Bedouin Tribes of the Euphrates Vol 2 - The Search For Mecca

CH, XXII.] Sotanuii leaves Jiis Alarcs. 157
glory, and he had laughed, in his quiet way, not a
little at Mohammed's romantic choice. But we remembered
that he was but an Ulema of Aleppo, and
the son of a horse dealer, and Ave do not withdraw
our esteem from him on that account.
Sotamm came more than once to visit us in the
garden, where we were encamped at Damascus, aud
seemed pleased, poor man, to sit down at the door
even of our European tent. He felt that we were
in some sense Bedouins like himself. Each time
we found him paler and more dejected, for the
Bedouins languish quickly in town air, and at last
he suddenly went 1jack to the desert. At the time,
we could learn nothing of his interview with the
Valy, for he was always accompanied and closely
watched by an official, and therefore reserved with
us, and we, having done our duty in the cause of
peace, pressed him no further. But we know now
that he went back without his mares to the tril3e,
and that the difficulty as to the march of the Eodla
northwards was satisfactorily removed.
Quite lately
news has reached us that Sotamm is once more in
the old quarters of the Sebaa, the pastures of Homs
and Hama, and that he is supported there by the
Government. So I fear Ave must consider that our
diplomatic mission failed. Whether the Sebaa Avill
sit down under their loss of territory, or Avhethcr
new raids and fio-hts Avill follow Ave do not A'ct
know, but I intend perhaps to add a postscript to my
last chapter, with the " latest news " of the Desert.