They came together to him, and after a moment scattered away downhill. I feared things were going wrong, and struggled to where he stood alone on the hilltop, glaring at the enemy: but all he would say to me was, “Get your camel if you want to see the old man’s work.” Nasir called for his camel and we mounted.

The Arabs passed before us into a little sunken place, which rose to a low crest; and we knew that the hill beyond went down in a facile slope to the main valley of Aba el Lissan, somewhat below the spring. All our four hundred camel men were here tightly collected, just out of sight of the enemy. We rode to their head, and asked the Shimt what it was and where the horsemen had gone.