Instead Of Turning Out A Family
From Some Wretched Dwelling, And Depriving Them Of A Repose Which I
Was Sure
Not to find for myself, I now, when evening came, pitched
my tent upon some smiling spot within a few
Hundred yards of the
village to which I looked for my supplies, that is, for milk and
bread if I had it not with me, and sometimes also for eggs. The
worst of it is, that the needful viands are not to be obtained by
coin, but only by intimidation. I at first tried the usual agent,
money. Dthemetri, with one or two of my Arabs, went into the
village near which I was encamped and tried to buy the required
provisions, offering liberal payment, but he came back empty-
handed. I sent him again, but this time he held different
language. He required to see the elders of the place, and
threatening dreadful vengeance, directed them upon their
responsibility to take care that my tent should be immediately and
abundantly supplied. He was obeyed at once, and the provisions
refused to me as a purchaser soon arrived, trebled or quadrupled,
when demanded by way of a forced contribution. I quickly found (I
think it required two experiments to convince me) that this
peremptory method was the only one which could be adopted with
success. It never failed. Of course, however, when the provisions
have been actually obtained you can, if you choose, give money
exceeding the value of the provisions to SOMEBODY.
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