ABSTRACT
We were received at the Pasha's tent with more than the usual frigidity of Bedouin etiquette, the absent Sheykh being represented by his son, a boy of fifteen, who either had not the wit or had not the manners to behave himself politely. He remained sitting when we entered, even after the salaam had been given, and pretended to be unable to understand a word of what we said or to communicate with us except through an interpreter, an empty form, as we do not know a single word of Turkish, and the interpreter's Arabic is in no way different from his own. By preserving a very solemn silence, however, in return for his, and by talking to others instead of to him, we managed to assert our position as people of consequence, and of course, as guests, we had a right to certain honourable forms, which there was no idea of denying us. Indeed, I am pretty sure that the boorish manner of Abd ul Aziz (for such is the young gentleman's name) is due more to stupidity than to any intention to disoblige, for this morning, as we remained in our tent till rather late, he has sent a message to
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"Wilfrid to say that he hopes he is not offended and to invite him to coffee. There seems, too, to be every intention of complying with our wishes as to future proceedings, for the JSTaw&b's letter has been read, and it contains an especial request to Ferhan to forward us to any part of the Shammar country we may choose to visit. It is probable that the present of a cloak and a pair of boots at the beginning would have made all right, but it is rather late now, and Wilfrid considers it would be doing the young cub too much honour to invest him with a robe. Ali advises us to let the matter be, so we have limited our gifts to some sugarplums, sent to Ferhdn's favourite wife, the person really in authority here, and who with her children is the only one, besides the mollah, actually living in the Sheykh's tent, Abd ul Aziz and his brother, Abd ul Mekhsin, another cub, being already married and settled in tents of their own.
