HO LIFE WITH THE HAMRAN ARABS. 



maariff's horn ; and some of the lacerated muscle pro- 

 truded through it. The skin on the inner side of the 

 left thigh had been grazed also by the other horn, and 

 he therefore must have had a most narrow escape from 

 a fatal injury from one or other of them. He bore very 

 patiently having the wound sewn up ; and now, with 

 the leg well supported with bandages and pillows, he is 

 lying on an angarep quite at ease, though not best 

 pleased at the unexpected interruption for a time to his 

 amusements. Great interest is shown by all our 

 followers in the wounded sportsman, and they were 

 much disappointed to find that a deputation headed 

 by Hamet was not allowed to give practical proof of 

 the general sympathy by rubbing gunpowder into the 

 wound. 



In the evening they marched in a body, led by a 

 musician playing the ' rababa,' in front of his tent to 

 entertain him with some of their games. The ground, 

 however, was too limited to allow them to perform 

 much in his presence, so they were obliged to retire to 

 a sand-bank, where a grand performance took place in 

 his honour before the rest of the party. The moon 

 was sufficiently powerful to allow them to go through their 

 warlike exercises with great zest, and so excited did 

 they become at times that it looked very much as if 

 they were fighting in earnest ; and considering that their 

 swords are so sharp that they can shave with them, it 



