50 Bedouin Tribes of the Euphrates, [ch. xvm, 



stayed, intending to have a morning's rest. But 

 Wilfrid was no sooner gone, than the inhabitants of 

 Tudmnr, women as well as men, began to arrive at 

 the camp, and made themselves so very disagree- 

 able ])y their impertinence, that I have made up 

 my mind on no account to be left here alone if 

 Wilfrid goes to Homs, as he proposes. Fortunately 

 ]\Iohammed's mother and one of his wives hap- 

 pened to come out to pay me a visit, just as the 

 whole party of my tormentors were beginning to 

 svvarm like bees into the tent, in spite of all Hanna 

 could do to prevent them ; and, thus reinforced, we 

 manasjed to hold our own. The women told me 

 that the people of this town are very ill-behaved, 

 real "men of Belial," and that they themselves 

 dare not go about alone. They brought me a 

 present of lebben, and heUdai, a sort of sweetmeat, 

 of which I am particularly fond. 



At two o'clock, Wilfrid came back with the de- 

 lightful news that everything is once more arranged. 

 But how many times we have already l)een de- 

 ceived ! I count on nothing. By way of making- 

 better friends with jMohammed, AYilfrid yesterday 

 sent him by Hanna a cloak and a pair of boots, 

 just as he Avould have done to a Bedouin sheykh ; 

 and it appears that, though the gifts are of small 

 value, the compliment has been much appreciated. 

 On arriving at x^bdallah's house, AVilfrid found a sort 

 of family council going on, and a letter being read, 

 which had just arrived l)y a messenger from Deyr. 



