202 
JOURNEY FROM 
Early the next morning, as we were making the customary prepa- 
rations for continuing our journey, we perceived that our new camel- 
drivers had all assembled together, and on being told to bring the 
camels as usual, not one of them stirred from his place, the whole 
party exclaming in concert, in no very conciliatory tones, hiit el flus, 
hat el flus, give us the money. Here was evidently one of those 
concerted manoeuvres which Arabs of all classes are so skilful in 
practising ; but we were at a loss to conjecture its real cause, which 
is generally very different from the apparent one. At Boosaida, 
where the camels were hired, we had arranged with the Dhbbah 
that they should be paid for on arriving at Bengazi ; and the camel- 
drivers themselves, who (with the exception of one) were all his own 
relations, had certainly understood and agreed to this arrangement. 
But they were now in a place which was too well adapted to their 
views to be passed without inventing some scheme for extorting 
money, a practice which is seldom omitted by an Arab when he 
thinks there is a proper opportunity for making such an attempt. 
A more dreary and barren spot could scarcely have been anywhere 
found than that which our friends here selected ; it was at least 
two days’ journey from any encampment, and wholly without pro- 
duce of any kind ; if we except the rocks and stones of the soil, 
and the jackalls and hyaenas which sheltered themselves among them. 
It was imagined that being here without any resource, unable to 
procure either provisions or water, and far from any inhabited place, 
we should necessarily be induced to comply with whatever demands 
it might be advisable to make on the occasion. They could not 
