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232 BY DESERT WAYS TO BAGHDAD
there was the leather stall, with gorgeous beaded
bridles and handsomely embroidered native saddles ;
and next it was the boot bazaar, with none of our
blackness about it, but a mass of red and yellow
sandals. We had seen it all, just the same in a
score of similar villages, but I took it all in this
time as I had never taken it in before.
" What a funny baby's garment that is," said X.
The crowd behind were beginning to push.
" Yes," I said, " I wonder how it gets outside the
baby."
An angry buzz arose just behind us ; were they
going to stick us in the back ? We both disdained to
turn our heads to see.
" I hope Hassan will think of getting some spinach,"
I said, "there was some in the vegetable bazaar."
"He knows you like it," X answered, "he is sure
to get it."
We had come to the end of the row of stalls; we
slowly turned and faced the mob.
"This is the obvious moment for annihilation," I
thought to myself, " I wonder why I'm not afraid."
I was waiting in momentary expectation of death,
but at the same time I could not realise that we were
going to be killed. I did not seem to be able to take
in what being killed was—I felt very indifferent, and
noticed that I had lost a button off my coat. But the
crowd made way for us and we sauntered back.
Further down we met Hassan.
" What is all this crowd about ? " he said.
X told him ; he made no answer and we walked on
together.
AN ENCOUNTER WITH FANATICS 233
We got outside the gates of the town but were still
a few minutes' walk from the river.
" I'm tired," said X ; " let's rest here a minute," and
she lay down on the ground.
I looked round. There was still a noisy crowd at
the gates of the town, and we were being followed out
by some of the rowdier members. I had a vague idea
that it would have been more comfortable to lie down
on the raft, but there was no accounting for tastes,
and it was all in the day's work. I sat down beside X.
There was a white stone a few yards away, larger than
the others which lay about; I picked up a handful of
the smaller stones.
" Best out of ten," I said to myself; " if I hit we get
off, if I don't hit we are done for. There is no current
about this, it's all chance," and I started lazily throwing
at the large stone. Hassan stood by smoking. I
missed the first, and the second, and the third. Ali
Chous looked uneasily at the crowd beginning to
straggle out towards us. The fourth hit, and the fifth ;
the sixth missed. Two more misses and we should
be done for. Ali Chous begged us to come on. The
seventh and the eighth hit, the ninth missed. The
next throw would settle the question.
Two men had come up and stood looking at us.
" Let's come on now," said X, sitting up.
" One minute," I said, and I carefully picked out a
nice round pebble. It hit.
" What a baby you are!" said X.
We boarded the raft and pushed off. It was a
lovely calm evening. The current was straight enough
for us to glide quietly along with no assistance from