“Let us see to the horses,” cried Mr Preston. “Hamed!”
There was no reply, but, upon Yussuf shouting the name, a response came from far up the ravine, and they found that the horses were missing.
“Oh, yes; I forgot to tell you,” said Mr Burne; “they scampered up past me, when there was all that noise down below here. One of them nearly knocked me over.”
They soon found that Hamed had limped off in search of the horses which had taken fright, and but for the fact that Yussuf had hobbled their forelegs, they would have galloped away.
As it was they were soon secured, and, the party being divided into two watches, a careful guard was kept by one, while the other lay down to sleep with weapons ready to hand in case of an alarm.
Chapter Twenty Six.
Yussuf preaches Stick.
There was no further alarm that night, for the marauders had dashed off in the full belief that they were attacked in front and rear, the four shots, multiplied by the tremendous echoes from the rocks, combining with the darkness to make them believe that their enemies were many, and they had not stopped till they were miles away. As to making a fresh attack that was the last thing in their thoughts.