339 
Wednesday, 9th September. 
The night was dark, and the ground wet with a heavy 
dew, which prevented us from discerning any thing at 
ten paces distance. I was at the head of the caravan, 
with eight or ten Arabs on horseback well armed, 
having before me the mule which carried my papers, 
and which I did not entrust to any person during the 
night. We were proceeding in this order when, about 
two o'clock in the morning, we discovered, at only 
twenty paces before us, a troop of horsemen. There 
was no longer time to withdraw or to stop. I immedi- 
ately cried out, " Out of the way, out of the way." 
The Bedouins answered with the same cry. We con- 
tinued our march with our sabres in hand. My mule 
was already in the midst of the enemy's troop. Several 
armed men belonging to the caravan ran to me; one of 
whom, who was at ten or twelve paces behind me, 
fired his gun at random, and the ball whizzed past my 
left ear. All this took place in less than a minute. The 
Bedouins seeing our formidable disposition, thought 
proper to retire. After saluting us, they continued 
their journey, no doubt respecting our force, for 
their party consisted but of twenty persons armed with 
lances. 
We followed the road towards the E. N. E., and 
halted at half past four in the morning, upon the bank 
of a canal near some farms, where they were threshing 
the grain. 
We set off at ten o'clock in the same direction, and 
crossed some hills of calcareous rocks, upon which 
were plantations of olive trees. We entered Aleppo at 
three in the afternoon. 
This city, called Haleb by the Arabs, has been the 
