Bedouins Are Always Found At Sherm, Waiting With Their Camels For Ships
Coming From The Hedjaz, Whose Passengers Often Come On Shore Here, In
Order To Proceed By Land To Tor And Suez.
The Arab tribes of Mezeine and
Aleygat have the exclusive right of this transport.
Shortly after we had
alighted at the well, more than twenty Mezeine came down from the
mountain with their camels; they claimed the right of conducting me from
hence, and of supplying me with a third camel; and as both my camels
belonged to Arabs of the tribe of Oulad Sayd, they insisted upon Hamd
taking my baggage from his camel, and placing it upon one of theirs,
that they might have the profits of hire. After breakfasting with them,
a loud quarrel began, which lasted at least two hours. I told them that
the moment any one laid his hands upon my baggage to remove it, I should
consider it as carried off by force, and no longer my property, and that
I should state to the governor of Suez that I had been robbed here.
Although they could not all expect to share in the profits arising from
my transport, every one of them was as vociferous as if it had been his
exclusive affair, and it soon became evident that a trifle in money for
each of them was all that was wanted to quiet them. They did not,
however, succeed; I talked very boldly; told them that they were
robbers, and that they should be punished for their conduct towards me.
At last their principal man, seeing that nothing was to be got, told us
that we might load and depart.
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