CH. IX. SAD CONDITION OF OUB CAMP. 237 



turned into a large pool of slippery mud. Hooker's tent 

 had been left standing ; but the wet had worked its way 

 inside, and there was scarcely a dry spot to be found, 

 while there was no choice but to pitch the smaller tents 

 in the midst of the general sludge. In such a case the 

 best plan is to make a floor of branches and leafy twigs, 

 and the carob trees that grew close at hand were at once 

 requisitioned for the purpose. The Alpine Club tent, 

 though the canvas was wet, when set over this rough 

 flooring, afforded very tolerable shelter and freedom from 

 the all-pervading mud. 



The advantages of this tent were further proved during 

 the night. When pitched in open ground it depends, like 

 every other tent, on such support as tent pegs can give ; 

 but when trees are at hand the supporting rope can be 

 rigged fore and aft in such a way as to defy any storm to 

 upset it. During the night a furious gale arose, as it 

 seemed, quite suddenly, accompanied by torrents of rain ; 

 the tent pegs were drawn out of the muddy soil ; and 

 twice Hooker's tent fell bodily to the ground, luckily with 

 no other bad result than to envelop the sleeper in the 

 clanamy folds of the wet canvas. The soldiers contrived 

 to keep their tent standing ; but those who mounted guard, 

 and the natives sent by the sheik for the same duty, must 

 have passed a miserable night. The excitement caused 

 by the falling of the tent, when the whole camp turned 

 out with loud outcries, must have been welcome as a relief 

 from the dreariness of the time. 



The storm of the night marked the end of the bad 

 weather, and the morning of the 18th brought back to us 

 the clear air and blue sky to which we had been hitherto 

 accustomed, and which rarely left us during the remainder 

 of our journey. The morning hours were fully occupied, 

 and the short time we could spare for examining the low 

 ground near our camp enabled us to add several species 

 to our lists. Having packed up our collections in tolerable 

 condition, notwithstanding all the difficulties of the last 



