At the end of four hours we reached Wady el Lahyane (Arabic).
In this desert the water collects in a number of low bottoms and Wadys,
where it produces verdure in winter time: and an abundance of trees with
[p.446] green leaves are found throughout the year. In the winter some
of the Arabs of Ghaza, Khalyl, as well as those from the shores of the
Red sea, encamp here. The Wady Lahyane [The road from Akaba to Ghaza
passes here. It is a journey of eight long days. The watering places on
it are, El Themmed (Arabic), Mayeyu (Arabic), and Berein (Arabic). The
distance from Akaba to Hebron is nine days. The springs on the road are:
El Ghadyan (Arabic), El Ghammer (Arabic), and Weyba (Arabic).] is
several hours in extent; its bottom is full of gravel. We met with a few
families of Arabs Heywat (Arabic), who had chosen this place, that their
camels might feed upon the thorny branches of the gum arabic tree, of
which they are extremely fond. These poor people had no tents with them;
and their only shelter from the burning rays of the sun, and the heavy
dews of night, were the scanty branches of the Talh trees. The ground
was covered with the large thorns of these trees, which are a great
annoyance to the Bedouins and their cattle. Each Bedouin carries in his
girdle a pair of small pincers, to extract the thorns from his feet, for
they have no shoes, and use only a sort of sandal made of a piece of
camel’s skin, tied on with leathern thongs. In the summer they collect
the gum arabic (Arabic), which they sell at Cairo for thirty and forty
patacks the camel load, or about twelve or fifteen shillings per cwt.
English; but the gum is of a very inferior quality to that of Sennaar.
My companions eat up all the small pieces that had been left upon the
trees by the road side. I found it to be quite tasteless, but I was
assured that it was very nutritive.
We breakfasted with the Arabs Heywat, and our people were extremely
angry, and even insolent, at not having been treated with a roasted
lamb, according to the promise of the Sheikh, who had invited us to
alight. His excuse was that he had found none at hand; but one of our
young men had overheard his wife scolding
BIAR OMSHASH
[p.447] him, and declaring that she would not permit a lamb to be
slaughtered for such miserable ill-looking strangers! The Bedouin women,
in general, are much less generous and hospitable than their husbands,
over whom they often use their influence, to curtail the allowance to
guests and strangers.
At the end of five hours we issued from the head of Wady Lahyane again
into the plain.
