DELAYS. 



381 



promising to return the next day, she left me to rest, 

 declaring that sleep would cause a cure. The pre- 

 diction, however, was not fulfilled, nor was the pro- 

 mise. Having become wealthy, she absconded to in- 

 dulge in unlimited pombe for a week. The usual con- 

 sequences of this " seasoning," distressing weakness, he- 

 patic derangements, burning palms, and tingling soles, 

 aching eyes, and alternate thrills of heat and cold, 

 lasted, in my case, a whole month. 



Our departure from Kazeh had now been repeatedly 

 deferred. The fortnight originally fixed for the halt 

 had soon passed in the vain search for porters. Sick- 

 ness then delayed the journey till the 1st December, and 

 Snay bin Amir still opined that want of carriage would 

 detain me till the 19th of that month; he would not 

 name the 18th, which was an unlucky day. When they 

 recovered from their ailments, the Jemadar and the 

 Baloch again began to be troublesome. All declared 

 that a whole year, the term for which they had been 

 sent by their Prince, had elapsed, and therefore that 

 they had now a right to return. The period was wholly 

 one of their own, based perhaps upon an answer which 

 they had received from Lieut. -Col. Hamerton touching 

 the probable duration of the Expedition, " a year or 

 so." Even of that time it still wanted five months, 

 but nothing from myself or from Said bin Salim could 

 convince men who would not be convinced, of that 

 simple fact. Ismail, the Baloch, who was dying of dy- 

 sentery, reported himself unable to proceed : arrange- 

 ments were made to leave him and his " brother " 

 Shahdad — the fearful tinkling of whose sleepless guitar 

 argued that the sweet youth was in love — under the 

 charge of Snay bin Amir, at Kazeh. Greybeard Mo- 

 hammed was sulking with his fellows. He sat apart from 



