The Hill On The Top Of This Wady Is Called Ras El Kaa
(Arabic), And Is The Termination Of A Chain Of Hills Which Stretch
Across The Plain In A Northern Direction For Six Or Eight Hours:
It
projects like a promontory, and serves as a land-mark to travellers; its
rock is calcareous.
The plain which we now entered was a perfect flat
covered with black pebbles. The high insulated mountain behind which
Ghaza is situated, bore from hence N. by W. distant three long days
journey. At the end of seven hours, there was an insulated hill to the
left of our road two hours distant, called Szoeyka (Arabic); we here
turned off to the left of the great road, in order to find water. In
eight hours, and late at night, we reached several wells, called Biar
Omshash (Arabic), is where we found an encampment of Heywat, with whom
we wished to take our supper after having filled our water skins; but
they assured us that they had nothing except dry bread to give us. On
hearing this my companions began to reproach them with want of
hospitality, and an altercation ensued, which I was afraid would lead to
blows; I therefore mounted my camel, and was soon followed by the rest.
We continued our route during the night, but lost our road in the dark,
and were obliged to alight in a Wady full of moving sands, about half an
hour from the wells.
August 29th.—This day we passed several Wadys of Talh and tamarisk trees
intermixed with low shrubs. Direction W. by S. The plain is for the
greater part covered with flints; in some places
DESERT EL TY
[p.448] it is chalky. Wherever the rain collects in winter, vegetation
of trees and shrubs is produced. In the midst of this desert we met a
poor Bedouin woman, who begged some water of us; she was going to Akaba,
where the tents of her family were, but had neither provisions nor water
with her, relying entirely on the hospitality of the Arabs she might
meet on the road. We directed her to the Heywat at Omshash and in Wady
Lahyane. She seemed to be as unconcerned, as if she were merely taking a
walk for pleasure. After an uninterrupted march of nine hours and a
half, we reached a mountain called Dharf el Rokob (Arabic). It extends
for about eight hours in a direction from N.W. to S.E. At its foot we
crossed the Egyptian Hadj road; it passes along the mountain towards
Akaba, which is distant from hence fifteen or eighteen hours. We
ascended the northern extremity of the mountain by a broad road, and
after a march of eleven hours reached, on the other side, a well called
El Themmed (Arabic), whose waters are impregnated with sulphur. The
pilgrim caravan passes to the N. of the mountain and well, but the Arabs
who have the conduct of the caravan repair to the well to fill the water
skins for the supply of the Hadjis.
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