decide on their future movements. At
this council, it was decided that Ringlady and Campbell should set off
next day for Jerusalem with the scanty supply of cash they possessed, and
from the Holy City transmit a supply of money to Sidney. Sidney's funds
were completely exhausted by the payments he was compelled to make to the
Albanians and Turks, who considered his quarantine had given them a right
to divide his purse. It was by no means prudent to dispute their
impositions, lest a pretext for delay should arise out of the dispute,
though, after paying all the claims brought against him, Sidney remained
with only a few dollars in his possession. The detention of a few days
more in Gaza he regarded with great indifference; and when he saw the
elegant Mr Ringlady set off with his quarantine cook installed as
dragoman, he could not resist quizzing the mellifluous lawyer on the
diminished splendour of his equipage, and contrasting his present figure
with the magnificent appearance of his train as it was marshalled by
Mohammed the pearl of dragomans under the walls of the renowned city of
Belbeis.

Sidney, as soon as his companions were departed, resolved to seek out a
private habitation, and thus avoid the expense, entailed on him by his
residence in the tower he had hitherto occupied. To effect this, he called
on his Persian friend Ibrahim Sishman, to secure his assistance in hiring
a room. The Persian possessed a house in the immediate vicinity of his den
in the bazaar, in which he occasionally lodged his correspondents when
they visited Gaza, and generally used as a storehouse for his tobacco and
coffee. His own dwelling and harem was situated in a distant quarter of
the town. He now offered Sidney the use of the empty house, telling him he
might occupy it as soon as he liked and quit it whenever he pleased. The
offer was made with a degree of good will that showed it was not a mere
compliment; so two hammals were set to work immediately to scrub the
floors with soap and water, and Achmet was sent to get Sidney's scanty
baggage removed to his new domicile.

While Sidney was detained at Gaza, he found himself compelled to pass a
good deal of his time seated cross-legged in Fat Abraham's den in the
bazaar conversing, with his host and the customers who stopped before the
spot, on the political and commercial news of Palestine. His host also
generally passed part of the evening with him under the pretext of
rational conver