120 A CURIOUS DENOUEMENT.

them; in the foreground, the soldier, motionless
and confounded; the two Egyptians, stupidly
gazing at each other; myself in the background,
biting my nails, with looks of anger and indigna-
tion; and lastly, the draughtsman, weeping aloud,
and answering me with sobs, when I asked him if
he had met with any ill usage, ‘ No, sir; but what
can we now get to eat ?’” The denouement of this
affair was exceedingly curious. In comphance
with the spirited remonstrances of his conductor,
Hossein, Sonnini was released and his property
restored to him—the Bedouin chief demanding a
certificate to the effect that the stranger who had
fallen into his hands had been honourably treated,
and was satisfied with his conduct! By way of
conclusion, they ate together a meal of bread and
lentils; and after the repast, the Arab robbers ap-
proached the man they had so recently stripped
and plundered, ‘‘ with a degree of interest and cor-
diality, blaming the temerity which had induced
him to attempt a journey through the wilderness,
which was acknowledged to be the resort only of
thieves and banditti.”

As everybody knows, the Turks are great cat-
fanciers ; and in Hgypt a cat is even allowed ina
mosque. ‘hese animals are in all the houses of
the inhabitants, and are indulged and caressed by
the effeminate and indolent of the upper classes.