"More currie," I said, addressing, not the Captain, but the tent. Immediately one of the Soudanese slipped and sprawled on the floor in his eagerness to serve. The other leaped over his fellow's prostrate body and whisked away my plate. He returned it loaded in about five seconds. Miss Ottley broke into a half-hysterical laugh. It kept up so long that at last I looked at her in surprise. She had a knife and fork before her, but nothing else; also the Captain. "What is the matter?" I demanded. "Look," she gurgled. Following her finger I turned and saw both Soudanese standing like statues behind me. "Wretches," I cried, "have you nothing else to do?" They uttered a joint howl of terror and fled from the tent. But the joke had staled. I took after them hot foot, caught them and drove them back to work, to find that my companions in the meanwhile had helped themselves. Dr. Belleville, however, entered a moment later, and at a nod from me the trembling Soudanese became his abject slaves. Dr. Belleville had something to say. "The negroes are frightened of you," he began. "They fancy I have the evil eye." "Humph!" cried the Doctor. "Talk German--they understand English. It's not that." "What then?" "Sir Robert Ottley sent one of them to you--with a message--last night. He returned this morning with three ribs broken. He is lying in the hospital tent now--in a high fever." "A tall, thin man--the eyes set far apart in the skull?" I asked. Dr. Belleville shook his head. "No. Short, thick-set, snub-featured, but a giant in strength." "How did he explain his accident?" "That unwittingly he angered you." "The man is a liar," I declared indignantly. "I had a set-to with a skulking rogue last night. That is true enough. But the fellow I encountered and threw was taller than myself." The Doctor shrugged his shoulders. "It was a dark night, I believe." Then a minute later--"Ottley is much annoyed. This Meeraschi was an excellent subject. Ottley was experimenting with him." "How?" "Hypnotically." I glanced at the others, but they were talking apart. "Ottley sent me a message?" I asked, returning to the Doctor. "Yes," replied Belleville between mouthfuls. He was gulping down his lunch like a wolf in a hurry. "He wants you," he went on. "Needless to say I received no message." "Needless?" repeated Belleville. "And you here?" The tone was so insulting that I arose and walked quietly out of the tent. The sun was blazing hot. I thought of the cool cave temple and wandered towards it. Why not see Sir Robert at once? Why not, indeed. Two black sentinels guarded the middle pylon, skulking in the shadow of a column. When I approached they stood bolt upright. They were armed with rifles. They barred the way. "Ottley!" I shouted. "Ottley!" and once again "Ottley!" At the third the little baronet's face appeared in the stone doorway.