1 perceive none of them till we '.'anic ru land, where we met eight
2 naked fellows .9 ruled v\ it I) stieks, whose first business was to
3 moor our boat, jump in, and plunder our luggage. Whilst
4 this gang of robbers were busy plundering the bow of our boat,
5 and searching tit pockets of my companion, the servant of the
6 owner of the boat, who was sitting on tin* poop, whispered
7 me in a low voice, “I am a native .of (j noise (n village before
8 mentioned, near Hit), and have nothing to fear from the Agelis,
9 l may save your purse, if you trust it to me,'’ 1 did so ; but a
10 small bunch of keys, belonging to the luggage, which we had
11 sent by the caravan, being att: lied to the purse, and nulling
12 wher I handed it to the man, betrayed us, and they seized the
13 servant, laid hold of the purse, and struggled to get it. The
14 obstinate resistance of the poor umn was in vain, for the rascals
15 kicked him info the river, and succeeded in getting possession
16 of the purse. Hut the owner of the boat, when all the robbers
17 were out of it, profited by the circumstance, cut the ropes by
18 which it was fastened, left his man behind, and made an effort
19 to gain the opposite bank of the river.
20 Scarcely were we in the middle, when we heard them vocife¬
21 rating,' and calling us back, with a proini to return all they
22 had taken, swearing, even by the name of their prophet, that
23 they had a patient among them Whom they wished to b< cured
24 by ii8. But we could not rely .>n their oaths, as \ie believed
25 them to lie Agelis, and so we roiveJ towards the oppo site bank.
26 Scarcely, however, had we arrived there, when one of them
27 came swimming upon tin inflated goat-skin, in order to persuade
28 os to come back to the patient; who was bis brother, and we
29 were so embarrassed, and driven to such extremes, that we felt
30 ourselves obliged to soothe,him with the promise that we would
31 come to them early in the morning. As lie remained with us,
32 vve passed another sleepless night. At break of day, we.perceived
33 u few black tents, not far from the place where; we were, which
34 gave us some consolation. Accompanied by the soldier, whom
35 the A glia of Hit bad sent with us, iny companion went into
36 one of these Arab tents, to convince himself of the truth of
37 die man's statement. He soon came buck, and told me that the