‘A Pilgrimage to Nejd, the cradle of the Arab race. A visit to the court of the Arab Emir, and "Our Persian Campaign."' [‎31] (74/334)

cir. n.]
We start for Nejd.
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a sort of romantic interest, one cannot help feeling,
going as it does so far and through such desolate
lands, a track so many thousand travellers have
followed never to return. I suppose in its long
history a grave may have been dug for every yard
of its course from Damascus to Medina, for, espe
cially on the return journey, there are constantly
deaths among the pilgrims from weariness and
insufficient food.
Our caravan, waiting at the gate, presented a
very picturesque appearance. Each of the deluls
carries a gay pair of saddle-bags in carpet-work,
with long worsted tassels hanging down on each
side half way to the ground ; and they have orna
mented reshmehs or headstalls to match. The
camels, too, though less decorated, have a gay
look; and Wilfrid on the chestnut mare ridden in a
halter wants nothing but a long lance to make him
a complete Bedouin. The rest of our party consists,
besides Mohammed and Hanna, who have each of
them a delul to ride, of Mohammed's "cousin"
Abdallah, whom we call Sheykh of the camels, with
his two Agheyl assistants, Awwad, a negro, and a
nice-looking boy named Abd er-Rahman. These,
with Mohammed, occupy one of the servants' tents,
while Hanna and his " brother" Ibrahim have
another, for even in the desert distinctions of re
ligious caste will have to be preserved. It is a great
advantage in travelling that the servants should be
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as much as possible strangers to each other, and of