‘A Pilgrimage to Nejd, the cradle of the Arab race. A visit to the court of the Arab Emir, and "Our Persian Campaign."' [‎175] (228/334)

CH. Till.]
A ghastly tale.
175
followed their Shammar guides to this place, who to
all questions as to where they should find wells,
answered, a little further, a little further on. At
last the Bedouins left them. They seem to have
been brave fellows, for the last that was heard of
them was a sort of song or chorus which they sang
as they struggled on, " Nahnu askar ma nahnu ata-
sha nahnu askar ma benrld moyeh." "We are not
thirsty, we soldiers want no water. " But at noon
that day they must have lost heart, and lain down
under the bushes to get a sort of shade, and so they
were afterwards found scattered about in the different
fuijes. Some of their horses made their way back
to Jobba, and became the property of any who could
seize them. They were sold by these lucky people
for a few sheep or goats each. It is a ghastly tale.
A pleasanter one is that of two young lovers who
eloped from Jof, and were pursued by their relations.
Suspecting that they would be tracked, and to avoid
scandal, they had agreed that instead of walking
together, they would keep parallel lines about a
hundred yards apart and so set out on their journey,
and when they came to a certain fulj, which Radi
pointed out to us, they were too tired and lay down
to die each under his bush. Thus they were found
and fortunately in time, and their discretion so
pleased the relations on both sides, that consent was
given to their marriage, and the nuptials celebrated
with rejoicings.
At half-past ten we suddenly caught sight of the