The Sheik sipped this, drop by drop, with ineffable relish, and
rolled his eyes solemnly round between every draught, as though the
drink were the drink of the Prophet, and had come from the seventh
heaven.
An inquiry about distances led to the discovery that this Sheik had
never heard of the division of time into hours; my Arabs
themselves, I think, were rather surprised at this.
About this part of my journey I saw the likeness of a fresh-water
lake. I saw, as it seemed, a broad sheet of calm water, that
stretched far and fair towards the south, stretching deep into
winding creeks, and hemmed in by jutting promontories, and shelving
smooth off towards the shallow side. On its bosom the reflected
fire of the sun lay playing, and seeming to float upon waters deep
and still.
Though I knew of the cheat, it was not till the spongy foot of my
camel had almost trodden in the seeming waters that I could
undeceive my eyes, for the shore-line was quite true and natural.
I soon saw the cause of the phantasm. A sheet of water heavily
impregnated with salts had filled this great hollow, and when dried
up by evaporation had left a white saline deposit, that exactly
marked the space which the waters had covered, and thus sketched a
good shore-line.
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