Raising his bound wrists with an effort, while the correspondent rolled over in the lad's direction, Gerald gripped the fragment of thin flannel, and in another moment Reeves was without a sleeve, in addition to a backless shirt. "Give me the piece. That's it. Now, lean my way," and the correspondent neatly placed the broad strip of flannel upon the lad's head. "Save you from sunstroke, perhaps. Now, Hugh, you take a strip from Gerald's shirt. It's in about the same first-class condition as mine." But before Hugh could perform his part of the task, the Arab touched him on the shoulder with the haft of his spear, then spoke a few words to one of the crowd who were enjoying the spectacle of the captured Kafirs. The youth addressed evidently stood in awe of the custodian of the prisoners, for his broad smile vanished, and turning he ran swiftly towards the outskirts of the encampment. In a few moments he returned with two broad leaves in his hand, which he offered to the man who had ordered him to bring them. Speaking rapidly, the latter commanded the youth to place them on the heads of the two uncovered captives. Arthur Reeves caught the meaning of the Arab's words, but kept the news to himself. It was not pity that had prompted the man to act thus. A slave whose head has been turned by the sun would be worse than useless, for the Arabs, believing that a madman is under the special protection of Allah, make sure that he is well cared for, even though worthless from a commercial point of view. So they were to be sold as slaves? If the worst came to the worst, Reeves thought, there was a means of escape, and he brought his knees together smartly. Yes, thank heavens! their savage captors had not entirely stripped off the clothing of their prisoners; and bound in the folds of his puttees was a small yet serviceable automatic pistol, no thicker than a tobacco pouch, while behind his left knee was a packet of fifty '22 cartridges, small, yet powerful enough to drive completely through a man. Suddenly a sharp but distant buzz smote upon his ear. Several of the Arabs also heard the noise, and hundreds of dark-brown faces were turned skywards. [Illustration: THE APPROACH OF THE MONOPLANE] With a painful effort the correspondent turned his head and looked. At a good five hundred feet above the palm-tops a mono-plane was passing swiftly in an easterly direction. Reeves could distinctly see two men, one sitting behind the other. As for the Arabs, they were too astonished even to utter a sound. The spectacle of a giant bird with motionless wings bodily carrying off two men was too marvellous for words. Presently the monoplane tilted slightly, and changed its course in the direction of the encampment. The lads gave a stifled exclamation of joy, but the correspondent knew that a fresh danger was in store for them. "Lie down flat!" he exclaimed, throwing himself upon the ground.