51£ 
Riley's narrative. 
story, at the relation of >vhich he was affected 
even to tears, an emotion of which he was asham- 
ed, saying, that " men who had beards like him 
" ought not to shed tears/' At the entreaty of 
Riley, he agreed to purchase and convey him to 
Sweerah, (Mogadore) ; but he was not so far 
blinded by humanity, as not to drive as hard a 
bargain as possible ; assuring our traveller, that 
if deceived as to the ransom, he would cut his 
throat. On the 24th, Riley, to his infinite satis- 
faction, saw the price paid for himself, consisting 
of two blankets, one cotton covering, and a bun- 
dle of ostrich feathers. From this time his suf- 
ferings were no longer so extreme. His skin, 
however, was severely excoriated by riding with- 
out saddle on the hard backs of the camels, often 
fifty,, seventy, or even a hundred miles in the 
day. The surface of the desert was a dead le-. 
vel, like the sea when unruffled by the slightest 
breeze. Camels, discoverable at a vast distance, 
were seen traversing it in every direction. At one 
place, near the sea-shore, they came to a chain of 
loose sand hills, piled up like drifted snow ; " here 
" was no path to guide our footsteps, nor had we 
" a compass to direct our course, obstructed by 
" these dreadful barriers." The trade wind, 
hitherto refreshing, now blew like a tempest, and 
drove the sand in clouds, cutting their flesh like 
hailstones, and often hiding them from the view 
