More than once, by way of experiment, I showed the writing on a loose slip of paper to my companions, and astonished them with the strange character derived from Solomon and Alexander, the Lord of the Two Horns, which we Afghans still use.  For a short trip a pencil suffices; on long journeys ink is necessary; the latter article should be English, not Eastern, which is washed out clean the first time your luggage is thoroughly soaked with rain.  The traveller may use either the Persian or the brass Egyptian inkstand; the latter, however, is preferable, being stronger and less likely to break.  But, unless he be capable of writing and reading a letter correctly, it would be unadvisable to stick such an article in the waist-belt, as this gives out publicly that he is a scribe.  When sketching, the pencil is the best, because the simplest and shortest mode of operation is required.  Important lines should afterwards be marked with ink, as “fixing” is impossible on such journeys.  For prudence sake, when my sketches were made, I cut up the paper into square pieces, numbered them for future reference, and hid them in the tin canisters that contained my medicines. [FN#31] An accident of this kind happened not long ago, in Hazramaut, to a German traveller who shall be nameless.  He had the mortification to see his sketch-book, the labour of months, summarily appropriated and destroyed by the Arabs.  I was told by a Hazramaut man at Cairo, and by several at Aden, that the gentleman had at the time a narrow escape with his life; the Badawin wished to put him to death as a spy, sent by the Frank to ensorceler their country, but the Shaykhs forbade bloodshed, and merely deported the offender.  Travellers caught sketching are not often treated with such forbearance. [FN#32] All Arabs assert that it pains the loaded camel’s feet to stand still, and, certainly, the “fidgettiness” of the animal to start, looks as if he had some reason to prefer walking. [FN#33] It often strains the camel to rise with a full Shugduf on his back, besides which the motion is certain to destroy the vehicle in a few days.  Those who are unable to climb up the camel’s neck usually carry with them a short ladder. [FN#34] Wassit means, “go in the middle of the road”; Jannib, “keep clear of the sides.”  These words are fair specimens of how much may be said by two Arabic syllables.  Ya hu (O, he) is an address common in Arabia as in Egypt, and Y’al Jammal (O camel-man) is perhaps a little more civil. [FN#35] The rivalry between the Sons of the two Holy Cities extends even to these parts:  the Madanis contending for Yambu’, the Meccans for Jeddah.

[p.243]Chapter XIII.

From Yambu’ to Bir Abbas.

On the 18th July, about 7 P.M., we passed through the gate of Yambu’, and took a due Easterly course.  Our route lay over the plain between the mountains of Radhwah on the left, and the sea on the right hand; the land was desert,-that is to say, a hard level plain, strewed with rounded lumps of granite and greenstone schist, with here and there a dwarf Acacia, and a tuft of rank camel grass.  By the light of a glorious moon, nearly at the full, I was able to see the country tolerably well.