"I have thought much of it, Excellency," he said gravely, "but the matter was agreed upon last night. All that remained was to find out the best way and the safest. I feel that it must be as I said; we--my people and I--must journey through the desert to avoid the windings of the great river, taking with us such merchandise as the Mahdi's people will be glad to buy, and once at Khartoum or Omdurman we must trust to our good fortune about finding the prisoner. Once we do find him the merchandise must go, and we shall trust to our fleet camels and knowledge of the desert to escape. What do your Excellencies say?" The professor turned to Frank. "Will you tell him?" he said. "It was your idea." Frank shrank for the moment, but mastering his hesitancy he turned to the old Sheikh, and rapidly growing earnest and warm, he vividly described his plans, while the old man stood stern and frowning, apparently receiving everything with the greatest disfavour, merely glancing once or twice at the doctor and then at the speaker, as allusions were made to the parts they were to play. When the professor was mentioned the listener remained unmoved, but he frowned more markedly when the servant's name was mentioned. Frank worked himself up till in his eagerness his words came fast, as he strove hard to impress the Sheikh with the plausibility of his plans. But the old man remained unmoved, and when at last the speaker had said all that he could say there was a dead and chilling silence, the young man turning from his listener to look despairingly from the doctor to the professor, and back again, "The Sheikh cannot see it," said the young man despairingly; "but it seems easier to me now than ever." "Yes," said the doctor; "I feel that it might be done. The idea grows upon me." "But you do not like it, Ibrahim," said the professor, looking hard in the solemn, impenetrable face before him. "There is the servant--the doctor's man," said the Sheikh gravely. "I have not seen him." "You soon shall," said the professor. "Tell me," continued the Sheikh; "this young man--can he make cures--can he bind up wounds and attend to an injured or dying man?" "He has been my servant and has helped me for years," said the doctor. "Hah!" Then there was silence again, and Frank gazed at the deeply-lined, calm and impassive face before him with a feeling of resentment. "He will not do," thought the young man; "he is too slow and plodding. We want a brisk, dashing fellow, full of spirit and recklessness." He turned to the professor, and spoke a few words in Latin. The professor smiled. "You do not know Ibrahim yet," he said quietly. "A young Englishman dashes at a thing without consideration; an Arab looks before he leaps, and examines the starting and the landing place. Hush!"