depart, and several had mounted their camels. “ Good
bye,” I said; “ give my salaams to the sheik when
you arrive at Geera; hut the first camel that passes
the gate of the zareeba (camp) I shall shoot through
the head.” They had heard the sharp click of the
locks, and they remembered the firing of the grass on a
former occasion when I had nearly burnt the camp ;—
not a camel moved. My Tokrooris and Taher Noor
now came forward as mediators, and begged me not
to shoot the camels. As I had the rifle pointed, I
replied to this demand conditionally, that the Arabs
should dismount and unsaddle immediately : this led
to a parley, and I agreed to become responsible for
the value of the camels should they be stolen in Mek
Nimmur’s country. The affair was settled.
On March 16th, the day following this argument, as
we were sitting in the evening beneath our trees in
the river’s bed, I suddenly heard the rattle of loose
stones, and immediately after, a man on a white hygeen
appeared from the jungle on our side of the river,
followed quickly by a string of Arabs, all well mounted,
who silently followed in single file towards the ford.
They had not noticed us, as we were close to the high
rocky bank upon their left, in the deep shade of the
tamarind trees. I counted twenty-three ; their shields
and swords were slung upon their hygeens, and, as
their clothes were beautifully clean, they had evidently
started that morning from their homes.
The leader had reached the ford without observing
us, as in this wild spot he had expected no one, and
the whole party were astonished and startled when I
suddenly addressed them with a loud “ Salaam alei-
kum” (peace be with you). At first they did not
reply, but as, I advanced alone, their leader also advanced
from his party, and we met half way. These
were a troop of Mek Nimmur’s people on a foray. I
quickly explained who I was, and I invited him to
come and drink coffee beneath the shade in our camp.
Taher Noor now joined us, and confidence having been
established, the leader ordered his party to cross the
ford and to unsaddle on the opposite side of the river,
while he accompanied me to our camp. At first he
was rather suspicious, but a present of a new tarboosh
(cap), and a few articles of trifling value, quickly reassured
him, and he promised to be our guide to Mek
Nimmur in about a couple of days, upon his return from
a marauding expedition on the frontier; his party
bad appointed to unite with a stronger force, and to
make a razzia upon the cattle of the Dabaina Arabs.
During the night, the marauding party and their
leader departed.
There was no game at Ombrega, therefore I employed
the interval of two days in cleaning all the
rifles, and in preparing for a fresh expedition, as
that of the Settite and Royan had been completed.
The short Tatham No. 10 rifle carried a heavy
cylinder, instead of the original spherical ball. I
had only fired two shots with this rifle, and the
recoil had been so tremendous, owing to the heavy
weight of the' projectile, that I had mistrusted the