120 WITH KITCHENEK IN THE SOUDAN “We must drink as little as we can, Zaki, and give the horses only a mouthful now and then, and let them munch the shrubs and get a little moisture from them. Do you think there is any fear of the Dervishes following our tracks ? ” “No, my lord. In the first place they do not know that there are two of us, or that we are mounted. When those who camped near us notice when they get up this morning that we have moved, they will only think that we have shifted our camp, as there was no talk of horsemen being concerned in this affair. No, I do not think they will attempt to follow us except along the caravan road, but I feel sure they will pursue us on that line.”

They rested for some hours in the shade of a high rock, leaving the horses to pick what herbage they could find. At four o’clock they started again. They had ridden two hours when Zaki said: “ See, my lord, there are two men on the top of Jebel Sergain ! ” Gregory gazed in that direction. “ Yes, I can notice them now, but I should not have done so if you had not seen them.”

“ They are on watch, my lord.” “ Well, they can hardly see us at this distance.” “You may be sure that they. see us,” Zaki said; “the eyes of an Arab are very keen, and could not fail to catch two moving objects—especially horsemen.”

“ If they are looking for us and have seen us, Zaki, they would not be standing stationary there.”

“ Not if they were alone. But others may have been with them. When they first caught sight of us, which may have been half an hour ago, the others may have gone down to Abu Klea, while those two remained to watch which course we took. The Arabs can signal with their lances or with their horses, and from there they would be able to direct any party in pursuit of us.”