But not
dangerously, I hope."
"I brought our surgeon," said Sabine, eagerly. "He wanted to be in this
with me. I had to ask for the command, because you know I'm on special
duty at Tolga. But I had no trouble with Major Duprez when I told him
how friends of mine were attacked by Arab robbers, and how I had got the
message."
"So that's what you told him?"
"Yes. I didn't want a scandal in the Zaouia, for _her_ sake. Nobody
knows that the marabout is for anything in this business. But, of
course, if you've killed him----"
"We haven't. He's got clear away. Unless your men have nabbed him and
his friend Maieddine."
"Not we. I'm not sure I cared to--unless we could kill him. But we did
honestly try--to do both. There were six we chased----"
"Only six. Then we must have polished off more than we thought."
"We can find out later how many. But the last six didn't get off without
a scratch, I assure you. They must have had a sentinel watching. We saw
no one, but as we were hoping to surprise the bordj these six men, who
looked from a distance like Touaregs, rushed out, mounted horses and
camels and dashed away, striking westward."
"They dared not go north. I'd been signalling----"
"From the broken tower?"
"Yes. As you came, you must have sighted the men from Azzouz. But tell
me the rest."
"There's little to tell, and I want your news more than you can want
mine. The Arabs' animals were fresh, and ours tired, for I'd given them
no rest.
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