REQUIRES AN AMULET. 335 



pray to Allah to grant him his request, Ohmed 

 Medina, who was interpreter, slyly nudged me to 

 give the man something or other and send him 

 away. I consented very reluctantly to be a party 

 to any such imposition, but scrawling some figures 

 on a bit of paper, and writing down that I thought 

 the bearer a regular simpleton, I told Ohmed 

 Medina to assure him that whilst he wore that 

 round his neck he would never die in child-bed. 

 My bad Arabic, perfectly understood by Ohmed 

 Medina, was sufficiently obscure to lead the man to 

 think I was promising him, if not a quantity of 

 children, at least one son before he died, and per- 

 fectly satisfied with this, he thankfully received the 

 potent charm, and went his way rejoicing ; I and 

 Ohmed Medina having a good laugh at his folly, 

 and the harmless deception that, in consequence of 

 his importunity, I had been obliged to practise 

 upon him. 



A large sand-spout passed over the camp again 

 to-day, accompanied with thunder and some few 

 drops of rain. The usual laughable pursuit on its 

 retreat, made by the Kafilah men after their tobes 

 and mats, which had been carried away and spread 

 over the plain, occasioned considerable merriment, 

 especially as my broad-brimmed hat also took an 

 extraordinary flight, pursued by the whole escort, 

 who, I really believe, were very sorry when they 

 caught it, such a game they had in following it up. 



Great numbers of Wahama Bedouins visited us 



