26 The Arab Horse 



many of the same people, though they 

 went also further east than Upton. 

 Leaving Aleppo in January, 1878, they 

 reached the valley of the Euphrates as 

 soon as possible, then followed the river 

 as far as Bagdad. From Aleppo to Deyr 

 they had the company of Mr. Skene, who 

 went with Upton. Then he turned back 

 to Aleppo as his consular prerogatives 

 went no further in that direction, the 

 Blunts proceeding to Bagdad alone. 

 From that point, after crossing the Tigris 

 River they went north and east to Shergat, 

 nearly up to Mosul, traversing a quite 

 new country for Western voyagers. At 

 Shergat they turned west to again come 

 to Deyr, where Mr. Skene had agreed to 

 meet them on a fixed day. This he was 

 unable to do. He was old, infirm, and, 

 while waiting, his successor came from 

 England, so he was detained. The 

 Blunts w^ere most anxious to go among 

 the Anazah Bedouins, with whom Upton 

 spent the greater part of his time, and to 

 meet such of his friends as they might, 



