OHMED MEDINA. 151 



than one half of it overlaid with thin plates of 

 silver. He evidently cared very little for the re- 

 ported character of the Bedouins, as regarded their 

 rapacity, and felt quite equal to a contest with 

 them on any disputed question that might arise. 

 He attended very strictly to his religious duties, but 

 was far from being a bigot, excepting in always 

 expecting the coffee to be first handed to him on 

 occasions of drinking it with me, and as I was 

 indebted to his presence for that real enjoyment of 

 travelling, which can only arise from a conscious- 

 ness of security, I was very willing to make even 

 greater concessions, than in this simple act, to 

 secure his friendship and good-will. As with him 

 no treachery could be suspected, I have frequently, 

 without any other companion, traversed for hours 

 the sandy plains, or stone-covered flat-topped 

 ridges that constitute almost the whole country 

 between Tajourah and the Hawash. He was par- 

 ticularly quick in comprehending my ideas, clothed 

 as they were in very bad Arabic, and as we soon 

 got accustomed to a short vocabulary of the most 

 useful words, and resorted to familiar comparisons, 

 when we wished to convey abstruse ideas, we talked 

 away for hours together ; he amusing me by the 

 simplicity of several of his remarks respecting 

 European politics and customs ; and I giving him 

 long accounts of our wars, our commerce, and our 

 religion. His extensive knowledge of the whole 



