Two nights after Cuthbert had begun to entertain bright hopes of his liberty, the door of the cell was softly opened.  He was seized by four slaves, gagged, tied hand and foot, covered with a thick burnous, and carried out from his cell.  By the sound of their feet he heard that they were passing into the open air, and guessed that he was being carried through the garden; then a door opened and was closed after them; he was flung across a horse like a bale of goods, a rope or two were placed around him to keep him in that position, and then he felt the animal put in motion, and heard by the trampling of feet that a considerable number of horsemen were around him.  For some time they passed over the rough, uneven streets of the city; then there was a pause and exchange of watchword and countersign, a creaking of doors, and a lowering of a drawbridge, and the party issued out into the open country.  Not for very long did they continue their way; a halt was called, and Cuthbert was taken off his horse.

On looking round, he found that he was in the middle of a considerable group of men.  Those who had brought him were a party of the governor’s guards; but he was now delivered over to a large band of Arabs, all of whom were mounted on camels.  One of these creatures he was ordered to mount, the bonds being loosed from his arms and feet.  An Arab driver, with lance, bows, and arrows, and other weapons, took his seat on the neck of the animal, and then with scarcely a word the caravan marched off with noiseless step, and with their faces turned southward.

It seemed to Cuthbert almost as a dream.  A few hours before he had been exalted with the hope of freedom; now he was being taken away to a slavery which would probably end but with his life.  Although he could not understand any of his captors, the repetition of a name led him to believe that he was being sent to Egypt as a present to some man in high authority there; and he doubted not that the Governor of Jerusalem, fearing that he might escape, and dreading the wrath of the sultan should he do so, had determined to transfer the troublesome captive to a more secure position and to safer hands.

For three days the journey continued; they had now left the fertile lowlands of Palestine, and their faces were turned west.  They were entering upon that sandy waste which stretches between the southern corner of Palestine and the land of Egypt, a distance which can be traveled by camels in three days, but which occupied the children of Israel forty years.

At first the watch had been very sharply kept over the captive; but now that they had entered the desert the Arabs appeared to consider that there was no chance of an attempt to escape.  Cuthbert had in every way endeavored to ingratiate himself with his guard.  He had most willingly obeyed their smallest orders, had shown himself pleased and grateful for the dates which formed the staple of their repasts.  He had assumed so innocent and quiet an appearance that the Arabs had marveled much among themselves, and had concluded that there must have been some mistake in the assertion of the governor’s guard who had handed the prisoner over to them, that he was one of the terrible knights of King Richard’s army.