"I am a bit done," I replied.
"You are in for a bout of fever," he said, "and no wonder, from what I have just heard from the sheik. But we will soon put you to rights. You have been lying out in the sun here for some time, I expect, judging by the blisters on your body. You had better get into your clothes again, and have another snooze."
I struggled into my dirty garments as best I could, and wished that I had something cleaner to put on, but I had hardly finished dressing before Faris and Sedjur rushed up to us in a state of excitement, telling us that they could see a party of horsemen galloping towards us from the direction of the lake.
"They have followed our tracks," said the sheik to me, "and hope to recover their horses. We must get away at once."
I looked over the sand-hill nearest to me and could just make out a small black mass some miles away. I got up and moved towards my horse, but I was too feeble to mount.
"I cannot manage it, George," I said, "I shall stop here, wait till they arrive, and give myself up. You clear off with the others—I shall be all right."
"Likely!" replied Edwards, indignantly.
Faris, seeing that something serious was the matter, came back to us, and asked why we were not hurrying.
"We are not coming," said Edwards; "he is too ill. You and Sedjur escape while you have time."
"No," replied the sheik, "we will stand here and fight."