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JOURNEY FROiM 
to bring their camels to be loaded as usual ; whereas one single 
word from him would, at any time of the dispute, have been suffi- 
cient to put an end to it altogether. 
This farce was kept up, however, with all due solemnity ; and as 
an opening was now made towards accommodation, we left Shekh 
Mahommed to manage matters in his own way, without letting him 
know we saw through his manoeuvres. It must be allowed, at the 
same time, that the acting on both sides was excellent : some pre- 
tended they were weighing the Dhbbah’s arguments very gravely, 
while others made a show of not listening to them at all, and 
walked away towards their camels as if to drive them away, the old 
Shekh following closely, and holding them by the baracan, while he 
went through all the manual of pantomimic persuasion. At last he 
made his appearance in our servants’ tent, and told them very 
gravely that he had succeeded in appeasing the malcontents, who 
had now agreed to drop their demands, and to bring their camels to 
be loaded. He then went through a long string of arguments which 
he had been obliged to use to induce them to make these conces- 
sions, but all of which had proved unavailing ; and he promised at 
last (he majestically asserted) laying his hand at the same time on 
his breast, to be answerable for the money himself! Nothing, how- 
ever, would do, till he fortunately bethought himself of offering in 
pledge the new gold-lace crimson burnoose, which His Highness the 
Bashaw had presented him with on his departure from Tripoly ! All 
eyes, he observed, were fixed on it, as he drew this precious object 
out of the bag ; and when he unfolded the eloquent garment, and 
