Evening star., 1926-03-21

| that he did in that time that was not
| revealed by his trackS--Abd er Rah-
man even pointed out one place where
Qway had spat on the ground while
| riding on his camel!
| We could see where he had walked
and led his mount. and where he had
| mounted again and ridden. We could
see where he walked her and where he
| trotted: where he had curled himself
up on the ground beside her and slept
at night, and all along his track at
| intervals were the places where he
had stopped to pray-the prints of his
open hands where he bowed to the
ground. and even the mark where he
had pressed his forehead on the sand
in prostration were clearly visible.
The Moslem prayers are said at
| stated hours. and Qway was always
extremely regular in his devotions.
This prayerful habit Of his was of the
| greatest assistance TO us, as it told US
the time at which he had passed each
| point.
We continued following his trail
| until the sun began to set. when. as
we did not want to overlook any
tracks in the dark. we halted for the
night. We had got by that time into
| rather broken ground, cut up into
ridges and hills about 20 feet high,
at the foot of one of which we camped.
1t is curious how easily. in the alb.
solute calm Of n desert night, the
slightest sound is audible. and how
quickly one wakes at the faintest un-
usual noise. About midnight I started
up. The distant sound of Il trOtting
camel approaching the camp was
clearly audible. and the camel was
being ridden very fast.
Instantly heard Add Ell Rahman's
sharp, threatening challenge and saw
him singing his carbine forward In
readiness for an attack. The answer
came back in hoarse exhausted voice
and was apparently satisfactory. for
the camel man rode into the camp. his
camel fell down on his knees. and the
man got--or rather fell-off on the
ground.
sang out to Add er Rahman to ask
who it was. He called back that it
was Abdulla. and, after bending FOR
few moments over his PROSTATE form,
came running across to where l lay.
Abdulla and his hagin were, he said,
extremely exhausted: but he had told
him that there was no danger and
that we could do nothing before day
light and had begun long statement
about Qway having turned back, in
the middle of which he had fallen
asleep.
Abdulla. on the following morning.
looked holloweyed. and if possible,
thinner about the fact than ever; but
beyond having obviously had a severe
fright, he seemed to be little worse
for his ride: the Sudanese have Won
derful recuperative powers.
His nerves. however, seemed to have
been very badly shaken. lie spoke in
wild. incoherent way. very different
from his usual slow. rather drawing
speech. He rambled SO much in his
account of what had happened and IN
troduced SO many abusive epithets di-
rected at Qway that at times it was
rather difficult to follow him, and Add
er Rahman had to help me out occa
sionally by explaining his meaning.
X !: X X
|nWAY. in the depot. had dawdled so
" over his preparations for leaving
the camp that Abdulla. with his eye
probably on the bakhshish 1 had prom
ised him, had become impatient at
the delay. But Qway assured him that
there was no immediate hurry, I'D
him that as soon as he had filled his
gurba, he would start, and suggested
that he had better go on before him
and that he would follow and catch
him up.
After he had gone some distance,