CHAP. IV.] 
A FORCED MARCH . 
103 
visions piled upon their backs were soon ripped by the 
hooked thorns of the mimosa—the salt, rice, and coffee 
bags all sprang leaks, and small streams of these im¬ 
portant stores issued from the rents, which the men 
attempted to repair by stuffing dirty rags into the 
holes. These thorns were shaped like fish-hooks, thus 
it appeared that the perishable baggage must soon 
become an utter wreck, as the great strength and 
weight of the camels bore all before them, and some¬ 
times tore the branches from the trees, the thorns 
becoming fixed in the leather bags. Meanwhile the 
donkeys walked along in comfort, being so short that 
they and their loads were below the branches. 
I dreaded the approach of night. We were now 
at the foot of a range of high rocky hills, from which 
the torrents during the rainy season had torn countless 
ravines in their passage through the lower ground ; 
we were marching parallel to the range at the very 
base, thus we met every ravine at right angles. Down 
tumbled a camel; and away rolled his load of bags, 
pots, pans, boxes, &c. into the bottom of a ravine in a 
confused ruin.—Halt! « . and the camel had to be 
raised and helped up the opposite bank, while the late 
avalanche of luggage was carried piecemeal after him 
to be again adjusted. To avoid a similar catastrophe 
the remaining three camels had to be unloaded , and 
re-loaded when safe upon the opposite bank. The 
operation of loading a camel with about 700 lbs. of 
luggage of indescribable variety is at all times tedious; 
but no sooner had we crossed one ravine with difficulty 
than we arrived at another, and the same fatiguing 
operation had to be repeated, with frightful loss of 
time at the moment when I believed the Turks were 
following on our path. 
My wife and I rode about a quarter of a mile at the 
head of the party as an advance guard, to warn the 
caravan of any difficulty. The very nature of the 
country declared that it must be full of ravines, and 
yet I could not help hoping against hope that we 
