‘A JOURNEY IN THE EAST’ 371 
bills passed over our camp, and as many as could find room 
settled on the low trees to roost. At sunset we all returned 
to dine, and though silence soon reigned throughout the 
camp, I heard, just as I was falling asleep, the howling of the 
hungry jackals quite close to the tents. 
Karly on the 8th of April the servants struck the tents, and 
the caravan soon got under weigh. At first we had to traverse 
the tiresome track down this side valley; but in the main 
valley it was better going, and keeping to the base of the hills 
we galloped over the good steppe-ground, till after a ride of 
two hours we reached a marshy hollow. Some clumps of 
bushes and a reedy swamp, unhappily rather too large, showed 
that this was a likely place for game. Salim and his fleet- 
footed men were already there, but as his district now came 
to an end, another troop of Bedouins, led by a handsome 
Sheikh, and followed by some large dogs, were awaiting our 
_ arrival. 
The men on foot were dressed just like Salim’s followers, 
but their leader seemed to be more well-to-do, for he had a 
fine chestnut horse, with richly ornamented saddle-trappings, 
and wore gay garments, a large coloured turban, high yellow 
morocco-leather boots, and a handsome Turkish sabre, while 
his whole appearance was more suggestive of the Central 
Asiatic tribes than of the true Arabs. 
He escorted thé Grand Duke, Hoyos, and myself to our 
posts on the further side of the reed-bed with great politeness, 
the other gentlemen continuing their long march with the 
caravan. 
Some tracks of wild boars and hyenas filled us with great 
hopes; but we were, however, doomed to be sadly disap- 
pointed, for the tract of reeds proved to be so large and 
marshy that the men could not drive it, and the whole beat 
consisted in their running round its outskirts with a great 
2B2 
