It was dawn on the following morning before we sighted the oasis,
whither we could travel but slowly, since, owing to the lack of camels,
two of us must walk. Of these two, as may be guessed, the Sergeant was
always one and his master the other, for of all the men I ever knew I
think that in such matters Orme is the most unselfish. Nothing would
induce him to mount one of the camels, even for half-an-hour, so that
when I walked, the brute went riderless. On the other hand, once he was
on, notwithstanding the agonies he suffered from his soreness, nothing
would induce Higgs to get off.

"Here I am and here I stop," he said several times, in English, French,
and sundry Oriental languages. "I've tramped it enough to last me the
rest of my life."

Both of us were dozing upon our saddles when suddenly I heard the
Sergeant calling to the camels to halt and asked what was the matter.

"Looks like Arabians, Doctor," he said, pointing to a cloud of dust
advancing toward us.

"Well, if so," I answered, "our best chance is to show no fear and go
on. I don't think they will harm us."

So, having made ready such weapons as we had, we advanced, Orme and the
Sergeant walking between the two camels, until presently we encountered
the other caravan, and, to our astonishment, saw none other than
Shadrach riding at the head of it, mounted on my dromedary, which his