Page:The Northern Ḥeǧâz (1926).djvu/45

 but it is easy to distinguish which mark is the latest, and that indicates the owner.

While the camels were being branded I had a talk with the Fežîr whom ʻAwde had recommended to me as a guide. From his information, supplemented by that of others, I had drawn a sketch map, on the previous day, of the territory between al-Ǧafar and Tejma. I could see that he was well acquainted with the district, and I should have liked to secure his services as a guide; but he was unwilling to accompany me on account of the danger and therefore asked more than I could pay him. He wanted first a hundred and then fifty Turkish pounds ($450, $225) in gold, which were to be paid immediately, irrespective of whether we reached the oasis of Tejma or not. In addition I was to give him firearms and my own camel for the journey. It occurred to me that in case of attack he would not lose much if he left all his wages at home and took nothing of his own with him except his old garments. By fulfilling this demand, I should have placed myself entirely at the mercy of his caprice and should have been unable to obtain a cheaper leader later. I offered him one meǧîdijje (90 cents) per day and his railway transportation from any southern station as far as Maʻân, whence it would be easy for him to reach ʻAwde’s camp. The herdsman in charge of the camels, whom I also wished to engage, demanded two meǧîdijjât per day, his usual pay being four meǧîdijjât for a whole year. Both of them declared that they would accompany me only because they were fond of me, knowing as they did that they were threatened by certain death. ʻAwde sent for other guides, but they all demanded the same amount, their excuse being the danger which they would incur if they came with me. At last about twenty of them were sitting round me; one after another they described the horrors of thirst and the hostile bands that lay in wait during the summer season for travelers proceeding from the settlement of Maʻân direct to the oasis of Tejma. The more they talked, the more certain and terrible became the danger of death, until finally they declared that not a single one of them would accompany me. My native companions grew alarmed at this talk, and the