gratefully. Her
lips trembled a little.

Frank took her hands in his but answered lightly:

"Oh, it was nothing. Anyone else would have done the same. I happened to
be the only one with a rifle."

Raymond turned away quickly and walked over to the crocodile. Neither of
them