In a few minutes the smoke-cloud cleared, and he found that they had
reached the outskirts of the native quarter. The houses were no longer
huddled together; small hovels took the place of cramped and lofty
tenements. Soon he could see dark masses of hills silhouetted against
the sky, where its dense blue merged into the amber and green of the
last flicker of daylight. Not far distant, a sheet of water, still as a
mirror, reflected sky and hills in even more pronounced chiaroscuro,
and he had just distinguished the straight black ridge of the landward
causeway when Abdullah dived into a wattle-built hut.
The Arab had not uttered a syllable during their rapid walk, and Royson
determined not to question him, since his offer of help was made
voluntarily, and he seemed to prefer silence to speech. The Englishman
was undecided whether or not to enter the hut, which was apparently
untenanted, but the eager whinny of a horse quickly explained
Abdullah's disappearance. There was some stamping of unshod hoofs on
the hard earth, some straining of girths and clink of steel, and the
Arab led forth a slenderly built animal which, at first sight, seemed
to be far too light for a rider of Dick's proportions.
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