cooling previously to being imbibed. They brought me some kabobs, on which, after my long abstinence from meat, at least meat simply dressed so as to be palatable, I made a substantial lunch. My evil genius the corporal, who was sitting near, lent me his assistance; for although he had just eaten, he was too much of a soldier to neglect any opportunity of replenishing his wallet, providing against times of compulsory abstinence. He must have received intelligence, I suppose, that the sheep had been killed in an orthodox way.

After a little, I retired to my couch, which was placed at a little distance under a tree, where I spent a quiet afternoon, leaving them to enjoy themselves in their own fashion. Before they brought me my evening meal, the Mekuddam came to me, now in rather a tottering state, and examined the construction of my iron bedstead. I said nothing to him about the schools, not only because of his then state, and his evident love of dissipation, but because of the presence of the Aga and others. The dinner would have done credit to the town, for the Mekuddam had not only brought with him his tent and four wives, but a cook, while numerous fowls were roosting in the

trees near. I lay in the moonlight under the tree, from whose branches hung the clusters of a vine, and never spent a night in a more agreeable spot.

CHAPTER VI.

TRANSMIGRATION

IMPORTANT VISIT-SHEIKH HHABEEB EESA-JOCULAR OLD SHEIKH -THEOLOGICAL DISCUSSIONS WANT OF RETIREMENT SCENE FOR A SKETCH-POSED BY OLD SHEIKH -CASTLE OF BENI-ISRAEL-LEAVE THE SHEIKH-SIMT KUBLEE-COURTESY AND INTELLIGENCE OF MEKUDDAMS-BLOOD FEUD-CONVERSATIONS ON RELIGION-SITE FOR SCHOOLSCRUSTY OLD SHEIKH-DELIGHTFUL RIDE-FORCED LEVY OF DONKEYS-RETURN TO LADIKEEH.

THE most important part of my trip still remained, namely, a visit to Sheikh Hhabeeb Eesa, who was agreed on all hands to be in chief reputation among the Ansyreeh. His cousin, Sheikh Ibraheem Saeed, had said of him, that if he was averse to schools, it would be impossible to form them, and wherever I went I was asked whether I had yet seen Sheikh Hhabeeb. Hence I anxiously expected the result of my visit to him, fearing that he might express some dislike for schools, which might prevent others from sending their children to them; for let a school be once formed,

and it would matter comparatively little what he or any other Sheikh might think about it, for neither he nor any one else has sufficient credit or influence to lead the people to forego what they would quickly see to be great advantages.

Leaving everything but a few necessary articles at Ain Sukkur, both because of the difficulty of obtaining an animal to carry the heavier luggage, and because the road to Matwar, the residence of the Sheikh, is a continual ascent; I started on Saturday, August 28, for that place, but not before the sun was up several hours. The distance is about four hours, and as the little wind was easterly, it was overpoweringly warm. At first there were a few olive plantations, but shortly we came to mountains covered with brushwood, with which by this time I was so familiar. We passed some truculent-looking fellows, who helped themselves to figs and grapes in some orchards in which we rested for some time, no one caring to forbid them. At length we came to a large valley full of vineyards and fig plantations, at the end of which, and elevated above them all, was the house of the Sheikh. He had heard

of my being in the mountains, and perhaps had descried me at a little distance, for he came out dressed neatly and even dandily. He is a man of middle age and corpulent, his person testifying to his good living. Though asthmatical, he persists in smoking a djozy without intermission, which keeps him in a continual wheeze and cough. He received me with all politeness, and conducted me into a cool room which is used as a kind of kitchen. Here a water-melon was brought, and we conversed for three or four hours on indifferent subjects; the Sheikh asking of me a favour, which was to write to our consul in Beyrout, on behalf of two friends of his who had been imprisoned. Nothing would do but that I should write at once, and I accordingly wrote, briefly acquainting the consul with the case. The Sheikh begged me to add that, if necessary, he would willingly give 50l. to get them released. It was difficult to make him understand that if the consul saw fit to interfere, he would neither take bribes himself nor sanction the giving of them. They were most desirous that I should translate to them what I had written, suggesting that I should write in