departed the next day well escorted; and nothing interesting occurred on our march. We saw the setting sun of the third day gild the five thousand tents of the Drayhy, which covered the plain as far as the eye could reach. Surrounded by camels, horses, and flocks, which concealed the earth, never had I seen such a spectacle of power and wealth. The emir’s tent in the centre was a hundred and sixty feet long. He received me very politely, and without any question proposed to me to sup with him. After supper, he said to me: “Whence do you come, and whither are you going?” I replied as I had done to the Bedouins of the Euphrates. “You are welcome, then,” said he; “your arrival will cause a thousand benedictions. Please God you will succeed; but, according to our custom, we cannot speak of business till after three days devoted to hospitality and repose.” I made the customary thanks, and retired. The next day I despatched Wardi to M. Lascaris. The Drayhy is a man of fifty, tall, and of a handsome countenance, with a small beard entirely white; his aspect is stern; he is considered as the most able of all the chiefs of tribes; he has two sons, Zaer and Sahdoun: they are married, and dwell in the same tent as himself. His tribe, called El Dualla, is numerous and very rich. Chance favoured me wonderfully from the first day of my arrival. The emir was in want of a secretary; I offered to assist him for the moment, and I soon gained his confidence by the hints and the information I was able to give him regarding the tribes I had studied. When I spoke to him of my own business, he expressed so much regret at seeing me about to depart, that I feigned to yield to his wishes. He said, “If you will remain with me, you shall be like my son; all that you say shall be done.” I availed myself of this confidence, to induce him to pass over the Euphrates, in order to bring him nearer to Sheik Ibrahim: I suggested to him all the influence he might gain over the tribes of the country, by withdrawing them from Nasser: I represented to him all the presents they would be obliged to offer him; the terror with which he would inspire the Osmanlis, and the mischief he would do his enemies by consuming their pasturage. As it was the first time he was quitting the desert of Bagdad to come into Mesopotamia, my advice and my information were a great resource to him, and he followed them. The departure was superb to witness. The horsemen before, on horses of high pedigree; women on howdahs magnificently draped, and on dromedaries, surrounded by negress slaves. Men, loaded with provisions, were running throughout the caravan, calling out: “Who is hungry?” and distributing bread, dates, &c. Every three hours, a halt was made, to take coffee; and at night the tents were raised as if by enchantment. We followed the banks of the Euphrates, whose clear waters gleamed like silver: I myself was mounted on a mare of pure blood; and the whole journey appeared like a