"Hah!" he ejaculated, and then quickly-- "I went out, Excellencies, to make a long round so as to find out all that was to be known. It has been hard work to avoid being cut off. But I have seen much." "Yes, yes; pray speak out," cried Frank. "The Khalifa has gathered his forces together, and yesterday evening they made their advance away from the town--an enormous army, seeming to drive their enemies back." "Their enemies!" cried Harry excitedly. "The English and Egyptian armies?" "Yes, Excellency; they are many miles away, by the river side, and there are gunboats coming on nearly opposite here." "At last!" cried Harry. "Oh, but it has been long, long! This time they will not be too late." "It seemed last night that the great battle was to take place; but at dusk the Khalifa halted his army, thousands upon thousands; their white garments seemed to spread for three or four miles, and I felt that at last the great time had come." "Yes, yes?" cried Frank, and the old Sheikh's voice sounded dull and strange now, overborne by the distant muttering thunder of the firing, which seemed to be on the increase. "But I would not come back till I could be sure of the tidings I had to bring, and I lay out with my camel among the hills over yonder, till just at daybreak I could see that the dervish army was in motion, and I mounted my camel, keeping to the highest parts I could find. I made a circuit, after seeing the British and Egyptian forces far back by the river, and the dervishes in one long, white wave sweeping steadily along as if to lap round and drive their foes into the stream." "And that they will never do!" said Harry proudly. "I don't know, Excellency. The dervishes looked so many. Your friends seemed so few. But I had learned all I wanted, for I could see that the great fight was about to begin, and I came with the tidings. What will your Excellencies do?" He looked at the doctor as he spoke, and the latter replied, "We can do nothing while we are here, Ibrahim. Our orders are to wait till our guard gives the word for us to start." "And then we hope to make for the desert if we can shake our guardians off," said the professor. The old Sheikh was silent, as if deep in thought. "I know not how to advise," he said. "If the English are beaten--" "They will not be!" cried Harry excitedly. "I pray not, Excellency, but if the day goes against them it would be madness to take to the desert, for the dervishes will be swarming everywhere, athirst for blood. We could not escape, and we should be safer here. Even if the Khalifa's army is routed it will be as bad, for we should have to mingle with the flying Baggara, while the pursuing Egyptians would be as dangerous as the dervishes themselves. I feel that we ought to stay." "But our orders are, to be ready to start at any time," said the doctor gravely.