112 LIFE WITH THE HAMRAN ARABS. 



a white uniform, which he keeps scrupulously clean, and 

 wears a tarboosh. His rifle is always slung on the 

 back of the camel-saddle when he is mounted, and 

 round his waist he wears a belt having sundry articles 

 fastened to it, besides a silver-mounted revolver and 

 big knife. The other soldier is a veteran, who has 

 long since seen his best days, named Hadji Basheer. 

 He has brought his own donkey with him, or he 

 would have been reduced to accept the position of 

 being perched on top of, one of our baggage-camels. 

 In his way he is, however, very useful, for there are 

 many little things in camp for which his talents can 

 be turned to account, and the clever way in which he 

 bound up my unfortunate smooth-bore proved that they 

 were of no mean order. When the hippopotamus 

 party arrived, they found a large assemblage of Arabs 

 collected round the body, all anxious to get some of 

 the dainty food, though afraid to commence operations 

 without our sanction. 



It was a very fine cow, and the ball had entered the 

 head through the right eye. This ought to have been 

 enough torture for the poor brute, but it was not allowed 

 to die quietly, for it was driven out of its natural home 

 by a crocodile that had already succeeded in gnawing off 

 one foot. Joy reigned supreme amongst the outsiders on 

 hearing that all should share equally with our own men, 

 and they set to work in good earnest to assist in the 



