Shutting her eyes, Sana put her hands over her ears to keep out any sound. Suddenly she was aware of someone at her side. Horrified, she felt a pair of hands steal over her. Looking, she saw her captor lying at her side. Without a word he reached down and released her feet. Again those hands upon her! With a cry she rolled over on her face, fearful of her fate. Much to her surprise the savage, after a few attempts to fondle her, retied her feet and hitting her some glancing blows, he shuffled off into the darkness. Exhausted though she was, Sana lay awake the entire night. Fear kept her from sleeping, fear of what might happen. At daybreak the savages left the cave, taking Cintani with them. Sana they did not bother about, although one of the men stopped to stare at her on his way out. Try as she would she could not keep awake any longer. Sleep came, dreamless sleep! Someone was shaking her gently. Rousing herself, Sana looked up. Cintani was bending over her, smiling happily. “We are safe now, dear. The poison has done its work.” Sana, comforted, yet surprised, “How did you do it?” Tears welled in the girl’s eyes as she brokenly whispered, “After what happened last night I supposed the women considered me one of them. They made me help with the food. That gave me my chance.” Sana wanted to take the weeping girl in her arms, but Cintani would not let her. “There is no time to be lost,” she urged, “Come, let us get out of this. I have food and water.” Once out of the cave, Sana saw that Cintani was right. The cave people were lying on the ground, apparently asleep, but theirs was an eternal slumber. With delighted eyes, Sana saw the two horses. Quickly the girls mounted and rode off in the clear moonlight. Sana gave her horse his head, knowing that his instinct would tell him the way. All that night their swift mounts put the miles under their feet. The desert stars, which had guided Sana, had disappeared and the sun, coming up from behind the dunes, saw the two girls riding wildly homeward, till night fell, then they rested for a few hours. Early in the morning they started out again. Suddenly Sana’s horse shied at something lying on the ground. A man was lying in the sand, face upward, writhing in the fever of thirst. Dismounting, Sana saw at a glance it was de Rochelle. He pleaded for help. At first she was tempted to ride on and leave him to his fate. But a kindlier thought prompted her to reach for her canteen which still hung intact at the saddle. After administering a little water to the suffering man, she and Cintani managed to lift him across her horse and again they resumed their way. Late in the afternoon the following day they came upon the remains of the Berber’s house. [Illustration: Their swift mounts put the miles under feet, when they came across a man lying in the sand, writhing in the fever of thirst.]