24 Bcdo7tin Tribes of the Euph^'ates. [ch. xvn. 



village between us and Tudmiir, and bound for 

 Deyr to buy corn. Mohammed knew some of the 

 people, who by the way were all armed with guns, 

 and who got them out for use when they saw us 

 galloping up ; and an animated conversation ensued 

 about the price of cereals on the Euphrates. To 

 each in turn as he came up we put the question, 

 " Have you seen anything of the Anazeh ? " and 

 each in turn answered, " Hamdullah ''"' (praise be to 

 God), we have seen no Bedouins." The last man 

 in the caravan hailed us from a distance, and asked 

 AVilfrid if he could give him any news of Faris, 

 The question was curiously dpropos, and we stopped 

 and had some conversation with him. He told us 

 he was the Sheykh of Sokhne and that Faris Jerl)a 

 was his brother. A month ao'o some of the Jerlja 

 had taken camels belonging to him in a raid they 

 made upon the villagers of Sokhne, and he was 

 going to Faris to get them back in riglit of his 

 brotherhood. AVe told him, much to his surprise, 

 that Wilfrid also was Faris's brother, and that he 

 would find him on the Khabur. He then informed 

 us that though nothing had yet been seen of the 

 Anazeh this spring, it was reported that they were 

 on their way north, not more than three or four 

 days* journey from Bir, a well and guard-house we 

 should come to this evening. Wilfrid scribbled a 

 note to the Consul, telling of the break-down of our 



* Spelt as pronounced both by the Bedouins, and by the inhabi- 

 tants of the desert towns. 



