136 TKAVEL, ADVENTURE, AND SPORT. 



bold to say that they had never seen such an entry 

 before. The mode of travelling is so strictly regu- 

 lated by necessity, that in all probability, of all the 

 few Franks who have entered this place, none have 

 ever done so in the independent style we affected. 

 At least, if by chance some couple may have done 

 so, it has certainly been where there has existed a 

 knowledge of the people and language. If our ap- 

 pearance did not at first enlighten them as to our 

 greenness and ignorance, we soon stood confessed by 

 our attempts at inquiry. Our first object was, of 

 course, to discover the habitation of the Seraph, 

 whose name we had written down in our own char- 

 acter, as the hieroglyphics which stood for direction 

 to the letter would have been no guide to us. !Now 

 our stock of words did not go the length of any 

 direct inquiry ; for Kateh saket, our old stand-by, 

 was now used up. 



" Seraph ! Seraph ! " we sang out, with as strong 

 an expression of inquiry as we could throw into our 

 looks and gestures. At this some of them certainly 

 did look up, but with the least excitement conceivable. 

 One of the more benevolent vouchsafed to us a few 

 words, but soon stopped with the most unmistakable 

 look of pity when he saw that we did not understand 

 him. Evidently he pitied our ignorance and despised 

 us. No further attempt was made to enlighten us ; 

 nor were the peaceful seniors in the least discomposed 

 at the unsuccessful result of the inquiries that possibly 



