Rob was sitting upon the edge of a marble fountain in the center of the square when a crowd of victorious Turks appeared and quickly surrounded him.  The boy paid no attention to their gestures and the Turks feared to approach him nearly, so they stood a short distance away and fired volleys at him from their rifles and pistols.
Rob glared at them scornfully, and seeing they could not injure him the Turks desisted; but they still surrounded him, and the crowd grew thicker every moment.
Women now came creeping from their hiding places and mingled with the ranks of the men, and Rob guessed, from their joyous chattering, that the Turks had regained the city and driven out or killed the Tatar warriors.  He reflected, gloomily, that this did not affect his own position in any way, since he could not escape from the oasis.
Suddenly, on glancing at the crowd, Rob saw something that arrested his attention.  A young girl was fastening some article to the wrist of a burly, villainous-looking Turk.  The boy saw a glitter that reminded him of the traveling machine, but immediately afterward the man and the girl bent their heads over the fellow's wrist in such a way that Rob could see nothing more.
While the couple were apparently examining the strange device, Rob started to his feet and walked toward them.  The crowd fell back at his approach, but the man and the girl were so interested that they did not notice him.  He was still several paces away when the girl put out her finger and touched the indicator on the dial.