THE FLIGHT FROM TAJ 239 



for the moment against those who hampered, con- 

 sciously or unconsciously, the work of the Sayed. There- 

 fore he used to encourage us in friendly fashion, gather 

 news for us, explain exactly how we should treat such 

 and such a rumour and urge us to persevere. Yusuf 

 always laboured to vindicate the honour of the Sayeds. 

 IMohammed, knowing that no vindication was necessary, 

 laboured to accomplish through us the task he had been 

 given so many weeks before in Jedabia. The one thought 

 in terms of couss-couss and padded camel-saddles, the 

 other in something he vaguely termed work, but which, 

 of course, should logically have been the pencils and note- 

 books he distrusted! 



The day after our long expedition to Tolab was 

 El Gumma, so, luckily, breakfast — a mighty bowl of 

 pigeons, eggs and carrots — was sent to our house and 

 we stayed indoors till it was time for the noon prayers, 

 announced by the muezzin and by a runner who knocked 

 at the outer door of each house with his cry of in- 

 vitation ever repeated. Hassanein clothed himself in 

 the cleanest jerd and departed to the zawia with the 

 devout Mohanmied. I slipped into an outer room beyond 

 the mosque, for there was no place in the latter for 

 women, and watched the impressive scene, discreetly 

 hidden behind a pillar. All the ekhwan w^ere present in 

 their most resplendent silk jubbas, with snowy veils 

 above their many-coloured kufiyas. They made splashes 

 of vivid red, orange and green among the coarse white 

 jerds of the Beduins. After the last "Azzan," with 

 sound of fife and drum, escorted by a guard of soldier 

 slaves in their gala attire, khaki with sundry embroideries, 

 the kaimakaan arrived in state with Sidi Mohi ed Din 

 and Sidi Ibrahim the sons of Sayed Ahmed Sherif and 

 Sidi Senussi, son of Sidi el Abed. His usual grave 

 dignity was accentuated as he mounted the "mimbar," a 



