ENTERTAINING VARIETIES. 833 



lieve me, we do not want to rob you," I repeated, for the clamor still 

 continued. 



" Not rob us ! " cried the old man. " You have already done us a 

 greater harm ! If we had not waked up in time, the night-air would 

 have done us an injury which no medicine could undo ! " 



" Not so, Aboo Mungha," said I, " we heard you groan as in a sore 

 disease, and some of your children are certainly sick ; but, if you will 

 let them sleep in the open air, the benediction* of Nature will help 

 them more than all the balm of Feringistan." 



" What words are these ? You must be a bold unbeliever ! " re- 

 joined the old man ; "how can Nature or anything natural be possibly 

 good ? Who are you ? " and putting his hand to my shoulder he 

 pushed me out into the bright moonlight. But my dress and face 

 soon told him that I was a stranger, and his heart then seemed to re- 

 lent. " My name is Er-Masood ; be welcome if you come in peace," 

 said he, and taking my hand he led me to a deep spring at the foot of 

 the hill. " If the men of your tribe drink water, the Holy Ones have 

 guided you well," said he ; " this spring is the best in the valley ; 

 cattle, and even deer, resort to it from a great distance." He then 

 offered us the shelter of his rock-den, but, seeing that we preferred the 

 open air, he advised us to cover our heads very carefully, and, bidding 

 us good-night, he retired to his cave. 



We had left our wander-sacks under the mulberry -hedge, and, as 

 the distance was only short, the Karman offered to fetch them down, 

 while I gathered an armful of grass for our camping-ground. The 

 adventures of this night, however, were not yet ended, for, looking 

 about among the brambles of the hill-side, I discovered a child, a young 

 Monakee, who had hidden himself behind a leafy bush. 



" My little brother ! what is he doing here ? " I asked, when he 

 instantly covered my mouth with his hand, and implored me not to 

 betray him. 



" My head ached so that I thought my soul would leave me," he 

 whispered ; " pray, let me get a little fresh air before you drive me 

 back ! " 



He had made himself a couch with his coat and an armful of 

 leaves. To these I added some of the grass I had gathered, and bade 

 him lie down and keep quiet. " I shall not betray him ; may Allah 

 be his helper ! " I thought, for, on passing the cave, I had again heard 

 the moans of his unfortunate brethren. 



When the Karman returned, the moon was shining from a cloudless 

 sky ; in the trees and bushes the cicadas chirped their serenades, and 

 on the slopes of the grassy hill-side we saw a swarm of rabbits chasing 

 each other to and fro. They played and gamboled, enjoying the 

 sweet night-air, while the Monakees lay groaning in their noisome 

 cave. 



* Eyn-daljah literally, " the shining face." 



TOL. XX. S3 



