DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12665#0119
all's well that ends well. 103
ing every other noise, when a sudden turn in the
road brought us upon the sheik and his attendants.
The whole party were in confusion ; some were
descending the bare sides of the mountains, others
were coming down with their dromedaries upon a
full run ; the sheik's brother, on my horse, was gal-
loping along the base ; and the sheik himself, with
his long red dress streaming in the wind, and his
spear poised in the air, was dashing fall speed
across the plain. All seemed to catch a glimpse
of us at the same moment; and at the same mo-
ment all stopped. The sheik stood for a little
space, as if astonished and confounded at seeing
us attended by such an escort; and then spurring
again his fiery horse, moved a few paces towards
us, and dismounting, struck his spear in the sand,
and waited to receive us. The men came in from
all quarters ; and, almost at the same moment, all
had gathered around the spear. The sheik seemed
more alarmed than any of us, and Paul said he
turned perfectly green. He had heard the report
of the pistol, which had given him much uneasi-
ness ; the men had answered, and scattered them-
selves abroad in search of us ; and now seeing us
come up in the midst of such a horde of Bedouins,
he supposed that we had opened an account which
could only be settled with blood.
The spirit of lying seemed to have taken pos*
session of us. Thinking it would not be particu-
larly acceptable to my pious friends to hear that I
had been shooting in the tomb of Aaron, I told Paul
ing every other noise, when a sudden turn in the
road brought us upon the sheik and his attendants.
The whole party were in confusion ; some were
descending the bare sides of the mountains, others
were coming down with their dromedaries upon a
full run ; the sheik's brother, on my horse, was gal-
loping along the base ; and the sheik himself, with
his long red dress streaming in the wind, and his
spear poised in the air, was dashing fall speed
across the plain. All seemed to catch a glimpse
of us at the same moment; and at the same mo-
ment all stopped. The sheik stood for a little
space, as if astonished and confounded at seeing
us attended by such an escort; and then spurring
again his fiery horse, moved a few paces towards
us, and dismounting, struck his spear in the sand,
and waited to receive us. The men came in from
all quarters ; and, almost at the same moment, all
had gathered around the spear. The sheik seemed
more alarmed than any of us, and Paul said he
turned perfectly green. He had heard the report
of the pistol, which had given him much uneasi-
ness ; the men had answered, and scattered them-
selves abroad in search of us ; and now seeing us
come up in the midst of such a horde of Bedouins,
he supposed that we had opened an account which
could only be settled with blood.
The spirit of lying seemed to have taken pos*
session of us. Thinking it would not be particu-
larly acceptable to my pious friends to hear that I
had been shooting in the tomb of Aaron, I told Paul