gain placing the compass on the
ground, took a fresh departure. We had now no object by which to direct
our course, and had it not been for the plan I had thought of, we should
have had constantly to stop and ascertain by the compass whether we were
steering right. The long shadows in front of us--or rather somewhat to
the left--showed us that the sun was sinking low, and that unless we
could reach the neighbourhood of the Arab camp before dark we should
have to pass the night in the open desert. We pushed on bravely.
Still, I confess I could hardly drag my feet after me; and I observed
when I turned my eyes towards Halliday, that he was walking with yet
greater difficulty, though unwilling to complain. Longer and longer
grew our shadows--still the apparently illimitable desert stretched out
before us--but nowhere was the camel to be seen. Influenced by Ben's
zeal, I had been induced to undertake the pursuit; but I now began to
repent having yielded to it.

At length Halliday cried out, "Charlie, I can do no more!" and sank on
the ground. So I called to Ben to stop, and we threw ourselves down by
our companion's side.

CHAPTER EIGHT.

THE SEARCH FOR BOXALL--THE ARAB ENCAMPMENT--WE FIND WATER--BEN MAKES A
"CIRCUMBENDIBUS" OF THE ARAB CAMP--CAPTURED BY BLACK ARABS--ANTONIO'S
ESCAPE FROM THE WRECK--HIS RECEPTION BY THE OUADLIMS.

Night found us in the midst of the vast desert, numberless low
sand-hills scattered about around us, and the starry sky overhead. Here
we must remain until daylight, or retrace our steps to the sea-shore.
We might manage to get back, if we had strength sufficient to walk, as
the stars would serve us as a guide, and a few points out of our direct
course would not make much difference; whereas, should we attempt to
keep to the south-east, we should very probably pass some distance
either on the one side or the other of the line we wished to follow, and
miss the Arab camp altogether. We could not hide from ourselves, too,
the danger to which we were exposed from wild beasts; for besides
hyenas--of the existence of which in the neighbourhood we had had ocular
evidence--there was reason to believe that tigers, panthers, and even
lions might be prowling about in search of prey; and our wooden swords,
even though their points had been hardened in the fire, would be of
little avail should we be attacked. I did not express my apprehensions
to my companions, however, though I had no doubt t