‘A Pilgrimage to Nejd, the cradle of the Arab race. A visit to the court of the Arab Emir, and "Our Persian Campaign."' [‎190] (221/326)

190 Our Persian Campaign. [on. iv.
tant when they cause delay, and we have been in
much trouble about getting servants.
This town life is certainly not healthy in the
great heat (and summer has come upon us in
earnest) ; and every day wasted will make travel
ling more difficult, and the heat greater. We hope,
however, that we have settled all with the governor,
but until we are actually off 1 shall not be at ease.
The wakil Elected representative or attorney, acting in legal matters such as contracting marriage, inheritance, or business; a high-ranking legal official; could also refer to a custodian or administrator. has reluctantly promised us an escort
for Bebahan, protesting that the country between
it and Shustar is so unsafe, that he cannot
guarantee our safety, but he may at the last mo
ment recall his promise. And we are still without
a servant, except a little man who takes the
camels out to graze in the morning, and brings
them home at night. This little man says he will
go with us, but I doubt his doing so when the
moment comes; so many people have offered their
services and then backed out, amongst them the
so-called “ Sheykh ” Mohammed, our acquaintance
of the mill and not a sheykh at all, only a zellem
of Chaab extraction, and a householder of Shustar.
But we do not like him, nor any of the candidates,
except two soldiers, and these we cannot have, as
they belong to the small garrison of the kalat, and
the governor refuses to give them leave.
The governor has been very suspicious of us, and
thrown all the obstacles he could in our way. He
came yesterday, fortunately not till "Wilfrid was
better and able to receive him, and was evidently