242 
JOURNEY FROM 
the annals of Border exploits. The animals had perhaps been sup- 
posed to be ours ; or it may be that the reaver was not particular 
as to property, and had merely contented himself with taking as 
much as he could carry off, without reference to the doctrine 
of retribution. Be this as it may, the visitation had in reality 
fallen upon the head of the proper person ; for had it not been 
for the intrigues of the Ddbbah, our obstinate friend would have 
been happy to sell us as many sheep as we might have required of 
him ; and we were all too well convinced of this circumstance to 
regret the loss which the old Shekh had sustained. 
Our stock of provisions, both for ourselves and our horses, was by 
this time so much diminished, that we had (we know not whether to 
say luckily or unluckily) no absolute occasion for the camels which 
were missing ; and the remaining ones had little more to carry, in 
addition to their former loads, than a collection of empty baskets and 
boxes, which could now only serve to feed the flames or the camels 
themselves There was in consequence no occasion for delaying 
our advance, by seeking to replace the loss sustained; and we con- 
tinued to move on as usual, with no other motive for discontent than 
the absence of old Shekh Mahommed, whom we sadly longed to 
plague on his indifference to the summons which had been so loudly 
* It must be observed, that an old wicker-basket is by no means an unsavoury dish 
for a hungry camel, and the animals in question had already dined off much tougher 
materials ; for the date-stones which we had occasionally given them, in the absence of 
other tenderer meat, were eaten up with a relish which left little room for doubting 
the speedy disappearance of hampers and baskets, whenever we might afford to serve 
them up as entremets. 
