*

black crows are a famous augury, but one by itself is unlucky. An ugly old woman is sure to disappoint your expectations, but you may start in all confidence if you have met a young and pretty woman, to whom you said, "I'll fasten thy girdle, fair one; lift thy djebba and display to us thy charms, for that will bring us good fortune." The woman will rarely refuse if a present be promised her on the return of the caravan.

Not long after, the caravan passed the Devil's Castle, which bore a terrible reputation. No one who ever visited it had ever returned alive, for he was devoured by a treasure-watching dragon. This was quite enough to make our author attempt the enterprise, and he set out alone, after the reis had taken a heart-broken farewell from him. He found no difficulty in scaling the heights and inspecting the ruins, but, on his return, he was stopped by a band of armed men, who took him prisoner, and at first seemed disposed to put him out of the way; but his coolness saved his life, and he was allowed to rejoin the caravan. Unfortunately for the hadji, this daring enterprise made the Arabs believe that he was specially protected by Sheitan, and, by a natural sequence, they attributed to him all the evils that had hitherto befallen the caravan. When, too, they were exposed to the fury of the simoom, there was no keeping the Arabs at bay; they must have the infidel dog's blood, as a grateful sacrifice to Allah. A fanatic had raised his sword to fell him to the earth, when a fearful flash of lightning, followed by a long, lasting peal of thunder, took place; the Arabs fell back in terror, and our author escaped. Ere long they arrived at Mareb, where the hadji had to undergo trials to which all that had hitherto befallen him seemed child's play. He was summoned to the palace to explain to the nagib the motive of his visit to the country, and was exposed to various experiments, in order to test his veracity. In the first place, he was taken to the roof of a lofty tower, and bidden to leap off. This was unpleasant, the least of it, but as death would have been the penalty of refusal, he did not hesitate for a moment. He took a running leap; but at the moment of losing his foothold he was seized by four vigorous arms, and pulled back. At the next trial he was ordered to enter the vaults beneath the tower, and do deadly combat with a panther confined in a cage, of which the key was given him. He proceeded along a most perilous route, losing his way half a score times, but at length found the cage. Just as he was opening the door, a heavy iron portcullis dropped in front of it, and trial number two was over. But the last was the worst. Our author was carried back to the hall of audience, and bidden to kneel down while the nagib cut his head off. This was really past a joke, and his head began to quiver on his shoulders; but, fortunately, there was an interlude. The fanatic, whom we have already mentioned, rushed into the hall, demanding vengeance on the kafir dog, and his request was most politely complied with. The hadji was held down, and the fanatic seized the sabre with delight, but was rather staggered when told that unless he cut off the victim's head at one stroke his own would be the penalty. However, he was consoled by being allowed to use his own pistols, and, after examining them carefully, to see whether they were

to say

*The Romans held a different faith: "Sæpè sinistra cavâ prædixit ab ilice

cornix."

loaded, he fired them both point-blank at our author. The only result was that his burnous caught fire, but was speedily removed by the attendant negroes. Having thus satisfactorily proved that Allah held special guard over him, the hadji was left at liberty to go where he listed. Thenceforth he was free of the country, and took advantage of the opportunity to inspect the ruins of "Saba the White," on whose site the modern town of Mareb has been built; there was, however, little to satisfy the antiquary, and the great queen Bilkis, who obtained honourable mention in the Koran for her magnificence, has assumed the proportions of a myth. Proceeding thence to the camping-ground of the caravan, our author found a fair being held, and had opportunity to see the celebrated performance of the serpent charmers :

The man seized one of his four serpents by the nape of the neck, and separated the reptile's jaws by means of a rod, thus showing us the fangs, from which issued a white and oily substance. After this he offered his arm to the viper. It struck him at once, while the dancer multiplied his hideous contortions, invoking Sedua-Aissev. The reptile continued to strike, until the enchanter, tearing it from his arm, showed us the blood pouring from the wound. Convinced that I had to deal with a clever conjuror, I asked for the viper to be handed to me. This the enchanter refused; but, catching a wretched little cat, he threw it down before the snake, which struck it, and the poor animal died in a few seconds. It is needless to add that I was completely cured of any desire to play with the snake.

The Nagib of Mareb raises his chief revenue by man-hunting, and our author enters into some curious details as to the respective value of the captives. A bearded negro is worth 200 fr. to 300 fr.; an adolescent, 400 fr. to 450 fr.; a boy, 200 fr.; an Abyssinian, 1500 fr. to 2500 fr.; a negress, from eighteen to twenty-five, is worth 200 fr.; one from thirteen to eighteen, 300 fr. ; from eleven to thirteen, 500 fr.; a nursing mother, 100 fr.; and so on. When put up to auction, the purchaser has a right to return them within three days, if he find the following defects: those who have their eyes in a bad state; those who have sharp teeth, which indicates anthropophagy; a woman who snores, or has hair of two colours; and any one of either sex afflicted with the ark-ed-ensil. This is a species of parasitic worm, which forms a tumour, and has to be extracted by winding it carefully on a stick. If it break during the operation, the negro is sure to die before long, or remains useless. Our author speaks decidedly in favour of the slave trade, and asserts that the victims are protected from ill-treatment by the laws, and are regarded as children. In Senegal, while the slave trade existed, the kings fattened up their prisoners and took care of them. Now that they cannot sell them, they suffer them to starve. In Bournou they are rather better treated, but there they are only hunted through motives of piety, in order to convert them to Muhammadanism. Those who refuse to undergo circumcision are sold as slaves.

The nagib had certain notions of justice, and was accessible to the whole population. Our author had an opportunity of seeing him give a couple of decisions in particularly awkward cases, and they deserve honourable mention here:

The first case came off between a kiatib (writer) and a fellah. The fellah had carried off the kiatib's wife, and declared she was his, while the woman recognised

them both. The nagib heard both parties, and ordered the woman to be left with him for half an hour. The next case was between a fekaï (fruiterer) and a zibdaï (a butterman). The latter was covered with butter, while the other was intact. The fruiterer said, "I went to buy butter of this man, and to pay for it. I pulled out my purse full of coin: the money tempted him, and he shouted Thieves' and seized my hand; whereupon we came straight to thee." To this the butterman replied: "This man came to my shop to buy butter. When I had filled his gouba, he said, 'Hast thou change for a dollar?' I put my hand in my pocket and pulled out a handful of change, which I laid on the counter. He seized it, and was going off with my money and my butter, when I stopped him, and came with him here." Both swore by Muhammad to the truth of their story, and the nagib also ordered them to return in half an hour. At the expiration of that time he returned to the hall and delivered judgment. He told the kiatib the woman was his, and gave the other party fifty blows of the kourbash. Then he gave the fruiterer his money, and applied the same dose of stick to the butterman. Our author was curious to know how he arrived at these decisions, and it was simple enough. He had taken the woman into his room, and bidden her to fill his inkstand, which she did without spilling a drop: hence she was used to it, and must belong to the kiatib. As for the money question, that was rather more complicated; but it was placed in a bowl of water, and there was not the slightest trace of grease. Now, had it belonged to the butterman, it would have been necessarily greasy, as he was all covered with butter; so this plainly proved him a scamp.

During the stay of the caravan at Mareb, a panther came down from the mountains and carried off a young girl bathing in the stream. A pursuit was at once instituted, and the animal killed in its den singlehanded by a young shepherd. The girl was found to be but slightly injured by the panther's claws, and was brought back triumphantly. She was a relative of the nagib, and he promised her in marriage to her rescuer, whom he elevated to noble rank. During the confusion a band of robbers invaded the deserted encampment, but, being detected in time, were made prisoners to the number of forty. The next morning they were all decapitated, and a philanthropist, probably a member of the society for the abolition of capital punishment, who interceded for them, shared the same fate. "He must be an accomplice," the nagib sagely remarked; and off

went his head.

After taking leave of the hospitable nagib, our author pursued his journey with the caravan, and the real difficulties now commenced; for they were entering the country of the independent Arabs, who levied black mail, and had to keep their eyes open against robbers. In spite of all their precautions, they lost a loaded dromedary on the second night of camping. Two Bedouins had come up to the caravan, and, after being kindly treated, retired. Immediately after the loss of the camel was detected, and the tchaousses set off in pursuit. They soon returned, stating that they had seen three men mounted on camels, out of reach of capture. The way the trick is effected is ingenious: the thieves usually come up the caravan at nightfall, and while two keep the officials in conversation, a third glides in under cover of the night, wrapped in a dark burnous. So soon as he has selected the object of his desire, he throws a cloth over it, leads it gently away, and is off like a shot. Another curious thing was, that the caravan suddenly came up with a band of gipsies camped out in the desert, and apparently perfectly at home. It is a matter of wonder to us how they can live there, seeing they have no opportunity of

pilfering linen from hedgerows, or levying tribute on a poultry-yard. But this rencontre was soon forgotten in the more exciting chase of a lion. Fires were lighted to keep the animal at bay, but it was of no avail: the lion was hungry, and would not be balked. Still, on seeing the number of opponents ranged in battle order, the lion retired savagely, when our author fired upon it and wounded it. In a second it turned back, and bounded, with a hoarse roar, into the midst of the encampment, picking out the author of its wound instinctively as the first victim of its fury.

While I was preparing for a terrible combat, one of my Arab companions, already accustomed to meet this danger, hastened up at full speed on his camel to the side of the lion. By a simultaneous movement, the camel reared, and the lion, rising on its hind legs, dug its claws into the poor brute's chest. The two animals fell together, but the Arab had already given his enemy a violent sword stroke on the head, and leaped to the ground. Another stroke cut the sinews of its hind legs, and the lion rolled in the dust, uttering frightful yells of pain. In a second a lance was thrust through its chest by another Arab, and it lay dead by the side of the expiring camel. Not a man had been wounded.

The skin was presented to our author, who had quite recovered the good graces of the Arabs by his skilful treatment of the viper stings; and it was no small gift, for it is supposed to guard the owner from all danger. The next day the caravan crossed another, which was in very bad care, for it had no guards with it. On inquiry, they learned that they had been killed by the Arabs. A merchant, who formed part of the caravan, had a large quantity of haschisch with him, which he distributed to the guards, in spite of the strict rule that they should not use it. One day, when they had taken a stronger dose than usual, the caravan was surrounded by a strong body of nomades, who demanded tribute. The guards, maddened by the drug, attacked the Arabs, and killed two or three. But it was a dangerous experiment; the Bedouins fell on the caravan, and killed two-thirds of the travellers. They were determined to destroy all the rest unless the reis delivered up the culprits. This he did by indicating the merchant who sold the fatal drug, and the three survivors among its consumers. The latter were beheaded and their property confiscated, while the merchant was specially tortured. His ears and nose were cut off, his eyes gouged out, and, after this, his head chopped off. In addition, the caravan was compelled to purchase its release by giving up a third of its property. A few days later, our author arrived at Kond, and proceeded to pay his respects to the najib, who resides in a splendid fortified citadel, and treated his guest with true Arab hospitality. The country is in a highly flourishing condition, and contains about twenty thousand souls, all actively engaged in industrial occupations. It is watered by the Wadi-Kond, a torrent which has given its name to the entire oasis.

expense

After quitting Kond, the caravan reached the "seas of sand," which our author decides were produced by volcanic agency, like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Before long they were assailed by a terrible simoom, which indeed spared their lives at the of nine camels, but proved the destruction of a caravan proceeding in the opposite direction. All around lay the bodies of men and animals covered with sand, and the hadji was enabled to restore but one man and one woman to life. All the rest had perished. But their own caravan was in a very dangerous

position: the scorching breath of the simoom had tainted all the water in their skins, while the wells they passed were infected by the corrupting bodies of thousands of locusts. The track of the caravan was marked by the victims of dysentery, but ere long matters came to a crisis:

Not a tree or plant was visible, only that long dry and harsh grass which served as food to the ostriches. A perfectly transparent sky, a leaden sun, which poured its beams on our head, a yellowish white ground, ordinarily of a concave form, like a burning-glass, and a gentle breeze burning like a flamesuch is a faithful picture of the country we were compelled to traverse. In this immensity our camels looked like a swarm of migrating ants. We were exhausted-burnt up by the imperceptible sand raised by so many simultaneous footsteps, and which, filtering through our clothes, laid another skin upon ours. It had changed the colour of our slaves even: they were as yellow as Malays. In addition, thirst devoured us, and we dared not touch the few cups of water the simoom had spared us, and which were kept for the next halt. Still we were compelled to slaughter a few of our worst camels, and find that precious liquid for which, under similar circumstances, an Arab merchant paid his entire fortune. But, alas! we must have killed them all to satisfy so many craving mouths. The poor brutes were utterly exhausted, for they had received no water for eight days, and they began falling down in every direction.

When matters reached the worst, and not one of the travellers expected to survive, another caravan made its appearance, coming in the opposite direction. Several skins of water were hurriedly thrown on the sufferers, and they were restored to life as if by magic. They pushed on, and came up with a tribe of Arabs, from whom they purchased goats' milk and some fresh meat. The next day the caravan crossed the frontier of Hadramout, and, to their delight, perceived the oasis of Doân in the distance.

Doân, or Raschid, is one of the largest cities in Hadramout, and our author identifies it with the Dan, mentioned in Ezekiel. It is a most flourishing place, and a large contingent of the population is represented by Jews. The word Hadramout signifies "promptitude of death," and is quite justified by the number of murders annually committed. For a Spanish crown you can always hire a bravo to put your enemy out of the way. The principal production of the country is coffee, and there are two or three crops annually. The best sort grows in the district called Yemen, and is the real Mocha. At this place our author quitted the caravan, to find his way alone across the country to the seaport of Mokallah, where he intended to take ship for Mascat, and the nagib behaved most nobly to him, presenting him with a purse of five hundred thalaris, to find him in coffee along the road.

We regret that we have not space to describe the wonderful adventures that occurred to him as he traversed the desolate country, with only two servants and a guard of honour. We can only briefly allude to some. On one occasion he went to shoot gazelles, and managed to get into a quicksand, in which he was almost drowned, ere his servants came to the rescue.* On another he killed a heap of young lions, and a knavish Arab sold him some of the flesh for beefsteaks, which he devoured with considerable appetite. But he bore a charmed life. Bedouins might plunder and strip him, but he always emerged triumphantly; and hence

It is a very curious fact that this incident is described exactly as Captain Mayne Reid describes a similar occurrence in one of his travels.