ARAB GRATITUDE. 97 chammerdin ; flat cakes made of apricots and other things, a sweet compound of Syria; still left us, and at length the old Chingi, whom Joseph had often in the camp given medicine to with satisfactory results, sent us some milk in a girbe. We passed the night in sound agreeable sleep, and were only once awakened by the horrible bowlings of troops of hyenas prowling around the village, and setting all the dogs into commotion and uproar. At the entrance (bab) of our seriba slept Mohammed Din himself. In such good odour did we stand with the natives.

At sunrise next morning all in our seriba were in motion, as the soldiers were to accompany Mohammed Din, who was about to go, with the purpose of gathering contributions, to his tribe in the large village, Fille, which lies some two and a half or three hours' journey to the S.E. of Sheik Mussa's village, and is similar to all these settlements. Between the villages extend large fields or plains covered with durra, with a few trees interspersed among them. We also prepared for the march, and as we did so had again a good example of the ingratitude of these people ; — the old Chingi did not blush to demand back the old worthless girbe he had sent us the night before with the milk, and which, there being yet some left in it, we had already had packed on our camel.

Furious at such niggardly conduct in one who owed so much to ray brother's care and medical attention, I threw tlie skin, milk, and all to the ground, and rode off. AVe should have liked to have remained some time longer in Mitkenab, but the young relative of Sheik Mussa urged our departure, ready for which waited an Arab escort; and we held it wisest to follow his wellmeant advice, the more so as a report had been spread, — we knew not how or why, — that we had been expressly sent by the Pascha to take notes of the country and all we saw, so that he might hereafter be guided by these when he advanced into it. So had we not soon taken ourselves off, it might have easiljoccurred to the natives that it would be as well to put such dangerous notes and note-takers out of the way. At the edge of the forest a troop of Arabs, armed with shields and lances, friends of the Slieik Mussa, awaited us and accompanied us on our journey and as long as our way lay through this forest, we had to sit crouching on our dromedaries' backs, from the lowncss of the H