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Characterisation, especially by Letters   455

and pronounced a virgin. We are expecting a large fete and rejoicing in one of the Jewish families, and I hope I shall get invited. I have made acquaintance with Mlle Hanouni of Singing celebrity. Don't tell the Colonel. There has been one of the regular Damascus pieces of tittle tattle about the French doctor, who was living here and whom I take to be no great things. I don't know anything about the rights and wrongs of the accusations against him, but you know how the people here must have talked about a little bit of scandal, which is their greatest treat. I staid at Eden some days, and made great friends with all the people there especially your acquaintances the well-whipped Welleds, one of whore offered for sale a cake of chrome yellow that I suspect has been in your paint box before this. I staid too a day or two A the Cedars. I must bring this scrawl to an end, but before so doing I roust assure you, my dear fellow, of my best and hearty wishes for all possible health and good luck in all your future peregrinations, whether homeward or outward bound. If you return to England pray give my remembrances to any of my friends you may happen to come across. With the same once more to yourself, believe me to remain, Ever sincerely yours,

There are so few records of the " Fallow Years " that I gladly note here what contributed to their termination.

The d'Arnaud Bey Incident.
Life, Vol. I, p. 200.

However, we got on very well and made him talk of his travels and tell us of the country ahead, we had then no map and knew nothing hardly. He said : ` Why do you follow the English routine of just going to the 2nd cataract and returning? Cross the desert and go to Khartoum.' That sentence was a division of the ways in my subsequent life."

Memories of my Life, p. 96.

"That chance meeting with Arnaud Bey had important after-results for me by suggesting scientific objects for my future wanderings. I often thought of writing to hire in order to bring myself to his remembrance, and to sincerely thank him, but no sufficiently appropriate occasion arose, and it is now too late.

"In the winter of 1900-1901 I visited Egypt again and, calling at the Geographical Society there, learnt how important and honoured a place d'Arnaud Bey had occupied in its history. He had died not many months previously, and I looked at his portrait with regret and kindly remembrance. Being asked to communicate a brief memoir to the Society at its approaching meeting, I selected for my subject a comparison between Egypt then and fifty years previously. I took that opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to Arnaud, which posthumous tribute was all I had the power to pay."

March 20, 1900.

DEAR SIR, I am happy to present you hereby M. Bouda's letter with the interesting photograph. Mr Somers Clarke will come with us to-morrow. I send the carriage at 8 to your H6tel. Yours sincerely, G. SCHWEINFURTH.

A photograph of d'Arnaud was enclosed and from this our sketch was made.

11 TI habitait dans une petite butte de terre, entourse par une legere palissade de roseaux et que son genie await transformee en quelque sorte en un sanctuaire de philosophe an milieu d'un pays presque barbare. La distribution artistique de sa petite collection d'instruments scientiliques, livres et curiosites, donnait un air singulierement recueilli et studieux it cette modeste demeure. J'etais enchants do sa conversation et des nombreuses anecdotes qu'il nous racontait des pays du sud."

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`° Je n'ai plus eu l'occasion, depuis hors, de voir on d'etre encore en rapport avec d'Arnaud Bey, mais je l'ai toujours considers dans mon ceeur comme un bienfaiteur, car c'est lui qui m'a donne l'idee des voyages serieux que j'ai faits plus tard en explorant la terre des Damara dans le sud-ouest de 1'Afrique; c'est lui qui a dirige mon gout et mon energie vers la geographic et les sciences; j'ai su employer mon temps utilement au lieu de le consacrer h de frivoles amusements."

From Galton's "Souvenirs d'Egypte." Bulletin de la Societe Khediviale de Geographie, No. 7, Mai, 1900.


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