CH. XXI.] Fruitless Diplomacy. 1 4 1 



/, " The Sebaa consent to receive you as guests 

 in the Upper Desert. There is room there for all of 

 you." 



Sotamm. " Yes ; but the Turks no not wish us to 

 make peace." 



This was the burden of his tale, and it is evident 

 that he is too weak to lead or govern his people. 

 The Akid, however, has consented to argue the case 

 with the principal sheykhs of the tribe, and they 

 are now sitting in a circle on the ground about a 

 hundred yards off, in council on the proposals. 



Besides Sotamm and the Akid, we have had a 

 considerable circle of visitors off and on at our tent. 

 Their principal talk was of the ghazu, which they 

 consider a very successful one. They were only five 

 days away altogether, and had eighty miles to march 

 each way, the return journey being of course im- 

 peded by the captured camels they had to drive. It 

 was certainly their camp fires Mohammed saw from 

 the hill above Buseyri. We were surprised to hear 

 that the Rodla, powerful as they are, can only 

 muster a thousand horsemen on an expedition of 

 this sort. But they explained the matter by telling 

 us, that now they managed their fighting in another 

 way, which they found more effective. Instead of 

 mares, most of them now ride deliils and take fire- 

 arms with them, sitting two on each camel and back 

 to back. This mounted infantry goes by the name 

 of seyman, and of them four or five thousand can 

 be mustered. Only a few, however, accompanied 



