22 SPORT AND TRAVEL PAPERS 



thing is right, is attached, by means of a rope tied round the 

 lower jaw, to the tail of another in front of it until the caravan 

 is complete. One camel carries nothing but water-skins, now, 

 however, nearly empty, for we shall encamp near wells to-night ; 

 two others are retained for Or. and me, provided with comfortable 

 riding saddles, to which are attached our rifles and guns, water- 

 bottles, &c. Everything being now ready, the word is given to 

 march, we jump into our saddles, up rise the camels, a guide 

 takes the head of the caravan, and with shouts of " Bismillah ! " 

 in the name of God we start. 



We follow again to-day, at all events during the first few 

 hours, the sandy bed of the river, which has already been our 

 road for more than one week. Our party is not a large one Gr. 

 and I, ten camels, the dragoman, cook, guide, and four camel 

 men. These latter we engaged at our starting-place on the Red 

 Sea with excellent characters, which characters three of them 

 did most certainly not deserve ; one we have nicknamed the 

 " minstrel," on account of his singing at all hours of the day 

 and night the most monotonous and dreary airs ; love-songs 

 I am told they were, but certainly they sounded more like 

 funeral dirges to our perhaps unappreciative ears. He never did 

 more work than absolutely obliged, and always had to be driven 

 to do that ; he never prayed like other Mohammedans, except 

 when under the influence of drink, when the spirit moved him, 

 the prayers generally ending in a fight with his companions. 

 He was a good tracker, however, and very keen after meat, which 

 he and his companions consumed in incredible quantities, and 

 animal food not usually forming part of their repast during their 

 ordinary life, the excess was followed by great sufferings next 

 day, a complaint they were pleased to call " snake in the 

 stomach." Two others also were town Arabs, and therefore 

 not worth much. To protect them from all danger they had a 

 number of charms cased in leather suspended on their arm 

 above the elbow. The fourth was a native of the country, and 

 made up in excellence for the defects of all the others. He wore 

 his hair, as all the real Arabs hereabouts do, mop-like, in 

 a dense mass on the top of the head, with long plaited ringlets 

 hanging down all round to his shoulders almost. Away from 

 towns this is the only mode in which hair is worn ; the dressing 

 it is a long and very peculiar process, which we shall have an 



