300 
A CRUSADE IN THE EAST. 
in the obscurity, afforded me reasonable grounds for thinking 
that if any one of us ever lived to see daylight again, it would 
only be through the intervention of Providence : certainly 
there was nothing here to encourage such a hope. 
The ground being somewhat soft, I had the curiosity to feel 
it, and then take up a handful and smell it; by which means 
I became sensible of the fact that it consisted of a very rich 
deposit of manure. However, having a couple of mattresses, 
we spread them over it, and found that it made a very warm 
bed, although it must be admitted that the points of rock 
which came through it did not produce an agreeable sensation 
when they came in contact with our ribs. 
“ A stunning place, this,” said the English captain, good- 
humoredly. “Upon my word, I think we’ll have a jolly 
time of it to-night.” 
“ Yes ; very jolly : the fleas are getting lively already,” 
said the tall Southerner, scratching himself fiercely. 
“ Coffee !” said I; “ coffee, Yusef. Gentlemen, I hold it 
as a principle that coffee is an elixir for all the ills that flesh 
is heir to, provided it be sweetened with the sugar of—” 
“ Lead,” suggested the captain. 
“ No, sir ; the sugar of content. Coffee expands the soul, 
warms the imagination; sends a cheerful glow throughout 
the entire man after the toils of travel, and acts as nature’s 
balmy restorer, when sleep is banished by fortuitous circum¬ 
stances, or by—” 
“ Fleas,” said the captain, suddenly starting, as if stung by 
a wasp. “ What an abominable nuisance they are ! I’ll 
venture to assert that they are as large here as humble-bees. 
Never felt any thing like them in my life ! Stunning, quite 
stunning, I assure you !” 
There was no doubt of it. I began to feel them myself, 
though I had always boasted of being proof against such petty 
annoyances. They actually began to pierce like a thousand 
needles. Sometimes they pierced like cambric needles, and 
sometimes like large sail-needles ; and very often they pierced 
like all the needles that ever were manufactured, put together 
in assorted bunches. While Yusef and Francisco were absent 
