298 THE EMPTY QUARTER

together with Muhaimid I eventually accepted as additions
to our party, whose numbers thus rose to eleven. Among
the remainder there was much searching of hearts as to the
respective advantages of going to Mecca or to the families
waiting patiently in the Hasa. Farraj, having his plea for
inclusion in my party definitely rejected, changed his mind
no less than seven times that day and finally decided in con-
junction with 'Ali Jahman and Ibn Humaiyid to abandon all
thought of the pilgrimage and return to the Hasa. So all
these matters were in due course decided and disposed of,
and I embodied the arrangements made in a letter to the
Amir Sa'ud, of which 'Abdtd Rahman was nominated to be
the bearer.

Meanwhile I had devoted all the available time to packing
up everything that was to go to Riyadh. For the desert
journey it was obviously desirable to carry an absolute
minimum of impedimenta, but it was no easy matter deciding
what to take and what to send back. In case of possible
accidents, which one had to envisage quite solemnly, I de-
cided to send back all maps, observation-books, and my main
diary so that these at least should not be lost to the world in
the event of our failure to get across the desert. I accord-
ingly wrote up my journal as far as possible to date before
finally consigning it to one of the returning boxes. And I
was writing almost up to the last moment, as far as was
possible with the frequent invasion of my tent by those of
the returning party who wished to reassure themselves that
they were not sacrificing the reward of their past and future
labours by deserting my person at this stage. Farraj was
the most persistent with 'Ali Jahman a good second. Oh
Shaikh 'Abdullah, said the latter, you know that I would
have liked to accompany you to the end, but the baggage-
train must have a conductor and I know the country it will
have to pass over better than any of them, while I have no
knowledge of the desert between here and Sulaiyil. But I
am at your service to go with you if you wish it. And you
know that the provisions we have for the baggage-party are
not enough for us. Will you not therefore give us just a
little money for replenishing our stores on the way ? And