<A JOURNEY IN THE EAST. 1 371 



bills passed over our camp, and as many as could find room 

 settled on the low trees to roost. At sunset we all returned 

 to dine, and though silence soon reigned throughout the 

 camp, I heard, just as I was falling asleep, the howling of the 

 hungry jackals quite close to the tents. 



Early on the 8th of April the servants struck the tents, and 

 the caravan soon got under weigh. At first we had to traverse 

 the tiresome track down this side valley; but in the main 

 valley it was better going, and keeping to the base of the hills 

 we galloped over the good steppe-ground, till after a ride of 

 two hours we reached a marshy hollow. Some clumps of 

 bushes and a reedy swamp, unhappily rather too large, showed 

 that this was a likely place for game. Salim and his fleet- 

 footed men were already there, but as his district now came 

 to an end, another troop of Bedouins, led by a handsome 

 Sheikh, and followed by some large dogs, were awaiting our 

 arrival. 



The men on foot were dressed just like Salim's followers, 

 but their leader seemed to be more well-to-do, for he had a 

 fine chestnut horse, with richly ornamented saddle-trappings, 

 and wore gay garments, a large coloured turban, high yellow 

 morocco-leather boots, and a handsome Turkish sabre, while 

 his whole appearance was more suggestive of the Central 

 Asiatic tribes than of the true Arabs. 



He escorted the Grand Duke, Hoyos, and myself to our 

 posts on the further side of the reed-bed with great politeness, 

 the other gentlemen continuing their long march with the 

 caravan. 



Some tracks of wild boars and hyaenas filled us with great 

 hopes; but we were, however, doomed to be sadly disap- 

 pointed, for the tract of reeds proved to be so large and 

 marshy that the men could not drive it, and the whole beat 

 consisted in their running round its outskirts with a great 



