A New Flea. 61 



of the common rats of the country and, although we 

 stipulated for live animals, every bone, skull, or bit of 

 skin that could be found would be brought in the hope 

 of reward. But when they found that we needed no 

 more of the rats that swarmed in their huts, these very 

 lazy natives returned to their normal occupation of 

 sleeping and eating and refused to hunt any further. 

 This seems extraordinary, because luxuries to a certain 

 extent can now be bought for money in the markets of 

 all the larger villages through which we passed. 



In the days of the Khalifa it was rather a disad- 

 vantage for a man to become prosperous. The tyrant 

 would soon hear of it, swoop down upon him and caiTy 

 off his flocks and corn. As several natives said to us 

 when we asked them why they refused the money we 

 offered for goats' milk : " The Khalifa never took the 

 milk, he always took the goats unless they were driven 

 away and hidden. Now you come and only want the 

 mHk and offer to pay for that ! " No doubt they think 

 the English fools. 



Although singularly uninquisitive the natives pro- 

 vided one of the trials of collecting by their ubiquity. 

 One could never be sure. on shooting at a bird whether 

 a concealed native would not rise from behind a bush 

 in the line of fire at the moment. 



