FOR several days the captives' lot, though hard, was not oppressive. Save for the fetters on their wrists, they were not subjected to bonds, nor were their movements restricted, within certain limits. Their work consisted in having to tend and water the camels, horses, and cattle, and to cultivate a strip of land on the banks of the river. Although, generally speaking, the Arabs are a nomadic race, and do not take kindly to husbandry, this fertile strip of ground offered too good an opportunity of cultivating maize to be ignored; and the work was delegated to the slaves, most of whom were of negro descent, while some were Arabs who, through offences committed against the tribal laws and customs, were reduced to compulsory servitude. The Englishmen's clothing, long since in rags, was now barely enough to cover them; but, hardened to the sun's rays, the discomfort was less than they had anticipated. Reeves's chief source of anxiety on this account was concerning his automatic pistol and ammunition, till, fearing that the ragged state of his clothing would reveal the precious treasure, he stealthily wrapped the weapon and cartridges in a fragment of sheepskin, and hid them under a rock at some distance from the camp. The man's indomitable spirit seemed to buoy up the flagging energies of his two young companions; but although many plans were brought forward when the question of escaping was discussed, it was deemed prudent to wait events. The correspondent kept a marvellous control over himself, never once by word or gesture allowing the Arabs to suspect that he was fairly conversant with their tongue. Yet he failed to overhear any reliable information relating to the land that lay to the south of the Plateau of Ahaggar: to the Arabs it was almost a forbidden subject. "It seems to me," he once remarked, "that our only chance of escape lies in making a dash to the south. This river must lead somewhere, unless it is lost in the sand. The fact that the country in that direction seems to be in disfavour with the Arabs is in our favour. Returning by the way we came is a physical impossibility. To the dangers of crossing the desert is added the likelihood of falling into the hands of another tribe, in which case our position would be far worse than it is at present." "But where do you think the river leads to?" asked Hugh. "I can only conjecture. Since we are on the highest ground of the great Sahara, it may be that the river flows into Nigerian territory. If we make the attempt, it will be no light task." "Anything will be better than dragging out a miserable existence here," replied Gerald. "As I have said before, we must not spoil everything by being premature," rejoined Mr. Reeves. "Still, we must not be content with discussing the matter; we must act."