"Broken," he muttered in a tense voice. "Two legs are broken." "What!" cried Mr. Holton, who, along with the others, had managed to scramble down the hill. "Look for yourselves," Mr. Lewis said gravely. "The camel's weight was too great to come continually against the rather fragile limbs, and the hind ones snapped in two." The explorers' faces were greatly sobered by the dread discovery. Now there was but one thing to do. The unfortunate beast must be left to die a slow and torturing death. There was no other way out, for the legs could not be set, and the beast could not be taken on. Mr. Holton unstrapped his rifle from his shoulder. "I'm going to put an end to it," he said with a sudden decision. "It seems only humane, for otherwise death will come slowly and horribly." He walked over to a small elevation along the side of the dune, while his friends moved away to a safe distance. After a moment of careful aim, he pulled the trigger. The high-velocity bullet sped true, penetrating the brain. There was but one spasmodic movement; then the camel rolled over, dead. For some time the explorers were silent. It was not pleasant to see the useful dromedary come to such an end. Finally Joe began the ascent of the dune. "It'll seem strange without that camel," he said. "How will I manage to have a mount?" "You'll have to take one of the pack animals," returned Dr. Kirshner. "We'll divide the supplies among the others and get along some way. If we do the right kind of scheming, I don't believe the other camels will notice the extra load." It was difficult work climbing the treacherous slope of the dune. Many times their feet would scarcely find a foothold when the sand would give way, making it necessary for them to sprawl out or clutch one another in order to prevent rolling down. At last they reached the top and began dividing the provisions among nine of the ten pack dromedaries. It required over an hour to complete the task, for it was difficult to find places for all their belongings. "Now you may find it hard to get used to the strange camel," said Mr. Holton, as Joe straddled the kneeling animal. "He may act up and threaten to throw you, but stick to it. It won't take long to show him you mean business." "He's been broken in some," remarked Fekmah. "Though it may been good time since he had rider." Much to their surprise the dromedary responded to Joe's commands at once, resigning himself over to his new master. "And am I glad!" the youth exclaimed, as the little caravan prepared to resume the journey. "That's rather an exceptional piece of luck," smiled Mr. Holton. "Usually it takes a good while for a camel to get used to its new rider." The explorers continued the journey, although they realized that they could cover but a few more miles before dark. Already the sun was beginning to sink behind the distant hills, tinting the dunes many colors.