The present encampment offered no exception to the general rule. Abdur
Kad'r, it is true, may have raged a little more extensively than usual
when it was discovered that the well had caved in from sheer disuse,
and several hours' labor would be necessary before some brackish water
could be obtained. He did not trouble the Effendi with this detail,
however. There was another more pressing matter to be dealt with, but,
Allah be praised, that might wait till a less occupied hour, for the
Frank was in no hurry, and he paid like a Kaliph.
About four o'clock Irene was sitting in her tent making some belated
jottings in a diary. Being thirsty, she called a servant, and told him
to bring a bottle of soda-water. A few minutes later she heard a
stumble, a crash, and a loud exclamation in Arabic. The man had fallen
over one of the heavy stones to which the guy-ropes were fastened.
She looked up smilingly, and wondered whether he would understand her
if she said in French that she hoped he had not injured himself.
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