While the officers were conducting us through the town I noticed a dark fellow, whom I had somewhere seen before, following us and laughing at my jokes, which were spoken to Moses mostly in English. When I spoke to him he feigned not to understand English, and began drawing me out of the few Arabic words which I had learned, at which he laughed and said he could speak ten tongues, including English. He said he knew all about me, but I had forgotten him. I then had Moses question him, but could get so little satisfaction that we concluded he was a fake, but he followed us and managed to advise me that I had better leave Me-Schwab in the dark; also that the Sheik might not consent for us to stay over again. Then I tried hard to think where I had seen him, but I could not.

After we had been hustled back to our jail a party who owned the only wooden-wheeled wagon in that world came to bargain with me to take us to Karbilla. Two women, they said, were wanting to go with us, and we had better go through in the night, to which I objected, but after much wrangling we fixed on one o'clock in the morning for the start.

Again I appeared before the Sheik, for permission to visit the Mohammedan cemeteries. He was reluctant, but finally consented, with whispered instructions to the guard, who took us outside the gate to a little hill, where we could see the graveyard about a mile distant, and then hustled us right back to our pen.

At one o'clock, after we had swallowed our camel steak and coffee, we were taken to the carry-all, where we found two masked women just arriving, whom I knew were quite young by their movements. A soft rug was stretched across to separate us from the women, who seemed to be housekeeping in the rear flat of the wagon, and we in the front. As our start was delayed, I snuggled back against the rug which partitioned us from the females, and soon realized that someone on the other side was snuggling up against me. When I aroused to inquire about our departure she would speak to the other woman, then we would resume our comfortable position, until her head dropped on my shoulder and nature's sweet repose drove all our cares away—of course both of us were asleep. Thus we waited until after light, all grumbling except us who were asleep.

About sunrise the driver, with six Arabian steeds, in true Bedouin style, circled the open space on a wild run, then dashing out through the gates struck out for the north, which took us between the two cemeteries to which we had been refused admittance the previous evening. They ran the down grade at high speed, apparently so we could not see the tombs; but, when just at the point of curiosity, one wheel ran off and we were dumped in the sand, where the women lost their masks. One of them looked slyly at me with her soul brim full of laughter, as she placed her hands on my shoulders and shook me playfully; I did not understand her affection, although under those circumstances I appreciated it and wished we could each tell our story to the other.