AN ENGLISH SOLDIER. 17 



minds, however, were already made up, and we turned a 

 deaf ear to liis arguments. 



March loth. — Early in the morning Sergeant Birtles, 

 a bronzed English soldier, the aide-de-camp of Lieutenant 

 Warren, rode into our camp, having travelled all night from 

 Nirarin, where the exploring party was detained by the 

 illness of one of their number. Sergeant Birtles had 

 ridden twice within the week to Jerusalem and back, to 

 procure a nurse and necessaries for the invalid. He was 

 entirely alone, and seemed thoroughly to despise the 

 dangers of the road, as he had proved on the first occa- 

 sion, by returning with a sister of mercy under his sole 

 charge. 



The Sergeant had been up to Jerash with Lieutenant 

 Warren some months previously, and gave us friendly 

 warning against the Sheikh of Suf and his men, who 

 while with them had begun to show off their pranks, and 

 had reqviired to be checked by a display of revolvers, 

 These were the same villains who plundered Mr. Tristram 

 in 1864. After half-an-hour's talk with us, Sergeant Birtles 

 crossed the river, hoping by hard ridmg to reach Jeru- 

 salem the same night. We also mounted our horses, but 

 our train was scarcely in motion, when two of the mules 

 stuck in a swamp, and had to be unloaded. A well- 

 marked track led from the ferry to the foot of the bluffs 

 which bound the river-bed. Tucker and Williams galloped 

 on ahead, a proceeding which called forth a remonstrance 

 from Khasim, who insisted that, on this side of the river, 

 it was unsafe to divide the party. A short climb through 

 a curious, apparently waterworn, ravine brought us on to the 

 plain, where we met two picturesque wayfarers — a hand- 

 somely-dressed Arab with a servant in attendance, both 

 bearing long spears. They returned our greeting with 

 a contemptuous scowl. A little farther on, we received 



c 



