[p.514] round the angle, his eyes flashing with rage, his shirt
sprinkled with blood, his gun in one hand, and in the other his knife
covered with blood; his foot was bleeding, he had lost his turban, and
his long black hair hung down over his shoulders. I have done for him!
he exclaimed, as he wiped his knife; but let us fly. Not without
Ayd, said I: No indeed, he replied; without him we should all be
lost. We returned round the corner, and saw Ayd exerting his utmost
agility to come up with us. At forty paces distance an Arab lay on the
ground, and three others were standing over him. We took hold of Ayds
arm and hastened to our camels, though we knew not where to find them.
Szaleh had frightened them so greatly by striking them with his gun,
that they went off at full-gallop, and it was half an hour before we
reached them; one of them had burst its girths, and thrown off its
saddle and load. We replaced the load, mounted Ayd, and hastened to pass
the rocks of Djebel Sherafe. We then found ourselves in a more open
country, less liable to be waylaid amongst rocks, and better able to
defend ourselves. Hamd now told me that Ayd had first seen four Bedouins
running down upon us; they had evidently intended to waylay us from
behind the corner, but came a little too late. When he heard Ayd cry
out, he had just time to strike fire and to light the match of his gun,
when the boldest of the assailants approached within twenty paces of him
and fired; the ball passed through his shirt; he returned the fire but
missed his aim; while his opponent was coolly reloading his piece,
before his companions had joined him, Ayd cried out to Hamd, to attack
the robber with his knife, and advanced to his support with a short
spear which he carried; Haind drew his knife, rushed upon the adversary,
and after receiving a wound in the foot, brought him to the ground, but
left him immediately, on seeing his companions hastening to his relief.
Ayd now said that if the
[p.515] man was killed, we should certainly be pursued, but that if he
was only wounded the others would remain with him, and give up the
pursuit. We travelled with all possible haste, not knowing whether more
enemies might not be behind, or whether the encampment of the wounded
man might not be in the vicinity, from whence his friends might collect
to revenge his blood.
Ayd had certainly not been mistaken last night; these robbers had no
doubt seen our fire, and had approached us, but were frightened by the
barking of the dog. Uncertain whether we were proceeding northward or
southward, they had waited till they saw us set out, and then by a
circuitous route in the mountains had endeavoured, unseen, to get the
start of us in order to waylay us in the passes of the Wady Mezeiryk. If
they had reached the spot where we were attacked two or three minutes
sooner, and had been able to take aim at us from behind the rock, we
must all have inevitably perished. That they intended to murder us,
contrary to the usual practice of Bedouins, is easily accounted for they
knew from the situation of the place, where they discovered us, as well
as from the dress and appearance of my guides, that they were Towara
Bedouins; but though I was poorly dressed, they must have recognized me
to be a townsman, and a townsman is always supposed by Bedouins to carry
money with him. To rob us without resistance was impossible, their
number being too small; or supposing this had succeeded, and any of the
guides had escaped, they knew that they would sooner or later be obliged
to restore the property taken, and to pay the fine of blood and wounds,
because the Towara were then at peace with all their neighbours. For
these reasons they had no doubt resolved to kill the whole party, as the
only effectual mode of avoiding all disclosures as to the real
perpetrators of the murder. I do not believe that such atrocities often
occur in the eastern desert,