CH, XXII.] Sotanuii leaves Jiis Alarcs. 157 



glory, and he had laughed, in his quiet way, not a 

 little at Mohammed's romantic choice. But we re- 

 membered that he was but an Ulema of Aleppo, and 

 the son of a horse dealer, and Ave do not withdraw 

 our esteem from him on that account. 



Sotamm came more than once to visit us in the 

 garden, where we were encamped at Damascus, aud 

 seemed pleased, poor man, to sit down at the door 

 even of our European tent. He felt that we were 

 in some sense Bedouins like himself. Each time 

 we found him paler and more dejected, for the 

 Bedouins languish quickly in town air, and at last 

 he suddenly went 1jack to the desert. At the time, 

 we could learn nothing of his interview with the 

 Valy, for he was always accompanied and closely 

 watched by an official, and therefore reserved with 

 us, and we, having done our duty in the cause of 

 peace, pressed him no further. But we know now 

 that he went back without his mares to the tril3e, 

 and that the difficulty as to the march of the Eodla 

 northwards was satisfactorily removed. Quite lately 

 news has reached us that Sotamm is once more in 

 the old quarters of the Sebaa, the pastures of Homs 

 and Hama, and that he is supported there by the 

 Government. So I fear Ave must consider that our 

 diplomatic mission failed. Whether the Sebaa Avill 

 sit down under their loss of territory, or Avhethcr 

 new raids and fio-hts Avill follow Ave do not A'ct 

 know, but I intend perhaps to add a postscript to my 

 last chapter, with the " latest news " of the Desert. 



