346 LIFE WITH THE HAMRAN ARABS. 



nothing more would be said, but if not found every man 

 would be flogged in turn until they were given up. Mr. 

 Bock says that the captain is very anxious about this 

 matter, for on a recent occasion of a somewhat similar 

 kind the Viceroy summarily dismissed every man from 

 the ship, not excluding the captain. 



Vivian some time ago found some claws in a curious 

 way. The paws of his burnt lion had been left by the 

 river's side to be cleaned, and they disappeared. It was 

 naturally supposed that our Arabs had stolen them, but 

 they threw the blame on the Marabou storks, and as 

 one was near at the time it was shot, and upon opening 

 the throat two claws were found inside it. Now that it 

 is too late we regret we did not kill a few more of these 

 birds, and collect the beautiful feathers that are under 

 their tails. 



May 13. After breakfast the captain came to 

 Arkwright with a grave face, and presented him with 

 some minute objects which he said had been found in 

 the basins, and asked him if they were the lost property, 

 though they were only the points of the claw of a very 

 small crab or other shell-fish, and required a close in- 

 spection of the palm of his hand to see them at all. The 

 night's experiment having therefore signally failed, the 

 crew were assembled and the flogging process com- 

 menced. 



It had not proceeded far before Mr. Bock reported it 



