74 Bedouin Tribes of the Eiiphrates. [ch. xix. 



camps where Jazzer had left them, and that we 

 must strike due south. On riding' up he had 

 found himself suddenly in the presence of ten. 

 men hidden in a small wady, with three drome- 

 daries kneeling down so as to be out of sight, and 

 armed with spears, while one of them had a match- 

 lock and another a pistol. Four of the party had 

 come forward, holding their spears in front of them 

 in rather a menacing attitude ; but without dis- 

 mounting, and keeping well out of reach, he had 

 asked them who they were, and what they were 

 doing. They turned out to be a party out on a 

 ghazu, but whether from the Fedaan or the Eoala is 

 still very doubtful. They said they were from the 

 former, and that they were going to steal camels 

 from the latter, but the contrary is just as likely. 

 They seemed good-humoured fellows, and conversed 

 in the usual off-hand Bedouin way, informing "Wil- 

 frid that Jedaan was close by, just over the brow of 

 the hills I spoke of, and saying we were in the 

 wrong road. Then Mohammed had come up and 

 cross-questioned them, and they had all sat down 

 very amicably, Wilfrid even giving them his rifle to 

 look at. This, which is a Winchester with fourteen 

 cartridges, is a never-failing source of delight to the 

 Bedouins. So, wishing them good luck on their ex- 

 pedition and a hajDpy return, Wilfrid and Mohammed 

 had departed. The men's last words were that Jedaan 

 and Mohammed Duki and Ibn Mershid, and Ibn 

 Haddal were all together just beyond the hill, ^'jerih. 



