i gi 8] CAMELS 215
in front of the Arabs. Joyce and his staff had
always been most careful to discourage any ten-
dency to decry and grumble at the French detach-
ment. It had done wonderful work, and was worth
two of any of the Arab batteries, but it was the
fashion in Arab circles to minimise the help it gave,
for political reasons. Pisani's position was thus a
difficult one, and it was doubly unfortunate that it
should happen to be he who had got excited. I
followed him at once and did my best to pacify him,
but it was quite useless, and I could only hope that
we should be able to make it up later on. The rest
of Nuri's column was in splendid order, and when
I reached Aba'l Lissan for the last time on the 7th
September, Joyce was delighted to hear that all
was going so well. I found that Lawrence and
Winterton had leftfor Azraq in another Rolls tender,
taking with them Sherif Nasir, who was to repre-
sent Feisal with the flying column. Four days later,
Joyce and Stirling and I followed them, and by the
13th September the whole force was collected at
Azraq.