THE GREAT ADVENTURE 13 



others, he is interested in the ways of Europe. "I think 

 we should get on well," he said, "for you are as curious 

 about me as I am about you!" 



The memorj^ of that dinner will haunt me for a long 

 time, for it consisted of twelve courses, of which eight 

 were meat in one form or another. We began eating at 

 seven-thirty and at ten-thirty the beautifully scented 

 tea with sprigs of mint made its welcome appearance. 

 Dm-ing these three hours we ate soup, chicken, hashed 

 mutton, slices of roast mutton, aubergines stuffed with 

 sausage meat, fried chops, shoulder of mutton cooked 

 in batter, ragout of mutton with vegetables, stuffed 

 tomatoes, boiled mutton with marrow, savoury rice and 

 sweet omelette. It can be easily imagined that the feast 

 left us a httle silent and comatose, but not so our host. 

 He was literally brimming over with kindness and fore- 

 thought. I was suffering at the time from a severely 

 dislocated foot, which had not been improved by the long 

 ride, and I was obliged to hobble in one shoe and a 

 swollen native slipper by the aid of a stick. Sayed Rida 

 slipped away for a minute in the middle of the meal and 

 when we left the house, lo and behold, a horse was waiting 

 for me outside the door! His kindliness was as simple 

 and natm-al as his whole bearing. We asked him if 

 he travelled much and he replied, "I have not time. I 

 have so much work. You know it is just like planting 

 a garden. Everything grows and grows till one's time 

 is full!" This from the Emir's wakil, whose word was 

 borne across half the deserts of the world, to Nigeria, to 

 the Sudan, to the outposts of Morocco, to the doors 

 of the "House of Allah" (Mecca). 



I remember opening my shutters that night to a flood 

 of moonlight as clear as the day. A faint myrrh-scented 

 breeze, icy cold from the Sahara, came in, and I 

 wondered whether it had blown over the unknown oasis 



