CHAPTER X 



FEASTS IN THE HOLY PLACE 



JANUARY 13, therefore, should have seen the 

 successful termination of our long journey, instead 

 of which it saw us prisoners in earnest until a 

 furiously ridden white donkey appeared on the horizon, 

 amidst a whirl of tarboush tassel, rifle and long legs 

 ending in bright j^ellow slippers, each swinging wildly at 

 different angles. All this because Abdullah over-reached 

 himself. In order to make our destruction certain he 

 went to the kaimakaan at Jof and warned him that we 

 were two Christians from Italy disguised as Moslems and 

 that we were learning all about the country in order to 

 conquer it later on. "It is impossible," said that official 

 loyally. "They have letters from the Sayeds." "What 

 is writing?" said Abdullah. "They have cheated the 

 Sayeds, I tell you. Ever since they left they have been 

 secretly making maps. They had watches on the feet of 

 the camels, and the Sitt held a watch in her hand all the 

 time [my compass]. They hang a strange thing on their 

 tent — a weapon to kill us if we come near [the barom- 

 eter] and they have spectacles which make the country 

 look big while it is far away." He drew such lurid pic- 

 tures of our nefarious designs that the kaimakaan was 

 determined at all costs to protect his beloved Sayeds from 

 the consequences of their mistake. "They must not 

 leave Hawari," he said firmly. "In a few days they 

 must go back. The honour of our princes will thus be 

 saved." Abdullah agreed warmly, believing that in a 



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