She was conscious of a curious constriction at the throat, a sense of suffocation.

The fuss and worry of the engine died down into silence, and in a moment there came the sound of a man's feet entering the compound.

Standing motionless, with hands clenched against her sides, she gazed forth.

A tall, straight figure was coming towards her between the whispering tamarisks.

It was not Major Ralston.