hadow of
death? No, I troubled little as to any earthly future, although I admit
that in this oasis of calm I reflected upon that state where past,
present and future will all be one; also that those reflections, which
were in their essence a kind of unshaped prayer, brought much calm to my
spirit.

With the regiment of escort we had practically no communication; I think
that they had been forbidden to talk to us. They were a very silent set
of men, finely-made, capable persons, of an Arab type, light rather than
dark in colour, who seemed for the most part to communicate with each
other by signs or in low-muttered words. Evidently they looked upon
Harut and Marut with great veneration, for any order which either of
these brethren gave, if they were brethren, was obeyed without
dispute or delay. Thus, when I happened to mention that I had lost a
pocket-knife at one of our camping-places two days' journey back, three
of them, much against my wish, were ordered to return to look for it,
and did so, making no question. Eight days later they rejoined us much
exhausted and having lost a camel, but with the knife, which they handed
to me with a low bow; and I confess that I felt ashamed to take the
thing.

Nor did we exchange many further confidences with Harut and Marut. Up
to the time of our arrival at the boundaries of the Kendah country, our
only talk with them was of the incidents of travel, of where we should
camp, of how far it might be to the next water, for water-holes or old
wells existed in this desert, of such birds as we saw, and so forth. As
to other and more important matters a kind of truce seemed to prevail.
Still, I observed that they were always studying us, and especially Lord
Ragnall, who rode on day after day, self-absorbed and staring straight
in front of him as though he looked at something we could not see.

Thus we covered hundreds of miles, not less than five hundred at the
least, reckoning our progress at only thirty miles a day, including
stoppages. For occasionally we stopped at the water-holes or small
oases, where the camels drank and rested. Indeed, these were so
conveniently arranged that I came to the conclusion that once there must
have been some established route running across these wastelands to
the south, of which the traditional knowledge remained with the Kendah
people. If so, it had not been used for generations, for save those of
one or two that had died on the outward march, we