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70 TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



I EXPLAINED myfelf to this purpofe, briefly to the people, 

 on which a great cry followed, " God is great ! let them 

 come !" Our arms were perfedlly in order, and our old 

 Turk Ifmael feemed to move about and diredl with the vi- 

 gour of a young man. As we had no doubt they would, 

 be mounted on camels, fo we placed ourfelves a little with- 

 in the edge of the trees. The embers of our two fires were 

 on our front ; our tents, baggage, and boxes, on each fide of 

 us, between the opening of the trees ; our camels and wa- 

 ter behind us, -the camels being chained together behind 

 the water, and ropes at their heads, which were tied to trees. 

 A fkin of water, and two wooden bowls befide it, was left 

 open for thofe that fliould need to drink. We had finifhed" 

 our breakfaft before day-break, and I had given all the 

 men dire<5tions to fire fcparately, not together, at the fame 

 fet of people ; and thofe who had the blunderbufles to fire 

 where they faw a number of camels and men together,, 

 and efpecially at any camels they faw with girbas upon them,, 

 or where there was the greateft confufion.. 



The day broke; no Arabs appeared; all was ftill. The dan- 

 ger which occurred to our minds then was, left, if they were 

 few, by tarrying we fhould give them time to fend off mef- 

 fengers to bring affiftance. I then took Ifmael and two 

 Barbarins along with me, to fee who thefe neighbours of ours 

 could be. We foon traced in the fand the footfteps of the man 

 who had been at our camels ; and, following them behind 

 the point of a rock, which feemed calculated for concealing 

 thieves, we faw two ragged, old, dirty tents, pitched with 

 grafs cords. 



The 



