a little water, for we had emptied our bottles at the noon-tide halt. They brought me one of the waterbags; I felt through the skin that the water was at the same temperature as the atmosphere, but nevertheless I raised the aperture to my mouth, and took a long draught. But rapidly as I swallowed, my stomach rejected it still more rapidly; never in my life had I tasted anything like it. In one day the water had become fetid, rancid, and putrid. At the terrible grimace I made, Bechara came up: I handed him the water-bag without a word, so busy was I in ridding myself of the last drop of the abominable fluid. He was a connoisseur in water; an experienced taster; he winded a well or a cistern before the camels themselves; so that each of us waited in silence for his judgment. He began by smelling the bag, nodded his head, protruding his lower lip, which intimated that something remained to be said; finally, he took a sup, which he rolled about between his teeth, and then turned it out in a way that pronounced emphatic sentence of condemnation. From the moment in which our fate was fixed, our thirst was aggravated tenfold. Bechara told us, that if we waited until the next evening we should find excellent water at Suez. This was enough to drive us mad.

Nor was this all. We supposed that we had reached our encampment; but Taleb had decided

otherwise. After a rest of half an hour, it was necessary to mount our camels, which proved to us as they rose, that, more experienced than us, they had only regarded the halt as temporary. As to our Arabs, they neither ate nor drank, which was quite incomprehensible.

At the end of two hours, 'during which, from the smart trot of the camels, we must have made five French leagues, Taleb made a clucking noise, which seemed to be a conventional signal between him and his dromedaries, for they instantly stopped and knelt down. We dismounted, heartily fatigued by this long march, and enraged at having no water to drink when it was completed. Our Arabs seemed to share our ill humour; they were silent and pensive: Bechara alone preserved a small portion of his gaiety.

Nevertheless, in a few minutes the tent was fixed, the watch posted, and our carpets spread. Although much fatigued, I exposed my drawing-paper on the hot sand to the last rays of the sun, for it was quite saturated with wet from hanging to my girdle; I then came back to lie down, involuntarily praying that God would renew for us, unworthy as we were, the miracle vouchsafed to Hagar.

In the mean time I saw Abdallah, who had girt up his long skirts, and who displayed all the importance of a cook, making preparations for dinner;

it consisted of bread, and the accompaniment I have already mentioned, soused and seasoned with the water from our bags. Our Arabs rendered him all the assistance possible, splitting for him, with their daggers, little bits of wood like matches, and aiding him with their breath to light his fire, stirring his rice, and turning his crumpets on the red charcoal. Besides these, Bechara and Mohammed were employed in disinfecting the water, pouring it from one bag to another, that the air might purify it. I recollected that charcoal was a disinfecting agent, and I offered my assistance to our chemists, who, seeing that I was about to try a novel plan, made no objections on the score of scarcity, but allowed me to do as I pleased. We strained the water through wood ashes, obtained from Abdallah's chafing-dish, and a linen cloth; Bechara, our regular taster, was then summoned to make a trial. This time the answer was favourable; the water was fit for drinking. The news roused Mayer from his carpet, where he was trying to go to sleep supperless, for fear that eating would augment his thirst. They lighted up the tent; Abdallah brought us rice in a woodenbowl; we sat down in a circle, like tailors, and attempted to swallow some handfuls of his pillau, and to taste his bread. But we had not yet reached a taste for Abdallah's culinary delicacies, so we soon ordered him to remove his cakes and pillau, and to

bring us dates and coffee. At this instant Mohammed approached, us with a paternal air, which intimated that he had something to ask: I perceived his intention, and turned round, after having attempted to swallow, without tasting, half a glass of our filtered water.

"Well, Mohammed,” said I, "what is the matter ?"

"Our poor Arabs," replied Mohammed, " are very sorrowful."

"And why are they so sad?"

"Because," answered Mohammed, "they are hungry."

"And in the name of wonder, if they are hungry, why do they not eat?"

"There is nothing they would like better; but, they have nothing to eat."

"How! nothing! have they not brought provisions? that was our bargain."

"Yes, but they thought, that as it was only two days' journey to Suez, they could manage to do without eating until they reached that city.”

"Well; I suppose that they cannot hold out." "Oh! yes they can, but they are sorrowful." "No doubt of it-so they ought to be. Have they eaten nothing since yesterday?"

"Yes; they ate two or three beans along with their camels."

66 Well, tell Abdallah to get them their supper as quick as possible."

"That would be useless; but if you will give them the remains of your rice and your cakes they will have enough."

How; the leavings of three, sufficient for fifteen!"

"Oh," said Mohammed, "if they had breakfasted at their proper hour, they would have made three meals of it."

Baron Taylor could not help saying with a smile, "Take and eat, my friends, and I wish for your sakes that there was more."

Mohammed returned to the circle of Arabs, who affected not to have heard one word we said, and made a signal that the request was granted. Instantly gaiety returned to every countenance, and each prepared to take his share of the splendid feast which our munificence had afforded.

Two circles were formed. The first consisted of Taleb, Bechara, Araballah, Mohammed, and Abdallah, who were all persons of rank in the little society: Taleb as chief, Bechara as story-teller, Araballah as warrior, Mohammed as interpreter, and Abdallah as cook. The second circle was composed of twelve other Arabs, who occupied less elevated positions in the social scale, and were obliged to eat last, and to stretch their hands between their