Part 3 (1/2)

”I suspected as much,” he said finally ”Never before have there been so many Arabs and Somalis from the interior at Berbera Only yesterday a caravan of two thousand ca is wrong, I have felt certain, and now Makar confir suspicion of the truth flashed over Guy's mind at this juncture, but he hesitated to speak

”Now then,” continued Melton, ”this canbut a massacre The only soldiers in the place are about sixty of the Bombay infantry, ere sent down here fro but a few lish flag floating over the house-tops so time here,” he added ”We'll look about a little and then I'll decide what to do I don't want to raise any false alarm”

They turned back to the ed up and down, and the tumult seemed as harsh and discordant as ever, but the place had nevertheless undergone a change since they had left it a short ti on, and but few Arabs and Somalis were to be seen Those on the street were mostly harmless traders from Aden and Cairo

”What has become of all the Arabs?” asked Guy

”That is just what I want to know,” said Melton; ”I'll soon find out, though Walk as fast as you can now, Chutney, and look as unconcerned as possible”

Melton led the way down the street for a little distance, and, turning into a side passage, soon stopped before a low, one-story building

A dark-skinned fellow clad in ordinary Egyptian costunized Moood service for the was brief and hasty

”I have work for you, Mo on in the town, I don't know just what You can go anywhere without being suspected Find out what you can, and then come down to the wharf Don't return here”

The man hastened away at once, and then Guy and Melton started for the shore

”I won't give any alar ”I'll wait till Mo is contehtfall at the earliest, and, as the troops are scattered, it would only precipitate matters if I should have the unloaded from the steamer when they reached the wharf The captain and officers were sht of Guy, the foret now Six o'clock sharp”

Guy nodded, and followed Melton to one side, where the two sat down on a bale of cotton Melton briefly explained how he came to be at Berbera

After his return from Burma, he had been dispatched as war correspondent of the London _Post_ to Suakim, which toas at that tiolo, or Momba as Melton now called hio, the war-scare at Suaki subsided, Melton had coreat fair for his paper

Then Guy, in his turn, simply stated that he had stopped off on his way to India to execute a commission at Zaila Hedoubtful whether it would be proper or not, for a governhty importance

The conversation drifted to their perilous adventures in Burlanced up

”Do you observe how quiet it is?” he exclaiht”

It was indeed quiet A dead, oppressive calm had settled on the sea; not a breeze rustled, not a ripple broke the glassy surface of the water, and from the town, instead of the loud babel of cries, cae calm indeed, the calm that serves as precursor to the unseen stor abruptness, a rifle-shot broke the silence with its shuddering echoes Guy and Melton sprang to their feet The officers on the steaures ran to and fro, a soldier in bright unifor ure, pursued by a howling group of Soers A shot froht them to a sudden halt, and Momba, for it was indeed he, ran a few paces and fell breathless at his master's feet

”What fiendishness is this?” shouted the captain furiously, froered to his knees

”The Arabs!” he cried ”They are co boxes--and handed out guns--Makar's men all have them--the Soround his teeth

”The infernal scoundrel!” he cried ”So that's what those long boxes of his contained!”