22 LIFE WITH THE HAMRAN ARABS. 



after hour passed without any sign of our party ap- 

 proaching, and at last we became a little anxious lest, 

 as seemed probable, they had taken a different route ; 

 but in the course of the afternoon our minds were 

 relieved by seeing our men driving the camels towards 

 us, freed from their loads ; and then we learnt that we 

 had been brought two hours' ride away from our proper 

 route unnecessarily, and that we must return. It was 

 evening before we arrived at our camp and almost 

 famished, but we had gained one practical lesson- viz., 

 never to leave our baggage camels behind us in future. 

 This has consequently been almost a lost day, for we 

 are not above twelve miles distant from our last camp, 

 calculating by the usual 2^-mile rate per hour of the 

 baggage camel. 



January I, 1875. The commencement of the new 

 year finds us still wending our way slowly along the 

 dreary sandy desert, with nothing for the eye to rest 

 upon beyond scattered mimosas, tufts of dry grass, and 

 now and again a gazelle ; and though we do not find 

 the long swinging motion of the camel very fatiguing, it 

 certainly is painfully monotonous, and would be very 

 conducive to sleep were it not for our fear of tumbling off 

 our perch. 



Of course we are glad to pick up any information of 

 the country through which we are passing from our 

 Arab companions, and on coming to two little mounds 



