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Some camel-tracks in the sand betokened that a tribe of 

 Bedouin were not far off', and indeed we soon observed 

 camels browsing among the bushes. We also heard dogs 

 barking, and saw in the distance some dusky figures walking 

 towards an encampment. 



These wild tribes are, as I was told, extremely poor; but 

 the desert being so very near they are perfectly independent 

 and unassailable, and therefore not always very friendly. 



The party of sportsmen now divided into two sections. 

 Baron Saurina, the Grand Duke, and I proposed to get into 

 a boat, which had followed us, and row after some Pelicans 

 which were swimming about near the shore, while the other 

 gentlemen were to occupy themselves with the myriads of 

 Coots which frequented the reeds by the water's edge. 



All our attempts to get near the shy Pelicans were unsuc- 

 cessful, nor would the Great White Egrets that were standing 

 by the shore allow us to approach them. The further we 

 went the broader and thicker were the reeds, that covered the 

 water to a distance of about a hundred yards from the shore. 

 The beautiful White-eyed Ducks seemed here to be on migra- 

 tion, for flocks of that species continually rose in front of our 

 boat, and Grey and Purple Herons, Great and Little Egrets 

 also flew up from the beds of reeds. 



A fair lot of ducks were shot as a provision for the larder, 

 our fishermen sitting naked in the boat and jumping into the 

 water to retrieve everything that was killed. We were rock- 

 ing about a little way from the shore when the reeds suddenly 

 parted, and there appeared a big Bedouin, a fine warlike- 

 looking fellow, armed with a long gun. He offered to sell us 

 some waterfowl which he had shot in the morning, and on 

 receiving a few silver coins vanished as quickly and noiselessly 

 as he had come. 



It was getting on towards noon, so we made the men row 

 us back to the headland. The heat was frightful, and under 



