230 
At eleven o'clock we arrived at a place called Abou- 
aarouk, where we halted near a miserable well of bitter 
stinking water. 
The preceding day I had ordered eight great pitchers 
to be filled with the excellent «water of El Wadi. When 
they unloaded the camels I perceived that only four full 
ones remained, and the four others were empty. I im- 
mediately asked the chief of the caravan who was with 
me, when and where I should be able to meet with 
good water. He replied not before we arrived at El 
Arisch, that is to say, four days journey from thence; 
I instantly recollected the accident of the 4th of August 
1805, which happened in the Sahara or Desert of Mo- 
rocco; and finding myself again in the middle of a desert 
without a sufficient quantity of water, I could not re- 
strain my indignation, and drew my sword against my 
servants. On seeing me thus irritated all the travellers, 
and even the Scheik of the caravan, threw themselves 
upon the ground; this sight disarmed my wrath, but 
such was my agitation that in the act of returning my 
sabre into its scabbard, I thrust the blade into the upper 
part of my left thigh, to the depth of nine lines. 
The instant that I felt the wound I put the sabre with 
more care into the scabbard, and went into my tent, 
where I found myself inundated with a torrent of blood 
which seemed arterial. I ordered my medicine chest to 
be brought immediately, and after suffering the blood 
to discharge itself from the vessels, I washed the part 
with cold water, then opening the lips of the wound, I 
poured in some catholic balsam, and put a large piece 
of lint dipped in the same over it; after which I formed 
three fillets into a bandage which reached round my 
loins, to secure the plaster against any accident. I went 
to bed in order to be tranquil, and observed a suitable 
