Most of chapter 83 is devoted to Lawrence filling out his bodyguard, since the Ottomans have put a price of 20,000 pounds on his head. Up until now he's been collecting a small band of hard-riding youth who seem to be serving him specifically to escape homophobia, but here his little group grows to 80 and takes a more serious turn.
The British at Akaba called them cut-throats; but they cut throats only to my order.
It's honestly pretty funny; the tone is similar to an old epic describing the warband of a mythic hero. There's a few excellent passages. A large amount is devoted to Abdulla el Nahabi, who has reportedly devoted his life to serving and then robbing pretty much every leader in Arabia in addition to sleeping with all of their wives. I have no idea why Lawrence trusted him, but sure!
He was the most experienced Ageyli, having served every Arabian prince and having been dismissed each employment, after stripes and prison, for offences of too great individuality. Ibn Dakhil said that the Nahabi rode second to himself, was a master-judge of camels, and as brave as any son of Adam; easily, since he was too blind-eyed to see danger. In fact, he was the perfect retainer, and I engaged him instantly.
The Ageyl, being mercenaries, would not do well unless well paid, and for lack of that condition had fallen into disrepute: yet the bravest single effort of the Arab war belonged to that one of them who twice swam down the subterranean water-conduit into Medina, and returned with a full report of the invested town.
Which!!!! That's a story! What is his name? That's some Assassin's Creed shit.
As a final funny note, he claims that they develop a sort of Landsknecht approach to army uniforms, with Lawrence notably dressed all in white silk and his bodyguard deliberately in any other color to make him stand out.
Fellows were very proud of being in my bodyguard, which developed a professionalism almost flamboyant. They dressed like a bed of tulips, in every colour but white; for that was my constant wear, and they did not wish to seem to presume.
I need to find pictures! Lawrence consistently acts like the men around him just kinda accidentally end up glorifying him, and I'm not sure how much to trust it. I can totally imagine a hotheaded group of young man deciding to implement a flamboyant dress code for fun, but maybe Lawrence was more involved in these discussions than he implies.
Lawrence then discourses for too many pages on the difference in master/servant relationships in the middle east versus England. He basically claims that in England, servitude is more forced and thus more reliable, but also worse. Whereas the circumstances and mores of his new bodyguard enter service willingly, and thus can leave and must be allowed more freedom, but are also more likely to throw themselves fully at a task. Which.... eh? The end of Chapter 83 falls into more of Lawrence's sideways racism, making broad claims about what he thinks he's observing in this strange foreign land. He thinks he's being complimentary, usually.
