3i8 LIFE WITH THE HAMRAN ARABS. 



tinct evidence of his being attacked with pleurisy. This 

 is indeed a serious complication, weakened as he is 

 already by disease. The young ostriches died in the 

 night, but as the men had left the open side of the cage 

 exposed to the wind, it is only surprising that the paro- 

 quets retained any life in them. 



9 A.M. The day's journey has again been well di- 

 vided, and a halt was made for the night soon after sunset 

 at our first telegraph station. Our midday rest, from 

 11.15 A.M. to 3.45 P.M., was under a very fine clump of 

 dome-palms. Vivian and myself were making some bread 

 and milk there for Ranfurly, and stooping down at the 

 time, when a dome-nut, blown off by the wind from the 

 top of a high tree, whizzed past my ear and struck 

 Vivian directly on the spine. So severe was the shock that 

 it made him almost faint away, and he had to lie down 

 for a time to recover himself, and throughout the after- 

 noon he has felt much pain in the injured part. The 

 gale has continued with almost increasing force all day, 

 and the Arabs had such great difficulty in making the 

 baggage-camels face it, that their progress was con- 

 sequently very slow. The afternoon's ride has been a 

 most trying one for Ranfurly from the same cause, and 

 this evening, with an increase of pain in the right side, 

 the breathing has become very short. The medicine- 

 chest is fortunately at hand, and contains some useful 

 appliances besides drugs, from which he is able to ob- 



