The Consequence Was, That, During The Rest Of The
Journey, They Entirely Discarded Him From Their Party, And He Was Thrown
Upon My Hands, Till We Arrived At Medina, And During His Residence
There.
I intended to have provided him with the means of returning to
Yembo, but I fell dangerously ill soon after my arrival at Medina, and
know not what afterwards became of him.
Several pilgrims were begging for charity in the market of Rabegh. These
poor people, in starting from Mekka for Medina with the great caravan,
fancy that they are sufficiently strong to bear the fatigues of that
journey, and know that, in travelling with the caravan, charitable
hadjys are to be found who will supply them with food and water; but the
long night-marches soon exhaust their strength, they linger behind on
the road, and, after great privations and delays, are obliged to proceed
on their journey by other opportunities. An Afghan pilgrim here joined
our party; he was an old man, of very extraordinary strength, and had
come the whole way from Kaboul to Mekka on foot, and intended to return
in the same manner. I regretted his slight acquaintance with Arabic, as
he seemed an intelligent man, and could no doubt have given me some
interesting information respecting his country.
January 20th. We left Rabegh at four P.M. Our road lay N. 8 W., in most
parts of black flint, interspersed with some hills of sand, upon which
were a few trees.
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