The two wounded men were brought into a tent, where, in a few minutes, one of them, the man who had been shot by one of his companions, breathed his last. He had also received a wound from the first shot that had been heard, his right arm having been shattered by a musket-ball. The spine of the other guard had been broken by a bullet, so that recovery was clearly impossible. He had evidently heard the first shot fired at his companion from the opposite side of the camp; and was turning his back upon the foe that had attacked himself. The light of day soon shone upon the scene, and they were able to perceive how their enemies had approached so near the camp without being observed. About a hundred paces from where the guards had been standing at the time the first two shots were fired, was a furrow or ravine running through the soft sand. This ravine branched into two lesser ones, including within their angle the Arab camp, as also the sentinels stationed to guard it. Up the branches the midnight murderers had silently stolen, each taking a side; and in this way had got within easy distance of the unsuspecting sentries. In the bottom of one of the furrows, where the sand was more firmly compacted, was found the impression of human footsteps. The tracks had been made by some person hurriedly leaving the spot. "Dis be de track ob Golah," said the Krooman to Harry, after he had examined it. "He make um when runnin' 'way after he fire da musket." "Very likely," said Harry; "but how do you know it is Golah's track?" "'Cause Golah hab largess feet in all de world, and no feet but his make dat mark." "I tell you again," said Terence, who overheard the Krooman's remark, "we shall have to go with Golah to Timbuctoo. We belong to him. These Arabs are only keeping us a few days, but they will be killed yet, and we shall have to follow the black sheik in the opposite direction." Harry made no reply to this prophetic speech. Certainly there was a prospect of its proving true. Four Arabs out of the eleven, of which their party was originally composed, were already dead, while still another was dying! Sailor Bill pronounced Golah, with his son and brother-in-law, quite a match for the six who were left. The black sheik, he thought, was equal to any four of their present masters in strength, cunning, and determination. "But the Arabs have us to help them," remarked Colin. "We should count for something." "So we do, as merchandise," replied Harry; "we have hitherto been helpless as children in protecting ourselves. What can we do? The boasted superiority of our race or country cannot be true here in the desert. We are out of our element." "Yes, that's sartin!" exclaimed Bill; "but we're not far from it. Shiver my timbers, if I don't smell salt water! Be jabers! if we go on towards the west we shall see the say afore night." During this dialogue the Arabs were holding a consultation as to what they should do.