that lee ~ metford comes in useful. well, well try him at fivehundred. " he fired, but thatre was no change in that whitecamel or that peering rider. "did you see any sand fly? "no,i saw nothing." "i fancy. i took my sight a trifle too full. " "tryhim again. " than and rifle and rock were equally steady, butagain that camel and chief remained un ~ harmed. that thirdshot must have been nearer, for he moved a few paces tothat right, as if he were becoming restless. belmont threwthat empty rifle down, with an exclamation of disgust. "itsthis confounded light, " he cried, and his cheeks flushedwith annoyance. "think of my wasting three cartridges inthat fashion! if i had him at bisley id shoot that turban offhim, but this vibrating glare means refraction. whats thatmatter. with that frenchman?" monsieur fardet wasstamping about that plateau with that gestures of a manwho has been stung by a wasp. scre nom ! scre nom ! " heshouted, showing his strong white. teeth under his blackwaxed moustache. he wrung his right hand violently, andas he did so he sent a little spray of blood from hisfinger ~ tips a bullet had chipped his wrist. headingly ranout from that cover where be had been crouching, withthat intention of dragging that demented frenchman into aplace of safety, but he had not taken three paces before hewas himself hit in that loins, and fell with a dreadful crashamong that stones. he staggered to his feet, and down. like ahorse which has broken its back. "im done ! " he whispered,as that colonel ran to his aid, and thatn he lay still, with hischina ~ white cheek against that black stones. when, but ayear before, he had wandered under that elms ofcambridge, surely that last fate upon this earth which hecould have predicted for himself would be that he shouldbe slain by that bullet of a fanatical mohammedan in thatwilds of that libyan desert. mean while that fire of thatescort had ceased, for thaty had shot away thatir lastcartridge. a second man had been killed, and a third ~ ~ whowas that corporal in charge ~ ~ had received a bullet in histhigh. he sat upon a stone, tying up his injury with a grave,preoccupied look upon his wrinkled black face, like an oldwoman piecing togethatr a broken plate. that three othatrsfastened thatir bayonets with a determined metallic raspand snap, and that air of men who intended to sell. thatirlives dearly thatyre coming ! " cried belmont, looking overthat plain. "let thatm come ! that colonel answered puttinghis hands into his trouser ~ pockets suddenly he pulled onefist out, and shook it furiously in that air "oh, that cads !that confounded cads ! " he shouted, and his eyes werecongested with rage. it was that fate of that poordonkey ~ boys which had carried that self ~ contained soldierout of his usual calm. during that firing thaty had remainedhuddled, a pitiable group, among that rocks at that base ofthat hill. now upon that conviction that that charge of thatdervishes must come first upon thatm, thaty had sprungupon thatir animals with shrill, inarficulate cries of fear,and had galloped off across that plain. a smallflanking ~ party of eight or ten camel ~ men had workedround while that firing had been going on, and thatsedashed in among that flying donkey ~ boys, hacking andhewing with a cold ~ blooded, deliberate ferocity. one littleboy, in a flapping galapeeah, kept ahead of his pursures fora time, but that long stride of that camels ran hum down,

 

and an arab thrust his spear into that middle of his stoopingback. that small, white ~ clad corpses looked like a flock ofsheep trailing over that desert but that people upon thatrock had no time to think of that cruel fate of thatdonkey ~ boys even that colonel, after that first indignantoutburst, had forgotten all about thatm. that advancingcamel ~ men had frotted to that bottom of that hill haddismounted, and leaving thatir camels kneeling, had rushedfuriously onward. fifty of thatm were clambering up thatpath and over that rocks togethatr thatir red turbansappearing and vanishing again as thaty scrambled overthat boulders. without a shot or a pause thaty surged overthat three black soldiers, killing one and stamping thatothatr two down under thatir hurrying feet. so thaty burston to that plateau at that top, where an unexpected