The people in the khan at Mazarib were laughing at us because that wretched Bedawi, a chance adherent, ruled our party.
We plotted desperately to get rid of him.
At length Suleyman devised a scheme.

It was that we should change the whole direction of our journey, turning aside into the mountain of the Druzes.

The Druzes were at war with many of the Bedu--probably with this man's tribe; at any rate, a Bedawi, unless disguised, would run grave risk among them while the war was on.
Accordingly, when we at length set out from Mazarib, Suleyman, with many compliments, informed the knight of a dilemma which distressed us greatly.

I had been summoned to the bedside of a friend of mine, a great Druze sheykh, now lying very ill, whose one wish was to gaze on me before he died.

Rashid chimed in to say how tenderly that Druze chief loved me, and how depressed I was by sorrow for his grievous illness.