QUARREL WITH THE WAHAMA. 215 



the wound with the hot water Zaido had prepared 

 for the purpose of cleaning my gun, a poultice 

 was made with some biscuits that remained, and 

 binding it on the injured part I retired with 

 gloomy anticipations of the morrow's examination, 

 expecting to find a most extensive injury done to 

 the tendons of my hand. I could not help though 

 being much amused, with the very-varying accounts 

 of this accident, related by the Bedouins to their 

 women, or strangers, who visited the camp. 



Among other visitors, were six Wahamas, who 

 came to make some proposition of peace to the 

 Hy Soumaulee people, and on whose account a 

 long calahm was held, for three or four hours 

 during the day. One of them had relations with 

 us, an old man and his son, the wife of the former 

 being the aunt of one of the Wahama, and after the 

 calahm, the family party retired together to the 

 shade of a large mimosa tree, a few hundred yards 

 from the camp, where they sat for some time in 

 friendly conversation. 



About four o'clock, a sudden commotion among 

 the Kafilah men, all rushing to spears and 

 shields, and loud shouts of " Ahkeem ! Ahkeem ! ' 

 awoke me from my siesta. Jumping up from my 

 mat, I seized my firearms,- and ran towards the 

 place where Ohmed Medina and Ebin Izaak w r ere 

 beckoning me to come. In front, was a crowd of 

 some twelve or fourteen men fighting in the 

 greatest desperation, and so near to us, that the 



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