DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12664#0190
ARAB PUNCTUALITY.
179
know whether he could engage with me, he said
he was ready at any moment, by which he probably
meant a week's notice; and when they sent word
that I had named a particular day, he probably
thought that I would be along in the course of two or
three thereafter, and was no doubt taken by surprise
when the messenger came to tell him that I was
already on the march. I of course had no idea of
remaining there. He told me that I had better
stay ; that one day could not make any difference,
and finally said he had no bread baked, and must
have a day or two to prepare himself. I answered
that he had told the sheik at Thebes that he would
be ready at any moment—that it was absurd to
think I would wait there in the desert—that I
would not be trifled with, and if he was not ready
the next morning, I would ride over to his village
and make complaint to the sheik. After a long
parley, which those only can imagine who have
had to deal with Arabs, he promised to be there at
sunrise the next morning, and took his leave.
After supper, when, if ever, a man should feel
good-natured, I again began to feel indignant at
the churlish inmates of the convent, and resolved
upon another effort to see what stuff these Chris-
tians were made of. I knew that the monks
in these isolated places, among fanatic Mussul-
mans, were sometimes obliged to have recourse to
carnal weapons ; and telling Paul to keep a lookout,
and give me notice if he saw the barrel of a mus-
ket presenting itself over the wall, I again com-
menced thundering at the door; almost at the first
179
know whether he could engage with me, he said
he was ready at any moment, by which he probably
meant a week's notice; and when they sent word
that I had named a particular day, he probably
thought that I would be along in the course of two or
three thereafter, and was no doubt taken by surprise
when the messenger came to tell him that I was
already on the march. I of course had no idea of
remaining there. He told me that I had better
stay ; that one day could not make any difference,
and finally said he had no bread baked, and must
have a day or two to prepare himself. I answered
that he had told the sheik at Thebes that he would
be ready at any moment—that it was absurd to
think I would wait there in the desert—that I
would not be trifled with, and if he was not ready
the next morning, I would ride over to his village
and make complaint to the sheik. After a long
parley, which those only can imagine who have
had to deal with Arabs, he promised to be there at
sunrise the next morning, and took his leave.
After supper, when, if ever, a man should feel
good-natured, I again began to feel indignant at
the churlish inmates of the convent, and resolved
upon another effort to see what stuff these Chris-
tians were made of. I knew that the monks
in these isolated places, among fanatic Mussul-
mans, were sometimes obliged to have recourse to
carnal weapons ; and telling Paul to keep a lookout,
and give me notice if he saw the barrel of a mus-
ket presenting itself over the wall, I again com-
menced thundering at the door; almost at the first