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 on in the evening, when we made a fresh start, I saw him examining the various packages on the camels' backs, and, when he thought I was not looking, he hastily passed his hand across his eyes as if he wished to chase away a persistent, unpleasant thought.

Two more days elapsed without any change, save that one of our camels, the one which had given us the best milk, suddenly sickened and died. We left her by the wayside and continued to wander on, but a couple of hours later, when we took our customary midnight rest, Hugh said to me:

"Mark, old fellow, there are three sound camels left. Will you take two and a sufficient amount of provisions and return eastward to-night?"

"And you?"

"I am going on, of course."

"So am I, Girlie."

"I refuse to take you any further, Mark."

"I was not aware that I was being taken, Girlie."

"I was a fool to persuade you to come. I feel morally responsible for your welfare, and …"

"And?"

"The game is becoming dangerous."

"So much the better, Girlie, it was getting deuced monotonous."

"Will you turn back, Mark?"

"No! I won't. Not without you, at least."

We laid ourselves down to sleep after that, but I don't think that either of us found much rest. I, for one, never closed an eye, and I could hear Hugh tossing about restlessly in his rug on the ground. Towards early dawn I got up and looked out on the ever-monotonous landscape, when, from afar, towards the west, high over head, I saw three or four tiny black specks approaching—birds, of course. I gazed