was likely to befall themselves;
then, wearied with the excitement of the day their voices became more
and more drowsy and they dosed off upon their heaps of straw. Jack was
the first to wake. He sat up and looked round, puzzled for a time.

"I say, wake up, you fellows!" he exclaimed suddenly. "There is a
tremendous fire somewhere."

The others sat up at once. They had been asleep for some hours and
night had fallen, but there was a red glow of light in the cell.

"Here, Arthur, you jump up on my shoulders," Jim said, standing under
the opening in the wall.

Arthur climbed up, and uttered an exclamation as his eyes became level
with the opening. "I cannot see the town, but I think it must be all on
fire; it is almost as light as day outside, the whole air is full of
sparks and red clouds of smoke. It is tremendous!"

"Jump down and let us have a look," Jim said impatiently, and he and
Jack had by turns a view of the scene. A quarter of an hour later the
door opened suddenly and four of their guards ran in.

"Come, quick!" one of them said, and seizing the boys by their wrists
they hurried them up the stairs. The house was in confusion. Men were
packing up bundles and the bey giving directions in an angry voice. As
soon as his eye fell on the boys he gave an order in Egyptian.

"Take off your clothes, quick!" The guard translated the order.

It was evidently no time for hesitation. The boys took off their
waistcoats, jackets, and trousers, then the guard picked up from a
bundle lying beside him three women's dresses, and wound them round
them, bringing an end as usual over the head and falling down to the
eyes. Then he put on the thick blue veil, extending across the face just
under the eyes and falling down to the waist. The disguise was thus
completed, and the three boys were transformed into Egyptian peasant
women, of whom only the eyes were visible.

Another five minutes all were ready, and the bey with ten or twelve men
and the boys started out from the house. Most of the men carried
muskets, all had large bundles upon their shoulders. As they issued from
the house the boys obtained a full sight of the city, and uttered a
simultaneous exclamation as they did so. Half the city appeared to be in
flames. A sea of fire extended from the port over the European quarter,
including the great square, while in many other parts separate
conflagrations were raging.

There was, however, no time to pause to examine t