The group stood patiently on a level section of the high rocky hill they had labouriously managed to climb, while Karl scanned the terrain below them through his binoculars. Leading the camels, for agonizing hours, up the dangerous trails, had taken a lot of the pleasure from their venture. The Bedouins had finally relieved them of the task, waving them on ahead in exasperation. The wind was stronger on the open surface of the small plateau and coarse bits of gravel bit their exposed skin like angry gnats. From their vantage point, they could see almost all the way across the Ghard depression to the beginning of the farmlands on the horizon. Between the plateau and the desert floor, a sandy divide known as the Ghard Abu Muharik, several hundred feet below them, was bordered by a series of rough, jagged rock faced cliffs and gullies, twisting their way back and forth all the way to the bottom. Clumps of brittle, but determinedly thriving, bushes, spurted from the rock face like tiny explosions. This was the area Vanier's trader claimed to have found the jar; the problem being, the divide ran roughly north and south for a few hundred miles. Searching such a vast area in the little time they had would be insurmountable.

"What do you think professor?" Stone asked, watching the older man traverse the scene back and forth slowly with his glasses.

"Not much I'm afraid. Way over there, to the north, I can see the top of some palms, beyond that ragged cluster of boulders." He pointed with the binoculars, indicating a dip in the land that disappeared below the rocky face of the cliffs. "I assume that could mean we might find water there."

"Why don't we start there then," Stone suggested, "water is scarce out here so I imagine anyone travelling this area would certainly pass through there."

"Can we get over this terrain with these beasts?"

Stone turned and had a few words with Massam, pointing to where the professor had indicated. "He says he will take Sadam and scout the area. Meanwhile, we might as well make ourselves comfortable here. It'll probably take an hour or two."

The two Bedouins left promptly with their camels, and in a short time had vanished among the worn peaks of the surrounding landscape. The rest of them lowered their animals and settled behind them, out of the wind. Amin climbed back down the route they had taken to the top and squatted beside a boulder, his face scrunched against the blowing dust, studying the trail behind them.

"What's he doing?" Melanie asked Oura, looking back toward Amin. She had studiously avoided contact with Stone after his comment the previous day. The anger she felt was more toward herself than him. After all, it was a compliment. Still, she was embarrassed that it had produced such a silly reaction and she was sure he knew that he had hit a nerve in her feelings.

"It's a Bedouin practice to always check where you came from; to make sure your enemies aren't sneaking up on you." Oura stated quite seriously.

"You mean he thinks there's someone following us?"

"No. Of course not. It's just an instinctive habit. In the desert it is always better to know than to wonder." She gathered her robe about her and smiled across at Stone. "Actually, he's quite upset about what your father said the other night. About his research? And how it mirrored the legend Amin told?"

"Why would that upset him?"

"Superstition is the nature of desert people. They see omens in the sheerest of coincidences. The Western habit of dismissing such things only makes them more nervous."

"Oh brother." Impatiently, Melanie got up and wandered over to where her father was still busily scanning the rock faces below them. She stood silently for a moment, the unsettling images of Max Baeder's brutal face and her companion's annoying smiles, flashed in her mind. Shaking them off, she let herself drift with the feeling of the hot sun on her shoulders and legs, closing her eyes and letting her mind absorb the deep silence of the desert. Only the wind, rising and falling in gusts through the small canyons of rock, broke the peacefulness of the moment. Opening them again, she sat down wistfully beside her father, breaking into his concentration.

"Don't you think we should be looking elsewhere as well. I mean we seem to be wasting precious time just waiting for Massam to come back."

Karl lowered the binoculars and looked at her, "I don't like the idea of splitting up the group really. The Bedouins are our lifeline out here and I think we should pay attention to their experience."

Melanie pouted and scooped up a handful of the dry gravel, sifting it thoughtfully through her fingers. "Stone said that Oura knew as much about the desert as her brother. She could come with us and Amin could wait here for the others to join us later. We don't have to go far." Melanie found sitting around and waiting an unbearable boredom.

"Relax dear," her father said patiently, "they'll be back soon and we can decide on a plan of action then. Why don't you go and get to know Oura a little better. After all, two women and five men? You should find plenty to discuss. She seems like a very intelligent young lady."

Melanie nodded sullenly and stood up, missing the slight twinkle in his comment. Resigned to her father's decision to wait, she ambled back to where Stone and Oura were chatting. The unwanted pang of jealousy struck her again, seeing them talking and smiling together, and with a huge swallow of pride, she squared her shoulders and sat down beside them. Stone shifted over to make room, showing a wary grin.

"So, how do you like our adventure so far?"

Melanie glanced across to see who Stone was talking to, "You mean me? So far, frankly, it's boring."

"I guess you like a little more action- like back there in Idfu."

Oura leaned forward, curious, "What happened in Idfu?"

"Oh, Melanie here displayed a dramatic ability for aggressive response to a situation we were in there. It—"

"Never mind the details Stone," Mel said flatly.

"Please. I'd love to hear about it." Oura squiggled closer expectantly.

"It was nothing Oura, besides, if anyone was aggressive, it was this guy." She jabbed Stone's arm for emphasis.

"Me! I just followed your lead." He grinned, returning a tender shove.

Oura looked at the pair dejectedly as they smiled together, sharing their private intimacy. "It appears to be a private matter, so I won't press."

Stone gave her shoulder a gentle shake, "Nah, it's nothing like that. We had a run in with some guy back there that turned into a bit of a scuffle. No big deal."

Oura managed a pleasant smile and leaned back against the warm back of the camel, closing her eyes. Stone fidgeted a moment, feeling awkward about Oura's withdrawal, then turned to Melanie for support. She had closed her eyes as well, her bush hat bunched up between her head and the camel's flank. He hesitated, not knowing whether to speak or not, then with a long-suffering sigh, he too leaned back and fell asleep.

Waking with a start, disturbed by the babble of voices nearby, Melanie realized that she must have dozed off. She couldn't remember anything after she'd sat down and, knuckling her eyes and brushing her hair off her face, she sat up. Massam and Sadam stood with Stone and her father, their voices high with the urgency of their discussion. "What is it? What's happened?" Oura held up her hand for silence and listened carefully.

"My brother says they found the skeleton of a camel by a small well along with what looked like the remains of an old campfire. He says they didn't spend any time searching the area but he's suspicious of any circumstance that would have led the owner to go off leaving his camel hobbled."

Melanie got right up and strode over to the group of men, interrupting their conversation. "What's going on dad?"

"Massam says they found a small well by those palms, as we suspected, and that there are some very old animal remains there."

"So what does that mean?"

"It means, that's where we start our search," Stone answered, cutting off any speculation and looking to the professor for confirmation.

*****

The fire did a lively dance in the middle of the fire pit, its flames reaching straight up as though celebrating the demise of the wind. A chunk of roasting goat meat sizzled loudly on the wooden spit spanning the fire's heat. Stone, Massam and the professor busily pawed through the items they had dug up around the site, concluding that whoever had been there, had been there alone- a long time ago. The stiff, dry saddle bags that lay among the bones of the camel contained remnants of rock hard dates, some stony pellets of rice, a few trinkets of little worth, and a small jar containing a hand drawn map. The two westerners kept marveling at how well the desert preserved such obviously old artifacts. Massam remained blasé. It had taken them most of the afternoon to reach the small oasis, struggling over some of the worst ground to date and spending a lot of time walking the camels up and down treacherous ravines. It was a relief to finally sit down, relax and enjoy a delicious, leisurely meal. Professor Van Reagar set aside his dinner plate and eagerly unrolled the ancient paper from the jar. He spread it on the ground, turning to catch some light from the fire as the evening sky darkened.

"Look!" He pointed excitedly, "Could this be a sketch of the Ghard? And this mark here, could that be this well site?" The desire to find some clue to the origin of the Canopic jar showed in the desperate dance of his fingers.

"You could be right," Stone murmured, tracing the lines with his dinner fork, "what do you think partner?"

Massam gazed at the map and around the darkened campsite. "To my knowledge, there's no other water hole between here and where the Asyut road crosses the Ghard."

"Alright then," Karl nodded eagerly, his attention back on the map, "let's assume we're right, what do you make of this. See this faint line heading off in that direction," he jutted his chin past the other two into the darkness, "is that some kind of trail do you think?"

"Well it ain't a river. At least not any more," Stone rubbed his chin, following Karl's gaze into the black shadows, "We can't see anything out there tonight, so let's sleep on it and give it a look in the morning."

"Right. Okay. First thing in the morning." Karl rolled up the map and replaced it in the jar, surrendering reluctantly to the young man's logic.

*****

"They came this way effendi, no doubt. They must have climbed through that gully over there making for the top." Baddu pressed his fingers against his dirty eye patch and cursed as he dug fine grains of sand from beneath it. He kept his good eye on Max, expecting a blast of sarcasm.

"They'll have made camp by now," Max reasoned, surprising the Arab with his indifference, "so we might as well do the same. No point stumbling onto them in the dark. I just hope to hell they know where they're going. I don't intend to spend my life out here climbing around chasing fairy tales." He gazed around and poked Baddu roughly on the arm, "Tell your snake eyed friend to build a small fire and cook some food. You tend to the animals, I'm going to climb around a bit- just to make sure of things."