Page:The Northern Ḥeǧâz (1926).djvu/46

 gendarme Ismaʻîn whispered to me that he would rather return to Maʻân than go with me to death: I should not forget that he had a young wife and three children and that it would be difficult for me to bear the responsibility before Allâh if through my fault his children became orphans.

Ḥarb eben ʻAṭijje now entered the camp again, sat down near my baggage, called my companion Ǧwâd to him, and questioned him concerning me. He was probably annoyed at not having yet received the gifts he had demanded. I had already sent him word on Saturday that I should be glad to give him something as a keepsake but not until I was in his territory and in his tent. On account of this annoyance he wished to frighten me. He therefore asked Ǧwâd to show him the orders which the Governor had sent him personally from Damascus. If we did not have such orders addressed specially to him, he would not permit me to enter his territory. To this demand of his I replied that I had not yet spent any time in his territory and that he therefore had no right to demand such orders. Moreover, the Governor at Damascus would not allow any chief to demand that he send orders to each chief specially, in view of the fact that they were all fed and paid by him. Knowing, however, that Ḥarb would work up feeling against me, I gave orders for the baggage to be loaded immediately upon the camels which had been purchased, and announced that I was returning to Maʻân. I asked ʻAwde to permit his negro Mḥammad to accompany me.

At 9.30 on the morning of Sunday, May 29, 1910, we left the camp without a guide and without a herdsman in charge of the camels. There were not many who took leave of us. They had expected abundant gifts and easy earnings, and they had been disappointed. I promised the negro Mḥammad, who was well acquainted with the region, an ample reward if he would tell me exactly the situations and names of various places and would remain with me as long as the gendarme Ismaʻîn. I promised the same thing to the latter, and I won them both over, because they realized that they could obtain more from me than had been given to the two chiefs and the other Ḥwêṭât who had tried to extort presents from me at the camp.

The journey on the spirited camels was very troublesome. Our mounts took fright and dashed off at a trot or canter,