Again I saw the boys romping in the square amongst the palms. Their glad voices reached my ear, and when they caught sight of me they ran up to us followed by their barking dogs.
The men, grouped beneath the trees, rose and came forward to press my hand. The Khalifa also rose to receive me. I thanked him for the delightful trip he had arranged for me.
“I am glad that you are satisfied; glad to see you here again; and that you will stay with me, your brother, even for forty years.”
Of course these speeches must not be taken literally, they only express the kindly feeling of the speaker towards oneself.
After I had dined in my cave I sallied out to the Khalifa’s dwelling to be present, in accordance with his invitation, at the festivities held in honour of the third day.
As I did not like the old man to be inconvenienced by having to sit on a chair because I did so, I suggested that we should sit together amongst the other men. To this he agreed.
Gradually there arrived numbers of men from all the surrounding country; these sat tightly packed on the banks, as on the previous occasion.
Again the negroes danced, the drums boomed, and the clarionets screamed; whilst the Khalifa, his sons, and myself sat together in a friendly group looking on.
Now and then the women sang, but, as far as I could understand, neither bride nor bridegroom were mentioned in their songs, certainly not the latter.
It was hard to keep awake. Belkassim’s little son nestled up to me, and, as it grew chilly, I wrapped my burnous about him, and he was soon asleep. The monotonous music induced drowsiness; I fought valiantly against it, which was more than Hamed did, for I suddenly found him snoring beside me, wrapped in his burnous. I let him repose, but from that moment conversation betwixt myself and my foreign surroundings was limited to the simplest compliments.