While breaking our fast and resting the mules, a few shots ringing ahead caused general excitement: we were now on the edge of the enemy's country. Presently three of the Ma'ázah came in and explained, with their barking voices, that their people had been practicing at the Níshán ("target"); which meant "We have powder in abundance." One of them, at once dubbed El-Nasnás ("the Satyr") from his exceeding monstrous ugliness--a baboon's muzzle with a scatter of beard--kindly volunteered to guide us, with the intention of losing the way. The dialogue that took place was something as follows:-- What are your names ? A. Na'akal wa nashrab! Our names are "We eat and We drink!" Where do we find water to-day? Furayj ejaculates, "The water of the Rikáb!" A. No, by Allah! The Arabs will never allow you to drink! You should be killed for carrying off in Dumús ("skins") the sand of the Wady Jahd (alluding to Lieutenant Amir's trip). We did not pay much heed to these evil signs. Ahmed el-‘Ukbí had been sent forward to obtain a free pass from the chiefs, and we hardly expected that the outlying thieves would be daring enough to attack us. Resuming our way, in a cold wind and a warm sun, up the upper Wady Sadr, we threaded the various bends to the south and south-east, with a general south-south-eastern direction. The normal dark-green traps and burnished red porphyries and grits were sparsely clad with the Shauhat and the Yasár trees, resembling the Salvadora and the Tamarix. The country began to show a few donkeys and large flocks of sheep and goats; the muttons have a fine "tog," and sell for three dollars and a half. The women in charge, whose complexions appeared notably lighter than those of the seaboard, barked like the men. They were much puzzled by a curious bleating which came from the mules; and hurriedly counted their kids, suspecting that one had been purloined, whilst they had some trouble to prevent the whole flock following us. All roared with laughter when they found that Mr. Clarke was the performer. We crossed two short cuts over long bends in the Wady; and at the second found a pot-hole of rain-water by no means fragrant, except to nostrils that love impure ammonia. It has a grand name, Muwah (for Miyáh) el-Rikáb ("the Waters of the Caravan"); and we made free with it, despite the morning's threats. We again camped in the valley at an altitude of 2200 feet (aner. 27.80); and, though the thermometer showed 66° F. at five p.m., fires inside and outside the mess-tent were required. A wester or sea-breeze, deflected by the ravines to a norther, was blowing; and in these regions, as in the sub-frigid zones of Europe, wind makes all the difference of temperature. During the evening we were visited by the Ma'ázah Bedawin of a neighbouring encampment: they began to notice stolen camels and to wrangle over past times--another bad sign.