60 NARRATIVE OF A JOURXF.Y 



siderable variety, and many of them have not before been seen 

 by naturalists. As to the plants, there seems to be no end to 

 them, and Mr. N. is finding dozens of new species daily. In the 

 other branches of science, our success has not been so great, 

 partly on account of the rapidity and steadiness with which we 

 travel, but chiefly from the difficulty, and almost impossibility, of 

 carrying the subjects. Already we have cast away all our use- 

 less and superfluous clothing, and have been content to mortify our 

 natural pride, to make room for our specimens. Such things as 

 spare waistcoats, shaving boxes, soap, and stockings, have been 

 ejected from our trunks, and we are content to dress, as we live, in a 

 style of primitive simplicity. In fact the whole appearance of our 

 party is sufficiently primitive ; many of the men are dressed en- 

 tirely in deer skins, without a single article of civilized manufac- 

 ture about them ; the old trappers and hunters wear their hair 

 flowing on their shoulders, and their large grizzled beards would 

 scarcely disgrace a Bedouin of the desert. 



The next morning the whole camp was suddenly aroused by the 

 falling of all the tents. A tremendous blast swept as from a fun- 

 nel over the sandy plain, and in an instant precipitated our frail 

 habitations like webs of gossamer. The men crawled out from 

 under the ruins, rubbing their eyes, and, as usual, muttering im- 

 precations against the country and all that therein was ; it was 

 unusually early for a start, but we did not choose to pitch the 

 tents again, and to sleep without them here was next to impossi- 

 ble; so we took our breakfast in the open air, devouring our well 

 sanded provision as quickly as possible, and immediately took 

 to the road. 



During the whole day a most terrific gale was blowing directly 

 in our faces, clouds of sand were driving and hurtling by us, 

 often with such violence as nearly to stop our progress ; and when 

 we halted in the evening, we could scarcely recognise each ofiier's 

 faces beneath their odious mask of dust and dirt. 



