1 68 LIFE WITH THE HAM RAN ARABS. 



and we certainly find the ' Egyptian Travelling Inter- 

 preter,' by Gabriel Sacroug, Cairo, is only of slight as- 

 sistance to us here, excellent as it is in giving a general 

 knowledge of the more common Arabic words and 

 phrases. 



Of the various species of antelope in this country 

 we have so far killed ten. The tetel are, as a rule, by 

 far the most tame, and they will sometimes stand at not 

 more than fifty yards' distance, and look at us as we pass 

 them, or canter off quietly in their own peculiar way, as 

 if their hind-legs were too long, or their horse-like heads 

 were too heavy for them. Next in tameness come the 

 hind koodoos, and they appear to be as thoroughly 

 aware that their hornless heads offer us no attraction as 

 that their duty in life is to keep their lords and masters, 

 with their magnificent heads, well out of harm's-way. 

 All the other antelope, great and small, have a very good 

 idea of what distance constitutes safety from the rifle, 

 and require careful stalking. I should except one which, 

 though occasionally shot, has not as yet been mentioned, 

 as we find it about the Royan less wild than usual. It 

 is the Dorcas gazelle, and besides being a little larger than 

 the common gazelle, it has as a distinctive mark a 

 horizontal black line on each side. 



One gazelle to-day was particularly friendly, and 

 after allowing me to pass within twenty yards of it, to 

 my surprise it trotted up close to me, and then followed 



