Then the sudden panic to which she had given way subsided and her
courage rose with a bound. It was only midday, anything might happen
between then and nightfall. Of one thing only she was sure, she did not
repent of what she had done. Behind her was Ahmed Ben Hassan and before
her was possibly death, and death was preferable. She was quite calm
again and lay down in the patch of shade once more with a resolute
determination to mind. Time to think of them when they came. For the
next hour or two she must rest and escape the intense heat. She rolled
over on her face with her head in her arms and tried to sleep, but she
was too excited, and soon gave up the attempt. And in any case, she
argued with herself, she might sleep too long and lose precious time.
She stretched luxuriously on the soft ground, thankful for the shade
from the burning sun. The grey, tired of nosing round the well and
blowing disdainfully at the thorn bushes, wandered over to her side and
nuzzled her gently. She caught at his velvety nose and drew it down
beside her face. He was a very affectionate beast and gentler than most
of the other horses, and he pressed close up to her, whinnying softly
and looking at her with large expressive eyes. "I haven't anything to
give you, poor old boy," she said regretfully, kissing his muzzle and
then pushing him away from her. She looked up again into the sky, a
dark speck sailed overhead, the slow heavy flight of a vulture. In a
few hours he might be picking her bones! Merciful Heavens! Why did such
thoughts come into her head? Had she nothing left of the courage that
had once been second nature? If she let her nerves get the upper hand
she might as well make no further effort, but lie down and die at once.
With shaking fingers she took another cigarette; smoking would soothe
her. Yet she hesitated before she lit it; there were only a few left
and her need might still be greater. But with a reckless laugh she
snapped the thin case to, and carefully scraped the evil-smelling
sulphur match torn from a flat wood strip. She settled herself
comfortably again full length. All around her were the innumerable tiny
noises of the desert, the hum of countless insect life, the rustling of
the sand and the occasional dry crackle of the camel thorns made by the
slipping of a twig or the displacing of a branch, sounds that would
have been incomprehensible some weeks before. For a few minutes a sand
spider attracted her attention and she watched his hurried painstaking
operations with wondering interest. Gradually a drowsy feeling stole
over her and she realised suddenly that the air was impregnated with
the scent of the tobacco that was always associated with the Sheik.