Page:The Northern Ḥeǧâz (1926).djvu/253

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RETURN FROM WÂDI AL-ǦIZEL TO TEBÛK
237

travel only by railway and not to go east or west of the railway line.

On Friday, July 8, 1910, the mudîr sent two gendarmes to the infirmary to prevent my speaking with anybody. As the infirmary belonged to the International Board of Health at


Constantinople,
Fig. 86—Railway station, Tebûk.
I ordered the gendarmes to leave these international premises immediately and threatened to have them fired at if they came near. But at the same time I promised them half a meǧîdijje (45 cents) each and three cups of tea daily, if they would retire to the inn of Mr. Sarikakis about one kilometer away from the infirmary. This promise was more effective than the orders of the mudîr, and they immediately went off to the inn, where they remained the whole day.

RETURN TO MAʻÂN

We could not remain any longer at Tebûk; the camels were weak with hunger; we did not know whether the Beni ʻAṭijje, in fear of the Šammar, were moving rapidly to the