against his will, we judged it better to dispense with all such logical
minutiae on a subject where the parties were not likely to agree,
and, dropping the argument, we took up the sheep, and tendered
the money we had offered for it. Our opponent, however, was . still
as obstinate as before in refusing to take our piastres, though he
saw a fat sheep take its departure from his flock, and occupy a
position upon our Chaous’s shoulders, while nothing remained to
him in lieu of it. We had no doubt, on our! leaving him, that he
would change his mind before long, and told him, in consequence,
where we meant to pitch our tents, that he might come for his
money at his own leisure and convenience. But the sheep was killed
and eat, at least a good part of it, and still no shepherd appeared;
and we went to sleep in full assurance that he Would , come the next
morning before the camels were loaded. During the night our
Arab watch-dog kept up a continual barking, very much to the
annoyance of old Shekh Mahommed, who was always rejoiced to
have any opportunity of finding fault with poor Morzouk, whom he
frequently honoured with the titles of useless cur, noisy rascal, and
other equally flattering appellations. Our whole party, however,
were too much tired with the day’s exertions to pay any particular
attention to this warning; and indeed it must be said that our
shaggy young guardian was too. much ip the habit of employing
his nights in barking merely for his private amusement, to render
any further notice of him absolutely necessary, than that of lifting
up occasionally the canvass of the tent to throw a stick or a stone
at him, accompanied in general with some little verbal admonition.
No one, however, was kept awake on this occasion, so far as we have
been able to learn, but old Shekh Mahommed el Dhbbah; and we
have reason to believe that his opinion of Morzouk’s sagacity was
not quite so indifferent after this night’s alarm, as it had been before
its occurrence; for the first thing which be discovered on turning
out in the morning, which he usually did very early, was that three
of his camels were missing ; and on summoning his people, and
searching everywhere in the neighbourhood, no traces whatever
could be seen of them, but the track of their footsteps in the sand,
with those of a man in their company.
I t was impossible not to laugh when the fact became current that
some of the Dhbbah’s camels had been stolen, and we really believe
that every individual of our party, with the exception of himself and
his sons, were wicked enough to enjoy the Circumstance, and to consider
it as an excellent joke. No sooner were the traces observed
by the Dtibbah of the man’s footsteps who had carried off his camels,
than he knew them to be those, at least so he declared, of our obstinate
friend the shepherd above mentioned. The man certainly
never made his appearance again while we remained in the neighbourhood,
and it is probable that he took this summary process of
paying himself for the sheep which had been so unceremoniously
transferred from his flock to our kitchen kettle.
Three camels were no doubt something more than a fair remuneration
for the loss of a single sheep; but then something was to
be allowed for the risk of the raid, and everybody owned that the
camels had been lifted in a very neat and expeditious manner, such
as would not have disgraced the keenest moss-trooper on record in