As matters fell out, they were enabled to make the last march bringing them to the Shaitun Mountains entirely under cover of darkness. By saving their camels the latter half of the day, they covered the remaining distance at night, and arrived at the pass—plainly discerned through Mr. Hampton’s night glasses—in the early morning hours, before the sun was up. Should they enter and hunt cover, or reconnoitre the mountain wall to either side first? This question had been left until the last moment for decision, as naturally the lay of the land would influence them. On arrival, so gradually did the great stone road rise out of the sand and pierce the mountain pass, with bare steep walls on either side, devoid of verdure, that Mr. Hampton believed it was safe enough to push ahead. On those great rocky slopes, where the levelling process of Nature had been assisted by man in that dim age when the road first was built, by no possibility could men lie hidden. At this point they could neither ambush nor be ambushed. Before proceeding, however, the sand was inspected by Arabs afoot for any signs that would indicate the recent entrance of horsemen into the pass. None was found. Then the marks left by the scouts were carefully obliterated. For a considerable distance, as they approached the pass, the camels were made to walk in single file, and two Arabs, walking backward at the rear of the procession, smoothed out all signs of their passage. In broad sunlight, anyone hunting for a trail, would find it. But to a cursory glance it would remain invisible. Satisfied that everything possible had been done to prevent the raiders whom he now felt assured had not yet entered the pass, from discovering he was ahead of them, Mr. Hampton ordered the party to proceed cautiously along the great stone road. CHAPTER XIV. A NEW RADIO STATION. The moon had been down for two hours or more. They had so timed their approach as to make the last part of their journey come at the darkest time of night, in order to minimize the risk of being seen by any spies on the mountain. In the distance, on either hand, stretched away to the horizon a great mountain mass, the outer walls of which Mr. Hampton estimated to be 2,000 feet at least in height. Steep precipitous slopes of rock, as far as they could judge, made ascent next to impossible. Here, in this pass, however, the mountain walls were slightly lower. Yet, as they proceeded slowly up the stone road, which ascended gradually but steadily, going carefully, with an Arab well in the lead as they approached each turn in order to give warning against surprise, the walls were steep enough in all seeming. Conversation had been forbidden, and only the soft padding of the camels broke the silence. Yet each man thought to himself that it would be impossible to scale those slopes, and prepared to fight to the death where he stood in case of attack.