forth a male child, and loved him and reared him; so that in process of
time he took a wife, and from this union sprung the bastard race of
Kailouees.

_12th._--We had halted the previous evening because we were within an
hour of the well of Tajetterat, which had become famous in our caravan
as the place where we were to be attacked and despoiled by the
freebooter Sidi Jafel Waled Sakertaf. This morning we pursued our way,
cautiously sending scouts before. But as the wady opened, the place
proved to be desolate, and we advanced joyously, with the confidence
that this time at least we had been disturbed by a false alarm. Still,
as we descended towards the well we could not now and then refrain from
casting our glances about into the gorges of the mountains, to discover
whether or not, after all, our enemies were lying in ambush there. Not a
living thing stirred upon the hills; and we gathered round the two
wells, or rather holes scraped out of the sand, with feelings of delight
and confidence. The water proved to be good; it is said to be produced
by rain, and to be purgative,--a quality it must derive from the soil
through which it trickles. We determined, however, not to stop at this
place, lest the men of Janet[7] might after all arrive; and pushing on,
in hopes that our track might be confounded with those of the caravans,
we reached, after a rapid march of five hours and a-half, the well of
Esalan. As we approached, we saw an encampment in its neighbourhood, and
camels grazing about. Our vanguard halted; and the whole caravan soon
became massed in the entrance of the gorge through which we were about
to issue. Our far-sighted guards, however, soon discovered that there
was no cause for alarm. We had at length overtaken our Tanelkum friends;
and riding forward I greeted them, and, forgetting all idea of danger,
anxiously asked for our baggage, and above all for my inestimable supply
of potted soups!