Sheik Achmet was a wise man; he was
a friend of the Egyptian authorities, to whom he paid tribute as
though it were his greatest pleasure; he also paid tribute to Mek
Nimmur, with whom he was upon the best of terms; therefore, in
the constant fights that took place upon the borders, the cattle
and people of Sheik Achmet were respected by the contending
parties, while those of all others were sufferers. This was
exactly the spot for my head-quarters, as, like Sheik Achmet, I
wished to be on good terms with everybody, and through him I
should be able to obtain an introduction to Mek Nimmur, whom I
particularly wished to visit, as I had heard that there never was
such a brigand. Accordingly, I pitched the tents and formed a
camp upon the bank of the river, about two hundred yards below
the village of Wat el Negur, and in a short time Sheik Achmet and
I became the greatest friends.
There is nothing more delightful when travelling in a strange
country, a thousand miles away from the track of the wildest
tourist, than to come upon the footprint of a countryman; not the
actual mark of his sole upon the sand, which the dust quickly
obscures, but to find imprinted deeply upon the minds and
recollections of the people, the good character of a former
traveller, that insures you a favourable introduction.
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