CHAPTER XX. 



" Alarums, excursions, then a retreat." — Shakespeabe. 



Ferlian ibn Hedeb — The Gomussa and their mares — Mohammed 

 Duki — A lawsuit in the desert — A tribe of Gazelle hunters — 

 Beteyen's mare— The Sebaa are attacked by the Rodla — A 

 panic and a retreat — Our new brother, Meshur ibn Mershid — 

 Scarcity of water — We leave the Anazeh camp and make a 

 forced march to Bir Sukr. 



Sunday, Apiil 7. — The name of the pool by 

 which we are encamped, or rather of the pools, for 

 there is a succession of them, is Khabra el Mashkiik. 

 It lies within sight of the Tell el Ghorab, ten mi]e& 

 perhaps due south of it, and about sixty south-east 

 of Tudmur. It covers some few acres, but is very 

 shallow, being dependent for its existence as a pool 

 solely on the winter rains. According to all ac- 

 counts, however, there is a series of them running 

 east and west, and forming a convenient line of 

 encampments in the direction of Damascus. It 

 will be along these that we hope to go on now to 

 the Eoala, who are not more than a hundred 

 miles away, if report speaks true. They tell us 

 we shall find encampments of the Sleb on our 

 road, and learn from them exactly where the Roala 

 are. 



