o doubt, meet the elder spiritual father." "Samdadchiemba, your
advice is a bubble; the tent and the baggage must remain here, for the
excellent reason, that they cannot be moved without animals." "Animals!"
exclaimed the Dchiahour, "where, then, is the camel I fastened to the
stake?" "It broke the rope and ran away; the horse and the mule have run
away too, and I have not the least idea where any of them are to be
sought." "This is a pretty business," grumbled the cameleer; "however,
when day breaks we must see what can be done. Meanwhile, let us make a
little tea." "Make tea, by all means, if you can make tea without water,
but water there is none; the well is perfectly dry." This announcement
completed the discomfiture of poor Samdadchiemba; he sank back quite
exhausted upon the baggage, and his weariness soon threw him into deep
slumber.

With the first streaks of dawn, M. Huc ascended an adjacent hill in the
hope of discovering something or somebody. He perceived, in a distant
valley, two animals, one black, one white; he hastened to them, and found
our horse and mule browsing on some thin, dusty grass, beside a cistern
of soft water. When he led the animals back to the tent, the sun was
about to rise, but Samdadchiemba still slumbered, lying in exactly the
same position which he had assumed when he went to sleep.
"Samdadchiemba," cried M. Huc, "won't you have some tea this morning?"
At the word tea, our cameleer jumped up as though he had been
electrified; he looked round, his eyes still heavy with sleep, "Did not
the spiritual father mention tea? Where is the tea? Did I dream I was
going to have some tea?" "I don't know whether you dreamed it, but tea
you may have, if you wish, as there is soft water in the valley yonder,
where, just now, I found the horse and the mule. Do you go and fetch
some water, while I light the fire." Samdadchiemba joyfully adopted the
proposition, and putting the buckets over his shoulders, hastened to the
cistern.

When tea was ready, Samdadchiemba became quite comfortable; he was
absorbed with his beloved beverage, and seemed to have altogether
forgotten the disruption of the caravan. It was necessary, however, to
recall the circumstance to him, in order that he might go in search of
the camel that had run away.

Nearly one half the day elapsed, yet his companions did not rejoin M.
Huc. From time to time there passed Tartar horsemen or pilgrims
returning from the fes