THE ESCAPE FROM JEDABIA 61 



had sent on with an amused message written on the 

 back: 



"Nous vous envoyons noire sincere admiration pour 

 Vaptitude que vou^ avez pour des decisions tfes rapides, 

 avec nos meilleurs souhaits d'un bon et tres long voyage 

 desertique!" 



I think the French emanated from the cavalry officer 

 with a sense of humour. From the beginning he may- 

 have suspected our whole project, but, a noted fencer, 

 he was as clever with words as with the foils. However, 

 we knew that a messenger who confessed that he had 

 been told to follow us even unto Jalo would not be 

 sent merely to bring us an unimportant letter. He was 

 intended to find out our destination for certain, so we 

 thought he had better wait with us until the caravan 

 arrived or until we ourselves left for Jalo. Farraj 

 amused us immensely, for, having got it into his head 

 that the man was a spy, he wanted to shoot him at 

 once. It took a good deal of persuasion on our part to 

 prevent this bloodthirsty deed. "The Sayed told me to 

 protect you. If I do not kill this man, the Sayed will 

 surely kill me," he said morosely. We comforted him 

 by telling him to watch that the man did not escape, 

 but not to hurt him, yet when Hassanein was asleep 

 that afternoon, and I heard the click of a rifle lock, I 

 rushed frantically to see that the man was safe. He, 

 too, had come without any food. The improvidence of 

 the race had begun to anger me. Should manna fall 

 from heaven, I believe they would eat their fill and pick 

 up none for the morrow! 



We broke the news to the retinue that we should have 

 to leave the blacks at the nuggas to wait for the caravan 

 and to hurry it up when it finally arrived, and ourselves 

 go on to Aujela by forced marches. We told them we 

 would start early and ride ten or eleven hours a day, pitch 



