68 LIFE WITH THE H AMR AN ARABS. 



makes upon his people. He says that all the villages 

 along the Settite, besides others, belong to him, but that 

 only a few of them, this included, are under the protec- 

 tion of Egypt and pay any taxes to her, and that none 

 of them supply soldiers to the Egyptian army. The 

 neighbouring tribes of Baze and Magurda (?) are under no 

 authority, are very bad people ; and if it pleases God 

 that they should fight with them, they do so. He evi- 

 dently finds our mode of living a pleasant change, for 

 he was very ready to accept our invitation to dinner, and 

 presented us with a sheep. Amongst our small luxuries 

 is a camp armchair, which he takes good care to let us 

 see he considers himself especially entitled to occupy,, 

 whilst sundry stools, slightly the worse for their rough 

 life, are quite good enough for us. 



After dinner we brought out several nice presents,, 

 hoping he would admire them and express a wish to 

 have them ; but in vain, for he would only turn them 

 over listlessly, and one after another lay them aside, with- 

 out scarcely making any comment, good, bad, or indiffe- 

 rent. This was really provoking, and especially when 

 not even an Adams's breech-loading revolver that we 

 fired off six times in rapid succession would produce the 

 slightest expression of admiration or surprise. At last 

 we found out the cause of this indifference by his telling 

 Albert he wanted to see our rifles, and that if he found 

 one he particularly admired he felt sure we would let 



