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and killing several dorcas gazelle from a small herd obviously drawn to the relative fecundity of the Hawk
Rock. The water bags were refilled, and even the camels had drunk their fill.
 There s no real reason for us to remain, Eddie said, wiping his lips on the back of his hand after
finishing a liberal portion of gazelle steak.  We have replenished our provisions, and it seems the only
thing we will find here is trouble especially if someone else comes to use the spring.
 Isn t that unlikely? Stephen asked.  I mean, this isn t exactly on the beaten track.
 Maybe not by your standards, Eddie replied,  but the Bedouin are sure to know every watering hole
for miles, and a spring of fresh water, no matter how difficult to reach, won t have passed notice. The
Protectors of the Pharaoh aren t the only ones we have to watch out for. The Bedouin are as different
from the city Arabs as you can get. About the only thing they have in common is Islam.
Neville puffed his pipe, remembering.  They re proud of their ability to live in the desert, and consider it
their territory. Banditry and stealing aren t immoral, not really, no matter what the Koran says. As the
Bedouin see it, if they could take it, the other person didn t care enough to safeguard it.
 No more illegal than picking tuppence up off the street, Stephen offered.
 No more, Neville agreed,  except that they can be a bit rough about the picking up.
Jenny, who had been cutting gazelle into thin strips that would dry quickly over the fire, frowned.
 What should we do if any show up, Eddie?
 If they don t see you, hide and try to get a warning to the rest of us if you can do so without giving
yourself away. If they do see you and I m not near, try to fire off a shot, and I ll get back as soon as I
can. They may negotiate more honestly Muslim to Muslim.
 So if we re in a group, Stephen said,  we should do like we did at the village play dumb and let you
be in charge?
 Right.
Jenny said hesitantly,  What if they see us and we re in a position to take them out? Should we try, and
keep them from getting away before they can bring in help?
Eddie shook his head.
 Only shoot if they re obviously out to kill you and believe me, they re not going to want to kill a pretty
girl. Even then, don t shoot unless you re sure you can win. The Bedouin believe in blood feud. If you
didn t kill every one, the rest would be back to even out the score.
Jenny shuddered. She didn t need Eddie to be more blunt about what would happen if she were
captured. Suddenly, that derringer tucked in her under-bodice seemed comforting.
Stephen looked grim.  I guess we should hope we see them first and can hide.
 Wrong, Eddie corrected him.  You should hope we don t see them at all.
 And we likely won t, Neville said, something in the stiffness of his tone making Jenny think that her
uncle thought Eddie had overstepped the bounds of propriety in the nature of his warnings.  Not even the
Bedouin have magic to tell them where people are. This time of year, they re more likely raiding
established caravan routes.
 Good reminder, Eddie said levelly.  Now, from this point forward, since we don t know where we re
going, we re going to need to travel by daylight.
 And which way do we head? Jenny asked.  I know that the hieroglyphs from the obelisk gave what
you thought were directions, but I don t remember specifically.
From a side pocket of his saddlebags, Neville pulled the slim note case that held condensed notes
relating to Alphonse Liebermann s quest. The originals were safely in London.
 Let me read the verse we found, he suggested,  and you two can see if you agree with our
interpretation. I have the original copied here, too.
Remember that Anubis will bring you before Osiris.
Remember that your heart and your soul will be weighed against Maat.
Remember that the monster Ammit waits to devour the wicked.
The son and the self flies as the Nile and the boat.
The mother and the wife follow as the Nile and the boat.
Under the watching Eye of the Hawk, the homecoming is joyous.
Stephen smiled, his delight in a puzzle banishing the moodiness that had descended when Eddie began
talking about the Bedouin.
 I agree that the first three lines are simply traditional warnings and fairly mild ones at that. The son and
the self is interesting, though. He turned to Jenny and Eddie.  Did you know that the ancient Egyptians
equated the god Horus with the living pharaoh?
 I think I remember something about that, Eddie agreed.
 Well, think about our Protectors of the Pharaoh, Stephen said.  Who appeared to the men in that
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