THE FORD.

Girls carried away by the Rapids--An amphibious Arab Girl--Search
for the drowned Girl--The Corpse recovered--The Sheik lays down
the Law--"The Fact is simply impossible"--The Sheik's Idea of
Matrimony--The Duties of his Four Wives--The Maimed, the Halt,
and the Blind--The Arab Fakeers or Priests--"All the Same with a
little Difference"--The Cure for Frendeet--Arrival at
Katariff--The Market Day--Scenes at the Fair--Custom of
scarifying the Cheeks--The Galla Slave--Purchase her Freedom
--Singular Misunderstanding--Mahomet's Explanation--Mek Nimmur
invades the Frontier--Mek Nimmur's Tactics--Insecurity of the
Country--Mek Nimmur sends me his Compliments--Roder Sheriff's
withered Arm--The Aggageers--Mixture for Bullets--We make
Arrowroot--Florian's Hunter--Arrive at Geera--Follow a Herd of
Elephants--Track up the Elephants--A tremendous Crash--A
critical Position--The Forehead Shot--The Half-pound Explosive
Shell--Recover my old wounded Elephant--Fraternize with the
Sword Hunters.


CHAPTER XII.

OLD NEPTUNE JOINS THE PARTY.

The Arab Centaurs--Wild Arab Horsemanship--Discipline of the
Gun-bearers--Off goes the Gun, and its Master!--Ombrega (Mother
of the Thorn)--Leopard Springs into the Camp--The Dog carried
off--The Bull Elephant--The Forehead Shot fails--The Mountain