1 8 Bcdotiin Tribes of tJie Etiphraics. [ch. xvir, 



open, or the post would not have arrived, foiv 

 thouQ;h the river has risen nine or ten feet in the 

 last three days, it has not yet cut the track ; and 

 the cause of Mr. S.'s delay must be looked for 

 elsewhere. 



Wilfrid, to ensure a start to-day, had the camels- 

 brouo;ht into the town over-nio-ht, and loaded the 

 first thino; in the mornino-, and sent them on, with 

 orders to wait for us just out of sight of Deyr, over 

 the brow of the hill. He then went to the Serai 

 and announced our departure. The Pasha affected 

 at first extreme surprise to hear that we were 

 leaving him, although Ave had told him of our in- 

 tention yesterday, and asked in which direction we 

 were going. " We are starting," Wilfrid said, " on 

 the Tudmur road, and if Ave do not come across 

 the Anazeh, Avhom of course Ave should like to see, 

 AA^e shall go on as far as that toAvn, and so to Da- 

 mascus. We think that perhaps the Consul Beg has- 

 been delayed at Aleppo, and may have gone straight 

 to Tudmur to saA^e time, and that we may find him 

 there." — Hiiseyn. " But the road is not safe ; it is 

 impossible you should go alone. You Avould not 

 find your AA\ay ; there is no Avater, and the country 

 is inhabited only by robbers." — Wilfrid. "Yet we 

 came through the Jezireh alone, and no harm hap- 

 pened to us. AVe are Avell armed and well mounted ; 

 and you have told us that the Anazeh are far aAA^ay, 

 fighting the Eoilla in the south. Common robbers- 

 Avould not A^enture to attack us." — Huseyn. "You 



