For four days the course of the river was followed, without signs of any other human beings. Occasionally a small patch of scrub would be seen, but beyond that there was no herbage upon which the camels could feed. For their masters there was as yet sufficient for their needs; but Reeves, though outwardly sanguine, could not ignore the fact that the supply would last but three days more.
At the end of the fourth day, just as the fugitives were preparing to camp out for the night, Hugh pointed to a dark-brown object lying on the side of one of the sandhills.
"Is that a man?" he asked.
"It certainly looks like one," replied Reeves; "but if it is, he is certainly not attempting to conceal himself. Bring your muskets, lads, and we'll see what it really is."
They had to traverse a distance of nearly four hundred yards before the correspondent, who was leading, breasted the slope of the last hillock that lay between them and the object of their search.
"It was a man," announced Reeves. "The poor fellow has died, apparently from hunger and thirst."
The three Englishmen raised their head-coverings as they stopped by the side of the luckless traveller, of whom only a bleached skeleton remained. To the lads' surprise, the body, which was lying face downwards, was encased in a hauberk of chain armour, while at a short distance from the head was a steel helmet, with a short guard for the nose. Both helm and hauberk were slightly eaten away by rust.
"Why, it's the body of a mediaeval knight!" exclaimed Gerald. "I've——"
"Not so fast!" interposed Reeves. "The poor fellow was doubtless an Arab emir. As late as fifteen years ago we had Sudanese clad in mail, which, if not exactly that worn by the Crusader, was a good copy of it. It is commonly supposed that the Arabs obtained the use of chain mail from their Saracen ancestors, who, of course, adapted their Christian enemies' arms and mail to their own purpose. I'll turn the man over. Perhaps he may have something on of service to us."
So saying, the correspondent gently placed his hands under the hauberk and turned the skeleton on its back. As he did so he gave a grunt of surprise, for to the right breast of the rusty coat of mail was affixed a metal cross, made apparently of copper, but green with exposure to the air.