DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.14729#0071
THIRTY-FIVE YEARS IN THE EAST.
to the purse, and rattling when I handed it to the man, be-
trayed us, and they seized the servant, laid hold of the
purse, and struggled to get it, The obstinate resistance of the
poor man was in vain, for the rascals kicked him into the river,
and succeeded in getting possession of the purse. But the
owner of the boat, when all the robbers were out of
it, 'profited by the circumstance, cut the ropes by which it
was fastened, left his man behind, and made an effort to
gain the opposite bank of the river.
Scarcely were we in the middle, when we heard them
vociferating, and calling us back, with a promise to return
all they had taken, swearing, even by the name of their
prophet, that they had a patient among them whom they
wished to^be cured by us. But we could not rely on their
oaths, as we believed them to be Agelis, and so we rowed to-
wards the opposite^bank, Scarcely, however, had we arriv-
ed there, when one of them came swimming upon an inflated
goat-skin, in order to persuade us to come back to the
patient, who was his brother, and we were so embarrassed,
and driven to such extremes, that we felt ourselves obliged
to soothe him with the promise that we would come to them
early in the morning. As he remained with us, we passed
another sleepless night. At break of day, we perceived
a few black tents, not far from the place where we were,
which gave us some consolation. Accompanied by the sol-
dier, whom the Agha of Hit had sent with us, my com-
panion went into one of these Arab tents, to convince
himself of the truth of the man's statement. He soon came
back, and told me that the robber was the Sheikh Dendal, the
chief of the country on the other side of the river ; that he
was assured that the elder brother had been for some time
sick and swollen, and he added that he was ready to go
there on horseback to see the patient. They then led him
to a fordable part of the river, and I remained with the boat ;
and whilst I was musing on this barren, but still somewhat
cultivated ground of the desert, calculating what day of the
week we were in, and guessing that it might be Sunday of
the second week of November, probably St. Martin's day
to the purse, and rattling when I handed it to the man, be-
trayed us, and they seized the servant, laid hold of the
purse, and struggled to get it, The obstinate resistance of the
poor man was in vain, for the rascals kicked him into the river,
and succeeded in getting possession of the purse. But the
owner of the boat, when all the robbers were out of
it, 'profited by the circumstance, cut the ropes by which it
was fastened, left his man behind, and made an effort to
gain the opposite bank of the river.
Scarcely were we in the middle, when we heard them
vociferating, and calling us back, with a promise to return
all they had taken, swearing, even by the name of their
prophet, that they had a patient among them whom they
wished to^be cured by us. But we could not rely on their
oaths, as we believed them to be Agelis, and so we rowed to-
wards the opposite^bank, Scarcely, however, had we arriv-
ed there, when one of them came swimming upon an inflated
goat-skin, in order to persuade us to come back to the
patient, who was his brother, and we were so embarrassed,
and driven to such extremes, that we felt ourselves obliged
to soothe him with the promise that we would come to them
early in the morning. As he remained with us, we passed
another sleepless night. At break of day, we perceived
a few black tents, not far from the place where we were,
which gave us some consolation. Accompanied by the sol-
dier, whom the Agha of Hit had sent with us, my com-
panion went into one of these Arab tents, to convince
himself of the truth of the man's statement. He soon came
back, and told me that the robber was the Sheikh Dendal, the
chief of the country on the other side of the river ; that he
was assured that the elder brother had been for some time
sick and swollen, and he added that he was ready to go
there on horseback to see the patient. They then led him
to a fordable part of the river, and I remained with the boat ;
and whilst I was musing on this barren, but still somewhat
cultivated ground of the desert, calculating what day of the
week we were in, and guessing that it might be Sunday of
the second week of November, probably St. Martin's day