You gain nothing by not trying to
escape. And remember, these Arabs will think twice before they slay a
European."
"They will shoot first and think afterwards, Effendi."
"Well, we shall see. Perhaps they have given up the chase. In case they
come upon us, lash your camel into a trot, and wait not for me, because
I shall ride back, not forward."
The sheikh muttered a comprehensive curse on things in general and the
Hadendowa tribe in particular. They stumbled on in silence for nearly
two hours. At the end of that time they descended a difficult slope
into a deep wady. Fortunately, they had crossed it by daylight early
that morning, so its hazards were vivid in memory. In the rock-strewn
bed of the vanished river, Abdur Kad'r halted a moment. The light of
the stars was strong enough to reveal the horizon, which was visible
through the fall of the valley, and the nearer crests of the
neighboring watershed were quite distinct--showing black against
luminous ultramarine.
"That seaward track I spoke of, Effendi, passes this way to the hills.
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