They proceeded warily. On gaining the opposing height they found that a
broad plateau, flanked by a steep hill on the seaward side, barred any
distant view, but Abdur Kad'r felt assured that the crest of this next
hill would give them command of the whole range of broken country for
many miles ahead. With this objective, they urged the camels into a
trot. When the shoulder of the rising ground became almost impassable
for four-footed animals, and awkward beasts at that, they dismounted,
tied the camels to heavy stones, and climbed the remainder of the way
on foot.
They looked across a narrow valley into a wide and shallow depression,
where a clump of palm trees and dense patches of _sayall_ bushes
instantly revealed the whereabouts of the oasis. It was easy to see the
regular lines of newly-turned rubble and sand where trenches had been
cut by the explorers. But the place was deserted. Not a man or horse,
camel or tent, stood on the spot where the mirage had revealed a
multitude some twenty-six hours earlier.
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