"Yes, I would," she said.

"Well, the spell is broken of the Sphinx," he continued. "She can't
talk to me with you there, and she can't talk to you with me near, so
let us go and see something else that is interesting together."

"What?" asked Tamara.

"The Sheikh's village down below. Half the people who come don't
realize it is there, and the other half would be afraid to ride through
it at night--but they know me and I will take care of you."

Without the least further hesitation he called Hafis and the camel,
spoke to them in Arabic, and then stood ready to help Tamara up. She
seemed hypnotized, when she was settled in the high saddle. She began
to realize that she was going into the unknown with a perfect stranger,
but she did not think of turning back.

"What do you ride?" she asked.

"See," he said, and he made a strange low whistle, which was instantly
answered by an equally strange low whinny of a horse, and a beautiful
Arab appeared from the foot of the rocks--where all things were in
shadow--led by a little brown boy.

"I am taking him back with me," he said, "Isn't he a beauty. I only
bought him a week ago, and he already knows me."

Then he was in the saddle with the lightest bound, and Tamara, who had
always admired Tom on a horse, knew that she had never seen anyone who