Lady Jane Digby rides through the desert to Bagdad, 1854
Barak rushed into her tent demanding that she hide her sheikh's scarlet mantle but it was already too late. Jahe heard the cries of the attackers and reached for a gun but, as she turned, an Arab on a chestnut horse, the sharpened point of his lance held before him, rode into the open tent and 'made us fairly his prisoners'. A large group of 'ruffians' herded them off to the conquerer's tents.
Not surprisingly, Eugenie was extremely frightened, insisting hysterically, 'Oh, we shall be sold as slaves.' Not so Jane. The raiders, she learned, were members of the M'wayaja tribe. She scribbled hurried notes into her brown notebook, dismissing her captors as canaille. 'Not one prepossesing face amongst them!' she wrote. 'How different from the handsome Jordan set.' She was unafraid and, though she felt sorry for Eugenie's distress, had to admit that 'In my heart I have enjoyed the experience so far, and was glad of witnessing it.'
The following day, after much consultation,Barak paid the ransom demanded for the release of persons, camels and tents, but they had to stand by while many of their personal belongings were openly taken off them. When this was done Jane assumed that they would be released, but they were still guarded by a fierce Arab woman wielding a large club and ruffian looking guards who insisted they were not to move until their sheikh, Faris ebn Hedeb, returned. It seemed that Sheikh Faris had had second thoughts and now wished to press for more ransom money. As night fell, the men gathered around the coffee hearth to negotiate terms. Fascinated, Jane placed her bed-roll outside the tent so that she could watch and listen.
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