“You are both forgetting why we came,” said the professor quietly; “and between ourselves, you two, isn’t it rather childish to talk as you do?”
“I don’t know,” said Frank impatiently; “all I can feel is that we seem as far from helping poor Hal as ever.”
“Oh, no, we are not,” said the professor. “We must be getting very near to the Khalifa’s strongholds now, and we are going to enter with pass-keys, my lad. Once there, it will be hard if we don’t find poor old Hal.”
“Hard indeed,” said the doctor, with energy; “but we must and will.”
“Well said!” continued the professor. “I think we have done wonders. Such good fortune can never have fallen to anyone before.”
“Good fortune!” said Frank bitterly.
“Ah, you want your pulse felt, young fellow. You’ve got a sour instead of a thankful fit upon you. Give him something to-night, doctor.”
Morris bowed his head solemnly, as if he were playing Hakim still to his friends, and Frank made an angry gesture.
“Look here,” continued the professor; “you can ask old Ibrahim again if you are in doubt. He’ll tell you that it would have been impossible to have got on at such a rate as we have come, and that the difficulties over supplies would have been insurmountable at times. While here, though we have often been scarce of water, we have never wanted once for food.”
“And how has it been obtained?” said Frank bitterly.