CHAPTER 1Just as daybreak burst over the rim of the desert, the dying man heard the crunch of horses’ hooves on sand. He lifted his head and croaked as loudly as collapsing lungs would let him, saying thrice over, “In the name of God, help!” Then he pitched on his nose again and lay still, unable to move so much as an eyelash.
There was the grit of sand under the light tread of men, and a voice said, “Name of all camels! What a collection of vulture-victuals this one is!”
“I doubt it was he cried out,” said another voice. “He must have been dead for a decade.” This voice then rendered a belch of classic proportions. “Damn those figs,” it said.
“If you will eat three pounds at a breakfast, Godwin love,” said a throaty feminine voice, all full of honey and laughter, “you must expect some
