“You do no good by exposing yourself,” said Belmont, drawing Colonel Cochrane behind a large jagged boulder, which already furnished a shelter for three of the Soudanese.  “A bullet is the best we have to hope for,” said Cochrane grimly.  “What an infernal fool I have been, Belmont, not to protest more energetically against this ridiculous expedition!  I deserve whatever I get, but it is hard on these poor souls who never knew the danger.”

“I suppose there’s no help for us?”

“Not the faintest.”

“Don’t you think this firing might bring the troops up from Halfa?”

“They’ll never hear it.  It is a good six miles from here to the steamer.  From that to Halfa would be another five.”

“Well, when we don’t return, the steamer will give the alarm.”

“And where shall we be by that time?”

“My poor Norah!  My poor little Norah!” muttered Belmont, in the depths of his grizzled moustache.

“What do you suppose that they will do with us, Cochrane?” he asked after a pause.

“They may cut our throats, or they may take us as slaves to Khartoum.  I don’t know that there is much to choose.  There’s one of us out of his troubles anyhow.”

The soldier next them had sat down abruptly, and leaned forward over his knees.  His movement and attitude were so natural that it was hard to realise that he had been shot through the head.  He neither stirred nor groaned.  His comrades bent over him for a moment, and then, shrugging their shoulders, they turned their dark faces to the Arabs once more.  Belmont picked up the dead man’s Martini and his ammunition-pouch.

“Only three more rounds, Cochrane,” said he, with the little brass cylinders upon the palm of his hand.  “We’ve let them shoot too soon, and too often.  We should have waited for the rush.”

“You’re a famous shot, Belmont,” cried the Colonel.  “I’ve heard of you as one of the cracks.  Don’t you think you could pick off their leader?”

“Which is he?”

“As far as I can make out, it is that one on the white camel on their right front.  I mean the fellow who is peering at us from under his two hands.”

Belmont thrust in his cartridge and altered the sights.  “It’s a shocking bad light for judging distance,” said he.  “This is where the low point-blank trajectory of the Lee-Metford comes in useful.  Well, we’ll try him at five hundred.”  He fired, but there was no change in the white camel or the peering rider.

“Did you see any sand fly?”

“No, I saw nothing.”

“I fancy I took my sight a trifle too full.”

“Try him again.”

Man and rifle and rock were equally steady, but again the camel and chief remained un-harmed.  The third shot must have been nearer, for he moved a few paces to the right, as if he were becoming restless.  Belmont threw the empty rifle down, with an exclamation of disgust.