TURKISH CAMP. 53 Josepli talking away in all languages, but not to me ; when he had a lucid minute, then his case was mine, mine his. To-day wo mutually joked each other, but a sorry jest it was, nor could we hide from each other our mutual fears for each other's lile. Two nights before I had been slightly delirious. What can courage or heart do without health or intellect ? In the morning the Pascha sent the cavaliy on to some wells that the Schaigies, with keen scent, had smelt out, not far oiF, behind the durra fields. Ere long, he, leaving camp and baggage without any covering force, set forward himself to have these wells opened, as they had been filled up. Again at mid-day, in the most fearful heat, came the order for the camp to follow him; but no one troubled their heads as to any regular order, or protective measures during its advance. My brother gazed in alarm on me, as, besides other bad symptoms, my tongue h.id become brown ; we wound our long white shawls turbanlike round our heads, and placed our hoods over them, as some protection against the sun's scorching rays. We rode almost an hour in a track running through immense fields of exceedingly high durra, here and there intersected by rows of trees; the soil all alongseemed exceedingly good, and everywhere the Arabs had most neatly led runs for irrigation. On arriving in camp, we found some dozen wells had been cleared out, and for each so cleared, the soldiers won fifty paras ; but now all were in full work, forming with trees and thorns an inclosure round the camp. Mohammed Ladjam sent us a curious scorpion,— pity it was so much injured; it was almost two fingers in length, black-brown in colour, tail and feet covered with thorn-like hairs, and nippers as large as those of a small crab. The Pascha stated that he had seen one in Iledschas, though somewhat less, with a double sting.

Axes were issued out to the troops, but such axes I—one finger's length long, and two broad! It is certainly a most amusing scene to watch a Turkish camp being pitched. All run against and through each other, men, camels, horses, asses, all mixed and mingling, each chooses out the spot that suits him best, there plants himself and beast, without the slightest heed being paid to forming divisions or leaving passages. We threw ourselves down under a green tree near a cotton plantation, while our servants unloaded our camels, pitched our tent, &c., and from under our E 3