As night came on, the wind showed signs of dropping. "Are you going to bring up for the night?" asked Gerald of Reeves, who had relinquished the helm and was busily engaged in unstranding a piece of rope and encasing it in tallow from the animal they had shot. "Rather; that's part of my ruse. The wind's falling very light, and our progress will soon be only that of the current, unless we row, and that will be too risky." Directly it grew thoroughly dark, Reeves lit one of his improvised candles, which burned steadily in the almost still air. Its appearance was greeted by a shower of bullets from the indefatigable enemy on the bank. "Stand by with the anchor, Gerald," said the correspondent. "Don't make more noise than you can possibly help. When I say 'let go', lower the stone as softly as you can." "All ready!" announced Gerald from the bow of the boat. Meanwhile the director of operations had wrenched up one of the bottom boards, and, lighting a second candle, stuck it firmly in the centre of the plank. Then, carefully screening the light, he dropped the piece of timber over the side of the boat away from the bank from which the Arabs were firing. "Let go," he whispered, blowing out the first light. The rough-and-ready anchor brought the boat round head to current, while the board, with its candle burning dimly, drifted downstream, the mark for nearly a dozen muskets. "Now they can waste powder and shot as much as they jolly well please," exclaimed Reeves, as the sound of the firing grew fainter and fainter. "Luckily there are no King's prizemen amongst them, and fifty to one they won't shift that candle at a hundred yards." The night passed without interruption, and daylight revealed no sign of the Arabs. "I hope they potted that candle after all," said Gerald. "Why, young wiseacre?" asked Reeves, laughing. "Because if they did, they might imagine that they sank the boat, and would not trouble us further. If they find the plank at daybreak they will see through our little game and come back to look for us." "That's one to you, by George!" exclaimed the correspondent. "I wish we had lowered the sail and rowed downstream, leaving the light behind us. But in any case it's too late now, and the fact remains that we have put the Arabs between us and our destination." "Unless they've gone inland," added Hugh. "Which I hope they have done," concluded Reeves. Once more the favouring breeze had sprung up, and with the sail bellying out before the wind the boat resumed its course. Ten miles were reeled off in quick time, and the crew were beginning to congratulate themselves upon the success of their ruse when the now familiar sound of bullets whizzing about their ears told them that the respite had been but temporary.