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

CTT. XVII.] JVc Gather Manna. 21
only merry one of the party, for he is going home.
As to Mohammed, the Tudmuri, we hardly yet
know what to make of him, except that he seems
anxious to oblige and to be of use. He is certainly
an ornamental addition to our party, as he is well
mounted on a grey Shuemeh Shah, and carries a
lance fifteen feet long. He seems more of a Bedouin
than a townsman, and Wilfrid thinks he may be
won over to our plans ; but first we must get rid
of the soldiers, and it is ag;reed that we are to
starve them out by making things as uncomfortable
for them as we can. So they have been told that
they must expect no rations from us, and must keep
watch all night. AVe think that in this way they
may be induced to go home.
We are encamped in a snug wady, about ten
miles south-west of Deyr ; and Mohammed has
been teaching Wilfrid how to find truffles, of which
there are great numbers now. They are found by
dio-oino- with a stick, wherever a crack is seen in the
ground or an appearance observed of a
heaving of
the soil, just as one sees over tulip bulbs in the
spring. There, with a little practice, the kemeyes
are discovered, only a few inches from the surface.
They are white and soft, like potatoes, but much
lighter ; and some we found this evening were as
big as both Mohammed's fists. They occur in light
soil, where there are no stones, and prefer rather
high ground. Wilfrid, though a novice in the art,
picked up a dozen or so after we encamped, enough