THE BATTLE OF THE MULETEERS. 283 
and die by the avenging hand of Yusef Badra !” I declare, 
on the veracity of a traveler, it was the most desperate and 
exciting conflict I ever beheld. By the time I had ridden up to 
the assistance of our friend who was so bravely defending us, 
I could not perceive that there was a single live person left, and 
even the dead had disappeared. “Why, in the name of com¬ 
mon sense,” said I, “what have you been shooting at and 
killing all this time?” “Killing!” shouted Yusef fiercely, 
his eyes starting from their sockets, while he panted and 
foamed with rage; “killing! I could kill forty thousand of 
them ! There never was a Bedouin yet that could stand be¬ 
fore me. I only wish I had some of the rascals here now!” 
“Keep cool, Yusef,” said I, alarmed at the frightening de¬ 
monstrations he was making, “keep cool, it’s much the best 
way.” “ Cool, sir ! By Allah, I’ll go back to the village this 
very moment and kill a dozen of ’em for pastime. Do you 
think, prince of Generals ! that I’m afraid of a beggarly set 
of Bedouins !” “ No, certainly not, Yusef,” said I, soothingly. 
“Nevertheless,” cried he, fired by another sudden burst of 
fury, “ I must, by the beard of the Prophet I must, go back 
and kill a dozen of ’em, or I can’t sleep to-night!” Saying 
which he clapped heels to his horse, and was about to dash 
off again, when I shouted, “Hold, Yusef, hold ! I insist that 
you leave those Bedouins alone, and don’t attack them. Ile- 
member what our defenseless condition would be during your 
absence!” “True, General, true; I won’t attack ’em to¬ 
night for your sake. I respect you, oh, glorious General! 
commander of all the military forces in America ! I love 
you better than the brother of my heart ! This night you 
shall sleep soundly in Ain-el-Malaha.” 
We rode on peacefully for some distance after this, and en¬ 
countered no other immediate danger than that of being 
walked over by several caravans of camels heavily laden 
with produce for the markets of Damascus, which we met 
in some of the narrow passes as we approached the Mill of 
Malaha. 
When there was nothing particular to occupy our attention 
in the way of ruins or scenery, it sometimes happened that 
