“Come, Gentiles,” said the officer, “and take count of your goods, that you may not say that we have stolen anything from you.  Here are your firearms and all the ammunition that is left.  These will be given to you at the foot of the pass, but not before, lest you should do more murder on the road.  On those camels are fastened the boxes in which you brought up the magic fire.  We found them in your quarters in the cave city, ready packed, but what they contain we neither know nor care.  Full or empty, take them, they are yours.  Those,” and he pointed to two other beasts, “are laden with your pay, which the Child of Kings sends to you, requesting that you will not count it till you reach Egypt or your own land, since she wishes no quarrelling with you as to the amount.  The rest carry food for you to eat; also, there are two spare beasts.  Now, mount and begone.”

So we climbed into the embroidered saddles of the kneeling dromedaries, and a few minutes later were riding through Mur toward the pass, accompanied by our guard and hooting mobs that once or twice became threatening, but were driven off by the soldiers.

“I say, Doctor,” said Higgs to me excitedly, “do you know that we have got all the best of the treasure of the Tomb of Kings in those five-and-twenty crates?  I have thought since that I was crazy when I packed them, picking out the most valuable and rare articles with such care, and filling in the cracks with ring money and small curiosities, but now I see it was the inspiration of genius.  My subliminal self knew what was going to happen, and was on the job, that’s all.  Oh, if only we can get it safe away, I shall not have played Daniel and been nearly starved to death for nothing.  Why, I’d go through it all again for that golden head alone.  Shove on, shove on, before they change their minds; it seems too good to be true.”

Just then a rotten egg thrown by some sweet Abati youth landed full on the bridge of his nose, and dispersing itself into his mouth and over his smoked spectacles, cut short the Professor’s eloquence, or rather changed its tenor.  So absurd was the sight that in spite of myself I burst out laughing, and with that laugh felt my heart grow lighter, as though our clouds of trouble were lifting at length.

At the mouth of the pass we found Joshua himself waiting for us, clad in all his finery and chain armour, and looking more like a porpoise on horseback than he had ever done.

“Farewell, Gentiles,” he said, bowing to us in mockery, “we wish you a quick journey to Sheol, or wherever such swine as you may go.  Listen, you Orme.  I have a message for you from the Walda Nagasta.  It is that she is sorry she could not ask you to stop for her nuptial feast, which she would have done had she not been sure that, if you stayed, the people would have cut your throat, and she did not wish the holy soil of Mur to be defiled with your dog’s blood.  Also she bids me say that she hopes that your stay here will have taught you a lesson, and that in future you will not believe that every woman who makes use of you for her own ends is therefore a victim of your charms.  To-morrow night and the night after, I pray you think of our happiness and drink a cup of wine to the Walda Nagasta and her husband.  Come, will you not wish me joy, O Gentile?”