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leaved plants, and oleanders with their topmost shoots covered 

 with splendid crimson blossoms. Odours such as we had 

 never dreamt of, the true perfumes of the heaven-blessed East, 

 a paradise after the fashion of the ' Arabian Nights/ ravished 

 our senses. Still there is nothing earthly that has not its 

 darker side, and there the trees, bushes, leaves, and grass were 

 all beset with thorns and prickles. Even the dogs refused to 

 work, and under these circumstances sport was quite out of 

 the question. Every step we took brought fresh tortures, so 

 we fled from this paradise as soon as possible, and hurried off 

 to places where the vegetation was less luxuriant. 



I was much struck with the numbers and the variety of 

 brilliant lizards in this garden of torment, for at every step 

 the reptiles rustled through the grass. 



After making a little round and shooting a few head of 

 small game, we returned in the evening to the camp. The 

 otner sportsmen had been more fortunate and had brought in 

 two Francolins large birds, somewhat like a guinea-fowl in 

 colour, and with a reddish-brown ring round the neck ; we 

 had therefore now got within the range of this new species 

 of game, with which we were to become better acquainted 

 during the next few days. 



We here took a hearty leave of Salim and his men, for 

 those fine fellows were now returning to their home. I 

 was quite delighted with the picturesque look of the camp 

 after dinner, and the beautiful way in which the fires lighted 

 up the cliffs, and the gay figures of the servants and Bedouins 

 that were moving about. A very long march lay before us 

 tomorrow, as we intended to cover two days' journey at a 

 single stretch. 



The camp was already astir before sunrise, even while it 

 was still quite dark. The tents were struck, everything was 

 packed, and the heavy caravan moved off. We also soon 

 followed it, and riding round the rocky cone, got into the 



