348 LIFE WITH THE HAMRAN ARABS. 



rapid travelling over the deck, whilst the general break- 

 age of everything movable was the inevitable result. 

 Mr. Bock told me in the morning that he thought the 

 chain would break owing to the great pitching of the 

 steamer from her having no cargo beyond two or three 

 hundred tons of gum and hides. A priest (?) came this 

 evening to tell us that he had had a dream, and had dis- 

 covered by it that two men were implicated in the theft 

 of lions' claws and that he could give their names. Upon 

 further questioning him, he declared them to be two of 

 Mr. Bock's best men who were on duty at the time, and 

 therefore could not have been absent. It was, however, 

 a happy dream, for Mr. Bock would certainly not have 

 quietly allowed these men to be flogged, so by the 

 general wish the matter was allowed to drop. 



May 1 6. The l CofFeet' has arrived at Suez, and as 

 there is a mail train starting immediately with Indian 

 passengers for Alexandria, I have decided upon accept- 

 ing this chance of travelling with all speed to England, 

 as the bearer of our sad news, whilst Arkwright and 

 Vivian remain behind to look after the baggage. Our 

 goats are still with us, and Mohamed has been given one, 

 and an engineer the other. 



May 17. I have joined Coke and Gumming on 

 board the P. and O. steamer ' Malta.' Captain Hyde, 

 who is in command of her, has been most kind in 

 making all the arrangements he can for my comfort on 



