offered a reward of 100 dollars, which induced a Canadian to go in
search of it. He found it, some days after, on the shore of an island on
which it had been driven, and brought it to La Chine, where I happened
to be at the time. I paid him his reward, and understood that above
one-third of it was to be immediately applied to the purchase of a
certain number of masses which he had vowed, in the event of success,
previous to his setting out on the search.

* * * * *




~Adventure in the Desert, and Murder of a Sheikh.~


I was awakened for a few minutes, as early as three o'clock on the
following morning, by the sound of many voices in loud and earnest
conversation, amongst which I recognised that of Sheikh Suleiman; but as
noisy conversations at such early hours are by no means uncommon with
these restless spirits of the wilderness, I gave no heed to it, and
composed myself for sleep again, intending to rise by about half after
four, in order to get a dip in the Red Sea, before resuming the march;
and this intention I fulfilled; but just while throwing on the few
clothes I had taken with me, I heard suddenly a loud strife of many
tongues bursting forth, not in our encampment, but in a small copse or
grove of palm trees, about two hundred yards distant. At once the
thought rushed upon my mind, that the Mezzeni had overtaken us, and were
meditating an attack, now that we were so near the place of their main
encampment. This was directly confirmed by the sound of a gun-shot in