which formed the amphitheatre for spectators can still be traced.

In this place we found a great number of sepulchral grottoes cut out in the rock, whose dimensions and situation have led some persons to think that such symmetrical apertures were nothing but the principal boxes in the theatre, places reserved for distinguished personages; but the existence of similar grottoes in the rest of the town destroys this hypothesis. The grottoes were simply dwellings ornamented with windows, which are still visible, and whose existence is much anterior to the construction of the great monuments in their vicinity.

We left the theatre, and, having climbed a long series of steps in a ruinous condition, on the left, we reached the tombs, whose architecture is very characteristic. Their form is that of truncated cones, so that the façade of each looks like a pyramid laid into the face of the mountain. The effect of the whole is that of a series of wardrobes placed atop of each other, rather than a monumental façade. On quitting these sculptured boxes, and again passing before the theatre, we followed the valley, which, gradually widening, would lead us to the forum, the central spot of the Roman city, and surrounded by

the chief buildings. This is the place usually chosen by the dragomans for pitching camps; and there, in mud and damp, our tents were raised, and sustained a siege by all the population, who crowded to see us, and especially to live at our expense; for very soon we had a terrible repetition of the orgies of Abakah, and the colossal gluttony of Mohammed Gadd.

All the scheiks in the country were under arms, in expectation of our arrival, and, like a flight of crows, they swooped down upon us before the camel-drivers had had time to unload our camels, and set up our tents.

The reception was brilliant, touching, and highly meritorious on the part of our chief, who, having publicly committed himself to respect and admiration for these gentry, had to accept their embraces without wincing.

First came the scheik of Petra, Nossar himself; then the scheik of Wadi Mouça; then a procession of scheiks of all the wadis in the district, each more powerful, more terrible, and especially more dirty than his predecessor. We recognised among the crowd of evil faces some of those pleasant guests who had gorged themselves at the expense of our canteens at Abakah. They knew the way to the kitchen, and a raid on our provisions was speedily organised.

An

A MOCK BATTLE.

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English party, the same whom we had already met, were installed before us, and we served to divert the ardour of pillage from them. The information which they had to give us respecting the locality and its inhabitants was not too cheerful. They went off next day, leaving us to ourselves, or rather to the tender mercies of our hosts.

In order to intimidate us and to try our mettle, these worthy Bedouins got up among themselves a mock battle over a barrel of water for the camp, which our dragoman had sent for. The carrier demanded ten francs, and the proprietor of the barrel insisted upon receiving a similar sum. Swords were drawn, guns were fired furiously, and discordant cries made the whole town ring. Confident in our guns and in our revolvers, we displayed a perfect indifference to this pretended row, the trick was detected, and they instantly subsided into silence. The little comedy was very amusing, but it lasted rather too long, for it was not until nightfall that they were really convinced of the failure of their attempt at terrorism.

They left us in peace for several days, which we conscientiously employed in studying the principal sites in the place. The space once occupied by

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