the gifts of God they were utterly destroyed.  Departing about twenty miles from this place, about thirty of our company perished for want of water, and several others were overwhelmed with sand.  A little farther on we found water at the foot of a little hill, and there halted.  Early next morning there came to us 24,000 Arabians, who demanded money from us in payment of the water we had taken, and as we refused them any money, saying that the water was the free gift of God to all, we came to blows.  We gathered ourselves together on the mountain as the safest place, using our camels as a bulwark, all the merchants and their goods being placed in the middle of the camels while we fought manfully on every side.  The battle continued for two days, when water failed both with us and our enemies, who encompassed the mountain all round, continually calling out that they would break in among our camels.  At length our captain assembled all the merchants, whom he commanded to gather twelve hundred pieces of gold to be given to the Arabians:  but on receiving that sum they said it was too little, and demanded ten thousand pieces and more for the water we had taken.  Whereupon our captain gave orders that every man in the caravan who could bear arms should prepare for battle.  Next morning our commander sent on the caravan with the unarmed pilgrims inclosed by the camels, and made an attack upon the enemy with our small army, which amounted to about three hundred in all.  With the loss only of one man and a woman on our side, we completely defeated the Arabians of whom we slew 1500 men.  This victory is not to be wondered at, considering that the Arabians are almost entirely unarmed being almost naked, and having only a thin loose vesture, while their horses are very ill provided for battle, having no saddles or other caparisons.

Continuing our march after this victory, we came in eight days to a mountain about ten or twelve miles in circuit, which was inhabited by about 5000 Jews.  These were of very small stature, hardly exceeding five or six spans in height, and some much less[37].  They have small shrill voices like women, and are of very dark complexions, some blacker than the rest.  Their only food is the flesh of goats.  They are all circumcised and follow the Jewish law, and when any Mahometan falls into their hands they flea him alive.  We found a hole at the foot of the mountain out of which there flowed an abundant source of water, at which we laded 16,000 camels, giving great offence to the Jews.  These people wander about their mountain like so many goats or deer, not daring to descend into the plain for fear of the Arabians.  At the bottom of the mountain we found a small grove of seven or eight thorn trees, among which we found a pair of turtle doves, which were to us a great rarity, as during our long journey hitherto we had seen neither beast nor bird.

[Footnote 37:  This account of the stature of the Jewish tribe cannot fail to be much exaggerated, otherwise the text must have been corrupted at this place; as we cannot well conceive of a tribe in Arabia not exceeding four feet two inches in average height.—­E.]