278 LIFE WITH THE HAMRAN ARABS. 



have become almost too careless about night visitors in 

 doing away with tents and camp-fires, considering the 

 proximity of the lion's roar and the cry of the hyaena, 

 which is almost equally loud ; and consequently, both 

 last night and the previous one, two lions took advantage 

 of our kindness and paid us a visit whilst we slept, but 

 they did not approach nearer than thirteen yards from 

 Ranfurly's bed, so far as we could see by their tracks. 

 Vivian has found nothing to-day, and of late our game- 

 list has had no important additions made to it, so it 

 is more to be regretted that my lion was not bagged. 

 Whether we have driven them away, or whether there 

 were originally very few lions on the Settite, we cannot 

 say ; but certain it is that we hear them roar much less 

 frequently at night, and seldom see their tracks now. 

 Ranfurly and Arkwright between them diminished 

 their number by one near Emhagga, which some Arabs 

 assisted them to find, by telling them that it was prowling 

 about near a herd of their cattle. 



Ranfurly still improves in one respect, but the heat 

 is most trying to him, and he feels very disinclined to 

 take any nourishment. He has unfortunately an 

 especial aversion to rice in any form, and to milk either 

 in the fresh state or prepared in any way. Still in our 

 < invalid ' box we have plenty of arrowroot, ' Liebig's 

 Extract,' and brandy if required, and Mohamed makes 

 him excellent soup from fresh meat, which is always 



