DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12665#0130
114
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL,*
hundred and fifty dollars ; his brother would not ex-
pect so much ; but that he was on an entirely dif-
ferent footing from the men ; and he had concluded,
by attempting to bribe Paul, to find out how much
money I had with me, and how much I intended to
give him ; and, in going out, had slipped a couple
of pieces into Paul's hand as an earnest. I have not
troubled the reader with the many petty difficulties
I had with the sheik, nor the many little circum-
stances that were constantly occurring to irritate
me against him. I had been several times worked
up to such a pitch that it was difficult to keep with-
in the bounds of prudence; and I nowbroke through
all restraints. From the beginning he had been ex-
aggerating the danger of the road, and making a pa-
rade of devotion, of the value of his services ; and
only the last night I had been driven out of my
tent by four enormous fires which he had built at
the four corners, as he said, for the men to sleep by
and keep guard. I could hardly restrain myself
then ; but merely telling him that I would rather be
robbed than roasted, I reserved myself for a better
moment. The fact is, from the beginning I had
been completely mistaken in my opinion touching
the character of the chief of a powerful tribe of
Bedouins. I had imagined him, like the chief of a
tribe of our ou n Indians, wild, savage, and lawless,
but generous and true when he had once oflered his
protection ; one who might rob or even murder,
but who would never descend to the meanness of
trickery and falsehood.
INCIDENTS OF TRAVEL,*
hundred and fifty dollars ; his brother would not ex-
pect so much ; but that he was on an entirely dif-
ferent footing from the men ; and he had concluded,
by attempting to bribe Paul, to find out how much
money I had with me, and how much I intended to
give him ; and, in going out, had slipped a couple
of pieces into Paul's hand as an earnest. I have not
troubled the reader with the many petty difficulties
I had with the sheik, nor the many little circum-
stances that were constantly occurring to irritate
me against him. I had been several times worked
up to such a pitch that it was difficult to keep with-
in the bounds of prudence; and I nowbroke through
all restraints. From the beginning he had been ex-
aggerating the danger of the road, and making a pa-
rade of devotion, of the value of his services ; and
only the last night I had been driven out of my
tent by four enormous fires which he had built at
the four corners, as he said, for the men to sleep by
and keep guard. I could hardly restrain myself
then ; but merely telling him that I would rather be
robbed than roasted, I reserved myself for a better
moment. The fact is, from the beginning I had
been completely mistaken in my opinion touching
the character of the chief of a powerful tribe of
Bedouins. I had imagined him, like the chief of a
tribe of our ou n Indians, wild, savage, and lawless,
but generous and true when he had once oflered his
protection ; one who might rob or even murder,
but who would never descend to the meanness of
trickery and falsehood.