64 LIFE WITH THE HAMRAN ARABS. 



and must not leave again ;' and, wishing not to annoy him, 

 we agreed to send for some food and tell them to come 

 on in the morning. Two more long hours had to be 

 spent before the much desired supply arrived. 



The Sheik paid us occasional visits, and found great 

 amusement in looking at the moon through our little 

 whisky-barrel (now empty) with glass ends, and after- 

 wards through a telescope, whilst his followers were quite 

 content with the whisky-barrel effect, which no doubt 

 was greatly aided by sundry fly-specks on the outside 

 of the glass, and gave great scope for the fertile imagi- 

 nation of the Arab. 



Jan. 20. At 3 A.M. Emanuel arrived, and stated that 

 he had halted at another village, as he was told by its 

 Sheik that it was the chief one. We find that there are 

 numerous Hamran villages, but whichever may be the 

 largest, we have now no doubt that our Sheik is the chief 

 of the Hamran Arabs. His name is Aghil, and he is the 

 son of the late Sheik Owatt, and this village, named 

 Gwayha, is the one in which he lives during the dry 

 season. The first business of the day was to bathe in 

 the Bahr Settite, that flows at about half a mile distance 

 past the village, as we were told there was a shallow 

 place free from crocodiles after the sun had well risen. 



As the sight of land to the sailor, so was the pleasure 

 to us, after three weeks of desert-travelling without the 

 sight of water excepting an occasional well, to look upon 



