The Ottoman Government, desiring a barrier against Persia, encouraged the Kurds to spread themselves over Armenia; it welcomed less the Shammar and Anazeh Arabs, who broke over the Euphrates about the year 1700 and turned the last fields of Northern Mesopotamia to desolation; but it was too impotent or indifferent to turn them out.

There are twenty of them, led by Anazeh, who is a bad rascal.

He retorted gloomily: "Anazeh's scoundrels will have raided sheep, and perhaps cattle.

The Sheikh Anazeh (there was no doubt of his identity; they all kept calling him by name) fulminated.

Anazeh beckoned to me.

We backed away from shore, and Anazeh steered the boat's nose eastward.

But Anazeh had presence of mind.

Though some of our party, Anazeh included, returned the fire, none boasted of having hit any one.

"That man on the horse is saying that if more men go with Anazeh than you and two others, there will certainly be fighting.

One of Anazeh's men took my bag, with a nod to reassure me, and without a word we were off full-pelt, Anazeh leading with four stalwarts who looked almost as hard-bitten as himself, six men crowding me closely, and the remainder bringing up the rear.

Anazeh and his four galloped forward up-hill, firing as they rode for the cover of a breast-high ridge.

Judging by Anazeh's magnificently insolent reply it looked at first as if he intended fighting his way in.

The arrangement finally agreed to was Anazeh's suggestion, but showed diplomatic genius on both sides.

When that was over ben Nazir took us to the corner and presented, first me, then Anazeh to the solitary man in the white head-dress, who seemed to think himself too important to trouble about manners.

Anazeh turned on his heel and joined the other guests.

Ben Nazir, seeming to think that Anazeh's ruffled feelings called for smoothing, crossed the room to engage him in conversation, so I was left practically alone with the strange individual.

It seemed that Anazeh had gone away somewhere to eat with his men.

So I returned to ben Nazir's house, and found old Sheikh Anazeh sitting outside on the step, as motionless as a tobacco-store Indian but twice as picturesque.

We knew we could count on old Anazeh.

There wasn't anybody else except Anazeh that ben Nazir could have sent to fetch you, and the old boy is a dependable friend of ours.

"If you can, keep old Anazeh sober.

In his own village I think Anazeh would laugh if I talked this ruse over with him afterwards.

I lay listening to Anazeh's thunderous snores and naturally enough imagining every possible contingency and dozens that were totally impossible.

While I pondered the problem in all its impossible bearings, loud snores to right and left of me, tenor and bass by turns, announced that Jimgrim and Anazeh were as blissfully oblivious to my worries as the bedbugs were that had come out of hiding and discovered me.

They prayed together whenever possible, Anazeh keeping count of their genuflections.