We could not leave him where he was, to the Turks, because we had seen them burn alive our hapless wounded. For this reason we were all agreed, before action, to finish off one another, if badly hurt: but I had never realised that it might fall to me to kill Farraj.

I knelt down beside him, holding my pistol near the ground by his head, so that he should not see my purpose; but he must have guessed it, for he opened his eyes, and clutched me with his harsh, scaly hand, the tiny hand of these unripe Nejd fellows. I waited a moment, and he said, “Daud will be angry with you,” the old smile coming back so strangely to this grey shrinking face. I replied, “salute him from me.” He returned the formal answer, “God will give you peace,” and at last wearily closed his eyes.