48 Bedouin Tribes of the EiLphrates. [cu. xvin. 



that Moliammecl is to say distinctly to-morrow 

 whether or not he will help us to go to Jedaan. 

 At present he maintains that there is no news of 

 the Anazeh at Tudmur, and thinks we had better 

 go on to Damascus, unless we are prepared to wait 

 on indefinitely here. We cannot make out whether 

 this is a fact, or only the roundabout way Arabs 

 employ in refusing to do a thing. The Arabs are 

 always like the son in tlie paral)le wlio said he would 

 go to the vineyard and went not. They never re- 

 fuse point blank to perform a service. 



x\s we were leavinoj the town, the Mudir and 

 his attendant joined us and politely offered to show 

 us over the ruins. We went with them as in duty 

 bound, but we were far too pre-occupied to be 

 greatly interested, though we made pretence of 

 counting the columns and reading the inscriptions, 

 'pouv nous donner une contenance. It was very 

 hot and the Mudir soon got tired of walking about 

 in the sun, so at last we have got rid of him, and 

 are enjoying a few hours of quiet with the tent 

 looped up, in full hot weather rig, and the comfort- 

 able sight of our camels and mares, making the most 

 of their day's rest, in front of us. 



Marcli 31. — AVe had a gloomy consultation this 

 morning, Wilfrid and I, about what was next to be 

 done. We have come so far and achieved so much 

 of what we originally put before ourselves as the 

 object of our journey, that it seems impossible now 

 we should abandon its comj^letion. Yet luck has 



