"Look again in half an hour," said the Sheikh smiling, "and that which you see will have changed to something more than a heap of sand." "Can you make out the tents, Landon?" said Frank. "Oh, no; my eyes are not like Ibrahim's," was the reply; "but I take it for granted, and I shall be very glad to get there. I want my breakfast badly. I say, Ibrahim, there will be some coffee?" "I sent one of my sons yesterday with two camel-loads of necessaries, Excellency," replied the old Arab. "They can see us coming, for they will have been watching, and there will be all their Excellencies need." "Come, Frank, that does you good, doesn't it?" said the professor. "Oh, yes; and I shall, I hope, make a better show of endurance after a day or two." "The young Excellency has done well," said the Sheikh, smiling pleasantly. "The way is long; he is not accustomed to travelling like this, and his mind is not at rest. He and the Hakim have borne the ride well." "Does the Hakim know that we are in sight?" said Frank, who was watching the bent, weary figure in front. "No, Excellency." "I'll go and cheer him up with the news," said the professor, urging on his camel, while Frank checked his to let Sam's long-legged steed come abreast, and boldly now met the poor fellow's appealing eyes. "It's you at last, Mr Frank," said the man faintly. "I've been asking that native chap how long a man could go on like this before he's knocked over by the sun." "And what does he say?" replied Frank cheerily. "Only grunted like this beast does. I might just as well have asked it." "Feel very tired, then?" "Tired, sir? I feel as if--as if--as if--" "As if you wanted rest and a good breakfast." "Rest?--breakfast?" said Sam faintly. "Oh, don't talk about such things, sir! if it's only to keep me lingering on for another hour, sir. Mr Frank, I used to grumble sometimes in Wimpole Street about my pantry being dark and made mizzable by the iron bars and the old, yellowish, wobbly glass; but it seems a sort of place now as I'd give anything to get back to--parrydicey, and that sort of thing. Rest-- breakfast! There can't be either of them out here, only sand. Oh, sir, you're a-laughing. I know what you're going to say. You're going to make jokes about the breakfast, and say we're to have the sand which is there." "Wrong, Sam," replied Frank laughing; "but I'm glad to see that you can think about jokes. There, sit up, man, and look yonder straight ahead. The tents are in sight." "Tents? Where?" cried the man, changing his tone. "I can't see 'em." "They are not very plain yet, but there they are." "White uns, sir, with flags flying, and that sort of thing? What are they--marquees, or bell-tents like the soldiers have?" "I don't suppose they are either, but native tents," said Frank, shading his eyes again. "They look very low and small, right away on the horizon, and they seem to be brown."