ikely to accept the Pasha's invitation to meet 'Abdallah Wafa
Effendi, who was sent with overtures of reconciliation between the
brothers of the Amer family. This being a question that bore very nearly
on their personal interests.

I awoke just as the moon gleamed in the east, but did not arouse the
youths for another half hour, till I became apprehensive of evil effects
from their sleeping in the moonlight.

After coffee we mounted and went forward, escorted by two of the
quarantine guardians. There were no more hills, but the remaining
country was all of hard untilled ground, with sprinklings of tamarisk and
kali bushes, which showed we were entering on a new botanical region.

Arrived at an Arab encampment, where our escort were obliged to hire the
shaikh for showing us the way, as they either did not know it, or, which
I believe the more probable, did not dare to take travellers over his
land without his sharing in the profits, even though they were officials
of quarantine. He soon came up, riding a fine mare of the Saklawi race,
and his spear over the shoulder, glittering in the moonlight. His name
was _Ayan_, and his people were a small offset from the great _Tiyahah_
tribe. We passed several other such stations, of which we were always
made aware beforehand by the barking of their dogs, and by seeing the
camels browsing or reposing at a little distance from the tents.

As the night advanced, the mist rose and increased till the stars were
obscured and the moon scarcely perceptible; our clothes also became
nearly wet through.

We reached Beersheba (now called _Beer-es-Seba_) perhaps a couple of
hours before daylight, and after sharing some food, wrapt the blankets
over our heads, and lay down with our heads against the parapet stones of
the great well, and fell asleep, notwithstanding the cold wet mist.

I rose before the sun, and wrote two letters to friends in England by
morning twilight.

The mist disappeared as the glorious sun came forth; and we walked about
to survey the place. The wide plain around was disused arable land,
showing in some places some stubble from a recent harvest, but only in
small patches, which in the early spring must have been cheerful to the
sight.

Near us was a pretty water-course of a winter torrent, shallow and
comparatively wide, but then quite dry.

The great well has an internal diameter at the mouth of twelve feet six
inches, or a circumference of nearly forty f