1 n
2 the population of the city. By a strict inquiry, however, it
3 was ascertained that the gun had been fired by the watchman of
4 a garden, to frighten the wild beasts, which resorted to the place
5 for the purpose of devouring the melons. Although the whole
6 affair ended with our fright, we nevertheless desired heartily to
7 depart as soon as possible from that miserable place, where
8 robbery was the order of the day.
9 At mid-day we witnessed the owner of an ass being forcibly
10 deprived of his beast ; the deed was effected before the gates of
11 the city, and the ass was driven away into the desert. In fact, the
12 Arabs in general may with justice be looked upon as robbers
13 of the worst description.
14 In the course of a week the Agha was perfectly cured, upon
15 which we requested him to despatch us without any further
16 delay to Bagdad, according to his promise. He replied, that
17 his gratitude towards us for the important services we had
18 rendered him, would not allow him to expose our lives to his
19 enemies the Agelis, who had by this time pitched their camp
20 on the banks of the river, and he advised us to wait for a
21 caravan, and join it when passing. But we so urged upon him
22 the necessity of our departure, that he despatched us in a boat,
23 in which we descended the river. We were escorted only by
24 one soldier, so that with the owner of the boat, and his man,
25 our party consisted of five persons.
26 On the evening of our departure, we got wet through by a
27 violent shower of rain; and owing to that, and to the fear of being
28 attacked by the Arabs, who were supposed to be on the banks
29 of the river, we could not sleep. That night and the ensuing
30 day, which by the bye was a delightful one, we passed down the
31 river through lonely and desert regions, where not a man was
32 to be seen ; nor, indeed, had we any great wish to see any one.
33 But on the following evening, when it had become quite dark,
34 we were aroused from our slumbers bv hearing from the right
35 bank, where the Agelis (as we were told) had their camp, an
36 imperious voice, crying “ jedem ! jedem ! ” (come on, come on.)
37 Here they arc, thought we, and to prevent their firing on us,
38 wc obeyed the call, and approached the shore. We could