THE CARAVAN. 147 



grandfather's wine did of iron and goat's skin, 

 from the little key and its thong, that had been 

 dropped into the hogshead. As to the use of 

 the water-bottle, I have but two pieces of advice 

 to give you. One is to keep it out of the way 

 of the Arabs, who will seize every opportunity 

 to drain it, and the other is to have recourse to it 

 as sparingly as possible while on the march.^ 

 The habit of frequent indulgence in this respect 

 provokes thirst, and a little self-denial at the be- 

 ginning will save you a good deal of suffering 

 afterwards, when your stock of water is spoiled 

 or exhausted. For water skins and water bottles, 

 india rubber (provided you don't object to a spice 

 of brimstone) is a better material than leather, 

 though the zemzemeeh^ on account of the tran- 

 spiration, is cooler, but you will find no ' elastics ' 

 in the East, and must procure your receptacles 

 of the Neptunian fluid from one of the great 

 rival Vulcanists, Day or Goodyear, before leaving 

 home." 



^ Major Denham made it a rule never to drink at all be- 

 tween sunrise and sunset, but at night he drank " as much 

 water as he could swallow." The Arabs do not abstain upon 

 the march, but are constantly drinking through the day. 

 But " this is merely the improvidence and thoughtlessness of 

 savages, and argues nothing for the practice. 



