very clever one) and he
said he was wishing to play a game for a kiss as the stake. He had put
on a turban to-day, on the strength of his passion, to look like a man,
and had neglected his dress otherwise because 'when young men are sick of
love they always do so.' The fact is the Baroness was kind and amiable
and tried to amuse him as she would have done to a white boy, hence
Achmet's susceptible heart was 'on fire for her.' He also asked me if I
had any medicine to make him white, I suppose to look lovely in her eyes.
He little knows how very pretty he is with his brown face--as he sits
cross-legged on the carpet at my feet in his white turban and blue shirt
reading aloud--he was quite a picture. I have grown very fond of the
little fellow, he is so eager to learn and to improve and so remarkably
clever.

My little Achmet, who is donkey-boy and general little slave, the
smallest slenderest quietest little creature, has implored me to take him
with me to England. I wish Rainie could see him, she would be so
'arprized' at his dark brown little face, so _fein_, and with eyes like a
dormouse. He is a true little Arab--can run all day in the heat, sleeps
on the stones and eats anything--quick, gentle and noiseless and fiercely
jealous. If I speak to any other boy he rushes at him and drives him
away, and while black Khayr was in the house, he suffered martyrdom and
the kitchen was a scene of incessant wrangle about the coffee. Khayr
would bring me my coffee and Achmet resented the usurpation of his
functions--of course quite hopelessly, as Khayr was a great stout black
of eighteen and poor little Achmet not bigger than Rainie. I am really
tempted to adopt the vigilant active little creature.

_March_ 15.--Sheykh Yussuf returned from a visit to Salamieh last night.
He tells me the darweesh Achmet et-Tayib is not dead, he believes that he
is a mad fanatic and a communist. He wants to divide all property
equally and to kill all the Ulema and destroy all theological teaching by
learned men and to preach a sort of revelation or interpretation of the
Koran of his own. 'He would break up your pretty clock,' said Yussuf,
'and give every man a broken wheel out of it, and so with all things.'

One of the dragomans here had been urging me to go down but Yussuf
laughed at any idea of danger, he says the people here have fought the
bedaween before and will not be attacked by such a handful as are out in
the mountain now; _