though this we did not notice at the time. When he could not support
himself upon his feet, Orme took him by one arm, and I by the other,
and helped him on, much as I have seen two elephants do by a wounded
companion of the herd.

Half-an-hour or so later my strength failed me also. Although advanced
in years, I am tough and accustomed to the desert and hardships; who
would not be who had been a slave to the Khalifa? But now I could do no
more, and halting, begged the others to go on and leave me. Orme's only
answer was to proffer me his left arm. I took it, for life is sweet
to us all, especially when one has something to live for--a desire
to fulfil as I had, though to tell the truth, even at the time I felt
ashamed of myself.

Thus, then, we proceeded awhile, resembling a sober man attempting to
lead two drunken friends out of reach of that stern policeman, Death.
Orme's strength must be wonderful; or was it his great spirit and his
tender pity for our helplessness which enabled him to endure beneath
this double burden.

Suddenly he fell down as though he had been shot, and lay there
senseless. The Professor, however, retained some portion of his mind,
although it wandered. He became light-headed, and rambled on about our
madness in having undertaken such a journey, "just to pot a couple of
beastly lions," and although I did not answer them, I agreed heartily
with his remarks. Then he seemed to imagine that I was a clergyman, and
kneeling on the sand, he made a lengthy confession of his sins which,
so far as I gathered, though I did not pay much attention to them, for
I was thinking of my own, appeared chiefly to consist of the unlawful
acquisition of certain objects of antiquity, or of having overmatched