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"Two hours, Yoshio--not a er," he murmured drowsily, and slept almost before his head touched the pillow

For an hour ormotionless on his heels in the middle of the tent, Yoshio watched him, hisstare Then he rose cautiously and glided fro the last two years Craven had beco a few hours of sleep when and how he could He slept now deeply and dreamlessly And when the two hours were passed and Yoshio woke hi up, wide awake on the instant, refreshed by the short rest In silence that was no longer sullen the valet indicated a coht back with him to the tent, but Craven waved it aside with a sht of Sa&iu quickly As he concluded his hasty preparations he found ti of aloofness that precluded even excitement It was as if his spirit, already freed, looked down fros of a being ore the earthly semblance of himself but who mattered not at all He seemed to be above and beyond actualities He heard hiiven earlier to Yoshio, he found hi slightly at the man's apparent unconcern But outside the little tent the strange feeling left him suddenly as it had come The cool wind that an hour later would usher in the dawn blew about his face dispelling the visionary sensation that had taken hold of hierly at the beauty of thehimself once more keenly alive, keenly excited at the prospect of the co venture

Excitement was rife also in the ca throng ofpoint before the old Sheik's tent The noise was deafening, and tra the crowd pressing around thelishh the dense ranks to the open space where Mukair Ibn Zarrarah with his two sons and a little group of headravity and Sa&iulance at his khaki clothing For a few moments they conversed and then the Sheik stepped forith uplifted hand The claave way to a deep silence In a short io forward in the name of the one God, Merciful and Beneficent And as his arhty shout broke from the assembled multitude Allah! Allah! the fierce exultant cry rose in a swelling voluthe the press of onlookers and tossing their long guns in the air in frenzied excitenificent black stallion was led up to Craven, and the Sheik soothed the beautiful quivering creature, caressing his shapely head with treers "He is my favourite, he will carry you well," hethe spirited ani Mukair Ibn Zarrarah's hand and in anotherbetween Omar and Saïd at the head of the troop as itshouts of those ere left behind He had a last ure of pathetic dignity, standing before his tent, and then the camp seemed to slide away behind thee of the oasis and eed on to the open desert A fewhorses settled down into a steady gallop The dense ranks of tribesmen were silent at last, and only the rythainst the soft shifting sand