IV 



My Log 407 



navel standing straight out from the body. With 

 this appendage he staggered once or twice round 

 the court, and at last pulling out the sword, fell 

 backwards, was caught and carried away, and we 

 saw him no more. 



Not for a single instant since the commencement 

 had the din of the singers and the tambourines 

 slackened in the least, and the whole party seemed 

 every moment to become more insane. There was 

 a quiet-looking, smartly-dressed young fellow, with a 

 gold watch and chain, sitting at my feet, who 

 suddenly started up and danced as madly as the 

 rest, regardless of the utter disarrangement of his fine 

 clothes and the sacrifice of his buttons. I watched 

 another, a stout florid young fellow sitting not far from 

 me, for some time ; his eyes grew wilder, his face 

 more bloated, and the veins of his neck stood out 

 more prominently every moment ; he said nothing, 

 but sat and looked exactly as if he were choking 

 himself privately. Suddenly he bounced up, and 

 seizing a smaller and thinner maniac round the neck 

 with one arm, they both began to yell and dance 

 with a measured cadence, a kick out behind, one before, 

 and a twirl round, yelling and whirling their heads till 

 their brains must have been like batter pudding. I 

 timed these worthies, and they kept up this violent 

 dance for twenty-three minutes without stopping. 

 When they were worked up to a perfect state of frenzy 

 the sheik took a large thick cactus leaf covered with 

 long spines, and held it out towards them. The 



