296 LIFE WITH THE HAMRAN ARABS. 



was shot off him ; and having fallen to the ground 

 without making the slightest effort to save himself, lay 

 stretched out like a dead man. In fact, for the first 

 moment we thought he was dead, for he made no 

 attempt to move or speak ; but on finding that he had 

 a good pulse and that no bones were broken, we made 

 him drink some whisky-and-water and lifted him into 

 his saddle ; then as before, with one man leading his 

 horse, and another by his side to hold him up and to 

 supply him with water, which he kept on drinking, we 

 effected another start. Now our anxiety began to be 

 great, and our eyes could scarcely be taken off the grey 

 steed in front of us, so much did we dread another halt. 

 The fall, however, appeared to rouse him, and he made 

 his horse walk at so good a pace that he soon distanced 

 our camels, and reached a huge plain some time before 

 us. Possibly it was the prospect of not being able to 

 cross this apparently endless expanse as seen by the 

 light of a full moon that made him give in again, for 

 directly we came to it we could see the horse standing 

 still, and a few moments more brought us to Albert 

 lying on the ground and looking almost dead. He now 

 implored us to leave him there for the night ; but as to 

 comply with his wishes was to leave him to die, we were 

 compelled to remount him and force him to move on. 

 But where were the rest of our party ? Before us lay the 

 unmistakable vast plain we remembered to have once 



