178 
The sun was nearly setting when a messenger came 
to inform us, that the Emir had granted a diminution 
of the contribution, and that every pilgrim must pay 
two hundred francs. This produced fresh sorrow and 
tears among my fellow travellers, who had really no 
money. 
At sun-set they led us to a hollow, where they made 
us sit down in two separate groups. A great number 
of Wehhabites arrived soon afterwards, which filled my 
companions with terror. I must own I was much afraid 
myself, that I should soon witness a bloody scene, to 
which our poor Turks would furnish victims. I feared 
not for my own safety, because I was considered as a 
Mogrebin Arab, and the Turks could not assert the 
contrary: however I was not the less deeply afflicted 
for the uncertainty of the fate of these unfortunate peo- 
ple, who, had it not been for me, would never have 
undertaken the journey, and unfortunately I had not 
any influence or means to guarantee them from calamity* 
An hour passed in this anguish, and some more sol- 
diers arrived, who ordered us to mount, and conducted 
us to another spot, giving us to understand that the 
Emir wished to examine each of us in private. We 
retraced our steps. The night was exceedingly dark. 
We passed Djiedida, and shortly afterwards halted for 
the remainder of this unhappy night. 
The next morning, Friday the 3d of April, a little 
before sun-rise, we were ordered to mount, and we 
continued our retrograde route, escorted only by three 
Wehhabite soldiers. 
Two hours afterwards I perceived an encampment 
composed of handsome tents. I thought we were going 
to be presented to the Emir, but I soon perceived that 
this assemblage of people consisted of the priests, ser- 
