70 LIFE WITH THE HAMRAN ARABS. 



CHAPTER V. 



Jan. 21. A day simply dawdled away, for beyond 

 paying the half-month's wages in advance there was 

 nothing left to be arranged ; but this was evidently no 

 trifling matter, for the Sheik, after collecting a small 

 crowd under an adjoining tree, devoted so many hours to 

 the distribution of the dollars, that we began to think 

 he had found our living so attractive that he would not 

 let us be off at all to-day. 



Gwayha is a most uninteresting-looking place, con- 

 sisting of the usual straw-made huts crowded together, 

 and though the men are if anything even a finer-looking 

 race than the Ha4endowa Arabs, with the same hair 

 and costume, the women, judging from the few we saw, 

 whatever their attractions may be have certainly not 

 beauty as one of them ; but a large ring in the nostril is 

 probably considered to cover any little defect, and in 

 this respect they must have at least the sympathy of 

 Western nations, though these limit barbaric customs to 

 wearing rings in the ears. 



At 5 P.M. the departure from Gwayha was actually 

 effected ; but, much to our dismay, the Sheik decided 



