Suddenly the far-away noise of footsteps came to his ears, and he knew that the two Arabs who had followed him had given up and were abandoning the chase to join their friends back in the valley. After several minutes of waiting, Bob got off his camel and tethered the brute to a small protruding rock. Then he walked over to some distance beyond the mountain near which he had been hiding. He glanced up to the top of the peak and saw that it was unusually high. The sides stretched almost straight up. "If I could only get to the top of some tall mountain," Bob thought, his eyes scanning the landscape. "Then I might be able to see where Dad and the others will be taken." The peak before him offered no footholds and therefore could not possibly be scaled. He looked about for other sky-piercing hills. At last his eyes fell on one about a hundred yards away, and he resolved to inspect it. "Looks like there might be a chance there," the youth thought and then walked over and untied his dromedary. He rode over to the mountain, every step bringing new hope. The peak, rocky as it was, was rather gradual and not straight up, as were many others in the vicinity. Once more the camel was tied by the rocky side, and Bob moved over to gaze up to the top. The dizzy height almost took his breath away. But he saw at once that it would be possible to climb to the very summit of this imposing peak of rock. Bracing himself to the task that was before him, Bob began the dangerous ascent, slowly, at first, and then climbing faster. It was exhausting, fear-inspiring, but he went bravely up. There was no option in this case. He must observe where his father and the others would be taken by their Arab captors. "If I can only get up in time," the young man thought, as he sought out a means to ascend a five-foot plate of smooth stone that was directly above him. To do this, it was necessary to edge on around the mountainside until he came to a rough, gradual section. Then climbing became comparatively easy. Once, when he was but a third of the way up, he glanced back over his shoulder to the ground below and almost lost his balance. But he caught himself with a quick motion, and after resting a moment from the terrific strain, continued the climb. That glance to the ground had revealed that he was several hundred feet up. How easy it would be to slip backwards! Another hundred feet and he found himself on a wide shelf, which seemed to encircle the peak. A short rest was taken here, and in the end he felt much better for it. "Wonder if I can get down from here?" the boy mused, again taking up the climb. "I'll find some way, though," was his conclusion.