Their
Intercourse With Syria, Especially With Khalyl, Is Much More Frequent
Than With Cairo.
We had had through the whole of this day a very intense Simoum, or hot-
wind, which continued also during the night.
In the evening I bathed in
the sea, but found myself immediately afterwards as much heated as I had
been before. After retiring to sleep we were awakened by the barking of
Ayd’s dog, upon which Ayd springing up said he was sure that some people
were in the neighbourhood. We therefore got our guns ready, and sat by
the fire the whole night, for whatever may be the heat of the season,
the Bedouin must have his fire at night. Szaleh gave evident signs of
fear, but happily the morning came without realizing his apprehensions.
May 9th.—Ayd still expressed his certainty that somebody had
WADY MEZEIRYK
[p.513] approached us last night, so much confidence did he place in the
barking of his dog; he therefore advised me to hasten my way back, as
some Arabs might see our footsteps in the sand, and pursue us in quest
of a booty. On departing, Ayd, who was barefooted, and whose feet had
become sore with walking, took from under the date-bush round which we
had passed the night, a pair of leathern sandals, which he knew belonged
to his Heywat friend, the fisherman, and which the latter had hidden
here till his return. In order to inform the owner that it was he who
had taken the sandals, he impressed his footstep in the sand just by,
which he knew the other would immediately recognise, and he turned the
toes towards the south, to indicate that he had proceeded with the
sandals in that direction.
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