one or the other
might have me up for it; but they did not half like it. They had been
on about twenty minutes when Kavanagh thought he saw something move by a
rock a little in front of him, and the next time he met Dobbs, as they
both patrolled to the same spot and turned, he whispered his suspicions
to him, and he went with him a few paces back along his beat and gazed
in the direction, but could distinguish nothing. Kavanagh did not know
whether to challenge or not, but thought it best to wait and watch;
perhaps he might have been mistaken.

Presently he heard Dobbs cry, "Who goes there?" in a decidedly startled
voice, and he brought his own rifle down to the charge. But immediately
afterwards Dobbs said--

"What! Is it you, Hump, old boy, come to do a bit of sentry-go? By
jingo, you made me jump!"

And no wonder; in such a ticklish situation, to have something jump upon
you in the dark, when all your nerves are on the stretch, must be very
startling.

Five minutes passed, and there again by the rock Kavanagh was certain he
saw a figure move this time, and he, in his turn, called--

"Who goes there?" again bringing down his bayonet.

There was no reply, and he waited, uncertain what to do next, when Hump
suddenly dashed forward with a low, angry growl; and presently
exclamations were heard in an unknown tongue indeed, but which, from the
accent, did not appear to be blessings.

"Good dog, Hump; shake him, boy!" cried Dobbs; but the animal was
evidently doing his best in that direction without encouragement.

But the man, who could not have been a dozen yards off, shook himself
free somehow, and Hump retired growling, from which Kavanagh felt
convinced there were more than one or two Arabs near. Presently he made
out three objects against the sky-line, and thought he ought to delay no
longer, so he fired at them.

Whether he hit anything he could not, of course, tell; but in reply to
his shot there were at least twenty flashes of fire in his front, and
the bullets came buzzing about the ears of Kavanagh and Dobbs like a
swarm of hornets, though neither was touched.

The picket turned out, and, as the Arabs were some of them quite close
to them, the sentries retired upon it. The enemy kept on firing for
about five minutes, then ceased; and the sentries were advanced again,
but somewhat closer in than before, since, but for the dog, these two
would have been cut off.

They were relieved presently; b