138 SHORT STALKS 



climi)ing rocks at a steep angle, ^7ro?'7V/t'(:/ fha^e are 

 Ijerfectly dry. The defect is that these sharp -edged 

 rocks ruin tlie best attachments in about two days, and 

 repairs are not always possible. Boots were not the only 

 article of attire which suffered. A single flat crawl down- 

 hill made ribbons of the tonohest Harris tweed. I was 

 very soon scarcely decent, l)ut Gerald, with true filial 

 piety, abstracted two large patches from one of Willie's 

 coats, and sewed them on to the sitting place. 



During the first few days the weather was treacherous, 

 and it was clear that our first camp was untenal)le as long- 

 as our men were so badly protected. The poor linen-clnd 

 Arabs looked especially miserable, and it was melancholy 

 to see them scrape a small hole, fill it with hot ashes, and 

 squat over it, making a sort of open-air Turkish l)atli by 

 spreading out their burnouses, and this at the best could 

 only have cooked one end. So we had to make arrange- 

 ments to remove camp to the foot of the mountain until the 

 weather improved, and we could recover the missing tent. 

 It was well we did so, for even three thousand feet lower, 

 and well under the lee of the mountain, our tent pegs 

 with difficulty held the ground. The wind drove the dust 

 thi-ough tlie flaps, and snowstorms were frequent. Tlie 

 mountain was covered with wreathino- storm-clouds, and 

 the position at tlie moment was so hopeless that we again 

 sent for the mules and pulled out for El Kantara. 



Ali and Abdullah took this opportunity to strike for 

 higher wages, which was not surprising under the 

 circumstances ; Ijut, as we had no hope of hunting that 

 day, it was a badly-chosen opportunity, and we told them 

 to go to the landlord and be paid off. They went 



