The Land of Midian (Revisited). 

 By Richard F. Burton. 

 In Two Volumes. 

 Vol. I. 

 C. Kegan Paul & Co. London:

 1879. 

 To the Memory of My Much Loved Niece, Maria Emily Harriet Stisted, Who Died at Dovercourt, November 12, 1878. 

 "Gold shall be found, and found In a land that's not now known. " MOTHER SHIPTON, A. D. 1448. 

 PREFACE. 

A few pages by way of "Forespeache. "

The plain unvarnished tale of the travel in Midian, undertaken bythe second Expedition, which, like the first, owes all to theliberality and the foresight of his Highness Ismail I. , Khediv ofEgypt, forms the subject of these volumes. During the four monthsbetween December 19, 1877, and April 20, 1878, the officersemployed covered some 2500 miles by sea and land, of which 600, not including by-paths, were mapped and planned; and we broughtback details of an old-new land which the civilized world hadclean forgotten. 

The public will now understand that one and the same subject hasnot given rise to two books. I have to acknowledge with gratitudethe many able and kindly notices by the Press of my first volume("The Gold Mines of Midian, " etc. Messrs. C. Kegan Paul & Co. , 1878). But some reviewers succeeded in completelymisunderstanding the drift of that avant courier. It was anintroduction intended to serve as a base for the present moreextensive work, and--foundations intended to bear weight must besolid. Its object was to place before the reader the broadoutlines of a country whose name was known to "every schoolboy, "whilst it was a vox et praeterea nihil, even to the learned, before the spring of 1877. I had judged advisable to sketch, withthe able assistance of learned friends, its history andgeography; its ethnology and archaeology; its zoology andmalacology; its botany and geology. The drift was to preparethose who take an interest in Arabia generally, and especially inwild mysterious Midian, for the present work, which, one foresaw, would be a tale of discovery and adventure. Thus readers of "TheLand of Midian (Revisited)" may feel that they are not standingupon ground utterly unknown; and the second publication isshortened and lightened--perhaps the greatest advantage ofall--by the prolegomena having been presented in the first. 

The purpose of the last Expedition was to conclude the laboursbegun, during the spring of 1877, in a mining country unknown, orrather, fallen into oblivion. Hence its primary "objective" wasmineralogical. The twenty-five tons of specimens, brought back toCairo, were inspected by good judges from South Africa, Australia, and California; and all recognized familiarmetalliferous rocks. The collection enabled me to distribute themining industry into two great branches--(1) the rich silicatesand carbonates of copper smelted by the Ancients in North Midian;and (2) the auriferous veins worked, but not worked out, bycomparatively modern races in South Midian, the region lyingbelow the parallel of El-Muwaylah. It is, indeed, still myconviction that "tailings" have been washed for gold, even by menstill living. We also brought notices and specimens of threeseveral deposits of sulphur; of a turquoise-mine behind Ziba; ofsalt and saltpetre, and of vast deposits of gypsum. These aresources of wealth which the nineteenth century is not likely toleave wasted and unworked. 

In geography the principal novelties are the identification ofcertain ruined cities mentioned by Ptolemy, and the "Harrahs" orplutonic centres scattered over the seaboard and the interior. Iventure to solicit the attention of experts for my notes onEl-Harrah, that great volcanic chain whose fair proportions havebeen so much mutilated by its only explorer, the late Dr. Wallin. Beginning with Damascan Trachonitis, and situated, in theparallel of north lat. 28 degrees, about sixty direct miles eastof the Red Sea, it is reported to subtend the whole coast ofNorth-Western Arabia, between El-Muwaylah (north lat. 27 degrees39') and El-Yambu' (north lat. 24 degrees 5'). Equally noticeableare the items of information concerning the Wady Hamz, the"Land's End" of Egypt, and the most important feature of its kindin North-Western Arabia. Its name, wrongly given by Wallin, isunknown to the Hydrographic Chart, and to the erudite pages of myfriend Professor Aloys Sprenger, who, however, suspects with methat it may be the mouth of the celebrated Wady el-Kura. Forfurther topographical details the reader is referred to the"Itineraries" of the Expedition, offered to the RoyalGeographical Society of London. 

Some of the principal sites were astronomically determined byCommanders Ahmed Musallam and Nasir Ahmed, of the Egyptian navy. The task of mapping and planning was committed to the two youngStaff-lieutenants sent for that purpose. They worked well in thefield; and their sketches were carefully executed whilst under mysuperintendence. But it was different when they returned toCairo. The maps sent to the little Exposition at the Hippo-drome(see conclusion) were simply a disgrace to the Staff-bureau. Mydeparture from Egypt caused delay; and, when the chart reachedme, it was far from satisfactory: names had been omitted, andwithout my presence it could not have been printed. With the ableassistance of Mr. William J. Turner, of the Royal GeographicalSociety, who found the work harder than he expected, it has beenreduced to tolerable shape. Still, it is purely provisional; and, when mining operations shall begin, a far more careful surveywill be required. 

As regards archaeology, the second Expedition visited, described, and surveyed eighteen ruins of cities and towns, some ofconsiderable extent, in North Midian, besides seeing or hearingof some twenty large Mashghal, apparently the ateliers of vagrantGypsy-like gangs. This total of thirty-eight is not far short ofthe forty traditional Midianite settlements preserved by themediaeval Arab geographers. Many others are reported to exist inthe central or inland region; and fifteen were added by the SouthCountry, including the classical temple or shrine, found upon thebank of the Wady Hamz before mentioned. The most interestingsites were recommended to M. Lacaze, whose portfolio was soonfilled with about two hundred illustrations, in oil andwater-colours, pencil croquis and "sun-pictures. " All, except thesix coloured illustrations which adorn this volume, have beenleft in Egypt. His Highness resolved to embody the results of ourjoint labours in a large album, illustrated with colouredlithographs, maps, and plans, explained by letter-press, andprepared at the Citadel, Cairo. 

The Meteorological Journal was kept by myself, assisted at timesby Mr. Clarke. Mr. David Duguid, engineer of the Mukhbir, whosegallant conduct will be recorded (Chap. VIII. ), and CommanderNasir Ahmed, of the Sinnar, obliged me by registeringsimultaneous observations at sea-level. The whole was reduced toshape by Mr. W. J. Turner, of the Royal Geographical Society. 

My private collection of mineralogical specimens was depositedwith Professor M. H. N. Story-Maskelyne. The spirit-specimens ofzoology filled three large canisters: and the British Museum alsoreceived a hare and five birds (Mr. R. B. Sharpe); four bats(Rhinopoma) and a mouse; six reptiles, five fishes, thirty-fivecrustaceans, and about the same number of insects; fivescorpions, six leeches, sixty molluscs, four echinoderms, andthree sponges. Dr. A. Gunther (Appendix III. ) determined andnamed two new species of reptiles. Mr. Frederick Smith (AppendixIII. ) took charge of the insects. Mr. Edward J. Miers, F. L. S. , etc. , described the small collection of crustaceae (Annals andMagazine of Natural History for November, 1878). Finally, EdgarA. Smith examined and named the shells collected on the shores ofthe 'Akabah Gulf and the north-eastern recess of the Red Sea. 

The main interest of the little hortus siccus was the AlpineFlora, gathered at an altitude of five thousand feet abovesea-level. The plants were offered to Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker, of Kew; and Professor D. Oliver, of the Herbarium, has kindlyfurnished me with a list of the names (Appendix IV. ). Mr. WilliamCarruthers and his staff also examined the spirit-specimens offleshy plants (Appendix IV. ). 

Mr. Reginald Stuart Poole, Keeper of Coins and Medals, and Mr. Barclay V. Head were good enough to compare with their richcollections the coins of ancient Midian found (Chap. III. ), forthe first time, at Maghair Shu'ayb[EN#1]. Some years ago, Mr. Robert Ready, of the British Museum, had bought from a Jew, YusufKalafat (?), a miscellaneous collection, which included aboutsixty of the so-called Midianitic coins. But the place ofdiscovery is wholly unknown. The Assistant Keeper read a paper"On Arabian Imitations of Athenian Coins, " Midianitic, Himyaritic, and others, at a meeting of the Numismatic Society(November 21, 1878); and I did the same at the Royal AsiaticSociety, December 16, 1878. The little "find" of stoneimplements, rude and worked; and the instruments illustrating themining industry of the country, appeared before theAnthropological Section of the British Association, which met atDublin (August, 1878), and again before the AnthropologicalInstitute of London, December 10, 1878. 

Finally, the skulls and fragments of skulls from Midian weresubmitted to Professor Richard Owen, the Superintendent ofNatural History; and my learned friend kindly inspected theEgyptian and Palmyrene crania which accompanied them. The wholewas carefully described by Dr. C. Carter Blake, Ph. D. , before thelast-named seance of the Anthropological Institute (December 10, 1878). 

The tons of specimens brought to Cairo were, I have said, publicly exhibited there, and created much interest. But thediscovery of a mining-country, some three hundred miles long, once immensely wealthy, and ready to become wealthy once more, isnot likely to be accepted by every one. Jealous and obstructiveofficials "did not think much of it. " Rivals opposed it with evenless ceremony. A mild "ring" in Egypt attempted in vain to runthe Hamamat and Dar-For mines (Chap. III. ) against Midian. Consequently the local Press was dosed with rumours, which, retailed by the home papers, made the latter rife incontradictory reports. To quote one case only. Theturquoise-gangue from Ziba (Chap. XII. ) was pronounced, by theinexpert mineralogists at the Citadel, Cairo, who attemptedcriticism, to be carbonate of copper, because rich silicates ofthat metal were shown at the Exposition. No one seemed to knowthat the fine turquoises of Midian have been sold for years atSuez, and even at Cairo. 

There was, indeed, much to criticise in the collection, which hadbeen made with a marvellous carelessness. But we must not be hardupon M. Marie. He is an engineer, utterly ignorant of mineralogyand of assaying: he was told off to do the duty, and he did it aswell as he could--in other words, very badly. He neglected tosearch for alluvial gold in the sands. Every Wady which cuts, atright angles, the metalliferous maritime chains, should have beencarefully prospected; these sandy and quartzose beds are naturalconduits and sluice-boxes. But the search for "tailings" iscompletely different from that of gold-veins, and requiresespecial practice. The process, indeed, may be called purelyempirical. It is not taught in Jermyn Street, nor by the Ecoledes Mines. In this matter theory must bow to "rule of thumb:" thecaprices of alluvium are various and curious enough to baffleevery attempt at scientific induction. Thus the "habits" of themetal, so to speak, must be studied by experiment with patientlabour, the most accomplished mineralogist may pass over richalluvium without recognizing its presence, where the rudeprospector of California and Australia will find an abundance ofstream-gold. Evidently the proportion of "tailings" mustcarefully be laid down before companies are justified inundertaking the expensive operation of quartz-crushing. Hence M. Tiburce Morisot, a practical digger from South Africa, introducedat Cairo by his compatriot, M. Marie, to my friend M. YacoubArtin Bey, found a fair opportunity of proposing to his Highnessthe Khediv (October, 1878) a third Expedition in search ofsand-gold. The Viceroy, however, true to his undertaking, refusedto sanction any "interloping. "

The highly distinguished M. Ferdinand de Lesseps, when en routeto Paris, kindly took charge of some cases of specimens foranalysis. But the poorest stuff had been supplied to him by M. Marie; and the results, of which I never heard, were probablynil. The samples brought to England, by order of his Highness theKhediv, were carefully assayed. The largest collection wassubmitted to Dr. John Percy, F. R. S. Smaller items were sent tothe well-known houses, Messrs. Johnston and Matthey, of HattonGarden, and Messrs. Edgar Jackson and Co. , Associates of theRoyal School of Mines (fourteen samples). Finally, specialobservations were made by Mr. John L. Jenken, of Carrington, through Mr. J. H. Murchison, of "British Lead Mines, " etc. , etc. , etc. ; by Lieut. -Colonel Ross, the distinguished author of"Pyrology;" and by Lieut. -Colonel Bolton, who kindly compared therocks with those in his cabinet. M. Gastinel-Bey's analysis ofthe specimens brought home by the first Expedition will be foundat the end of Chap. VIII. 

The following is the text of Dr. Percy's report:--

Metallurgical Laboratory, Royal School of Mines, Jermyn Street, London Dec 13 1878. 

Dear Sir, I now send the results of the analytical examination of the specimenswhich you submitted to me for that purpose. The examination has beenconducted with the greatest care, in the metallurgical laboratory of theRoyal School of Mines, by Mr. Richard Smith, who, for the last thirtyyears, has been constantly engaged in such work; and in whose accuracy Ihave absolute confidence. It is impossible that any one should have takengreater interest in, or have devoted himself with greater earnestness to, the investigation. I have almost entirely confined myself to a statementof facts, as I understand that was all you required for the guidance ofhis Highness the Khedive. 

 Section 1. 

Examination of the mineral specimens contained in the boxes marked asunder. 

(An average representative sample of each specimen, of about six poundsin weight, was prepared for examination from portions broken off, orotherwise taken, by Mr. Richard Smith at the Victoria Docks. [EN#2]

No. 1. "Box 22, " Quartz from Mugnah (Makna). Quartz coloured black andred-brown with oxides of iron. These were of two varieties, marked 22aand 22b respectively. 

No. 2. The magnetic ironstone (22a) was examined and found to contain of-- Peroxide of iron (per cent. ). . . . 85. 29 Protoxide of iron (per cent. ) . . . 9. 83 Silica (quartz)(per cent. ). . . . . 3. 28

The oxides of iron together contain of metallic iron 66. 8 per cent. 

No. 3. The micaceous ironstone (22b) was examined and found to contain of– Peroxide of iron (per cent. ). . . . 91. 0 Silica. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5. 52

 The peroxide of iron contains of metallic iron 63. 7 per cent. 

No. 4. "Box No. 14, " Quartz from Mugnah, gave no results. 

No. 5. "Box No. 27, " Iron from Mugnah, proved to be haematite (which ismagnetic), with some red-brown oxide of iron and quartz. It was found tocontain of-- Peroxide of iron (per cent. ). . . . 75. 46 Protoxide of iron (per cent. ) . . . 4. 69

The oxides of iron together contain of metallic iron 56. 4 per cent. 

No. 6. "Box No. 7, " Conglomerate from Mugnah, yielded no results. 

No. 7 "Box No. 25, " Quartz from Mugnah. This quartz, veined and colouredblack and red-brown with oxides of iron, was assayed with the followingresults:-- Gold and Silver . . . . . . . None[EN#3]

Nos. 8 and 9. "Boxes Nos. 50 and 37, "[EN#4] Quartz and red dust fromMugnah, yielded no results. 

No. 10. "Box No. 37a, " Sulphur from Mugnah. Lumps of sulphur, crystallized and massive, irregularly distributed through a white, dull, porous rock. The latter was examined, and found to be hydrated sulphateof lime (gypsum), with a small quantity of magnesia; some of the lumps ofrock were coloured with oxides of iron, and others intermixed with sand. 

Nos. 11. And 12. "Boxes Nos. 3 and 6, " Black quartz and white quartz fromthe Jebel el-Abyaz, gave no results except a small portion of copperpyrites in a lump of quartz (Box No. 6). 

No. 13. "Box No. 47, " Quartz from El-Wedge (Wijh), gave only oxide ofiron. [EN#5]

No. 14. "Box No. 5, " Red quartz from El-Wedge, a quartz with red-brownoxide of iron and earthy substances, was assayed with the followingresults:-- Gold (per statute ton = 3240 lbs. )2 dwts. 15 grs. Silver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Traces. 

No. 15. "Box No. 16, " Mica schist from El-Wedge. This mica-schistundergoing decomposition from weathering action, mixed with small lumpsof quartz, was assayed with the following results :-- Gold (per statute ton). . . . . 6 grains. Silver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Traces. 

No. 16. "Box No. 32, " White quartz from El-Wedge. This quartz coloured withred-brown oxide of iron, mixed with mica-schist, was assayed with thefollowing results:-- Gold (per statute ton). . 3 dwts. 22 grs. Silver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Traces. 

No. 17. "Box No. 48, "[EN#6] Red sulphur from Sharm Yaharr, was found tohave the following composition, while it was free from "native sulphur":--

 Peroxide of iron (per cent. ) . . . 44. 36 Sand, clay, carbonates and sulphates of lime and magnesia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14. 90 Salts soluble in water, chiefly alkaline chlorides and chlorites, and sulphates of lime and magnesia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29. 70 Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11. 40 _______ 100. 00

No. 18. "Box No. 48a, " Gypsum from Sharm Yaharr. Partly semi-transparentand granular, and partly dull white and opaque. It was found to behydrated sulphate of lime, or gypsum, with carbonate of lime, and somesand, magnesia, and chloride of sodium. 

No. 19 "Box No. 35, " Dust and stones from Sharma, yielded no results. 

 Section 2. 

Examination of the mineral specimens contained in a box sent from Egypt. As the specimens were unlabelled, they were marked A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, and I, respectively. 

No. 21. A. "Copper ore. " A fair average specimen was prepared forexamination from the several lumps of ore and marked a. 

a. It was submitted to analysis, and found to contain carbonates of limeand magnesia; silica, alumina, and oxides of iron; and of-- Copper (metallic) . . . . 5. 72 per cent. B. A portion of the copper mineral, from which the rock or vein-stuff hadbeen detached as far as practicable, was found to consist of impurehydrated silicate of copper (bluish-green chrysocolla) and carbonate ofcopper. It was assayed and found to contain of-- Copper (metallic) . . . . 23. 14 per cent. 

No. 22. "B. " A lump of soft, ochrey red-brown ironstone, coated with a thinlayer of greyish white substance. A fair average sample, inclusive of thisexternal layer, was prepared for examination, and was found to consist of– Peroxide of iron (per cent. ) . . . 81. 14 Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11. 50 Silica. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. 07 Sulphuric acid, lime, magnesia, alumina 4. 29 _____ 100. 00

The peroxide of iron contains 56. 8 per cent. Of metallic iron. Thegreyish white substance was found to consist of silica, alumina, sulphateof lime, and a little oxide of iron and magnesia. 

No. 23. "C. " Lump of red ironstone associated with sand and earthysubstances, containing Peroxide of iron (per cent. ). . . 68. 09 Water of iron (per cent. ) . . . . . 1. 93 Silica and sand . . . . . . . . . . 18. 17 Lime, magnesia (in small quantity), alumina, carbonic acid, sulphuric acid (traces) . 11. 81 ______ 100. 00The peroxide of iron contains 47. 66 of metallic iron. 

No. 24. "D. " Lump of white quartz said to contain visible gold. I did notobserve any, but found a few minute specks of pyrites, and partiallyresembling mica. 

No. 25. Lump of quartz associated with red-brown oxide of iron. Ityielded no results. 

No. 26. Lump of rock in which the "turquoise" occurs. There was a thinlayer of greenish blue turquoise mineral on one surface, and minute seamsof a similar substance throughout the specimen. 

a. The layer of turquoise mineral, from which the rock or vein-stuff hadbeen detached as far as practicable, was found to contain phosphoricacid, alumina, oxide of copper, oxide of iron, and water; which occur inturquoise. 

b. After the layer a had been separated, a fair average sample of therock was found to contain 1. 69 per cent. Of metallic copper. It was alsoassayed and found to be free from silver[EN#7] and gold. 

No. 27. "G. " A variety of jasper, having a somewhat polished, andirregular and deeply indented surface, the result of sand-action. Thefractured surface was red, with patches of yellow. It was found toconsist chiefly of silica, coloured with oxides of iron. 

No. 28. "H. " Lump of "sard, " of a pale-red flesh colour. A variety ofchalcedony. It was found to consist almost entirely of silica[EN#8]. 

No. 29. "I. " Lumps of pure ironstone. 

A small lump of metal[EN#9], supposed to contain antimony[EN#10] andplatinum, was brought for examination by Captain R. F. Burton. It wassubmitted to analysis, and found to be iron and combined carbon, or whitecast-iron, containing small quantities of lead, copper, and silver, andfree from antimony, platinum, and gold. It is evidently the product of afusion operation. A few "shots" of lead were attached to the surface ofthe metal[EN#11]. 

Dr. Percy concludes the assays in these words:--

Three of the specimens (Nos. 14, 15, and 19) from the samelocality contain gold. The amount of gold, however, is small. Iconsider these indications of the presence of the precious metalnot altogether unsatisfactory; and certainly to justify furtherexploration. My conviction is, that the ancients were adepts inthe art of extracting gold, and that, owing to the small value ofhuman labour, they could get out as much of the metal as couldnow be done. They knew perfectly what was worth working and whatwas not; and I think it likely that what you have brought home, had been rejected by the ancients as unworkable[EN#12]. Furthersearch may lead to the discovery of workable stuff; but woulddoubtless require a good deal of time, unless lucky accidentshould intervene. 

The specimens Nos. 2, 3, 5, 22, and 23 contain sufficient iron torender them available as iron ores, provided they occur in largequantity. The copper present in No. 21a is too small in amount torender it available as a source of that metal [Footnote: Analysesof copper ore from Midian at the Citadel, Cairo, gave in certaincases forty percent. ]. If it is practicable on a large scale, byhand-labour or other means, to separate the "copper mineral" (asin b), it would be sufficiently rich in copper, provided the costof the transit were not too great. 

The specimen No. 17 is only of scientific interest, as it givesoff an acid vapour when heated; and this substance may have beenused by the ancients in the separation of silver from gold by theprocess termed "cementation. "

I remain, dear Sir, yours very truly, (Signed) JOHN PERCY, M. D. , F. R. S. Lecturer on Metallurgy at the Royal School of Mines, London. 

Capt. R. F. Burton, etc. 

Upon this able report I would offer the following observations. We, who have travelled through a country like Midian, findingeverywhere extensive works for metallurgy; barrages andaqueducts, cisterns and tanks ; furnaces, fire-bricks, andscoriae; open mines, and huge scatters of spalled quartz, withthe remains of some eighteen cities and towns which apparentlyfell to ruin with the industry that founded and fed them;--we, Isay, cannot but form a different and a far higher idea of itsmineral capabilities than those who determine them by the simpleinspection of a few specimens. The learned Dr. Percy at once hitsthe mark when he surmises that worthless samples were broughthome; and this would necessarily occur when no metallurgist, nopractical prospector, was present with the Expedition. As willappear from the following pages, all the specimens were collecteda ciel ouvert, and wholly without judgment. 

I therefore expect that future exploration will develop Midian asit has done India. The quartzose outcrop called the "Wynaad reef"(Madras Presidency) produced only a few poor penny-weights perton, two and seven being the extremes, while much of it waspractically unproductive. Presently, in February, 1878, thedistrict was visited by Sir Andrew Clarke, of Australianexperience, member of the Viceregal Council. He invited Mr. Brough Smyth, of Victoria, to explore and test the capabilitiesof the country; and that eminent practical engineer discovered, in an area of twenty-five by thirteen miles, ninety outcrops, some yielding, they say, two hundred ounces per ton of gold, fineand coarse, "with jagged pieces as large as peas. " And BritishIndia now hopes to draw her gold coinage from Wynaad. 

I conclude this abstract of the book, which would have beenreduced in size had the mass of matter permitted, with theheartfelt hope that the grand old Land of Midian will not bewithout attraction to the public of Europe. 

RICHARD F. BURTON. 

ATHENAEUM CLUB, December 16. 

 CONTENTS. 

 PART I. The March Through Madyan Proper (North Midian). 

Chapter I. Preliminary--from Trieste to MidianChapter II. The Start--from El Muwaylah to the "White Mountain" and 'AynunahChapter III. Breaking New Ground to Maghair Shu'aybChapter IV. Notices of Precious Metals in Midian--the Papyri and the Mediaeval Arab GeographersChapter V. Work At, and Excursions From, Maghair Shu'aybChapter VI. To Makna, and Our Work There--the Magani or MaknawisChapter VII. Cruise from Makna to El'akabahChapter VIII. Cruise from El'akabah to El Muwaylah--the Shipwreck Escaped--resume of the Northern Journey

 PART II The March Through Central and Eastern Midian. 

Chapter IX. Work in and Around El MuwaylahChapter X. Through East Midian to the Hisma

 PART I. The March Through Madyan Proper (North Midian). 

 Chapter I. Preliminary--from Trieste to Midian. 

Throughout the summer of 1877 I was haunted by memories ofmysterious Midian. The Golden Region appeared to me in the glowof primaeval prosperity described by the Egyptian hieroglyphs; asrich in agriculture and in fertility, according to the oldHellenic travellers, as in its Centres of civilization, and inthe precious metals catalogued by the Sacred Books of theHebrews. Again I saw the mining works of the Greek, the Roman, and the Nabathćan, whose names are preserved by Ptolemy; theforty cities, mere ghosts and shadows of their former selves, described in the pages of the mediaeval Arab geographers; and theruthless ruin which, under the dominion of the Bedawin, graduallycrept over the Land of Jethro. The tale of her rise and fallforcibly suggested Algeria, that province so opulent and splendidunder the Masters of the World; converted into a fiery wildernessby the representatives of the "gentle and gallant" Turk, andbrought to life once more by French energy and industry. And suchwas my vision of a future Midian, whose rich stores of variousminerals will restore to her wealth and health, when the twoKhedivial Expeditions shall have shown the world what she hasbeen, and what she may be again. 

I was invited to resume my exploration during the winter of1877-78, by the Viceroy of Egypt, Ismail I. , a prince whosesuperior intelligence is ever anxious to develop the resources ofhis country. His Highness was perhaps the only man in his owndominions who, believing in the buried wealth of Midian, had theperspicacity to note the advantages offered by its exploitation. For the world around the Viceroy pronounced itself decidedlyagainst the project. My venerable friend, Linant Pasha, suggesteda comparison with the abandoned diggings of the Upper Nile;forgetting that in at least half of Midian land, only the"tailings" have been washed: whereas in the Bishárí country, andthroughout the "Etbaye, " between the meridians of Berenike andSawákín, the very thinnest metallic fibrils have been shafted andtunnelled to their end in the rock by those marvellous labourers, the old Egyptians. In the Hamámát country, again, the excessivedistances, both from the Nile and from the Red Sea, together withthe cost of transport, must bar all profit. Even worse are theconditions of Fayzoghlú and Dár-For; whilst the mines of Midianbegin literally at the shore. 

Another Pasha wrote to me from Alexandria, congratulating me uponhaving discovered, during our first Expedition, "a little copperand iron. " Generally, the official public, knowing that I hadbrought back stones, not solid masses of gold and silver, loudlydeplored the prospective waste of money; and money, after thehorse-plague, the low Nile, and the excessive exigencies of theshort-sighted creditor, was exceptionally scarce. The trulyOriental view of the question was taken by an official, whom Ishall call Árif Pasha--the "Knowing One. " When told that M. George Marie, the Government engineer detailed to accompany thefirst Expedition, had sent in official analyses with sample tubesof gold and silver, thus establishing the presence of auriferousand argentiferous rocks on the Arabian shore, Son Excellenceexclaimed, "Imprudent jeune homme, thus to throw away the chancesof life! Had he only declared the whole affair a farce, a flam, asell, a canard, the Viceroy would have held him to be honest, andwould have taken care of his future. "

Still, through bad report the Khediv, who had mastered, with hisusual accuracy of perception and judgment, the subject of Midianand her Mines, was staunch to his resolve; and when one of hisEuropean financiers, a Controleur Général de Dépenses, the normalround peg in the square hole, warned him that there were nopublic funds for such purpose, his Highness warmly declared, ondit, that the costs of the Expedition should be defrayed at hisown expense. 

Meanwhile I had passed the summer of 1877 in preparation for thework of the ensuing winter. A long correspondence with manylearned friends, and a sedulous study of the latest geographers, especially German, taught me all that was known of mining inArabia generally, and particularly in Midian. During my sixmonths' absence from Egypt my vision was fixed steadily upon onepoint, the Expedition that was to come; and when his Highness waspleased to offer me, in an autograph letter full of the kindestexpressions, the government of Dár-For, I deferred accepting thehonour till Midian had been disposed of. 

Unhappily, certain kindly advisers persuaded me to make wellbetter by a visit to Karlsbad, and a course of its alkaline"Fountains of Health. " Never was there a greater mistake! The airis bad as the water is good; the climate is reeking damp, likethat of Western Africa; and, as in St. Petersburg, a plaid mustbe carried during the finest weather. Its effects, rheumatic andneuralgic, may be judged by the fact that the doctors must walkabout with pocketed squirts, for the hypodermal injection ofopium. Almost all those whom I knew there, wanting to be better, went away worse; and, in my own case, a whole month of Midiansun, and a sharp attack of ague and fever were required to burnout the Hexenschuss and to counteract the deleterious effects ofthe "Hygeian springs. "

At last the happy hour for departure struck; and on October 19, 1877, the Austro-Hungarian Espero (Capitano Colombo) steamed outof Trieste. On board were Sefer Pasha, our host of CastleBertoldstein; and my learned friends, the Aulic Councillor Alfredvon Kremer, Austrian Commissioner to Egypt, and Dr. HeinrichBrugsch-Bey. The latter gave me a tough piece of work in theshape of his "Ćgypten, " which will presently be quoted in thesepages. It would be vain to repeat a description of the littlevoyage described in "The Gold-Mines of Midian. " The Dalmatian, orfirst day; the second, or day of Corfu loved and lost; and thethird, made memorable by Cephalonia and the glorious Canale, allgave fine smooth weather. But the usual rolling began offstill-vexed Cape Matapan. It lasted through the fourth day, or ofCandia, this insula nobilis et amćna--

"Crete, the crown of all the isles, flower of Levantine waters"

--while the fifth, or Mediterraneo-Alexandrian day, killed two ofthe seventeen fine horses, Yuckers and Anglo-Normans, which SeferPasha was conveying to Cairo. 

On Thursday morning (October 25), after rolling through the nightoff the old port Eunostus, which now looks brand-new, we landed, and the next day saw me at Cairo. Such was my haste that I couldpay only a flying visit to the broken beer-bottles, the burstprovision-tins, the ice-plants, and the hospitable society ofRamleh the Sand-heap; and my many acquaintances had barely timeto offer their congratulations upon the prospects of my "becomingan Egyptian. "

My presence at the capital was evidently necessary. A manner ofassociation for utilizing the discoveries of the first Expeditionhad been formed in London by the Messieurs Vignolles, who knewonly the scattered and unofficial notices; issued, without myprivity, by English and continental journals. Theirrepresentative, General Nuthall, formerly of the Madras army, hadtwice visited Cairo, in August and October, 1877, seeking aconcession of the mines, and offering conditions which wereperfectly unacceptable. The Viceroy was to allow, contrary toconvention, the free importation of all machinery; to supplyguards, who were not wanted; and, in fact, to guarantee thesafety of the workmen, who were perfectly safe. In return, tenper cent. On net profits, fifteen being the royalty of the SuezCanal, was the magnificent inducement offered to the viceregalconvoitise. I could not help noting, by no means silently, thisnoble illustration of the principle embodied in Sic vos nonvobis. I was to share in the common fate of originators, discoverers, and inventors: the find was mine, the profits wereto go--elsewhere. General Nuthall professed inability to regardthe matter in that light; while to all others it appeared in noother. However, after a few friendly meetings, the representativeleft Egypt, with the understanding that possibly we might worktogether when the exploration should have been completed. HisHighness, who had verbally promised me either the concession orfour per cent. On gross produce, acted en prince, simplyremarking that the affair was in my hands, and that he would notinterfere with me. 

I must not trouble the reader with the tedious tale of the painsand the labour which accompany the accouchement of such anExpedition. All practicals know that to organize a movement ofsixty men is not less troublesome--indeed, rather more so--thanif it numbered six hundred or six thousand. The Viceroy hadwisely determined that we should not only carry out the work ofdiscovery by tracing the precious metals to their source; but, also, that we should bring back specimens weighing tons enoughfor assay and analysis, quantitive and qualitive, in London andParis. Consequently, miners and mining apparatus were wanted, with all the materials for quarrying and blasting: my spiritsighed for dynamite, but experiments at Trieste had shown it tobe too dangerous. The party was to consist of an escort numberingtwenty-five Súdán soldiers of the Line, negroes liberated sometwo years ago; a few Ma'danjiyyah ("mine-men"), and thirtyHaggárah ("stone-men" or quarrymen). 

The Government magazines of Cairo contain everything, but thedifficulty is to find where the dispersed articles are stored:there is a something of red-tapeism; but all is plain sailing, compared with what it would be in Europe. The express orders ofhis Highness Husayn Kámil Pasha, Minister of Finance and ActingMinister of War, at once threw open every door. Had this youngprince not taken in the affair a personal interest of theliveliest and most intelligent nature, we might have spent thewinter at Cairo. And here I cannot refrain from mentioning, amongst other names, that of Mr. Alfred E. Garwood, C. E. , locomotive superintendent; who, in the short space of fourmonths, has introduced order and efficiency into the chaos knownas the Bulák magazines. With his friendly cooperation, and underhis vigorous arm, difficulties melted away like hail in atropical sun. General Stone (Pasha), the Chief of Staff, alsorendered me some assistance, by lending the instruments whichstood in his own cabinet de travail. [EN#13]

Poor Cairo had spent a seedy autumn. The Russo-Turkish campaign, which had been unjustifiably allowed, by foreign Powers, to drainEgypt of her gold and life-blood--some 25, 000 men since thebeginning of the Servian prelude--not only caused "abundantsorrow" to the capital, but also frightened off the stranger-host, which habitually supplies the poorer population with sovereignsand napoleons. The horse-pest, a bad typhus, after raging in 1876and early 1877, had died out: unfortunately, so had the horses;and the well-bred, fine-tempered, and high-spirited littleEgyptians were replaced by a mongrel lot, hastily congregatedfrom every breeding ground in Europe. The Fellahs, who hadexpected great things from the mission of MM. Goschen andJoubert, asked wonderingly if those financiers had died; while ascanty Nile, ten to twelve feet lower, they say, than any knownduring the last thousand years, added to the troubles of thepoor, by throwing some 600, 000 feddans (acres) out of gear, andby compelling an exodus from the droughty right to the left bank. Finally, when the river of Egypt did rise, it rose too late, andbrought with it a feverish and unwholesome autumn. Briefly, wehardly escaped the horrors of Europe--

 "Herbstesahnung! Triste Spuren In den Wäldern, auf den Fluren! Regentage, böses Wetter, " etc. 

Meanwhile, in the Land of the Pharaohs, whose scanty interestabout the war was disguised by affected rejoicings at Ottomansuccesses, the Prophet gallantly took the field, as in the daysof Yúsuf bin Ishák. This time the vehicle of revelation was thelearned Shayhk (má? ) Alaysh, who was ordered in a dream by theApostle of Allah (upon whom be peace!) to announce the victory ofthe Moslem over the Infidel; and, as the vision took place inJemádi el-Akhir (June), the first prediction was not moreunsuccessful than usual. Shortly afterwards, the same reverendman again dreamt that, seeing two individuals violentlyquarreling, with voies de fait, he had hastened, like a truebeliever, to separate and to reconcile them. But what was hissurprise when the brawlers proved to be the Sultan and the Czar, the former administering condign personal punishment to hishereditary foe. This, the enlightened Shaykh determined, was asign that in September the Osmanli would be gloriouslytriumphant. Nor was he far wrong. The Russians, who had begun thecampaign, like the English in India, with a happy contempt bothfor the enemy and for the elementary rules of war, were struckwith a cold fit of caution: instead of marching straight upon andintrenching themselves in Adrianople, they vainly broke theirgallant heads against the improvised earthworks of Plevna. Andignorant Europe, marvelling at the prowess of the "noble Turk, "ignored the fact that all the best "Turkish" soldiers were Slavs, originally Christians, renegades of old, unable to speak a wordof Turkish; preserving their Bosniac family-names, and withoutone drop of Turkish blood in their veins. Sulayman Pashás armywas about as "Turkish" as are the Poles or the Hungarians. 

Not the less did Cairo develop the normal season-humours of theFrank. Among the various ways of "doing the Pyramids, " Iregistered a new one: Mr. A----, junior, unwilling wholly toneglect them, sent his valet with especial orders to stand uponthe topmost plateau. The "second water" of irrigation madeNovember dangerous; many of the "Shepheards" suffered from theAyán el-Mulúk, the "Evil of Kings" (gout), in the gloomy form aswell as the gay; and whisky-cum-soda became popular as upon thebanks of the Thames and the Tweed. As happens on dark days, themoney-digger was abroad, and one anecdote deserves record. Manyyears ago, an old widow body had been dunned into buying, for afew piastres, a ragged little manuscript from a pauper Maghrabi. These West Africans are, par excellence, the magicians of modernEgypt and Syria; and here they find treasure, like the Greeksupon the shores of the Northern Adriatic. Perhaps there may be abasis for the idea; oral traditions and written documentsconcerning buried hoards would take refuge in remote regions, comparatively undisturbed by the storms of war, and inhabited byraces more or less literary. At any rate, the Maghrabi Darwayshwent his ways, assuring his customer that, when her son came ofage, a fortune would be found in the little book. And trueenough, the boy, reaching man's estate, read in its torn pagesample details concerning a Dafi'nah (hoard) of great value. Hewas directed, by the manuscript, to a certain spot upon theMukattam range, immediately behind the Cairene citadel, where theremoval of a few stones would disclose a choked shaft: the latterwould descend to a tunnel, full of rubbish, and one of the manysidings would open upon the golden chamber. The permission ofGovernment was secured, the workmen began, and the directionsproved true--"barring" the treasure, towards which progress wasstill being made. Such was the legend of Cairo, as recounted tome by my good friend, Yacoub Artin Bey; I can only add to it, Allaho A'alam!--Allah is all-knowing!

The sole cause of delay in beginning exploration was the want ofmoney; and this, of course, even the Prince Minister of Financecould not coin. Egypt, the fertile, the wealthy, the progressive, was, indeed, at the time all but insolvent. At the suggestion offoreigners, "profitable investments, " which yielded literallynothing, had been freely made for many a year, and the soleresults were money difficulties and debt. The European financiershad managed admirably for their shareholders; but, having assumedthe annual national income at a maximum, instead of a minimum, they had brought the goose of the golden eggs to the very vergeof death. The actionnaires were to receive, with a punctualityhardly possible in the East, the usurious interest of six percent. , not including one per cent. For sinking fund. Meanwhile, the officers and officials, military, naval, and civil, had beenin arrears of salary for seven to fifteen months; and even theJews refused to cash at any price their pay certificates. 

Nothing could be more unwise or unjust than the exactions of thecreditors. Men must live; if not paid, they perforce paythemselves; and thus, of every hundred piastres, hardly thirtyfind their way into the treasury. Ten times worse was thecondition of the miserable Felláhín, who were selling for threeor four napoleons the bullocks worth fifteen per head. Thus theywould tide over the present year; but a worse than Indian faminewas threatened for the following. And the "Bakkál, " at once pettytrader and money-lender, whose interest and compound interesthere amount, as in Bombay, to hundreds per cent. , would completethe ruin which the "low Nile" and the Christian creditor hadbegun. 

A temporary reduction of interest to three per cent. , with oneper cent of amortization, should content the greedy shareholder, who seeks to combine high profits with perfect security. DuringNovember, 1877, there were five M. P. 's at Shepheard's; and allcried shame upon the financial condition of the country. SirGeorge Campbell opened the little game. In his "Inside View ofEgypt" (Fortnightly Review, Dec. , 1877) he drew a graphic pictureof the abnormal state of poor Egypt; he expressed the sensibleopinion that, in the settlement, the claims of the bond-holdershave been too exclusively considered, and he concluded that nomore payments of debt-interest should be made until officialarrears are discharged. 

At last the Phare d'Alexandrie (November 29, 1877), doubtlessunder official inspiration, put forth the following article, greatly to the satisfaction of the unfortunate employés:--

"Si nos renseignements particuliers sont exacts, le comité desfinances vient de prendre une excellente décision. Elle consisteen ce que, aussitôt l'argent pour le paiement du prochain coupon, préparé, le ministe're, avant tout autre, procédera au paiementdes appointements arriérés des employés. 

"Nous apprenons, on outre, que S. A. Le ministre des finances, męme, a déclaré, molu proprio, que jusqu'au complet paiement desarriérés dűs aux employés, et dans le cas oú il se présenteraitune dépense de grande importance, prévue męme par le budget, dene pas en ordonner le paiement sans, au préalable, le sommettre ŕl'adhésion du comité. 

"Nous applaudissons de toutes nos forces ŕ cette bonne nouvelled'abord, parcequ'elle affirme une fois de plus la scrupuleuseexactitude qu'on apporte au paiement des coupons, ensuite elleprouve le vif intérčt qu' inspire au gouvernement la situation deses nombreux employés, enfin elle nous fait espérer qu'aprčsavoir songé ŕ eux, on s'occupera aussi ŕ payer les autres sommesportées et pre'vues au budget de l'année. "

Accordingly, on December 2nd, the Prince Minister of Finance tookheart of grace, and distributed among the officials one month'spay, with a promise that all arrears should presently be madegood. On the same day his Highness issued to the Expedition 2000napoleons, in addition to the 620 already expended uponinstruments and provisions. This was the more liberal, as I hadcalculated the total at 1500: the more, however, the better. Insuch work it is money versus time, the former saving the latter;and we were already late in the year--it had been proposed tostart on November 15th, and we had lost three precious weeks offine autumnal weather. The stores were equally abundant: I wantedone forge, and received three. 

Of course, many details had been forgotten; e. G. , a farrier andchange of mule-irons, a tinsmith and tinning tools, asulphur-still, boots for the soldiers and the quarrymen, smallshot for specimens, and so forth. I had carried out my idea of aDragoman with two servants; and the result had been a modelfailure, especially in the most important department. The true"Desert cook" is a man sui generis; he would utterly fail at theCriterion, and even at Shepheard's; but in the wilderness he willserve coffee within fifteen minutes, and dish the best of dinnerswithin the hour after the halt. 

Mr. Clarke and Lieutenant Amir worked with a will; and they wereably seconded by Colonel Ali Bey Robi and Lieutenant-Colonel (ofthe Staff) Mohammed Bey Báligh. But the finishing touch to suchpreparations must be done by the master hand; and my unhappyvisit to Karlsbad rendered that impossible. The stores andprovisions were supplied by MM. Voltéra Brothers, of Cairo: Icannot say too much in their praise; and the packing was as goodas the material. M. Gross, of Shepheard's, was good enough to letme have a barrel of claret; which improved every week bytravelling, and which cost only a franc a bottle: it began as abon ordinaire, and the little that returned to Cairo ranked witha quasi-grand vin, at least as good as the four-shilling Medoc. Finally, Dr. Lowe, of Cairo, kindly prepared for us a medicinechest, containing about Ł10 worth of the usual drugs andappliances--calomel, tartar emetic, and laudanum; blister, plaster, and simple ointment. [EN#14]

A special train was made ready for Thursday, December 6th; and, at ten a. M. , after taking leave of their Highnesses, whocourteously wished me good luck and God-speed, the Expeditionfound itself under weigh. We were accompanied to the station bymany kind friends: my excellent kinsman Lord Francis, and Lady F. Conyngham, Yacoub Artin Bey, General Stone, and MM. George, Garwood, Girard, and Guillemine. 

The change from the damp air of Cairo to the drought of theDesert was magical: light ailments and heavy cares seemed to falloff like rags and tatters. We halted at Zagázig, remarking thatthis young focus of railway traffic has become the eastern key ofLower Egypt, as Benhá is to the western delta; and prophesyingthat some day, not far distant, will see the glories of Bubastisrevived. Here we picked up my old friend Haji Wali, whom age--hedeclares that he was born in the month Mízán of 1797--had madeonly a little fatter and greedier. We gave a wide berth to thefuture Alexandria, Ismailíyyah, whose splendid climate has beentemporarily spoilt by the sweet-water canal of the same name. Thesoil became literally sopped; and hence the intermittent feverswhich have lately assailed it. A similar disregard for drainagehas ingeniously managed to convert into pest-houses Simla andother Himalayan sanitaria. 

The day ended with running the train into the Suez Docks, so asto embark all our impediments on the next morning; and I fondlyexpected Saturday to see us sail. But the weather-wise had beentrue in their forecasts. Friday opened with howling, screaminggusts of southerly wind; and, during the night we were treated toa fierce display of storm, --thunder and lightning, and rain. Thegale caused one collision on the Canal, and twenty-five steamerswere delayed near the Bitter Lake; it broke down the railway andsanded it up for miles, and it levelled fifty English and fortyEgyptian telegraph-posts--an ungentle hint to prefer thetelephone. Saturday, the beginning of winter, opened with a coldraw souther and a surging sea, which washed over the Dock-piers;in such weather it was impossible to embark ten mules withouthorse-boxes. On Sunday the waves ran high, but the gale fellabout sunset to a dead calm; as usual in the Gulf, the breakersand white horses at once disappeared; and the slaty surface, fringed with dirty yellow, immediately reassumed its robes ofpurple and turquoise blue. The ill wind, however, had blown ussome good by deluging with long-hoped-for rain the now barrenmountains of Midian. 

This "Fortuna, " according to the people, sets in with the fourthCoptic month, Kayhak, [EN#15] which begins the first Arba'ín("Forty-day period"); and the fourth day is known as the Imtizájel-Faslayn, or "Mixture of the two Seasons"--autumn and winter. The storm is expected to blow three days from the Azyab(south-east) or from the Shirs (south-west). The qualities of theseveral winds are described in the following distich:--

 "Mirísi Shaytán, wa Gharbi Wazírhu; Tiyáb Sultán, wa Sharki Nazírhu. "

 "The south-wester's a Satan, and the wester's his minister; The norther's a Sultan, and the easter's his man. "

On the other hand, fair weather was predicted after the firstquarter of the moon (December 12th), according to the saying ofthe Arab sailor:--

 "When the moon sleeps, the seaman may sleep; When the moon stands, the seaman must stand. "

The "sleeping" moon--náim or rákid, also called Yemáni--is thatof the first quarter, which we mark concave to the left; the"standing" moon is that of the last. 

Our stay at Suez was saddened by the sudden death of MariusIsnard, who had acted cook to the first Khedivial Expedition. Thepoor lad, aged only eighteen, had met us at the Suez station, delighted with the prospect of another journey; he had neglectedhis health; and, after a suppression of two days, which he madlyconcealed, gangrene set in, and he died a painful death at thehospital during the night preceding our departure. 

On December 10th we ran down from Suez Quay in the Bird of theSea (Tayr el-Bahr), the harbour mouche, or little steam-launch, accompanied by the Governor, Sa'íd Bey, who has not yet been madea Pasha; by Mr. Consul West; by the genial Ra'íf Bey, Wakílel-Komandaníyyah or acting commodore of the station; by Mr. Willoughby Faulkner, my host at Suez; by the Messieurs Levick, and by other friends. In the highest spirits we boarded our"gun-carriage, " the aviso Mukhbir (Captain Mohammed Siráj); and, after many mutual good wishes, we left the New Docks at 6. 10 p. M. 

Nothing could be more promising than the weather, a young moonmirrored in a sea smooth as oil. The "Giver of Good News"(El-Mukhbir), however, for once failed in her mission. She hadlately conducted herself well upon a trial trip round the Zenobialightship ("Newport Rock"). [EN#16] But the two Arab firemen whoacted engineers, worn-out grey-beards that hated the idea of fourmonths on the barbarous Arabian shore, had choked the tubes withwastage, and had filled the single boiler, taking care to plugup, instead of opening, the relief-pipe. The consequence was thatthe engines sweated at every pore; steam instead of waterstreamed from the sides; and the chimney discharged, besidessmoke, a heavy shower of rain. The engine (John Jameson, engineer, Newcastle-on-Tyne, 1866), a good article, in primecondition as far as a literally rotten boiler would allow, presently revenged itself by splitting the air-pipe of thecondenser from top to bottom; and after two useless halts thecaptain reported to me that we must return to Suez. What abeginning! The fracture somewhat relieved the machinery; we didbetter work after than before the accident, but we were ignoblytowed into dock by the ship's boats. 

A telegram with a procčs-verbal was at once sent off to thePrince; Sa'íd Bey and Ra'íf Bey hastened to our aid, and Mr. Williams, superintending engineer of the Khedivíyyah line, withthe whole of his staff, stripped and set to work at the peccanttubes and air-pump. They commenced with extinguishing a seriousfire which burst from the waste-room--by no means pleasant whenclose to kegs of blasting-powder carefully sewn up in canvas. They laboured with a will, and before sunset Mr. Williamsinformed us that he would guarantee the engines for eight days, when we were starting on a dangerous cruise for four months. Healso supplied us with an Egyptian boiler-maker and with eleveninstead of sixty new tubes: we lost forty-two of the old onesbetween Suez and El-Muwaylah. Before sunset we made a trial trip, the wretched old kettle acting tant bien que mal; we returned tore-embark the soldiers and the mules, and we set out for thesecond time at 5. 30 p. M. 

The Mukhbir, 130 feet long, 380 tons, and 80 to go horse-power, under charge of the English or rather Scotch engineer, Mr. DavidDuguid, who had taken the place of the two Arab firemen, beganwith 7 1/2 knots an hour, 68 revolutions per minute, and apressure of 9 lbs. To the square inch. The condenser-vacuum was26 inches (30 being complete)--13 lbs. Next morning the ratedeclined to six miles in consequence of the boiler leaking, andmatters became steadily worse. As a French writer says of thegenre humain, we were placed, not entre le bien et le mal, butentre le mal et le pire. After sundry narrow escapes in the Gulfof 'Akabah, we were saved, as will be seen, by a manner ofmiracles. Briefly, the Mukhbir caused us much risk, heartburn, and loss of time. 

Seven a. M. (December 11th) found us crossing the BirkatFara'ún--Pharaoh's Gulf--some sixty miles from the great port. Its horrors to native craft I have already described in my"Pilgrimage. " Between this point and Ras Za'faránah, higher up, the wind seems to split: a strong southerly gale will be blowing, whilst a norther of equal pressure prevails at the Gulf-head, andvice versâ. Suez, indeed, appears to be, in more ways than one, ahydrographical puzzle. When it is low water in and near theharbour, the flow is high between the Straits of Jobal and theDaedalus Light; and the ebb tide runs out about two points acrossthe narrows, whilst the flood runs in on a line parallel with it. Finally, when we returned, hardly making headway against an angrynorther, Suez, enjoying the "sweet south, " was congratulating thevoyagers upon their weather. 

The loss of a good working day soon made itself felt. The northwind rose, causing the lively Mukhbir, whose ballast, by-the-by, was all on deck, to waddle dangerously for the poor mules; and itwas agreed, nem. Con. , to put into Tor harbour. We foundourselves at ten a. M. (December 12th) within the natural pier ofcoralline, and we were not alone in our misfortune; an Englishsteamer making Suez was our companion. This place has supersededEl Wijh as the chief quarantine station for the returnpilgrimage; and I cannot sufficiently condemn the change. [EN#17]The day lagged slowly, as we

 "Walked in grief by the merge of the many-voiced sounding sea. "

But we looked in vain for our "tender, " a Sambúk of fifty tons, El-Musahhil (Rais Ramazan), which Prince Husayn had thoughtfullysent with us as post-boat. She disappeared on the evening of the11th, and she did not make act of presence until the 16th, whenher master was at once imprisoned in the fort of El-Muwaylah. Moreover, the owner, Mohammed Bukhayt, of Suez, who had receivedŁ90 as advance for three months--others said Ł60 forfour--provided her with only a few days' provisions, leaving usto ration his crew. 

A wintry norther in these latitudes is not easily got rid of. According to the people, here, as in the 'Akabah Gulf, it laststhree days, and dies after a quiet noon; whereas on the 13th, when we expected an escape, it rose angrily at one p. M. I wasmuch cheered by the pleasant news of M. Bianchi, the localDeputato di Sanitŕ, who assured us that a pernicieuse was ragingat El-Muwaylah, and that it was certain death to pass one nightin the fort. The only fire that emitted all this smoke was thefact that during the date-harvest of North-Western Arabia, Julyand August, agues are common; and that at all seasons the wellwater is not "honest, " and is supposed to breed trifling chills. In the Prairies of the Far West I heard of a man who rode somehundreds of miles to deliver himself of a lie. Nothing likesolitude and the Desert for freshening the fancy. Anotherindividual who was much exercised by our journey was KhwájehKonstantin, a Syrian-Greek trader, son of the old agent of theconvent, whose blue goggles and comparatively tight pantaloonsdenoted a certain varnish and veneer. It is his practice to visitEl-Muwaylah once every six months; when he takes, in exchange forcheap tobacco, second-hand clothes, and poor cloth, the coral, the pearls fished for in April, the gold dust, the finds of coin, and whatever else will bring money. Such is the course and customof these small monopolists, who, at "Raitha" and elsewhere, muchdislike to see quiet things moved. 

At length, after a weary day of far niente, when even le sommeilse faisait prier, we "hardened our hearts, " and at nine p. M. , asthe gale seemed to slumber, we stood southwards. The Mukhbirrolled painfully off Ras Mohammed, which obliged us with its ownpeculiar gusts; and the 'Akabah Gulf, as usual, acted wind-sail. A long détour was necessary in order to spare the mules, which, however, are much less liable to injury, under suchcircumstances, than horses, having a knack of learning to usesea-legs. 

The night was atrocious; so was the next morning; but about noonwe were cheered by the sight of the glorious mountain-walls ofwell-remembered Midian, which stood out of the clear blue sky inpassing grandeur of outline, in exceeding splendid dour ofcolouring, and in marvellous sharpness of detail. Once more the"power of the hills" was on us. 

Three p. M. Had struck before we found ourselves in broken wateroff the fort of El-Muwaylah, where our captain cast a singleanchor, and where we had our first escape from drifting upon therazor-like edges of the coralline reefs. In fact, everythinglooked so menacing, with surging sea around and sablestorm-clouds to westward, that I resolved upon revisiting our oldhaunt, the safe and dock-like Sharm Yáhárr. Here we enteredwithout accident; and were presently greeted by the Sayyid 'Abdel-Rahím, our former Káfilah-báshi, who had ridden fromEl-Muwaylah to receive us. The news was good: a truce of onemonth had been concluded between the Huwaytát and the Ma'ázah, probably for the better plundering of the pilgrims. This year thelatter were many: the "Wakfah, " or standing upon Mount Ararat, fell upon a Friday; consequently it was a Hajj el-Akbar, or"Greater Pilgrimage, " very crowded and very dangerous, in moreways than one. 

I had given a free passage to one Sulaymán Aftáhi, who declaredhimself to be of the Beni 'Ukbah, when he was a Huwayti of theJeráfín clan. After securing a free passage and provision gratis, when the ship anchored, he at once took French leave. On return Icommitted him to the tender mercies of the Governor, Sa'íd Bey. The soldiers, the quarry-men, and the mules were landed, and thehappy end of the first stage brought with it a feeling of intenserelief, like that of returning to Alexandria. Hitherto everythinghad gone wrong: the delays and difficulties at Cairo; at Suez, the death of poor Marius Isnard and the furious storm; thebreak-down of the engine; the fire in the wasteroom; and, lastly, the rough and threatening gale between the harbour andEl-Muwaylah. What did the Wise King mean by "better is the end ofa thing than the beginning thereof"? I only hope that it may beapplicable to the present case. In the presence of our workingground all evils were incontinently forgotten; and, after theunusual dankness of the Egyptian capital, and the blusteringwinds of the Gulf and the sea, the soft and delicate air of theMidian shore acted like a cordial. For the first time afterleaving Alexandria, I felt justified in taper de l'oeil with theclearest of consciences. 

The preliminary stage ended with disembarking at the Fort, El-Muwaylah, all our stores and properties, including sundrycases of cartridges and five hundred pounds of pebble-powder, which had been stored immediately under the main cabin and itseternal cigarettes and allumettes. The implements, as well as theprovisions, were made over to the charge of an old Albanian, oneRajab Aghá, who at first acted as our magazine-man for aconsideration of two napoleons per month, in advance if possible. This done, the Mukhbir returned into the dock Yáhárr, in order topatch up her kettle, which seemed to grow worse under everyimprovement. We accompanied her, after ordering a hundred camelsto be collected; well knowing that as this was the Bairam, 'Id, or "Greater Festival, " nothing whatever would be done during itsthree days' duration. 

The respite was not unwelcome to me; it seemed to offer anopportunity for recovering strength. At Cairo I had taken theadvice of a learned friend (if not an "Apostle of Temperance, " atany rate sorely afflicted with the temperance idea), who, bythreats of confirmed gout and lumbago, fatty degeneration of theheart and liver, ending in the possible rupture of some valve, had persuaded me that man should live upon a pint of claret perdiem. How dangerous is the clever brain with a monomania in it!According to him, a glass of sherry before dinner was a poison, whereas half the world, especially the Eastern half, prefers itspotations preprandially; a quarter of the liquor suffices, andboth appetite and digestion are held to be improved by it. Theresult of "turning over a new leaf, " in the shape of a phial ofthin "Gladstone, " was a lumbago which lasted me a long month, andwhich disappeared only after a liberal adhibition of "diffusiblestimulants. "

It required no small faith in one's good star to set out for asix weeks' work in the Desert under such conditions. Myconsolation, however, was contained in the lines attributed tohalf a dozen who wrote good English:--

 "He either fears his fate too much, Or his deserts are small, Who dares not put it to the touch, To gain or lose it all. "

This time, however, Mind was tranquil, whatever Matter mightsuffer. As the novelist says, "Lighting upon a grain of gold orsilver betokens that a mine of the precious metal must be in theneighbourhood. " It had been otherwise with my first Expedition: aforlorn hope, a miracle of moral audacity; the heaviest ofresponsibilities incurred upon the slightest of justifications, upon the pinch of sand which a tricky and greedy old man mightreadily have salted. It reminds me of a certain "Philip sober, "who in the morning fainted at the sight of the precipice which hehad scaled when "Philip drunk. " I look back with amazement uponNo. I. 

NOTE. 

The second Khedivial Expedition to Midian was composed of thefollowing officers and men. The European staff numbered four, notincluding the commander, viz. :--

M. George Marie, of the État-Major, Egyptian army, an engineerconverted into a geologist and mineralogist; he was under theorders of his Highness Prince Husayn Pasha. 

Mr. J. Charles J. Clarke, telegraphic engineer, ranking as majorin Egypt, commissariat officer. 

M. Émile Lacaze, of Cairo, artist and photographer. 

M. Jean Philipin, blacksmith. 

Besides these, Mr. David Duguid, --not related to "Hafed, Princeof Persia, "--chief engineer of the gunboat Mukhbir (CaptainMohammed Síráj), accompanied us part of the way on temporaryleave, and kindly assisted me in observing meteorology and inmaking collections. 

The Egyptian commissioned officers numbered six, viz. :--

Ahmed Kaptán Musallam, commander in the navy, and ranking asSakulághási (major). He had been first officer in the Sinnár, andhe was sent to make astronomical observations; but he proved tobe a confirmed invalid. 

Of the Arkán-Harb (Staff) were:--

Lieutenant Amir Rushdi, who had accompanied me before. 

Lieutenant Yusuf Taufik. 

Lieutenant Darwaysh Ukkáb, of the Piyédah or infantry. He wasalso a great sufferer on a small scale. 

Sub-Lieutenant Mohammed Farahát, of the Muhandism (Engineers), incharge of the Laggámgiyyah or Haggárah (blasters and quarrymen). He ended by deserting his duty on arrival at Cairo. 

The non-commissioned officers, all Egyptians, amounted toseven:--

Bulúk-amín (writer) Mohammed Sharkáwi (infantry). 

Chawush (serjeant) 'Atwah El-Ashírí (infantry). 

Chawush (serjeant) Mabrúk Awadh (quarryman); deserted at Cairo. 

Onbáshi (corporal) Higázi Ammár (Staff). 

Onbáshi (corporal) Mohammed Sulaymán (infantry) : also ourbarber, and a good man. 

Onbáshi (corporal) Mahmu'd Abd el-Rahmán (infantry): I had to puthim in irons. 

Onbáshi (corporal) Ibráhím Hedíb. 

There were three Nafar (privates) of the Staff:--

'Ali 'Brahim Ma'danji, generally known as Ali Marie, from theofficer whom he served; a hard-working man, over-devoted to hismaster. I recommended him for promotion. 

Ramazán Ramazán. 

Hasan Mohammed. He proved useful, as he brought with him all thenecessary tools for mending saddles. 

The twenty-five privates of infantry were emancipated negroes, afew being from the Súdán; composed of every tribe, it was acurious mixture, good, bad, and indifferent. Some were slaves whohad been given, in free gift, by their owners to the Mírí(Government), and men never part with a good "chattel, " exceptfor a sufficient cause. As will be seen, many of the names are"fancy":--

Sayyid Ahmed El-Tawíl. 

Yúsuf Faragallah (Faraj-Allah). 

Farag 'Ali. 

Sa'íd Hasan Básha'. His owner was a Fellah called HasanBáshá--peasants often give this title as a name to a boy who isborn under fortunate circumstances. Sa'íd was a fat, jollyfellow, a Sidi Bháí from the Mrímá, or mainland of Zanzibar, whohad wholly forgotten his Kisawáhílí. Corporal Mahmúd was punishedfor keeping him eighteen hours on guard. He was one of the veryfew to whom I gave "bakhshísh" after returning to Cairo. 

Sa'íd El-Sa'id. 

Mirsal Ginaydi. 

Mabrúk Rizk. 

Abdullah Mohammed Zaghúl. 

Sa'íd Katab. 

Faragallah Sharaf el-Dín. 

Farag Sálih. 

Surúr Mustafá. 

Salámat el-Nahhás; an excellent and intelligent man, who wasattached to the service of M. Lacaze. He distinguished himself bypicking up antiques, until his weakness, the Dá el-Faranj, foundhim out. 

Farag Ahmed Bura'í. 

Farag Mohammed Amín. 

Mirgán Sulaymán. 

'Abd el-Maulá. 

Mohammedayn. 

Mabrúk Hasan Osmán. 

Khayr Ramazán, a large and sturdy negro, from Dár-Wadái, withlong cuts down both sides of his face; a hard-working andintelligent soldier, who naturally took command of his fellows. Imade him an acting corporal, and on return recommended him forpromotion. 

Fadl 'Allah 'Ali el-Kholi, a Shillúk, one of the worst tribes ofthe Upper Nile, whom it is forbidden to enlist. He began byrefusing to obey an order, he pushed an officer out of his way, and he struck an Arab Shaykh. Consequently, he passed the greaterpart of the time in durance vile at the fort of El-Muwaylah. 

Mirgán Yúsuf; flogged for insolence to his officer, January 19. 

Abdullah Ibráhím. 

Ibráhím Kattáb. 

Mabrúk Mansúr Agwah. 

The Boruji (bugler) Mersál Abú Dunyá, a "character" who retiresfor practice to lonely hills and vales. His progress is not equalto his zeal and ambition. 

The thirty quarrymen were all Egyptians, and it would be hard tofind a poorer lot; they never worked, save under compulsion, andthey stole whatever they could. I examined their packs during thehomeward cruise, and found that many of them had secretedGovernment gunpowder:--

 Ahmed Ashiri. 

 Ahmed Badr. 

 Ahmed el-Wakíl. 

 Omar Sharkáwi. 

5. Mustafá Husayn. 

 Ismaíl el-Wa'í. 

 ‘Ali Zalat. 

 Ali 'Abd el-Rahmán. 

 Mustafá Sálim. 

10. 'Alí Bedawi. 

 Hanná Bishá'i. 

 Hamed Hanafi. 

 Hamed Wahlah. 

 Mustafá Sa'dáni (died of fever at El-Muwaylah). 

15. Mahmu'd Gum'ah. , Abú Zayd Hassá'nah. 

 Ismaíl Dusúki. 

 Sukk el-Fakíh. 

 Isá el-Dimíkí. 

20. 'Ali Atwadh. 

 Mohammed Sulaymán. 

 Ibra'hi'm 'Ali Mohammed. 

 'Ali Isá. 

 Mohammed 'Abd el-Záhir. 

25. 'Ali Wahish. 

 Abbási Mansúr (a tinman by trade, but without tools). 

 Gálút Ali. 

 Usmán Ámir. 

 Alewá Ahmed. 

30. Mohammed Ajízah. 

And lastly (31), the carpenter, 'Ali Sulaymán; a "knowingdodger, " who brought with him a little stock-in-trade of tobacco, cigarette-paper, and similar comforts. 

There were five soldiers, or rather matchlock-men, engaged fromthe fort-garrison, El-Muwaylah:--

Husayn Bayrakdár; a man who has travelled, and has become tooclever by half. He was equally remarkable as a liar and as acook. 

Bukháyt Ahmed, generally known as El-Ahmar from his red coat; aDinká slave, some sixty years old, and looking forty-five. He wasstill a savage, never sleeping save in the open air. 

Bukhayt Mohammed, popularly termed El-Aswad; a Foráwi(Dár-Forian) and a good man. He was called "The Shadow of theBey. "

Ahmed Sálih; a stout fellow, and the worst of guides. 

Sálim Yúsuf. 

The head of the caravan was the Sayyid' Abd el-Rahím, accountantat the Fort el-Muwaylah, of whom I have spoken before. He wassubsequently recommended by me to his Highness for the post ofNázir or commandant. 

Haji Wali, my old Cairene friend, who lost no time in bolting. 

There were also generally three Bedawi Shaykhs, who, by virtue oftheir office, received each one dollar (twenty piastres) perdiem. 

The servants and camp followers were:--

Anton Dimitriadis, the dragoman; a Bakkál or small shopkeeper atZagázig, and a tenant of Haji Wali. 

Giorgi (Jorgos) Sifenus, the cook, whose main disadvantage washis extreme and ultra-Greek uncleanliness. 

Petro Giorgiadis, of Zante; a poor devil who has evidently been awaiter in some small Greek café which supplies a cup per hour. 

These three men were a great mistake; but, as has been said, poorhealth at Cairo prevented my looking into details. 

Yúsuf el-Fazi, Dumánji or quartermaster from the Mukhbir, actingservant to Captain Ahmed, and a thoroughly good man. He was alsorecommended for promotion. 

Ahmed, the Saís or mule-groom; another pauvre diable, rascallywithal, who was flogged for selling the mules' barley to theBedawin. He was assisted by the Corporal (and barber) MohammedSulaymán and by five quarrymen. 

Husayn Ganínah; a one-eyed little Felláh, fourteen years old, looking ten, and knowing all that a man of fifty knows. He wasbody-servant to Lieutenant Yusuf. 

As usual, the caravan was accompanied by a suttler fromEl-Muwaylah, one Hamad, who sold tobacco, coffee, clarifiedbutter, and so forth. He was chaffed with the saying, Hamad fi'bayt ak--"Thy house is a pauper. "

Finally, there were two dogs: Juno, a Clumber spaniel, young andinexperienced; Páikí, a pariah, also a pup. 

Besides these two permanents, various "casuals, " the dog 'Brahim, etc. , attached themselves to our camp. 

 Chapter II. The Start--from El-muwaylah to the "White Mountain" and 'Aynúah. 

I landed at El-Muwaylah, described in my last volume, [EN#18] onthe auspicious Wednesday, December 19, 1877, under a salute fromthe gunboat Mukhbir, which the fort answered with a rattle and apatter of musketry. All the notables received us, in line drawnup on the shore, close to our camp. To the left stood thecivilians in tulip-coloured garb; next were the garrison, a dozenBásh-Buzuks en bourgeois, and mostly armed with matchlocks; thencame out quarrymen in uniform, but without weapons; and, lastly, the escort (twenty-five men) held the place of honour on theright. The latter gave me a loud "Hip! hip! hurrah!" as I passed. The tents, a total of twenty, including two four-polers for ourmess and for the stores, with several large canvas sheds--páls, the Anglo-Indian calls them--gleamed white against the dark-greenfronds of the date-grove; and the magnificent background of thescene was the "Dibbagh" block of the Tiha'mah, or lowlandmountains. 

The usual "palaver" at once took place; during which everythingwas "sweet as honey. " After this pleasant prelude came the normaldifficulties and disagreeables--it had been reported that I wasthe happy possessor of Ł22, 000 mostly to be spent at El-MuwayIah. The unsettled Arabs plunder and slay; the settled Arabs slanderand cheat. 

A whole day was spent in inspecting the soldiers and mules; indespatching a dromedary-post to Suez with news of ourunexpectedly safe arrival, and in conciliating the claims ofrival Bedawin. His Highness the Viceroy had honoured with anorder to serve us Hasan ibn Salim, Shaykh of the Beni 'Ukbah, asmall tribe which will be noticed in a future page. Last springthese men had carried part of our caravan to 'Aynúnah; and theyhaving no important blood-feuds, I had preferred to employ them. But 'Abd el-Nabi, of the Tagayát-Huwaytát clan, had been spoiltby over-kindness during my reconnaissance of 1877; besides, I hadgiven him a bowie-knife without taking a penny in exchange. In myfirst volume he appears as a noble savage, with a mixture of thegentleman; here he becomes a mere Fellah-Bedawi. 

The claimants met with the usual ceremony; right hands placed onthe opposite left breasts--this is not done when there is badblood--foreheads touching, and the word of peace, "Salám, "ceremoniously ejaculated by both mouths. Then came the screamingvoices, the high words, and the gestures, which looked as if theKurbáj ("whip") were being administered. The Huwayti stubbornlyrefused to march with the other tribe, whom, moreover, he grosslyinsulted: he professed perfect readiness to carry me and minegratis, the while driving the hardest bargain; he spoke of "ourland, " when the country belongs to the Khediv; he openly deniedhis allegiance; he was convicted of saying, "If these Christiansfind gold, there will be much trouble (fitneh) to us Moslems;"and at a subsequent time he went so far as to abuse an officer. Ihad "Shaykh'd" him (Shayyakht-uh), that is, promoted him in rank, said the Sayyid 'Abd el-Rahím; and the honour had completelychanged his manners. "Nasaggharhu" (We will "small" him), was myreply. The only remedy, in fact, was to undo what had been done;to cut down, as Easterns say, the tree which I had planted. So hewas solemnly and conspicuously disrated; the fee, one dollar perdiem, allotted as travelling and escort-allowance to the chiefs, was publicly taken from him, and he at once subsided into anignoble Walad ("lad"), under the lead of his uncle, Shaykh'Aláyan ibn Rabí. The latter is a man of substance, who cancollect at least two thousand camels. Though much given tosulking, on the whole, he behaved so well that, the Expeditionended, I recommended him to his Highness the Viceroy forappointment to the chieftainship of his tribe, and the usualyearly subsidy. With him was associated his cousin, ShaykhFurayj, an excellent man, of whom I shall have much to say; andthus we had to fee three Bedawi chiefs, including Hasan. Thelatter was a notable intriguer and mischief-maker, ever breedingbad blood; and his termper was rather violent than sullen. Wheninsulted by a soldier, he would rush off for his gun, ostentatiously light the match, walk about for an hour or twothreatening to "shyute, " and then apparently forget the wholematter. 

All wanted to let their camels by the day, whereas the custom ofArabia is to bargain for the march. Thus, the pilgrims pay onedollar per stage of twelve hours; and the post-dromedary demandsthe same sum, besides subsistence-money and "bakhshi'sh. " But ourlong and frequent halts rendered this proceeding unfair to theBedawin. I began by offering seven piastres tariff, and ended byagreeing to pay five per diem while in camp, and ten when on theroad. [EN#19] Of course, it was too much; but our supply of moneywas ample, and the Viceroy had desired me to be liberal. In theNile valley, where the price of a camel is some Ł20, the averagedaily hire would be one dollar: on the other hand, the animalcarries, during short marches, 700 lbs. The American officers inUpper Egypt reduced to 300 lbs. The 500 lbs. Heaped on by theSúdáni merchants. In India we consider 400 lbs. A fair load; andthe Midianite objects to anything beyond 200 lbs. 

I have no intention of troubling the reader with a detailedaccount of our three first stages from El-Muwaylah to the Jebelel-Abyaz, or White Mountain. [EN#20] On December 21st, leavingcamp with the most disorderly of caravans--106 camels instead of80, dromedaries not included--we marched to the mouth of the WadyTiryam, where we arrived before our luggage and provisions, lacking even "Adam's ale. " The Shaykhs took all the water whichcould be found in the palm-boothies near the shore, and drankcoffee behind a bush. This sufficed to give me the measure ofthese "wall-jumpers. "

Early next morning I set the quarrymen to work, with pick andbasket, at the north-western angle of the old fort. The lattershows above ground only the normal skeleton-tracery of corallinerock, crowning the gentle sand-swell, which defines the lip andjaw of the Wady; and defending the townlet built on the northernslope and plain. The dimensions of the work are fifty-five mčtreseach way. The curtains, except the western, where stood the Bábel-Bahr ("Sea gate"), were supported by one central as well as byangular bastions; the northern face had a cant of 32 degrees east(mag. ); and the northwestern tower was distant from the seaseventy-two me'tres, whereas the south-western numbered onlysixty. The spade showed a substratum of thick old wall, untrimmedgranite, and other hard materials. Further down were variousshells, especially bénitiers ( Tridacna gigantea) the harp (herecalled "Sirinbáz"), and the pearl-oyster; sheep-bones and palmcharcoal; pottery admirably "cooked, " as the Bedawin remarked;and glass of surprising thinness, iridized by damp to rainbowhues. This, possibly the remains of lachrymatories, was verydifferent from the modern bottle-green, which resembles the oldRoman. Lastly, appeared a ring-bezel of lapis lazuli;unfortunately the "royal gem, " of Epiphanus was withoutinscription. 

Whilst we were digging, the two staff-officers rode to thedate-groves of Wady Tiryam, and made a plan of the ancientdefences--the results of the first Khedivial Expedition hadeither not been deposited at, or had been lost in, the Staffbureau, Cairo. They found that the late torrents had filled upthe sand pits acting as wells; and the people assured them thatthe Fiumara had ceased to show perennial water only about five orsix years ago. 

The second march was disorderly as the first: it reminded me ofdriving a train of unbroken mules over the Prairies; the men wereas wild and unmanageable as their beasts. It was every one'sobject to get the maximum of money for the minimum of work. Theescort took especial care to see that all their belongings wereloaded before ours were touched. Each load was felt, and each boxwas hand-weighed before being accepted: the heaviest, rejected bythe rich, were invariably left to the poorest and the lowestclansmen with the weakest and leanest of animals. All at firstespecially objected to the excellent boxes--a great comfort--madefor the Expedition[EN#21] at the Citadel, Cairo; but they endedwith bestowing their hatred upon the planks, the tables, and thelong tent-poles. As a rule, after the fellows had protested thattheir camels were weighted down to the earth, we passed them onthe march comfortably riding--for "the 'Orbán can't walk. " And nowonder. At the halting-place they unbag a little barley andwheat-meal, make dough, thrust it into the fire, "break bread, "and wash it down with a few drops of dirty water. This copiousrefection ends in a thimbleful of thick, black coffee and a pipe. At home they have milk and Ghí (clarified butter) in plentyduring the season, game at times, and, on extraordinaryoccasions, a goat or a sheep, which, however, are usually keptfor buying corn in Egypt. But it is a "caution" to see them feedalle spalle altrui. 

Nothing shabbier than the pack-saddles; nothing more rotten thanthe ropes. As these "Desert ships" must weigh about half thesturdy animals of Syria and the Egyptian Delta, futureexpeditions will, perhaps, do well to march their carriage roundby El-'Akabah. The people declare that the experiment has beentried, but that the civilized animal sickens and dies in thesebarrens; they forget, however, the two pilgrim-caravans. 

At this season the beasts are half-starved. Their "kitchen" is ameagre ration of bruised beans, and their daily bread consists ofthe dry leaves of thorn trees, beaten down by the Makhbat, aflail-like staff, and caught in a large circle of matting(El-Khasaf). In Sinai the vegetation fares even worse: thebranches are rudely lopped off to feed the flocks; only "holytrees" escape this mutilation. With the greatest difficulty weprevented the Arabs tethering their property all night close toour tents: either the brutes were cold; or they wanted to browseor to meet a friend: every movement was punished with a wringingof the halter, and the result may be imagined. 

We slept that night at Wady Sharmá. Of this ruined town a planwas made for "The Gold-Mines of Midian, " by Lieutenant Amir, whoalone is answerable for its correctness. We afterwards foundlayers of ashes, slag, and signs of metal-working to thenorth-east of the enceinte, where the furnace probably stood. Theoutline measures 1906 metres, not "several kilometres;" anddesultory digging yielded nothing but charcoal, cinders, andbroken pottery. It was not before nine a. M. On the next day thatI could mount my old white, stumbling, starting mule; the delaybeing caused by M. Marie's small discovery, which will afterwardsbe noticed. We crossed both branches of the Sharmá water; and, ascending the long sand-slope of the right bank, we again passedthe Bedawi cemetery. I sent Lieutenants Amir and Yusuf toprospect certain stone-heaps which lay seawards of the graves;and they found a little heptangular demi-lune, concave to thenorth; the curtains varying from a minimum length of ten to amaximum of eighty me'tres, and the thickness averaging twometres, seventy-five centimetres. It was possibly intended, likethose above Wady Tiryam, to defend the western approach; and, superficially viewed, it looks like a line of stones heaped upover the dead, with that fine bird's-eye view of the valley whichthe Bedawi loves for his last sleeping-place. 

Thence we passed through the dry Báb ("sea gap"), cut by atorrent in the regular line of the coralline cliff, the openingof the Wady Melláh, off which lay our Sambúk. Marching up theWady Maka'dah, our experienced eyes detected many small outcropsof quartz, formerly unobserved, in the sole and on the banks. Thegranite hills, here as throughout Midian, were veined and dykedwith two different classes of plutonic rock. The red and pink arefelsites or fine-grained porphyries; the black and bottle-greenare the coarse-grained varieties, easily disintegrating, andforming hollows [Illustration with caption: Fortification on thecliff commanding the right bank of Wady Sharma'. ] in the hardergranite. The ride was made charming by the frontage ofpicturesque Jebel 'Urnub, with its perpendicular Pinnacles uponrock-sheets dropping clear a thousand feet; its jutting bluffs;its three huge flying Buttresses, that seemed to support themighty wall-crest; and its many spits and "organs, " some cappedwith finials that assume the aspect of logan-stones. There was nowant of animal life, and the yellow locusts were abroad; one hadbeen seized by a little lizard which showed all the violentmuscular action of the crocodile. There were small long-earedhares, suggesting the leporide; sign of gazelles appeared; andthe Bedawin spoke of wolves and hyenas, foxes and jackals. 

We camped upon the old ground to the southwest of the Jebelel-Abyaz; and at the halt our troubles forthwith began. Thewater, represented to be near, is nowhere nearer than a twohours' march for camels; and it is mostly derived fromrain-puddles in the great range of mountains which subtendsmaritime Midian. But this was our own discovery. The half-FellahBedawin, like the shepherds, their predecessors, in the days ofAbimelech and Jethro, are ever chary of their treasure; the onlyobject being extra camel-hire. After eating your salt, a ritewhose significance, by-the-by, is wholly ignored throughoutMidian and its neighbourhood, they will administer under youreyes a silencing nudge to an over-communicative friend. 'The verychildren that drive the sheep and goats instinctively deny allknowledge of the Themáil ("pits") and holes acting as wells. 

At the head of the Wady el-Maka'dah we halted six days (December24--30); this delay gave us time to correct the misapprehensionsof our flying visit. The height of the Jebel el-Abyaz, whosecolour makes it conspicuous even from the offing when sailingalong the coast, was found to be 350 (not 600) feet above theplain. The Grand Filon, which a mauvais plaisant of a reviewercalled the "Grand Filou, " forms a "nick" near the hill-top, butdoes not bifurcate in the interior. The fork is of heavy greenishporphyritic trap, also probably titaniferous iron, with a traceof silver, [EN#22] where it meets the quartz and the granite. Standing upon the "old man" with which we had marked the top, Icounted five several dykes or outcrops to the east (inland), andone to the west, cutting the prism from north to south; thesuperficial matter of these injections showed concentric circleslike ropy lava. The shape of the block is a saddleback, and thelay is west-east, curving round to the south. The formation is ofthe coarse grey granite general throughout the Province, and itis dyked and sliced by quartz veins of the amorphous type, crystals being everywhere rare in Midian (?) The filons andfilets, varying in thickness from eight metres to a few lines, are so numerous that the whole surface appears to be quartztarnished by atmospheric corrosion to a dull, pale-grey yellow;while the fracture, sharp and cutting as glass or obsidian, isdazzling and milk-white, except where spotted withpyrites--copper or iron. The neptunian quartz, again, haseverywhere been cut by plutonic injections of porphyritic trap, veins averaging perhaps two metres, with a north-south strike, and a dip of 75 degrees (mag. ) west. If the capping were removed, the sub-surface would, doubtless, bear the semblance of ahoneycomb. 

The Jebel el-Abyaz is apparently the centre of the quartzoseoutcrop in North Midian (Madyan Proper). We judged that it hadbeen a little worked by the ancients, from the rents in the reefthat outcrops, like a castle-wall, on the northern and easternflanks. There are still traces of roads or paths; while heaps, strews, and scatters of stone, handbroken and not showing thenatural fracture, whiten like snow the lower slopes of thewestern hill base. They contrast curiously with the hardfelspathic stones and the lithographic calcaires bearing themoss-like impress of metallic dendrites; these occur in manyparts near the seaboard, and we found them in Southern as well asin Northern Midian. The conspicuous hill is one of four mamelonsthus disposed in bird's-eye view; the dotted line shows thesupposed direction of the lode in the Jibál el-Bayzá, thecollective name. 

On the plain to the north of the Jebel el-Abyaz also, I foundcurdles of porphyritic trap, and parallel trap-dykes, cutting thecourses of large-grained grey granite: as many as three outcropsof the former appeared within fourteen yards. This convinced methat the whole of the solid square, thirty kilometres (six byfive), where the quartz emerges, is underlaid by veins andveinlets of the same rock. Moreover, I then suspected, andafterwards ascertained, that the quartz of the Jibál el-Bayzá, asthe Bedawin call this section, is not a local peculiarity. Iteverywhere bursts, not only the plain between the sea and thecoast-range, but the two parallels of mountain which confine iton the east. In fact, throughout our northern march the Arabs, understanding that its object was "Marú, " the generic name forquartz, [EN#23] brought us loads of specimens from everydirection. Nothing is easier than to work the purely superficialpart. A few barrels of gunpowder and half a dozen English miners, with pick and crowbar, suffice. Even our dawdling, fecklessquarrymen easily broke and "spelled" for camel loading some sixtons in one day. 

Our short se'nnight was not wasted; yet I had an uncomfortablefeeling that the complication of the country called for anexploration of months and not hours. Every day some noveltyappeared. The watercourses of the Gháts or coast-range werestreaked with a heavy, metallic, quartzose black sand which M. Marie vainly attempted to analyze. We afterwards found it inalmost every Wady, and running north as far as El-'Akabah;whilst, with few exceptions, all our washings of red earth, chloritic sand, and bruised stone, yielded it and it only. It isapparently the produce of granite and syenite, and it abounds inAfrican Egypt. I was in hopes that tungsten and titaniferous ironwould make it valuable for cutlery as the black sand of NewZealand. Experiments in the Citadel, Cairo, produced nothing savemagnetic iron with a trace of lead. But according to ColonelRoss, the learned author of "Pyrology, or Fire Chemistry, "[EN#24]it is iserine or magnetic ilmenite, titaniferous iron-sand, containing eighty-eight per cent. Of iron (oxides andsesquioxides), with eleven per cent. Of titanic acid. 

The Arabs brought in fine specimens of hematite and of copper orefrom Wady Gharr or Ghurr, six miles to the south of camp. Herewere found two water-pits in a well-defined valley; the nearersome ten miles south-west of the Jebel el-Abyaz, the other abouttwo miles further to the north-west; making a total of twelve. About the latter there was, however, no level ground for tents. Amile and a half walking almost due north led to a veinlet ofcopper 30 metres long by 0. 30 thick, with an east-west strike, and a dip of 45 degrees south. This metal was also found in thehills to the south. Crystalline pyroxene and crystallizedsulphates of lime apparently abound, while the same is the casewith carbonate of manganese, and other forms of the metal socommon in Western Sinai. Briefly, our engineer came to theconclusion that we were in the very heart of a mining region. 

We made a general reconnaisance (December 27th) of a place whencespecimens of pavonine quartz had come to hand. Following the Wady'Ifriyá round the north and east of the White Mountain, we fellinto the Wady Simákh (of "Wild Sumach"), that drains the greatgap between the Pinnacles and the Buttresses of the'Urnub-Tihámah section. After riding some two miles, we found tothe south-east fragments of dark, iridescent, and metallicquartz: they emerge from the plain like walls, bearingnorth-south, with 36 degrees of westing and a westward dip of 15degrees to 20 degrees--exactly the conditions which Australiaseeks, and which produced the huge "Welcome Nugget" of Ballarat. They crop out of the normal trap-dyked grey granite, and selectspecimens show the fine panaché lustre of copper. M. Marieafterwards took from one of the geodes a pinch of powder weighingabout half a gramme, and cupelled a bright dust-shot beadweighing not less than two centigrammes. Without furtherexamination he determined it to be argentiferous, when it waspossibly iron or antimony. On the other hand, the silverdiscovered in the Grand Filon by so careful and conscientious anobserver as Gastinel Bey, and the fact that we are here on thesame line of outcrop, and at a horizon three hundred feet lower, are reassuring. 

This vein, which may be of great length and puissance, I took theliberty of calling the "Filon Husayn, " from the prince who had sogreatly favoured the Expedition. Here we had hit upon theNegros, [EN#25] or coloured quartzose formations of Mexico, inwhich silver appears as a sulphure; and we may expect to find theColorado, or argillaceous, that produces the noble metal in theforms of chlorure, bromure, and iodure. The former appearseverywhere in Midian, but our specimens are all superficial, taken ŕ ciel ouvert. To ascertain the real value and the extentof the deposits required exposure of the veins at a horizon farlower than our means and appliances allowed us to reach. If therock prove argentiferous I should hope to strike virgin silver inthe capillary or aborescent shape below. Above it, as on thesummit of the Jebel el-Abyaz, and generally in the "Marú" hillsand hillocks of North Midian, the dull white quartz iscomparatively barren; showing specks of copper; crystals ofpyrites, the "crow-gold" of the old English miner, and dark dotsof various metals which still await analysis. 

Thus, I would divide the metalliferous quartzes of thisNorth-Midianite region into two chief kinds: those stained greenand light blue, whose chief metallic element is copper, with itsderivatives; and the iridescent Negro, which may shelter theColorado. In South Midian the varieties of quartz areincomparably more numerous, and almost every march shows a newcolour or constitution. 

About the Jebel el-Abyaz, as in many mining countries, water is aserious difficulty. The principal deposit lies some three mileseast of the camping ground in a Nakb or gorge, El-Asaybah, offsetting from the great Fiumara, "El-Simákh;" and apparently itis only a rain-pool. Throughout Midian, I may say, men stillfetch water out of the rock. M. Philipin, whilst pottering aboutthis place, saw two Beden (ibex) with their young, which suggestsa permanent supply of drink. [EN#26]

However that may be, Norton's Abyssinian pumps, for which I hadvainly applied at Cairo, would doubtless discover the primenecessary in the Wadys, many of the latter being still damp andmuddy. Moreover, the crible continue ŕ grilles filtrantes, theinvention of MM. Huet and Geyler, introduced, we are told, intothe mechanical treatment of metals, a principle which greatlyeconomizes fluid. Founded upon the fact that sands of nearly thesame size, but of different densities, when mixed in liquid andsubjected to rapid vertical oscillation, range themselves byorder of weight, the heavier sinking and not allowing passage tolighter matter, the new sieve offers the advantages of a singleand simple instrument, with increased facility for treating poor"dirt. " Finally, as I shall show, the country is prepared bynature to receive a tramway; and the distance to the sea does notexceed fourteen miles, liberally computed. [EN#27]

Either the rain-water affected the health of the party, or itsuffered from the excessive dryness and variations of theatmosphere, eight to nine hundred feet above sea-level (aner. 29. 10), ranging in the tents between 92 degrees by day and 45degrees at night, a piercing, killing temperature in the Desert. Moreover, the cold weather is mostly the unwholesome season inhot lands, and vice versâ: hence the Arab proverb, Haráratel-Jebel, wa lá Bard-há ("The heat of the hills and not theircold"). Old Haji Wali lost his appetite, complained ofindigestion, and clamoured to return home; Ahmed Kaptán sufferedfrom Sulb ("lumbago") and bad headache; whilst Lieutenant Yusufwas attacked by an ague and fever, which raised the mouththermometer to 102 degrees--103 degrees, calling loudly foraconite. These ailments affected the party more or less the wholeway, but it was not pleasant to see them begin so soon. When ourwork of collecting specimens--three tons from the Jebel el-Abyaz, and three from the Filon Husayn--was finished, I resolved uponreturning to the coast and treating our loads at the Sharmáwater. We reached the valley mouth on December 30th, and wegreatly enjoyed the change from the harshness of the inland tothe mildness of the seaboard air. 

We stayed at Sharmá, much disliking its remarkably monotonousaspect, for another week, till January 7, 1878. Yule, "thewheel, " despite the glorious tree-logs and roaring fires, hadbeen a failure at the White Mountain. The Dragoman had killed ourlast turkey, and had forgotten to bring the plum-pudding fromEl-Muwaylah: there was champagne, but that is not the stuffwherewithal to wash down tough mutton. New Year's Day, on theother hand, had all the honours. Its birth was greeted with aflow of whisky-punch, wherein wine had taken the place of water;and we drank the health of his Highness, the Founder of theExpedition, in a bottle of dry Mumm. The evening ended with musicand dancing, by way of "praying the Old Year out and the New Yearin. " Mersál, the Boruji, performed a wild solo on his bugle; andanother negro, Ahmed el-Shinnáwi, played with the Nái orreed-pipe one of those monotonous and charming minor-key airs--Icall them so for want of a word to express them--which extendfrom Midian to Trafalgar, and which find their ultimateexpression in the lovely Iberian Zarzuela. [EN#28] The boy HusaynGenínah, a small cyclops in a brown felt calotte and a hugemilitary overcoat cut short, caused roars of laughter by hisultra-Gaditanian style of dancing. I have also reason to suspectthat a jig and a breakdown tested the solidity of the planktable, while a Jew's harp represented Europe. In fact, throughoutthe journey, reminiscences of Mabille and the Music Hallscontrasted strongly with the memories of majestic and mysteriousMidian. And, to make the shock more violent, some friend, malčsalsus, sent me copies of the cosmopolitan Spectator and thecourteous Mayfair, which at once became waste paper for Bedawicartridges. 

Our Rosh há Shanah ("New Year's Day") was further distinguishedby the discovery of a vein and outcrop of metalliferous quartz, about half an hour's walk, and bearing nearly east (80 degreesmag. ) from camp. We followed the Wady Sharmá, and found above its"gate" the masonry-foundation of a square work; near it lay thegraves of the Wild Men, one with the normal awning of palm-frondshonoris causâ. There were signs of stone-quarrying, and at oneplace a road had been cut in the rock. Leaving on the north theleft side of the watercourse, with its rushes (Scirpus), andhuge-headed reeds (Arundo donax), its dates and Daums--the twolatter often scorched and killed by the careless Bedawi--westruck into a parallel formation, the Wady el Wuday, bone-dry andmuch trodden by camels. Arrived at the spot, we found that theconfused masses of hill subtending the regular cliff-line of theold coast, are composed of grey granite, seamed with snowyquartz, and cut by the usual bands of bottle-coloured porphyritictrap, which here and there becomes red. Some of the heights areof greenish-yellow chloritic felspar, well adapted forbrick-making. The surface of the land is scattered with fragmentsof white silex and fine red jasper, banded with black oligisticiron: this rock, close, hard, and fine enough to bear cutting, appears everywhere in scatters and amongst the conglomerates. Only one fossil was picked up, a mould so broken as to be quiteuseless. 

We also followed out M. Marie's find, to which he had been guidedby a patch of red matter, conspicuous on the road from Tiryam toSharmá. For forty minutes we skirted the seaward face of the oldcliff, a line broken by many deep water-gashes and buttressed byGoz, or high heaps of loose white sand. We then turned eastwardsor inland, ascended a Nakb ("gorge"), and saw, as before, thecorallines and carbonates of lime altered, fused, scorified, andblackened by heated injections; the grey granite scored withquartz veins, running in all rhumbs; and the porphyritic trapforming crests that projected from the sands. The cupriferousstone struck east-west, with a dip to the south; the outcrops, visible without digging, measured fifteen to twenty metres long, by one to one and a half in breadth. 

New Year's Day also restored to us the pup "Páijí. " When quite ababe, it had walked up to me in the streets of Cairo, evidentlyclaimed acquaintanceship, and straightway followed me intoShepheard's, where; having a certain sneaking belief inmetempsychosis, I provided it with bed and board. During ourthird march to the White Mountain, being given to violent yelps, which startled both mules and camels, the small thing had beenleft to walk, and had apparently made friends with an Arabgoatherd. After nine days' absence without leave, "Páijí"reappeared, with dirty rags tied round its bony back and wastedwaist, showing an admirable skeleton, and making the most franticdemonstrations of joy. The loss of the poor little brute hadaffected all our spirits: we thought that the hyenas and theravens had seen the last of it; and it received a warm welcomehome. 

M. Lacaze, unlike the rest, took a violent fancy for the WadySharmá: the water-scenery enchanted him. His sketches were almostconfined to the palm-growth, and to the greenery so unexpected inarid Midian, where, according to the old and exploded opinion, Moses wrote the Book of Job. The idea of Arabia is certainly notassociated with flowing rills, and waving trees, and rustlingzephyrs. Every morning I used to awake surprised by the song ofthe Naiad, the little runnel whimpling down its bed of rushes, stone, and sand; and the response of the palms making music inthe land-breeze. 

Finally, on New Year's Day, Lieutenant Amir, guided by ShaykhFurayj, and escorted by soldiers and miners, made a three days'trip to the Wady 'Urnub. There he surveyed a large isolated"Mará, " or quartz-hill, some twenty-two to twenty-five directmiles south-east of the main outcrop; thus giving a considerableextent to the northern mining-focus. This feature is described asbeing four or five times larger than the Jebel el-Abyaz (proper);and the specimens of quartz and grey granite proved it to be ofthe same formation. It showed a broken outline, with four greatsteps or dykes, which had apparently been worked. In the basalvalleys, and spread over the land generally, was found a heavyyellow sand, calcareous and full of silex: the guide called itAwwal Hismá (the "Hismá frontier"). 

Our travellers returned by a parallel line, southerly and moredirect. In the Wady 'Urnub, the Ma'ázah of the Salímát clanreceived them with apparent kindness, inwardly grumbling thewhile at their land being "spied out;" and they especiallywelcomed Furayj, who, being a brave soldier, is also noted as apeacemaker. All the men were armed, and wore the same dress asthe Huwaytát; like these, they also breed camels and asses--thatis, they are not cow-Arabs. Certain travellers on the Upper Nilehave distributed the Bedawin into these two groups; addhorse-Arabs and ass-Arabs, and you have all the divisions of therace as connected with the so-called "lower animals. " About threehours (= eleven miles) from Sharmá camp, some pyramids of sandwere pointed out in the Wady Rátiyah: the Bedawin call one ofthem the Goz et-Hannán ("Moaning Sand-heap"). They declare thatwhen the Hajj-caravan passes, or rather used to pass, by thatway, before the early sixteenth century, when Sultán Selim laidout his maritime high-road, a Naubah ("orchestra") was wont tosound within its bowels. This tale, which, by-the-by, is told oftwo other places in Midian, may have been suggested by the Jebelel-Nákús ("Bell Mountain") in Sinai-land; but as the Arabsperform visitation and sacrifice to the "Moaning-heap, " thesuperstition probably dates from ancient days. Ruins are alsoreported to exist in the Jebel Fa's, the southern boundary of the'Urnub valley; and, further south, in the Jebel el-Harb, I wastold by some one whose name has escaped me, of a dolmen mountedupon three supports. Lieutenant Amir also brought copper ore fromthe Wady 'Urnub, and from the Ras Wady el-Mukhbir specimens of ametal which the Arabs use as a kohl or collyrium. It proved, however, iron, not antimony; and the same mistake has been madein the Sinaitic Peninsula. 

At Wady Sharmá we rigged up, under the superintendence of M. Philipin, a trough and a cradle for washing the black sands, thepounded quartz of the Jebel el-Abyaz, and the red sands; theselatter had shown a trace of silver (1/10000) to the firstExpedition. We mixed it with mercury and amalgamed it ingoatskins; the men moved them to and fro; but, of course, thewater evaporated, and the mass speedily became dry. The upper orsuperficial white yielded only, as far as our engineer couldjudge, a little copper and bright knobs of pyrites. The Negros, or iridized formations, of the "Filon Husayn" on a lower horizon, gave the dubious result already alluded to. All the experimentswere conducted in the rudest way. Of course, a quantity of metalmay have escaped notice; and a fair proportion of the powderedstone was reserved for scientific treatment in Europe. 

During our first trip we had found, upon the right jaw of theWady Sharmá, a ruined village of workmen, probably slaves, whosebothans measured some twelve feet by eight. They differ from theNawámis, or "mosquito-huts, " as the word is generally translated, only in shape--the latter are circular, with a diameter of tenfeet--and they perfectly resemble the small stone hovels in theWady Mukattab, which Professor Palmer ("Desert of the Exodus, " p. 202) supposes to have been occupied by the captive miners andtheir military guardians. This time we ascended the corallineridge which forms the left jamb. At its foot a rounded and halfdegraded dorsum of stiff gravel, the nucleus of its former self, showed a segment of foundation-wall, and the state of the stonesuggested the action of fire. Possibly here had been a furnace. The summit also bears signs of human occupation. The southernpart of the buttress-crest still supports a double concentriccircle with a maximum diameter of about fifteen feet; the outsideis of earth, apparently thrown up for a rampart behind a moat, and the inside is of rough stones. Going south along the dorsum, we found remains of oval foundations; a trench apparently cut inthe rock, pottery often an inch and more thick, and brokenhandmills made of the New Red Sandstone of the Hismá. Finally, atthe northernmost point, where the cliff-edge falls abruptly, witha natural arch, towards the swamp, about one kilometre broad atthe Báb, we came upon another circle of rough stones. We weredoubtful whether these rude remains were habitations or oldgraves; nor was the difficulty solved by digging into four ofthem: the pick at once came upon the ground-rock. Hitherto theseruins have proved remarkably sterile; the only products werepotsherds, fragments of hand-mills, and a fine lump of whitemarble (Rukhám), supposed to come from the Jebel el-Lauz. 

Amongst our followers was a "Kázi of the Arabs, " one Jabr bin'Abd el-Nabi, who is a manner of judge in civil, but not incriminal matters. Before the suit begins the plaintiff, or hissurety, deposits a certain sum in coin, corn, or other valuables, and lays his damages at so much. The defendant, if inclined tocontest the claim, pays into court the disputed amount, and thequestion is settled after the traditional and immemorial customsof the tribe. This man, covetous as any other disciple ofJustinian, was exceedingly anxious to obtain the honorarium of aShaykh, and he worked hard to deserve it. Shortly before ourdeparture from Sharmá, he brought in some scoriae and slag, broken and streaked with copper--in fact, ekvolades. They arethinly scattered over the seaward slope of the left jaw, wherethe stone nowhere shows a trace of the mineral in situ. As, however, the Expedition had found native copper in three places, more or less near the Jebel el-Abyaz, it was decided that the orehad been brought from the interior. 

We were again much puzzled concerning the form of industry whichgave rise to such a large establishment as Sharmá. Agriculturewas suggested and rejected; and we finally resolved that it was abranch-town that supplied ore to the great smelting-place andworkshop of the coast, 'Aynúnah, and possibly carbonate of limeto serve for flux. 

The distance along the winding Wady, between the settlement andthe sea westward, where the watercourse ends in sand-heaps, isseven to eight miles, and the coast shows no sign of harbour orof houses. About three miles, however, to the northwest is theadmirable Bay of 'Aynu'nah, unknown to the charts. Defended onboth sides by sandspits, and open only between the west and thenorth-west, where reefs and shoals allow but a narrow passage, its breadth across the mouth from east to west measures at leastfive thousand metres, and the length inland, useful for refuge, is at least three thousand. At the bottom of this noble Límán, the Kolpos so scandalously abused by the ancients, are threesandy buttresses metalled with water rolled stones, and showingtraces of graves. Possibly here may have been the site of anancient settlement. The Arabs call the southern anchorage, markedby a post and a pit of brackish water, El-Musaybah or MusaybatSharmá. Its only present use seems to be embarking bundles ofrushes for mat-making in Egypt. The north-eastern end of thelittle gulf is the Gád (Jád), or Mersá of El-Khuraybah, beforedescribed as the port of 'Aynu'nah. 

At the Musaybah I stationed our tender, the Sambúk El-Musahhil, which carried our heavy goods, specimens by the ton; rations andstores; forge, planks, and crowbars. The sailors lost no time inshowing their rapacity. Every day they dunned us for tobacco; andwhen we made a counter-demand for the excellent fish which wascaught in shoals, they simply asked, "What will you pay for it?"I imprudently left my keg of specimen-spirits on board thisignoble craft, and the consequence was that it speedily becamebone-dry. The Musaybah bight is a direct continuation of the Wadyel-Melláh, which, joining that of El-Maka'dah, runs straight upto the Jebel el-Abyaz and to the Filon Husayn. Thesemetalliferous quartzes cannot be further from the coast than amaximum distance of fourteen miles, and the broad, smoothwatercourse, with its easy gradients, points it out as the siteof the future tramway. I should prefer a simpler form of the"Pioneer Steam Caravan or Saddleback-Railway System, " patented byMr John L. Haddan, C. E. , formerly of Damascus. [EN#29] Herecommends iron as the best material for the construction; andthe cost, delivered at Alexandria, would not exceed Ł1200, instead of Ł3000 to Ł20, 000 per kilometre, including the rollingstock. As the distance from the port is nothing, Ł300 perkilometre would be amply sufficient for "fixing up;" but I shouldreduce the price to Ł500 for the transport of some 50 tons perdiem. By proper management of the rails or the main rail, itwould be easy for trained camels to draw the train up the Wady;and the natural slope towards the sea would give work only to thebrake where derailments are not possible. 

At Sharmá we saw the crescent, when the Englishmen turned theirmoney in their pockets, and the Egyptian offficers muttered ablessing upon the coming moon. Every day we waxed more weary ofthe place; possibly the memories of the first visit were notpleasant. Many in camp still suffered; and an old Bedawi, uncleto Shaykh 'Alayan, died and was buried at 'Aynúnah. The number ofservants also made us uncomfortable. The head Dragoman, whosememory was confined to his carnet, forgot everything; and, had wetrusted to him, half the supplies would have returned to Suez, probably for the benefit of his own shop at Zagázig. I soon foundhis true use, and always left him behind as magazine-man, storekeeper, and guardian of reserve provisions. He was also adangerous, mischief-making fellow; and such men always findwilling ears that ought to know better. Petros, the Zante man, was the model of a tipotenios (an "anybody"), who seemed to havebeen born limp, without bones or brains. He was sent back as soonas possible to Cairo. The worst point of these worthies was, thatthey prevented, for their own reasons, the natives working forus; while they preferred eternal chatter and squabbles to workingthemselves. So the Greek element was reduced to George the cook, a short, squat, unwashed fellow, who looked like a fair-Herculesout of luck; who worked like three, and who loudly clamoured fora revolver and a bowie-knife. His main fault, professionallyspeaking, was that he literally drenched us with oil till thestore happily ran out. His complexion was that of an animatedripe olive, evidently the result of his own cookery. His surprisewhen I imperatively ordered plain boiled rice, instead of a messdripping with grease; and when told to boil the fish in sea waterand to serve up the bouillon, was high comedy. Doubtless he hasoften, since his return, astounded his "Hellenion" by describingour Frankish freaks and mad eccentricities. 

The stationary camp also retained Lieutenant Yusuf and MM. Duguidand Philipin, with thirteen soldiers and sixteen miners. The sixcamels were placed under Gabr, Kázi el-'Orbán; and all thestay-behinds were charged with washing the several earths, withscouring the country for specimens, and with transporting sundrytons of the black sand before mentioned. Old Haji Wali, probablyfrightened by the Arabs, and maddened by the idea that, duringhis absence in the thick of the cotton season, the Fellahs ofZagázig would neglect to pay their various debts, began to"malinger" with such intensity of purpose, that I feared lest hewould kill himself to spite us. The venerable Shylock, who everpleaded poverty, had made some Ł300 by lending a napoleon, say, on January 1st, which became a sovereign on February 1st; not tospeak of the presents and "benevolences" which the debtor wouldbe compelled to offer his creditor. So he departed forEl-Muwaylah, whence some correspondent had warned him that apilgrim boat was about to start; declaring that he was dying, andtrotting his mule as hard as it would go, the moment a safecorner was turned. He stayed two days on board the gunboat, andstraightway returned to Egypt and the cotton season:--we had thesupreme satisfaction, however, to hear that he had gone throughthe long quarantine at Tor. Yet after our return he reproachedme, with inimitable coolness and effrontery, for not havingbehaved well to him. 

On the morning of January 7th, a walk of two hours and twentyminutes (= seven miles) northwards, and mostly along the shore ofthe noble "Musaybat Sharmá, " transferred us to well-remembered'Aynúnah. The sea in places washed over slabs of the fine oldconglomerates which, in this country, line the banks and soles ofall the greater Wadys: these are the Cascalho of the Brazil, arock which is treated by rejecting the pebbles and by poundingthe silicious paste. The air was softer and less exciting thanthat of Sharmá; and, although the vegetation was of the crapaudmort d'amour hue--here a sickly green, there a duller brown thanApril had showed--the scene was more picturesque, the "Gate" wastaller and narrower, and the recollection of a happy first visitmade me return to it with pleasure. Birds were more abundant:long-shanked water-fowl with hazel eyes; red-legged rail; thebrown swallow of Egypt; green-blue fly-catchers; and a blackmuscivor, with a snowy-white rump, of which I failed to secure aspecimen. We also saw the tern-coloured plover, known in Egypt asDomenicain and red kingfishers. The game species were fine largegreen mallard; dark pintail; quail, and red-beaked brownpartridge with the soft black eye. 

New formations began to develop themselves, and the sickly huesof the serpentines and the chlorites, so rich in the New World, appeared more charming than brow of milk or cheek of rose. [EN#30]There were few changes. A half-peasant Bedawi had planted a stripof barley near the camping place; the late floods had shifted thecourse of the waters; more date-trees had been wilfully burned; abig block of quartz, brother to that which we had broken, hadbeen carried off; and where several of the old furnaces formerlystood, deep holes, dug by the "money-hunter, " now yawned. I againexamined the two large fragments of the broken barrage, and foundthat they were of uncut stone, compacted with fine cement, whichcontained palm-charcoal. 

At 'Aynúnah we gave only one day to work. While M. Lacazesketched the views, we blasted with gunpowder more than halfcharcoal the Ma'dan el-Fayrúz ("turquoise mine"), as the Arabscalled it, on the right side of the Wady. The colour and texturewere so unlike the true lapis Pharanitis that we began tosuspect, and presently we ascertained from the few remainingfragments, it had been worked for copper, --the carbonates and thesilicates which characterize Cyprus. Presently good specimens ofthe latter were brought to us from the Jebel el-Fará by a Bedawipauper, 'Ayd of the Tagaygát-Huwaytát tribe. These half-nakedshepherds and goatherds, who know every stone in the land, areits best guides; not the Shaykhs, who, as a rule, see little ornothing outside their tents. From our camp the direction, asreported by Ahmed Kaptán, was 102 degrees (mag. ), and thedistance three miles. I afterwards sent Lieutenant Yusuf fromEl-Muwaylah to make a detailed plan. [EN#31]

We also dug in an old pit amongst the Christian graves to thesouth-east of the camp, and below the left jamb of the "Gate. "Here also the Bedawin had been at work; and, when unable to workdeep enough, they told us wonderful tales of an alabaster slab, which doubtless concealed vast treasures. In Arabia, as inAfrica, one must look out for what there is not, as well as forwhat there is. After spending a morning in sinking a twelve-feetshaft, we came upon a shapeless coralline-boulder, which in oldtimes had slipped from the sea-face of the cliff to the left ofthe valley. I ascended this height, and saw some stones disposedby the hand of man; but there were no signs of a largeslave-miner settlement like that on the other side of the Báb. 

In the afternoon Mr. Clarke led a party of quarrymen across thegraveyards to El-Khuraybah, the seaport of 'Aynúnah, and appliedthem to excavating the floor of a cistern and the foundations ofseveral houses; a little pottery was the only result. It was aslow walk of forty minutes; and thus the total length of theaqueducts would be three miles, not "between four and fivekilometres. " I had much trouble and went to some expense insending camels to fetch a "written stone" which, placed at thehead of every newly buried corpse, is kept there till anotherrequires it. It proved to be a broken marble pillar with a modernArabic epitaph. In the Gád el-Khuraybah, the little inlet nearthe Gumruk ("custom-house"), as we called in waggery the shed ofpalm-fronds at the base of the eastern sandspit, lay five smallSambúks, which have not yet begun fishing for mother-of-pearl. Here we found sundry tents of the Tagaygát-Huwaytát, the halfFellahs that own and spoil the once goodly land; the dogs barkedat us, but the men never thought of offering us hospitality. Wehad an admirable view of the Tihámah Mountains--Zahd, with its"nick;" the parrot-beak of Jebel el-Shátí; the threeperpendicular Pinnacles and flying Buttresses of Jebel 'Urnub;the isolated lump of Jebel Fás; the single cupola of Jebel Harb;the huge block of Dibbagh, with its tall truncated tower; thelittle Umm Jedayl, here looking like a pyramid; and the fourmighty horns of Jebel Shárr. 

I left 'Aynúnah under the conviction that it has been the greatWarshah ("workshop") and embarking-place of the coast-sectionextending from El-Muwaylah to Makná; and that upon it dependedboth Wady Tiryam and Sharmá, with their respective establishmentsin the interior. Moreover, the condition of the slag convinced methat iron and the baser metals have been worked here in moderntimes, perhaps even in our own, but by whom I should not like tosay. 

 Chapter III. Breaking New Ground to Magháir Shu'ayb. 

On January 9th we left 'Aynúnah by the Hajj-road, and passedalong the Quarry Hill visited during my first journey: the cresthas old cuttings and new cuttings, the latter still worked forBedawi headstones. The dwarf pillar with the mysterious cup isreflected by the Nubians, who hollow out the upper part of thestela to a depth of eight or ten inches without adding anyornament. Hence, perhaps, the Sawahíli custom of the insertedporcelain-plate. 

After issuing from the stony and sandy gorge which forms theshort cut, we regained the Hajj-road, and presently sighted ascene readily recognized. Fronting us, the northern horizon wasformed by the azure wall of Tayyib Ism, [EN#32] the "Mountain ofthe Good Name, " backed by the far grander peaks of JebelMazhafah: the latter rises abruptly from the bluer Gulf ofEl-Akabah, and both trend to their culminating points inland oreastward. On our right followed the unpicturesque metalliferousheap of Jebel Zahd or 'Aynúnah Mountain, whose Brčche de Rolandseems to show from every angle; its chocolate-coloured heightscontain, they say, furnaces and "Mashghal, " or ateliers, wherethe Marú ("quartz") was worked for ore. In places it is backed bythe pale azure peaks of Jebel el-Lauz. This "Mountain of Almonds"is said to take its name from the trees, probably bitter, whichflourish there as within the convent-walls of St. Catherine, Sinai. They grow, I was told, high up in the clefts and valleys;and here, also, are furnaces both above and below. Of its white, sparkling, and crystallized marble, truly noble material, atombstone was shown to me; and I afterwards secured a slab with abroken Arabic inscription, and a ball apparently used for rubbingdown meal. The Lauz appears to be the highest mountain inNorthern Midian-land; unfortunately, it is to be reached only viâSharaf, two long stations ahead, and I could not afford time forgeographical research to the prejudice of mineralogical. Itsnearer foot-hill is the Jebel Khulayf; and this feature contains, according to the Bedawin, seven wells or pits whose bottom cannotbe seen. Between the "Almond Block" and its northerncontinuation, Jebel Munífah, we saw a gorge containing water, andsheltering at times a few tents of the 'Amírát Arabs; in the sameblock we also heard of a Sarbút or rock said to be written over. 

The regular cone of El-Maklá' ends the prospect in thenorth-eastern direction. Looking westward, we see the ghastlybare and naked Secondary formation, the Rughám of the Bedawin, not to be confounded with Rukhám ("alabaster or saccharinemarble"). We afterwards traced this main feature of the 'AkabahGulf as far south as the Wady Hamz. It is composed of thesulphates of lime--alabaster, gypsum, and the plaster with whichthe Tertiary basin of Paris supplies the world; and of thecarbonates of lime--marble, chalk, kalkspar, shells, and eggs. The broken crests of the Jibál el-Hamrá, the red hills backingMakná, [EN#33] and the jagged black peaks of their easternparallel, the Kalb el-Nakhlah, look like plutonic reefs orisland-chains emerging from the Secondary sea. The latter, whosebleached and skeleton white is stained, here and there, bygreenish-yellow sands, chlorite and serpentine, stands boldly outfrom the chaos of purpling mountains composing Sinai, and endingsouthwards in the azure knobs of three-headed Tirán Island. Thecountry, in fact, altogether changed: quartz had disappeared, andchlorite had taken its place. 

We passed the night at El-'Usaylah, a Ghadir (or "hollow")without drainage, which the sinking of water cakes with mud andcovers with an irregular circle of salsolaceous trees, a patch ofdark metallic green. This "'Usaylah" is eaten by camels, butrejected by mules. Here our post reached us from Suez on theseventh day, having started on the 2nd inst. A dollar was offeredto the Bedawi, who eyed the coin indignantly, declaring that itought to be a ginni (guinea). I had also given him some tobacco, and repented, as usual, my generosity. 

Next day we finished the last and larger part of the secondpilgrim-stage from El-Muwaylah. Our Arabs had been "dodging;"and, much disappointed about converting a two days' into a threedays' march, they punished us by feeding their camels on theroad, and by not joining us till the evening. As before, therewas no game till we approached the springs; yet tufts andscatters of tamarisks, Samur (Inga unguis) and Arák (Salvadora), looked capable of sheltering it. And now, beyond the level andmonotonous Desert, we began to see our destination;--palms andtufty trees at the mouth of a masked Wady. This watercourse runsbetween a background of reddish-brown rock, the foot-hills andsub-ranges of the grand block, "El-Zánah, " to the north; and aforeground of pale-yellow, stark-naked gypsum, apparentlytongue-shaped. Above the latter tower two sister-quoins of ruddymaterial, the Shigdawayn, to which a tale hangs. 

Presently we fell into and ascended the great Wady 'Afár, whichbegins in the Hismá, or Red Region, east of the doublecoast-range. After receiving a network of Secondary valleys thatenable it to flow a torrent, as in France, every ten to twelveyears, it falls into the Mínat el-'Ayánát, a little port fornative craft, which will presently be visited. We left this Wadyat a bend, some two hundred metres wide, called the "Broad of theJujube, " from one of the splendid secular trees that characterizeNorth Midian. Near the camping-ground we shall find anotherveteran Zizyphus, whose three huge stems, springing from a singlebase, argue a green old age. Here both banks of the Fiumara arelined with courses of rough stone, mostly rounded and rolledboulders, evidently the ruins of the water-conduits which servedto feed the rich growth of the lower 'Afa'l. The vegetation ofthe gorge-mouth developed itself to dates and Daums, tamarisksand salsolaceć, out of which scuttled a troop of startledgazelles. We turned the right-hand jamb of the "Gate, " and foundourselves at the water and camping-ground of Magháir Shu'ayb. 

The general appearance of the station-basin is novel, characteristic, and not without its charms, especially when thesunset paints the plain with the red, red gold, and washes everybarren peak with the tenderest, loveliest rosy pink. Under anintensely clear sapphire-coloured sky rises a distant rim ofbroken and chocolate-coloured trap-hills, set off by palehillocks and white flats of gypsum, here and there crystallizedby contact with the plutonics. The formation mostly stands upeither in stiff cones or in long spines and ridges, whoseperpendicular wall-like crests are impossible to climb. The snowycliffs rest upon shoulders disposed at the "angle of rest, " andthe prevailing dull drab-yellow of the base is mottled only whereaccidental fracture or fall exposes the glittering salt-likeinterior. The gashes in the flank made by wind and rain disclosethe core--grey granite or sandstone coloured by manganese. Thegreater part of the old city was built of thisalabaster-like[EN#34] material. When new, it must have been ascene in fairy-land; Time has now degraded it to the appearanceand the consistence of crumbling salt. The quoin-shaped hills ofthe foreground, all uptilted and cliffing to the north, show thecurious mauve and red tints of the many-coloured clays called inthe Brazil Tauá. Even the palms are peculiar. Their tall, uprightcrests of lively green fronds, their dead-brown hangings, andtheir trunks charred black by the careless Bedawi, form a quaintcontrast with the genteel, nattily dressed, and cockneyfiedbrooms of Egypt and the Hejaz. And that grandeur may not bewanting to the view, on the east rise the peak and pinnacles ofthe Almond Mountain (Jebel el-Lauz), whilst northwards the Jebelel-Za'nah, a huge dome, forms the horizon. 

This place, evidently the capital of Madyan Proper, is the which Ptolemy (vi. 7) places amongst his "Mesogeiantowns" in north lat. 28 degrees 15 minutes;[EN#35] and itdeserves more than the two pages of description which Ruppellbestowed upon it. [EN#36] We will notice its natural featuresbefore proceeding to the remains of man. Here the Wady 'Afártakes the name of "El-Badá. " Sweeping from west to east, it isdeflected to a north-south line, roughly speaking, by the gate ofthe Shigdawayn, twin-hills standing nearly east and west of oneanother. Now become a broad, well-defined, tree-dotted bed, withstiff silt banks, here and there twenty to twenty-five feet high, it runs on a meridian for about a mile, including thepalm-orchard and the camping-ground. It then turns the west endof the Jebel el-Safrá, a mass of gypsum on the left bank, and itbends to the east of south, having thus formed a figure of Z. After escaping from the imprisoning hills, the Fiumara bed, nowabout three-quarters of a mile broad, is bisected longitudinallyby a long and broken lump of chloritic or serpentine sandstone;and rises in steps towards the right bank, upon which thepilgrims camp. Reaching the plain, the Wady flares out wildly, containing a number of riverine islands, temporary, but sometimesof considerable size. It retains sufficient moisture to support aclump of palms--that which we saw from afar;--it bends to thesouth-east, and, lastly, it trends seaward. 

The "Water of Bada'" springs from the base of the hill El-Safrá, oozing out in trickling veins bedded in soft dark mud. It can begreatly increased by opening the fountains, and economized by aroofing of mat: we tried this plan, which only surprised theunready Arab. After swinging to the left bank and running for afew yards, it sinks in the sand; yet on both sides there aresigns of labour, showing that, even of late years, the valley hasseen better days. Long leats and watercourses have been cut inthe clay, and are still lined with the white-flowered "Rijlah, "whose nutritive green leaf is eaten, raw or boiled, by theFellahs of Egypt: the wild growth, however, is mostly bitter. Onboth sides are little square plots fenced against sheep and goatsby a rude abattis of stripped and dead boughs, Jujube and acacia. Young dates have been planted in pits; some are burnt and othersare torn; for the Bedawi, mischievous and destructive as theCynocephalus, will neither work nor allow others to work. The'Ushash or frond-and-reed huts, much like huge birds'-nests, arescattered about in small groups everywhere except near the water. Wherever a collection of bones shows a hyena's lair, the huntershave built a screen of dry stone. 

In fact, Magháir Shu'ayb was spoken of as an Arab "Happy Valley. "But its owners, the Masá'íd, a spiritless tribe numbering aboutseventy tents, are protégés of the Tagaygát. This Huwayti clan ison bad terms with Khizr and 'Brahim bin Makbúl; and the brotherShaykhs of the 'Imrán, recognized by the Egyptian Government, claim the land where they have only the right of transit. Bedawiclans and sub-tribes always combine against stranger families;but when there is no foreign "war, " they amuse themselves withpilling and plundering, sabring and shooting one another. Ibelieve that the palms were roasted to death by the 'Imrán, although the Shaykhs assured me that the damage was done thisyear, by a careless Mas'údi when cooking his food. The tribeappears to be Egypto-Arab, like the Huwayta't and the Ma'ázah, having congeners at Ghazzah (Gaze) and at Ras el-Wady, nearEgyptian Tell el-Kebir. Consequently Rüppell is in error when hesuspects that die Musaiti are ein Judenstamm. The unfortunatesfled towards the sea and left the valley desolate about sevenmonths ago. Their Shaykh is dead, and a certain Agíl binMuhaysin, a greedy, foolish kind of fellow, mentioned during myFirst Journey, aspires to the dignity and the profit ofchieftainship. He worried me till I named a dog after him, andthen he disappeared. 

The ruins, of large extent for North Midian, and equal to thoseof all the towns we have seen put together, begin with thepalm-orchard on the left bank. The Jebel el-Safrá shows thefoundations of what may have been the arx. It is a double quoin, the taller to the south, the lower to the north, and both bluffin the latter direction. The dip is about 45 degrees; the upperparts of the dorsa are scatters of white on brown-yellow stone;and below it, where the surface has given way, appearmauve-coloured strata, as if stained by manganese. Viewed inprofile from the west, the site of El-Muttali'[EN#37], as theArabs call the hauteville, becomes a tall, uptilted wedge;continued northwards by the smaller feature, and backed by a longsky-line, a high ridge of plaster, pale coloured with glitteringpoints. 

This isolated "Yellow Hill, " a "horse" in Icelandic parlance, rising about two hundred feet above the valley-sole, is separatedby a deep, narrow gorge from the adjacent eastern range. Theslopes, now water-torn and jagged, may formerly have declined inregular lines, and evidently all were built over to the crestlike those of Syrian Safet. The foundations of walls and rock-cutsteps are still found even on the far side of the easternfeature. The knifeback is covered with the foundations of whatappears to be a fortified Laura or Palace; a straight streetrunning north-south, with 5 degrees west (mag. ). It serves asbase for walls one metre and a half thick, opening upon it likerooms: of these we counted twenty on either side. At the northernend of the "horse, " which, like the southern, has been weatheredto a mere spur, is a work composed of two semicircles fronting tothe north and east. A bastion of well-built wall in threestraight lines overhangs the perpendicular face of the easterngorge: in two places there are signs of a similar defence to thesouth, but time and weather have eaten most of it away. Theground sounds hollow, and the feet sink in the crumbling heaps:evidently the whole building was of Rughám (gypsum); and in theprocess of decay it has become white as blocks of ice, here andthere powdered with snow. 

On the narrow, flat ledge, between the western base of this Safráand the eastern side of the Bada' valley, lie masses of ruin nowbecome mere rubbish; bits of wall built with cut stone, andwater-conduits of fine mortar containing, like that of thePyramids, powdered brick and sometimes pebbles. We carried off alump of sandstone bearing unintelligible marks, possibly intendedfor a man and a beast. We called it "St. George and the Dragon, "but the former is afoot--possibly the Bedawin stole his steed. There was a frustum or column-drum of fine white marble, hollowedto act as a mortar; like the Moslem headstone of the samematerial, it is attributed to the Jebel el-Lauz, where ancientquarries are talked of. There were also Makrákah ("rub-stones")of close-grained red syenite, and fragments of the basalthandmills used for quartz-grinding. Part of a mortar was found, made of exceedingly light and porous lava. 

South-east of the hauteville falls in the now rugged ravine, Khashm el-Muttalí, "Snout of the high" (town). It leads to theapex of the coralline formations, scattered over with fragmentsof gypsum, here amorphous, there crystalline or talc-like, andall dazzling white as powdered sugar. Signs of tent foundationsand of buildings appear in impossible places; and the heightsbear two Burj or "watchtowers, " one visible afar, and dominatingfrom its mamelon the whole land. The return to the main valleydescends by another narrow gorge further to the south-east, called Sha'b el-Darak, or "Strait of the Shield:" the tall, perpendicular, and overhanging walls, apparently threatening tofall, would act testudo to an Indian file of warriors. High upthe right bank of this gut we saw a tree-trunk propped against arock by way of a ladder for the treasure-seeker. The Sha'b-soleis flat, with occasional steps and overfalls of rock, polishedlike mirrors by the rain-torrents; the mouth shows remains of amasonry-dam some fourteen feet thick by twenty-one long; andimmediately below it are the bases of buildings and watercourses. 

Walking down the left bank of the great Wady, and between thesesecondary gorges that drain the "Yellow Hill, " we came upon adwarf mound of dark earth and rubbish. This is the Siyághah("mint and smiths' quarter"), a place always to be sought, asBa'lbak and Palmyra taught me. Remains of tall furnaces, nowlevel with the ground, were scattered about; and Mr. Clarke, longtrained to find antiques, brought back the first coins picked upin ancient Midian. The total gathered, here and in other parts ofMagháir Shu'ayb, was 258, of which some two hundred were carriedhome untouched; the rest, treated with chloritic and other acids, came out well. One was a silver oval which may or may not havebeen a token. Eleven were thick discs, differing from the normaltype; unfortunately the legends are illegible. The rest, informbits of green stuff, copper and bronze, were glued together bydecay, and apparently eaten out of all semblance of money untilthe verdigris of ages is removed. 

All are cast like the Roman "as", before B. C. 217, and some showthe tail. The distinguishing feature is the human eye; not theouta of Horus, [EN#38] so well known to those who know thePyramids, but the last trace of Athene's profile. Two are Roman:a Nerva with S. C. On the reverse; and a Claudius Augustus, bearing by way of countermark a depressed oblong, of 20/100 by14/100 (of inch), with a raised figure, erect, draped, andholding a sceptre or thyrsus. There is also a Constantius struckat Antioch. The gem of the little collection was a copper coin, thinly encrusted with silver, proving that even in those days theMidianites produced "smashers": similarly, the Egyptian miners"did" the Pharaoh by inserting lead into hollowed gold. Theobverse shows the owl in low relief, an animal rude as anycounterfeit presentment of the ever found in Troy. It has the normal olive-branch, but withoutthe terminating crescent (which, however, is not invariablypresent) on the proper right, whilst the left shows a poorimitation of the legend (NH). The silvering ofthe reverse has been so corroded that no signs of the goddess'sgaleated head are visible. My friend, Mr. W. E. Hayns, of theNumismatic Society, came to the conclusion that it is a barbaricMidianitish imitation of the Greek tetradrachm, which in thosedays had universal currency, like the shilling and the franc. Thecurious bits of metal, which also bear the owl, may add to ourknowledge of the Nabathaean coins, first described, I believe, bythe learned Duc de Luynes. [EN#39]

Another interesting "find" was a flat-bottomed, thick-walled claycrucible of small size (2 10/16 inches high by 2 4/16 inchesacross the mouth), exactly resembling the article picked up atHamámát. The latter, however, contains a remnant of litharge, possibly showing that the old Egyptians worked the silver, whichmay have been supplied by the Colorado quartz. 

I would here crave leave to make a short excursus to the ancientOphirs of Egypt Proper, where, we are told by an inscription inthe treasury of Ramses the Great (fourteen centuries beforeChrist), the gold and silver mines yielded per annum a total of32, 000, 000 minć = Ł90, 000, 000. Dr. H. Brugsch-Bey first drewattention to Hamámát, where, as he had learned from Diodorus (i. 49--iii 12) and from the papyri, the precious metals had beenextensively worked. The "Wells of Hama'ma't" lie between Keneh onthe Nile and Kusayr (Cosseir) on the Red Sea; and the land isheld by the Abábdah Arabs, who have taken charge, from timeimmemorial, of the rich commercial caravans. The formation of thecountry much resembles that of Midian; and the metalliferousveins run from northeast to south-west. In Arabia, however, thefilons are of unusual size; in Africa they are small, theterminating fibrils, as it were, of the Asiatic focus; while theDark Continent lacks that wealth of iron which characterizes theopposite coast. 

By the courtesy of Generals Stone and Purdy I was enabled, afterreturn to Cairo in May, 1878, to inspect the collection. Admirably arranged in order of place, and poor as well disposed, it is, nevertheless, useful to students; and it was mostinteresting to us. The only novelty is asbestos produced in theschist: the raw material is now imported by the United States, and used for a variety of purposes. It is said to exist in MountSinai; we found none in Midian, where the schist formations areof great extent, probably because we did not look for it. Thecollection was made by Colonel Colston; and Mr. L. H. Mitchell, amining engineer attached to the Egyptian Staff, spent severalweeks spalling sundry tons of quartz. After finding a speck ofgold, the work was considered to be done. General Stone, however, sensibly deprecated any attempt to exploit the minerals: thecountry lacks wood and water, and the expense of camel-transportfrom Hamámát to Kusayr, and thence in ships to Suez, wouldswallow up all the profits. 

That Egypt was immensely rich in old days we know from severalsources. Appian tells us that the treasury of PtolemyPhiladelphus contained 740, 000 talents; and assuming withEbers[EN#40] the Egyptian at half the Ćginetan, we have themarvellous sum of Ł83, 250, 000. According to Diodorus (i. 62), thetreasury of Rhampsinit, concerning which Herodotus (ii. 121, 122)heard a funny story from his interpreter, contained 4, 000, 000talents, equal to at least Ł450, 000, 000. This rich king'streasure-house has been found portrayed in the far-famed Templeof Medinat Habú: the mass of wealth, gold, silver, copper, andspices, is enormous; and, while the baser metals are in bars, theprecious are stored in heaps, sacks, and vases. 

The gold-mines of the old Coptos-plain, the modern Kobt, south ofKeneh, are preserved to all time by the earliest known map. Ithas survived; whilst those of the Milesian Anaximander (B. C. 610-547), of Hekataeus (ob. B. C. 4 76), also from Miletus and calledthe "Father of Geography" (Ebers), and of Ptolemy the Pelusianare irretrievably lost. A papyrus in the Turin Museum contains aplan of the mineral region spoken of in two stelś, those ofRadesiyyah and Kuban, describing the supply of drinking-waterintroduced into the desert between Kuban and the Red Sea. Chabas[EN#41] has published a coloured facsimile of this map: thegold-containing mountains are tinted red, and the words "Tu ennub" (Mons aureus) are written over them in hieratics. 

The only modern gold-workings of Egypt are in the Mudíriyyat(Nomos) of Famaka, the frontier town, better known as Fayzoghlúfrom its adjacent heights. The washings were visited lately(March, 1878) by my enterprising friend, Dr. P. Matteucci, and M. Gessi. In old days this local Cayenne had a very bad name;convicts were deported here with a frightful mortality. It isstill a station for galley-slaves, and it has a considerablegarrison, but we no longer hear of an abnormal fatality. Thesurface was much turned over by the compulsory miners, andEuropean geologists and experts were sent to superintend them; atlast the diggings did not pay and were abandoned. But the nativesdo by "rule of thumb, " despite their ignorance of mineralogy, without study of ground, and lacking co-ordination of labour, what the Government failed to do. They have not struck the chiefvein' if any exist; but, during the heavy rains of the Kharif("autumn") in the valley of the Túmát river, herds of slaves aresent yearly to wash gold, and they find sufficient to supply theonly known coin--bars or ingots. 

Beyond the Siyághah, the left bank is gashed by the ravinesdraining the south-eastern prolongation of the "Yellow Hill. "Water cuts through this rotten formation of rubbish like a knifeinto cheese; forming deep chasms, here narrow, there broad, withwalls built up, as it were, of fragments, and ready to belevelled by the first rains. The lines of street and the outlinesof tenements can be dimly traced, while revetments of roundedboulders show artificial watercourses and defences against thenow dried-up stream. The breadth of this, the eastern settlement, varies with the extent of the ledge between the gypsum-hills andthe sandy Wady; the length may be a kilometre. The best preservedtraces of crowded building end with the south-eastern spur of theJebel el-Safrá. Beyond them is a huge cemetery. The ancientgraves are pits in the ground; a few still uncovered, the manyyawning wide, and all of them ignoring orientation. Those of themoderns, on the contrary, front towards Meccah. The Bedawin ofthis country seem ever to prefer for their last homes the mostancient sites; they place the body in a pit, covered with a largeslab or a heap of stones, but they never fill in the hollow, asis usual among Moslems, with earth. The arrangements suit equallywell the hyena and the skull-collector; and thus I was able tomake a fair collection of Bedawi crania. 

At the south-eastern end of the outliers projected by the Jebelel-Safrá, where a gentle slope of red earth falls towards thevalley-bank, is the only group of building of which any part isstill standing. The site may be old, but the present ruins aredistinctly medićval, dating probably from the days of theEgyptian "Mameluke" Sultans. Beginning from below and to thesouth-west is a Hauz, or "cistern, " measuring twenty-six bynineteen and a half metres, with a depth of nine to ten feet. Thematerial is cut sandstone, cemented outside with mortarcontaining the normal brick-crumbs and pebbles, and inside mixedwith mud. At the north-eastern and south-western corners areretaining buttresses in two steps, exactly like those in theinland fort of El-Wijh; at the two other angles are flights ofstairs, and the sole is a sheet of dried silt. To the south-eastlies the remnant of a small circular furnace, and on thenorth-north-east a broken wall shows where stood the Baytel-Saghir, or smaller reservoir. A narrow conduit of cut stoneleads, with elaborate zigzags, towards two Sakiyah ("draw-wells")hollowed in the gypsum. The Southern, an oval of five metres tencentimetres, is much dilapidated; and its crumbling throat isspanned by a worn-out arch of the surrounding Secondary rock. Close to the north-west is the other, revetted with cut stone, and measuring six metres in diameter. It is an elaborate affair;with a pointed arch and a regular keystone, circular Sadúd, or"walls for supporting the hauling-apparatus, " and minorreservoirs numbering three. On a detached hillock, a few paces tothe north, stands the Fort which defended the establishment. Theshort walls of the parallelogram measure fifteen metres fortycentimetres; and the long, eighteen metres sixty centimetres: thegate, choked by ruins, leads to a small hall, with a maskedentrance opening to the right. There is a narrow room under thestone steps to the west, and two others occupy the eastern side. This Fort is to be restored for the better protection ofpilgrims; and shortly after our departure an Egyptian engineer, Sulayman Effendi, came from Suez to inspect and report upon it. 

According to local modern tradition this scatter of masonry wasthe original site of the settlement, called after the builder Birel-Sa'idáni--"the Well of Sa'ídán. " For watering each caravan theproprietor demanded a camel by way of fee; at last a Maghribí, that is, a magician, refused to "part;" betook himself to thepresent camping ground, sank pits, and let loose the copioussprings. The old wells then dried up, and the new sources gave tothis section of the great Wady 'Afál its actual name, Wadyel-Badá--"of the innovation, " so hateful to the conservativesavage. Hence Rüppell's "Beden, " which would mean an ibex. 

On the opposite or right bank of the broad and sandy bed, thetraces of ancient buildings extend to a far greater distance, atleast to two kilometres. They have been a continuous line offorts, cisterns, and tenements, still marked out by the bases oflong thick walls; the material is mostly gypsum, leprous-white asthe skin of Gehazi. But here, and indeed generally throughoutMidian, the furious torrents, uncontrolled during long ages bythe hand of man, have swept large gaps in the masses of homesteadand public buildings. Again the ruins of this section aredistributable into two kinds--the City of the Living, and theCity of the Dead. 

The former, of considerable extent, hugs the watercourse, andcrowns all the natural spurs that buttress the bed. Beginningfrom the north lie two blocks of building considerable in extent:the southern, called by the Arabs El-Malká, is a brokenparallelogram. Further down stream the bank is a vast strew ofbroken pottery; and one place, covered with glass fragments, wasnamed by our soldiers El-Khammárah--"the tavern" or "the hotel. "As in ancient Etruria, so here, the people assemble after heavyrains to pick up what luck throws in the way. It is said thatthey often gather gold pieces, square as well as round, bearingby way of inscription "prayers" to the Apostle of Allah. Some ofus, however, had a shrewd suspicion that the Tibr, or "puregold-dust, " is still washed from the sands, and cast probably inrude moulds. 

Behind, inland or westward of this southern town, lies the Cityof the Dead. Unlike the pitted graveyard to the north-east, thecemetery is wholly composed of catacombs, which the Bedawin callMagháir ("caves") or Bíbán ("doors"). The sites are the sides andmouths of four little branch-valleys which cut through thehillocks representing the Wady-bank. The northernmost is known asWady el-Khurayk, because it drains a height of that name: theothers bear the generic term Wady el-Safrá, so called, like thehauteville hill, from the tawny-yellow colour of the rocks. Thecatacombs, fronting in all directions, because the makers wereguided by convenience, not by ceremonial rule, are hollowed inthe soft new sandstone underlying the snowy gypsum; and most ofthe façades show one or more horizontal lines of naturalbead-work, rolled pebbles disposed parallelly by the naturalaction of water. In the most ruinous, the upper layer is acornice of hard sandstone, stained yellow with iron and muchcreviced; the base, a soft conglomerate of the same material, iseasily corroded; and the supernal part caves in upon theprinciple which is destroying Niagara. At each side of thedoorways is a Mastabah ("stone bench"), also rock-hewn, and withtriple steps. The door-jambs, which have hollowings for hingesand holes for bars, are much worn and often broken; they arerarely inclined inwards after the fashion of Egypt. A few havewindows, or rather port-holes, flanking the single entrance. Thepeculiarities and the rare ornaments will be noticed whendescribing each receptacle; taken as a whole, they are evidentlyrude and barbarous forms of the artistic catacombs andtower-tombs that characterize Petra and Palmyra. 

The "Magháir" may roughly be divided into four topical groups. These are--the northern outliers; the "Tombs of the Kings, " socalled by ourselves because they distinguish themselves from allthe others; the "buttressed caves" (two sets); and the southernoutliers. The first mentioned begin with a ruin on the right jawof the Khurayk gorge: it is dug in strata dipping, as usual, fromnorth-west to south-east; it faces eastward, and the entrancedeclines to the south. All external appearance of a catacomb hasdisappeared; a rude porch, a frame of sticks and boughs, like thethatched eaves of a Bulgarian hut, stands outside, while insidesigns of occupation appear in hearths and goat-dung, in smokyroof, and in rubbish-strewn floor. Over another ruin to the westare graffiti, of which copies from squeezes and photographs arehere given: there are two loculi in the southern wall; and in thesouth-eastern corner is a pit, also sunk for a sarcophagus. Ahill-side to the south of this cave shows another, dug in theTauá or coloured sandstone, and apparently unfinished: part of itis sanded up, and its only yield, an Egyptian oil-jar of modernmake, probably belonged to some pilgrim. Crossing the seconddwarf gorge we find, on the right bank, a third large ruin of atleast fourteen loculi; the hard upper reef, dipping at an angleof 30 degrees, and striking from north-west to southeast, fell inwhen the soft base was washed away by weather, and the anatomy ofthe graves is completely laid bare. Higher up the same Wady is afourth Maghárah, also broken down: the stucco-coating still showsremnants of red paint; and the characters **--possibly Arab"Wasm, " or tribe-marks--are cut into an upright entrance-stone. 

The precipitous left bank of the third gorge contains the threefinest specimens, which deserve to be entitled the "Tombs of theKings. " Of these, the two facing eastward are figured by Rüppell(p. 220) in the antiquated style of his day, with fancifulforeground and background. [EN#42] His sketch also places solidrock where the third and very dilapidated catacomb of this group, disposed at right angles, fronts southwards. Possibly the façadesmay once have been stuccoed and coloured; now they show the bareand pebble-banded sandstone. 

The southernmost, which may be assumed as the type, has anupright door, flanked by a stone bench of three steps. Over theentrance is a defaced ornament which may have been the bust of aman: in Rüppell it is a kind of geometrical design. The frontagehas two parallel horizontal lines, raised to represent cornices. Each bears a decoration resembling crenelles or Oriental rampartsbroken into three steps; the lower set numbers eight, includingthe half ornaments at the corners, and the higher seven. Theinterior is a mixture of upright recesses, probably intended forthe gods or demons; and of horizontal loculi, whose grooves showthat they had lids. There is no symmetry in the niches, in thesarcophagi, or in the paths and passages threading the graves. The disposition will best be understood from the ground-plansdrawn by the young Egyptian officers: their sketches of thefaçades are too careless and incorrect for use; but the want issupplied by the photographs of M. Lacaze. 

Above these three "Tombs of the Kings" are many rock-cavitieswhich may or may not have been sepulchral. Time has done hisworst with them. We mounted the background of a quoin-shaped hillby a well-trodden path, leading to the remnants of a rude Burj("watch-tower"), and to a semicircle of dry wall, garnished witha few sticks for hanging rags and tatters. The latter denotes theMusallat Shu'ayb, or praying-place of (prophet) Jethro; and hereour Sayyid and our Shaykh took the opportunity of applying fortemporal and eternal blessings. The height at the edge of theprecipice which, cliffing to the north, showed a view of our campand of Yubú and Shu'shú' Islands, was in round numbers 450 feet(aner. 29. 40--28. 94). From this vantage-ground we coulddistinctly trace the line of the Wady Makná, beginning in a roundbasin at the western foot of the northern Shigd Mountain and itssub-range; while low rolling hills, along which we were totravel, separated it from the Wady Bada'-‘Afál to the south. 

Two other important sets of catacombs, which I will call the"buttressed caves, " are pierced in the right flank of the samegorge, at the base of a little conical hill, quaintly capped witha finial of weathered rock. The material is the normal siliciousgravel-grit, traversed and cloisonné by dykes of harder stone. Beginning at the south, we find a range of three, facing eastwardand separated from one another by flying buttresses of naturalrock. No. 1 has a window as well as a door. Next to it is asquare with six open loculi ranged from north to south. No. 3shows a peculiarity--two small pilasters of the rudest(Egyptian?) Doric, the only sign of ornamentation found insidethe tombs; a small break in the south-western wall connects itwith the northernmost loculus of No. 2. Furthest north are threebevel-holes, noting the beginning of a catacomb; and round thenorthern flank of the detached cone are six separate caves, alllaid waste by the furious northern gales. 

The second set is carved in the bluff eastern end of an adjoiningreef that runs away from the Wady; it consists of four sepulchreswith the normal buttresses. They somewhat resemble those of theKings, but there are various differences. No. 2 from the south isflanked by pilasters with ram's-horn capitals, barbarous forms ofIonic connected by three sets of triglyphs: the pavement is ofslabs; there is an inner niche, and one of the corners hasapparently been used as an oven. On a higher plane lies a sunkentomb, with a deep drop and foot-holes by way of ladder; outsideit the rocky platform is hollowed, apparently for graves. Theother three facades bear the crenelle ornaments; the two to thenorth show double lines of seven holes drilled deep into theplain surface above the door, as if a casing had been nailed on;while the northernmost yielded a fragmentary inscription on thesouthern wall. These are doubtless the "inscribed tablets onwhich the names of kings are engraved, " alluded to in theJihan-numá of Haji Khahífah. [EN#43] Rounding the reef to thenorth, we found three catacombs in the worst condition: one ofthem showed holes drilled in the façade. 

The southern outliers lie far down the Wady 'Afál, facing east, and hewn in the left flank of a dwarf gulley which falls into theright bank not far from the site called by our men "the tavern. "The group numbers three, all cut in the normal sandstone, withthe harder dykes which here stand up like ears. The principalitem is the upper cave, small, square, and apparently still usedby the Arabs: in the middle of the lintel is a lump looking likethe mutilated capital of a column. The two lower caves show onlytraces. 

There is a tradition that some years ago a Frank (Rüppell?), after removing his Arab guides, dug into the tombs, and foundnothing but human hair. Several of the horizontal loculicontained the bones of men and beasts: I did not disturb them, asall appeared to be modern. The floors sounding hollow, gave mycompanions hopes of "finds;" but I had learned, after many adisappointment, how carefully the Bedawi ransack such places. Wedug into four sepulchres, including the sunken catacomb and the(southern) inscribed tomb. Usually six inches of flooring led tothe ground-rock; in the sarcophagi about eight inches of tampedearth was based upon nine feet of sand that ended at the bottom. The only results were mouldering bones, bits of marble andpottery, and dry seeds of the Kaff Maryam, the Rose of Jericho(Anastatica), which here feeds the partridges, and which in Egyptsupplies children with medicine, and expectant mothers with acharm. As the plant is bibulous, opening to water and even to thebreath, it is placed by the couch, and its movement shows what isto happen. The cave also yielded specimens of bats (Rhinopomamacrophyllum), with fat at the root of their spiky tails. 

I have described at considerable length this ruined Madiáma, which is evidently the capital of Madyan Proper, ranking afterPetra. In one point it is still what it was, a chief station uponthe highway, then Nabatí, now Moslem, which led to the Ghor orWady el-'Arabah. But in all others how changed! "The travellershall come; he that saw me in my beauty shall come: his eyesshall search the field; they shall not find me. "

 Chapter IV. Notices of Precious Metals in Midian--the Papyri and the Medićval Arab Geographers. 

In my volume on "The Gold-Mines of Midian, " the popular Hebrewsources of information--the Old Testament and the Talmud--wereransacked for the benefit of the reader. It now remains toconsult the Egyptian papyri and the pages of the medićval Arabgeographers: extracts from the latter were made for me, in myabsence from England, by the well-known Arabist, the Rev. G. Percy Badger. [EN#44] I will begin with the beginning. 

Dr. Heinrich Brugsch-Bey, whose "History of Egypt"[EN#45] is thelatest and best gift to Egyptologists, kindly drew my attentionto an interesting passage in his work, and was good enough tocopy for me the source of his information, tile Harris Papyrus(No. 1) in the British Museum. 

The first king of the twentieth Dynasty, born about B. C. 1200, and residing at Thebes, was Rameses III. , whose title, Ramessupa-Nuter (or Nuti), "Ramses the god, " became in the hands of theGreeks Rhampsinitos. This great prince, ascending the throne inevil days, applied himself at once to the internal and externaleconomy of his realm; he restored the caste-divisions, andcarried fire and sword into the lands of his enemies. Hetransported many captives to Egypt; fortified his easternfrontier; and built, in the Gulf of Suez, a fleet of large andsmall ships, in order to traffic with Pun and the "HolyLand, "[EN#46] and to open communication with the"Incense-country" and with the wealthy shores of the IndianOcean. 

"Not less important, " says our author (p. 594), "for Egypt, whichrequired before all things the copper applied to every branch ofher industry, was the sending of commissioners, by land (ondonkey back!) and by sea, to explore and exploit the richcupriferous deposits of 'Atháka (in the neighbourhood of the'Akabah Gulf?). This metal, with the glance of gold, was therecast in brick-shape, and was transported by sea to the capital. 

"The king also restored his attention to the treasures of theSinaitic Peninsula, which had excited the concupiscence of theEgyptians since the days of King Senoferu[EN#47] (B. C. 3700). Loaded with rich presents for the sanctuary of the goddessHathor, the protectress of Mafka-land, chosen employés weredespatched on a royal commission to the peninsula, for thepurpose of supplying the Pharaoh's treasury with the highlyprized blue-green copper-stones (Mafka, Turkisen?[EN#48]). "

These lines were published by Dr. Brugsch-Bey before he had heardof my discoveries of metals and of a modern turquoise-digging inthe Land of Midian. He had decided that "'Atháka" lay to the eastof Suez, chiefly from the insistence laid upon the shipping;sea-going craft would certainly not be required for a sail ofthree or four hours. Moreover, as I have elsewhere shown, Jebel'Atakáh, the "Mountain of Deliverance, " at the mouth of the WadyMusá, was referred to the Jews at some time after the Christianera, and probably during the fourth and fifth centuries, whenpilgrimages to the apocryphal Mounts Sinai became the fashion. 

During the summer of 1877, Dr. Brugsch-Bey was kind enough tocopy and to translate the original document, upon which hefounded his short account of the "'Atháka" copper-mines. I offerit to the reader in full. 

The order of the alphabet is that adopted by Dr. Brugsch-Bey. Itrelies for the first letter upon the authority of Plutarch, whoasserts that the Egyptian abecedarium numbered the square of five(twenty-five); and that it opened with ----, which alsoexpresses the god Thoth;--this is the case with ----the leaf of some water-plant. The sequence of the letters has beensuggested by a number of minor considerations: we begin with thevowels, and proceed to the labial, the liquids, and soforth. [EN#49]

The sense of the highly interesting inscription, in its Englishorder, would be:--

"I have sent my commissioners to the land 'Atháka; to the (those)[EN#50]great mines of copper (or coppers)[EN#51] which are in this place('Atháka); and their (i. E. The commissioners') ships[EN#52] were loaded, carrying them (the metals); while other (commissioners were sent and)marched on their asses. No! one never (ter-tot) had heard, since the(days of the olden) kings, that these (copper) mines had beenfound. [EN#53] The loads (i. E. Of the ships and the asses) carried copper;the loads were by myriads for their ships, which went thence (i. E. Fromthe mines) to Egypt. (After) happily arriving, the loads were landed, according to royal order, under the Pavilion, [EN#54] in form of copper-bricks;[EN#55] they were numerous as frogs (in the marsh), [EN#56] and inquality they were gold (Nub) of the third degree. [EN#57] I made themadmired (by) all the world as marvellous things. "

The following lines upon the subject of Midian are from the notes(p. 143) of Jacob Golius in "Alferganum" (small 4to. Amsterdam, 1669), a valuable translation with geographical explanations. Ahmad ibn Mohammed ibn Kathír el-Fargháni derived his "lakab" orcognomen from the province of Farghán (Khokand), to thenorth-east of the Oxus; he wrote a work upon astronomy, and heflourished about A. H. 184 (= A. D. 800). 

"Ibidem ( Madyan) Medjan sive Midjan, Antiqui nominis oppidum inMaris Rubri littore, sub 29 degrees grad. Latitudine; ad ortum brumalemdeflectens ŕ montis Sinć extremitate: ubi feré site Ptolemći Modiana, haud dubié eadem cum Midjan. A Geographorum Orientalium quibusdam adĆgyptum refertur; ŕ plerisq; omnibus ad Higiazam: quod merito et rectéfactum. Nullus enim est, qui Arabibus non annumeret Madianitas; et Sinam, quć Madjane borealior, montem Arabić facit D. Paulus Gal. Iv. Midjanautem fuit Abrahami ex Kethura filius: unde tribus illa et ab hac urbsnomen habent. Quam quidem tribum coaluisse, sedibus ut puto et affinitatein unam cum Ismaëlitis, innuere videntur Geneseos verba. Namconspirantibus in Josephi exitium fratribus dicuntur supervenisseIsmaëlitae; transivisse Midjanite; ipse v ditus ab Ismaëlitis. Ceterumurbem Midjan Arabes pro ea habent, quć in Corano vocatur (Madínat Kúsh): Xaib[EN#58] enim illis idem est, qui Jethro dicitur Exod. Iii. Cujus filiam Sipporam Moses uxor duxit, cum ex Ćgpto profugisset interram Midjan; ubi Jethro princeps erat et Sacerdos. Autonomosia illaArabibus familiaris. Ita Hanoch ( Aknúkh) appelatus, Abraham (El-Khalíl), Rex Saul ( Tálút), etc. , licet eorundem propria etiamusurpentur nomina. Et in ipsis Sacris Libris non uno nomine hic Jethrodesignatur. Loci illius puteum[EN#59] Scriptores memorant fano circumextructo Arabibus sacrum, persuasis Mosem ibi Sipporam et sorores ŕpastorum injuriis vindicasse; prout Exod. , cap. Ii. , res describitur. Sedprimis Muhammedici regni bellis universa fere, quae rune extabat, urbsvastata fuit. "

El-Fargháni is followed by the Imám Abú 'Abbás Ahmed bin Yáhyábin Jábir, surnamed and popularly known as El-Balázurí, whoflourished between A. H. 232 and 247 (= A. D. 846 to 861), andwrote the Futú'h el-Buldán, or the "Conquests of Countries. " Hiswords are (pp. 13-14, M. J. De Goeje's edition; LugduniBatavorum, 1866)--"It was related to me by Abú Abíd el-Kásim binSallám; who said he was told by Ishák bin Isa, from Malík ibnAnas and from Rabíat, who heard from a number of the learned, that the Apostle of Allah (upon whom be peace!) gave in feoff(Iktá'at) to Bilál bin el-Háris el-Muzni, mines (Ma'ádin, i. E. Ofgold) in the district of Furú' (variant, Kurú'). Moreover, it wasrelated to me by Amrú el-Nákid, and by Ibn Saham el-Antáki (ofAntioch), who both declared to have heard from El-Haytham binJamíl el-Antáki, through Hammád bin Salmah, that Abú Makín, through Abú Ikrimah Maulá Bilál bin el-Háris el-Muzni, hadaverred 'The Apostle of Allah (upon whom be peace!) enfeoffed thesaid Bilál with (a bit of) ground containing a mountain and a(gold) mine; that the sons of Bilál sold part of the grant to one'Umar bin 'Abd el-'Azíz, when a (gold) mine or, according, toothers, two (gold) mines were found in it; that they said to thebuyer, Verily we sold to thee land for cultivation, and we didnot sell thee (gold) mining-ground; that they brought the letterof the Apostle (upon whom be peace!) in a (bound) volume: that'Umar kissed it and rubbed it upon his eyes, and said, Of a truthlet me see what hath come out of it (the mine) and what I havelaid out upon it. ' Then he deducted from them the expenses ofworking and returned to them the surplus. . . . And I was told byMusa'b el-Zubayri, from Malik ibn Anas, that the Apostle of Allah(upon whom be peace!) gave in feoff to Bilál bin Háris mines inthe district of Fara' (sic). There is no difference of opinionamong our learned men on this subject, nor do I know any of ourcompanions who contradicts (the statement) that the (gold) minepaid one-fourth per ten (= 2 1/2 per cent. ) royalty (to the Baytel-Mál, or Public Treasury). Musa'b further relates, fromEl-Zahri, that the (gold) mine defrayed the Zakát or poor-rate:he also said that the proportion was one-fifth (= 2 per cent. );like that which the people of El-Irák (Mesopotamia) take to thisday from the (gold) mines of El-Fara' (sic), and of Nejrán, andof Zúl-Marwah, and of Wady El-Kura[EN#60] and others. Moreover, the fifth is also mentioned by Safáin el-Thauri, and by AbúHanífah and Abú Yúsuf, as well as by the people of El-'Irák. "

Follows on my list the celebrated Murúj el-Dahab, or "Meads ofGold, " by El-Mas'údi, who died in A. H. 346 (= A. D. 957), andwhose book extends to A. H. 332 (= A. D. 943). Unable to find thetranslation of my friend Sprenger, I am compelled to quote from"Maçoudi. Les Prairies d'Or, " texte et traduction par C. Barbierde Meynard et Pavet de Courteille. Société Asiatique, Paris, 1864, vol. Iii. Pp. 301-305. 

"Les théologians ne sont pas d'accord sur la question de savoir ŕquel peuple appartenait Choâďb (Shu'ayb), fils de Nawil, fils deRawaďl, fils de Mour, fils d'Anka, fils de Madian, filsd'Abraham, l'ami de Dieu, quoiqu'il soit certain que sa langueétait l'arabe. Les uns pensent qu'il appartenait aux races arabeséteintes, aux nations qui ont disparu, ŕ quelque une de cesgénérations passées dont nous avons parlé. Suivant d'autres, ils'agirait ici des descendants d'el-Mahd, fils de Djandal, fils deYâssob, fils de Madian, fils d'Abraham, dont Choâďb etait frérepar la naissance. De cette race sortit un grand nombre de rodsqui s'étaient dispersés dans des royaumes contigus les uns auxautres ou sépare's. Parmi ces rods il faut distinguer ceux quiétaient nommés Aboudjed, Hawaz, Houti, Kalamoun, Çafas etKourichat, [EN#61] tous, comme nous venons de le dire, filsd'el-Mahd, fils de Djandal. Les lettres de l'alphabet sontreprésentées précisément par les noms de ces rois, oú l'onretrouve les vingt-quatre lettres sur lesquelles roulel'Aboudjed. [EN#62] Il a e'te' dit beaucoup d'autres choses ŕpropos de ces lettres, comme nous l'avons fait remarquer dans cetouvrage; mais il n'entre pas dans notre sujet de rapporter icitous les systčmes contradictoires imaginés pour l'expliquer lasignification des lettres. [EN#63] Aboudjed fut roi de la Mecqueet de la partie du Hédjaz qui y confine. Hawaz et Houti régnérentconjointement dans le pays de Weddj (El-Wijh), qui est leterritoire de Tayif, et la portion du Nedjd qui lui est contigue. Kalamoun exerçait la suzeraineté sur le royaume de Madian; il y amęme des auteurs qui pensent que son autorité s'étendaitconjointement sur tous les princes et les pays que nous venons denommer. Le châtiment du jour de la nuée (Koran, xxvi. 189) eutlieu sous le re'gne de Kalamoun. Choâďb appelant ces impies ŕ lapénitence, ils le traitčrent de menteur. Alors il les mena, ca duchâtiment du jour de la nuée, ŕ la suite de quoi une porte du feudu ciel fut ouverte sur eux. Choâďb se retire, avec ceux quiavaient cru, dans l'endroit connu sous le nom d'el Aďkah, qui estun fourré dans la direction de Madian. Cependant, lorsque lcsincrédules sentirent les effets de la vengeance céleste, et que, consumés par une chaleur terrible, ils comprirent enfin lavérité, ils se mirent ŕ la recherche de Choâďb et de ceux quiavaient cru en lui. Ils les trouvérent abrités sous un nuageblanc, doucement rafraichi par le zéphire, et ne ressentant enrien les atteintes de la douleur. Ils les chassčrent de cetasile, s'imaginant qu'ils y trouveraient eux-męmes un refugecontre le fléau qui les poursuivait. Mais Dieu changea cette nuéeen un feu qui se précipita sur leurs tętes. Mountassir, filsd'el-Moundir el-Médéni, a parlé de ce peuple et a déploré sontriste sort dans des vers oů il dit:

"Les rois des enfants de Houti et de Çafas, qui vivaient dansl'opulence, et ceux de Hawaz, qui possédaient des palais et desappartements somptueux, "Régnaient sur la contrée du Hédjaz, et leur beauté étaitsemblable ŕ celle des rayons du soleil ou ŕ l'éclat de la rune;

"Ils habitaient l'emplacement de la maison sainte, ilsadoucissaient les moeurs de leurs compatriotes et gouvernaientavec illustration et honneur. . . . 

"Rien de plus curieux que l'histoire de ces rois, le ré'cit deleurs guerres, de leurs actes, de la maničre dont ilss'emparčrent de ces contrées et établirent leur domination, apresen avoir exterminé les premičres possesseurs. Ceux-ci étaient despeuples dont nous avons parlé dans nos précédents ouvrages, entraitant ce sujet; nous appelons l'attention dans ce livre surnous premiers écrits, et nous engageons le lecteur ŕ lesconsulter. "

The next in order of seniority is the well-known Idrísí (A. H. 531= A. D. 1136). Dr. Badger's Arabic copy not being paged, he hasforwarded to me extracts from the French translation by M. P. Amadée Jaubert (Paris, 1836), having first compared them with theoriginal:--

Tome 1 p. 5: "De cette mer de la Chine dérive encore le golfe deColzoum (Kulzum), qui commence ŕ Bab el-Mandeb, [EN#64] au pointou se termine la mer des Indes. Il s'étend au nord, en inclinantun peu vers l'occident, en longeant les rivages occidentales del'Iemen, le Téháma, l'Hédjaz, jusqu'au pays de Madian, d'Aila(El-'Akabah), et de Faran; et se termine ŕ la ville de Colzoum, dont il tire son nom. "

P. 142: "Les districts fortifiés, dependents de la Mecque, sont . . . Ceux qui sont sous la dépendance de Médine sont . . . Madyan. "

P. 328: "Pour aller de Misr (Cairo) ŕ' Yetrib (sic pro Yathrib), on passe par les lieux suivants, Aďlah (Aylah) Madian, " etc. 

P. 333: "Sur les bords de la mer Colzoum est la ville de Madian(in orig. Madiyan) plus grande qui Tabouk (Tabúk), et le puits ouMoďse (sur qui soit le salut!) abreuva le troupeau de Jethro(E1Shu'ayb). On dit que ce puits est (maintenant) ŕ sec [Note atfoot: Je lis Mu'attilah comme porte le MS. B. , et nonMu'azzamah, [EN#65] leçon donnee par le MS. A. ]; et qu'on a élevéaudessus une construction. L'eau nécéssaire aux habitantsprovient de sources. Le nom de Madiyan (sic) de'rive de celui dela tribu ŕ laquelle Jethro appartenait. Cette ville offre tréspeu de ressources et le commerce y est misérable. "

The following notice of Madyan is taken from the Kitáb el-Buldán("Book of Countries"), [EN#66] by Ahmed ibn Abí Ya'kúb bin Wádhih, surnamed El-Ya'kúbí and El-Kátib (the writer); according to theArabic colophon it was completed on the morning of Saturday, Shawwál 21, A. H. 607 (= A. D. 1210). The author gives (p. 129, T. G. J. Juynboll, Lugduni Batavorum, 1861) a description of theroute from Misr (Egypt, here Cairo) to Meccah. The first tenstages are--1. Jubb el-'Umayrah; 2. El-Kerkirah (variant, Karkírah); 3. 'Ajrúd, the well-known fort on the directSuez-Cairo line; 4. Jisr el-Kulzum, where the Gulf was crossed;and, lastly, six Desert marches (Maráhil) to Aylah. [EN#67] Thelatter station is described as a fine city upon the shore of theSalt Sea, the meeting-place of the pilgrim-caravans fromSyria, [EN#68] Egypt, and the Maghrib (West Africa). It hasmerchandise in plenty, and its people are a mixed race (Akhlátmin el-Nás). [EN#69] Here also are sold the fine cloaks calledBurdu habaratin, and also known as the Burd of the Apostle ofAllah[EN#70] (upon whom be peace!). He resumes, "And from Aylahyou march to Sharaf el-Baghl, and from the latter to Madyan, which is a large and populous city, with abundant springs andfar-flowing streams of wholesome water; and gardens offlower-beds. Its inhabitants are a mixed race (Akhlát minel-Nás). [EN#71] The traveller making Meccah from Aylah takes theshore of the Salt Sea, to a place called 'Aynúná (variant, 'Uyún, plural of 'Ayn, an eye of water, a fountain): here are buildingsand palm clumps, and seeking-places (Matalib: see Lane for theauthorities), in which men search for gold. " Dr. Badger draws myattention to the last sentence, which seems also to have beennoticed by Sprenger (Alt. Geog. P. 32). [EN#72]

The following is from the Kitáb Asár el-Bitad ("Book of theGeographical Traditions of Countries"), by the far-famedZakariyyá bin Mohammed bin Mahmúd, surnamed El-Kazwíní, who diedA. H. 653 = A. D. 1255:--"Madyan" (p. 173, edidit. F. Wustenfeld, Göttingen, 1848) "is a city of the tribe (Kaum) of Shu'ayb uponwhom be peace!): it was founded by Madyan, son of Ibrahim, theFriend (of Allah), the grandfather of Shu'ayb. It exports themerchandise of Tabúk between El-Medinah and El-Shám (Damascus). In it is the well whence Musá (upon whom be peace!) watered theflocks of Shu'áyb, and it is said that the well is of greatdepth; and that over it is a building visited by (pious) men. This settlement Madyan is subject to the district of Tabaríyyah(Tiberias); and near it is the well, and at it a rock which Mosesuprooted, [EN#73] and which remains there to the present day. "

The Imám Abú'l-Abbás Ahmed ibn 'Ali Takiyy el-Dín, better knownas "El-Makrízi, " wrote his book El-Mawáiz w'el-I'tibár fi' Zikrel-Khitat w'el-'Asár ("The Admonition and Examples inCommemorating Habitations and Traditions") in A. H. 825 (= A. D. 1421), during the latter part of the second Mamlúk dynasty; andhe brings down the history to the reign of Kansu Ghori, whosefort we shall see at El-'Akabah. He tells us (edition ofGottingen, 1848, Sahífah 48), "The loftiest mountain in Madyanis called Zubayr. [EN#74] . . . It is also related that amongstthe settlements of the (Madyanite) tribe are the villages ofPetrća (), namely, the Kúrat (circuit) of El-Tor, andFárán (Pharan), and Ráyeh, and Kulzum, and Aylah (El-'Akabah)with its surroundings; Madyan with its surroundings; and Awíd andHaurá (Leukč-Kóme) with their surroundings, and Badá[EN#75] andShaghab. "[EN#76] He speaks of many ruined cities whoseinhabitants had disappeared: forty, however, remained; some with, and others without, names. Between El-Hejaz and Egypt-Syria weresixteen cities, ten of them lying towards Palestine. The mostimportant were El-Khalasah, [EN#77] with its idol-temple destroyedby Mohammed, and El-Sani'tah, whose stones had been removed tobuild Ghazzah (Gaza). The others were El-Mederah, El-Minyah, El-A'waj, El-Khuwayrak, El-Bírayn, El-Máayn, El-Sebá, andEl-Mu'allak. [EN#78]

The Marásid el-Ittílá 'alá Asmá el-Amkanat w'el-Buká'("Observations of Information on the Names of Places andCountries"), which contains two dates in the body of the work, viz. A. H. 997 ( = A. D. 1589) and A. H. 1168 (A. D. = 1755), andwhich is probably compiled from El-Kazwíní, says sub voce Madyan, after giving the "movement" of the word: "It is a city of thetribe of Shu'ayb, opposite Tabúk, and upon the sea of El-Kulzum, six stages (Maráhil) separating the two. It is larger than Tabúk, and in it is the well whence Moses watered the flocks ofShu'ayb. " Finally, it repeats that Madyan is under the districtof "Tabariyyá" or Tiberias[EN#79] (vol. Iii. P. 64, edidit. T. G. J. Juynboll, Lugduni Batavorum, 1854, e duobus Codd. MSS. ). 

I conclude this unpopular chapter with some remarks by Dr. Badgerconcerning the apparent connection of Jethro andEl-Medínah:[EN#80] "It struck me when studying 'Madyan, ' which isthe name of a place as well as of a man, [EN#81] that 'Yáthrib, 'the ancient term of al-Madínah, might have served the same doublepurpose. At all events, it was singular to find a Yáthribsomewhere near Madyan, and that the word was not far removed fromthe (Yithro), the name given in Hebrew to Moses'Midianite father-in-law. I also note that the Septuagint rendersthe Hebrew Yithro by Peshito by (Yathrűn), which the new Arabic version of the Bible, published at Bairu't(Syria), follows; making it (Yáthrűn). The name inHebrew (Exod. Iv. 18) is also written (Yether). 

"My theory is this. Firstly, there is no dependence to be placedon the Masoretic points, especially when affixed to names ofplaces. Secondly, we have no certain knowledge of the languageused by the Midianites in those ancient times. Their territoryextended northwards towards Palestine, and from their veryintimate relations with the Israelites, as friends and asenemies, both nations appear to have understood each otherperfectly. May not their language, then, have been a dialect ofthe Aramean?[EN#82] If so, the (Yithro) of the Biblemight have been (Yithrab, Yathrib, etc. ). Instances ofthe apocopated (b) are common in the Chaldean orSyro-Chaldaic at the present day; e. G. (Yáheb Alaha) ispronounced Yáu-Alaha; (Yashuá'-yaheb) becomesYashuá-yau, etc. , the final Beth (b) or the (heb) being converted into a (w). Hence why may not (Yithro) have been originally (Yithrab orYathrib)? Of course, this is only a conjecture of mine. "

Mr. E. Stanley Poole (loc. Cit. ) says that the Arabs disputewhether the name "Medyen" be foreign or Arabic; and whether"Medyen" spoke Arabic. He considers the absurd enumeration of thealphabetical kings (El-Mas'údi, quoted above) to be curious, aspossibly containing some vague reference to the language ofMidian. When these kings are said contemporaneously to have ruledover Meccah, Western Nejd, Yemen, "Medyen, " Egypt, etc. , it isextremely improbable that Midian ever penetrated into Yemen, notwithstanding the hints of Arab authors to the contrary. Yákútel-Hamawi (born A. H. 574 or 575 = A. D. 1178-79, and died A. H. 626= A. D. 1228), in the Mu'jam el-Buldán (cited in the Journ. Of theDeutsch. Morgen. Gesellschaft), declares that a South Arabicdialect is of Midian, and El-Mas'údi (apud Schultens, pp. 158-159) inserts a Midianite king among the rulers of Yemen. Thelatter, however, is more probable than the former; it may be anaccidental and individual, not a material occurrence. 

The following list of ruins, some cities, others towns, were all, with two exceptions (Nos. 2 and 18), visited or explored by thesecond Khedivial Expedition. The Mashghal, ateliers or subsidiaryworkshops, were in cases learned only by hearsay:--

1. Old 'Akabah (Aylah) Mashghal, up Valley el-Yitm. 3. 

2. El-Hakl (pronounced "Hagul"), the of Ptolemy: itwas seen from the sea, and notes were taken of its ruins andfurnaces. 

3. Nakhil Tayyib Ism, in mountain of the same name: its ruineddam (?) and buildings were surveyed by Lieutenant Amir. 

4. Makná. Twice visited. 

5. Magháir Shu'ayb. Two ateliers inspected, and one heard of onthe Jebel el-Lauz: total, 3. 

6. 'Aynúnah. In Jebel Zahd (ruins and furnaces). 1. 

7. Sharmá. An atelier on the Jebel Fás, and another on the JebelHarb, both high up: total, 2. 

8. Tiryam. An atelier in the Wady Urnub. 1. 

9. Abu Hawáwít, near El-Muwaylah. Scorić found about the fort ofEl-Muwaylah and near Sharm Yáhárr. 2. 

10. Zibayyib in Wady Surr. Atelier Sayl Umm Laban (Wady Sadr). 1. 

11. Khulasah. [EN#83] Saw specimens of worked metal from WadyKh'shabríyyah, and the upper Wady Surr; also ruins in the SaylAbú Sha'r, south-west and seawards of the Shárr block. 

12. Ma' el-Badá, alias Diyár el-Nasárá, in the upper Wady Dámah. 

13. Shuwák, the of Ptolemy. Atelier in Jebelel-Sání. 1. 

14. Shaghab, another large city mentioned by El-Makrízi. 

15. Ruins of El-Khandakí. Broken quartz, and made road atEl-Kutayyifah; two other ateliers in Wady Ruways to the west:total, 3. 

16. Umm Amil. Near it an atelier still called El-Dayr, or theConvent. 1. 

17. Ziba', old town; Umm Jirmah to the north. 1. 

18. Majirmah (pronounced M'jirmah), one day's march south ofZibá. Large ruins, supposed to have been the classicalRhaunathos. 

Thus, besides a total of eighteen ruins, more or less extensive, twenty ateliers were seen or heard of; making up a total ofthirty-eight--not far removed from the forty traditionalsettlements of the medićval Arab geographers. 

In the plateau of New Red Sandstone called El-Hismá, ruins andinscriptions are said to be found at the Jebel Rawiyán, whoseWady is mentioned by Wallin (p. 308); at Ruáfá, between the twohills El-Rakhamatayn; and at sundry other places, which we wereunable to visit. Beyond the Hisma' I also collected notices ofEl-Karáyyá, large ruins first alluded to by Wallin (p. 316). [EN#84]

During our exploration of the region below El-Muwaylah (mySouthern Midian), and our cruise to El-Haura', the followingsites were either seen or reported:--

1. Ruins in the Wady Dukhán, south of the Wady el-Azlam: north ofEl-Wijh. 

2. El-Nabaghah, in the Wady el-Marrah: north of El-Wijh. 

3. Ruins, furnaces and quartz-strews, in the Fara't Lebayyiz. 

4. El-Wijh, the port of Strabo's "Egra" (?). 

5. Inland fort of El-Wijh; an old metal-working ground. 

6. The great mine and ruins, Umm el-Karayya't, everywheresurrounded by ateliers. 

7. El-Kubbah, a small isolated ruin to the east of No. 6. 

8. El-Khaur, a working-place to the west of No. 6. 

9. The large works called Umm el-Hara'b, with two ruined ateliersnear them. 

10. Aba'l-Gezáz, a working-place in the watercourse of the samename, an upper branch of the Wady Salbah. 

11. The fine plain of Bada', with the Mashghal el-'Arayfát heardof to the north. 

12. Marwát, ruins on a ridge near Badá, and signs of a settlementin the valley. In the Wady Laylah, remains also spoken of. 

13. Aba'l-Marú, probably the Zu'l-Marwah of Bilázurí; extensiveremains of buildings; a huge reef of quartz, carefully worked, and smaller ruins further down the valley. 

14. The classical temple or tomb on the left bank of the greatWady Hamz, dividing Southern Midian from El-Hejaz in the Turkishdominions. 

15. Large remains, in two divisions, at El-Haurá. [EN#85]

Concerning the ateliers, details will be found in the followingpages. Many of them suggest a kind of compromise between thecamps and settlements of the Stone Age, where, e. G. At Pressignyand Grimes' Graves, the only remnant of man is a vast strew ofworked silexes; and the wandering fraternity of Freemasons whohutted themselves near the work in hand. And I would here layspecial stress upon my suspicion that the ancestors of thedespised Hutaym may have been the Gypsy-caste that worked themetals in Midian. 

For the date of the many ruins which stud the country, I willassume empirically that their destruction is coeval with that ofthe Christian Churches in Negeb, or the South Country, [EN#86]that adjoins Midian Proper on the north-west. It may date fromeither the invasion of Khusrau Anúshírawán, the conqueringSassanian King Chosroes (A. D. 531-579); or from the expedition, sent by the Caliph Omar and his successors, beginning in A. D. 651. But, as will appear in the course of these pages, there wasa second destruction; and that evidently dates from the earlysixteenth century, when Sultán Selim laid out his maritime roadfor the Hajj-caravan. Before that time the Egyptian caravans, aswill be seen, marched inland, and often passed from Midian toEl-Hijr. 

 Chapter V. Work At, and Excursions From, Magháir Shu'Ayb. 

By the blessing of Nebi Shu'ayb and a glance from his eyrie, I atonce suspected that the western Shigd was the "Mountain on amountain" alluded to by Haji Wali;[EN#87] and, on January 12, 1878, I ascertained that such was the case. The old man had givenme a hand-sketch of the most artless, showing a gorge between tworocks, a hill of two stages to the left or west, and a couple ofWadys draining it to the sea; one (Wady Makná) trendingnorthwest, and the other (Wady 'Afál) south-west. The word"Ishmah, " affixed to the northern part of the route, is evidentlythe Hismá plateau, and not, as I had supposed it to be, the JebelTayyib Ism. 

Nor had we any difficulty in discovering Haji Wali's tree, asolitary Mimosa to the right of the caravan-track, springing fromthe sands of the Shigdawayn gorge. The latter is formed by thesister-blocks before alluded to. The western Shigd, on the rightof the Wady 'Afál, is composed of carbonate of lime andsandstones dyed with manganese, the whole resting upon a core ofgrey granite; the formation is the same as the eastern feature, but the lines of the latter are gentler, and the culminatingtower is wanting. 

The western Shigd, indeed, is sufficiently peculiar. It is thesouthern apex of a short range, numbering some four heads: theeastern flank discharges the Wady Kizáz, which feeds the 'Afál;and the western the Wady Makná. The summit of the broken andspiny cone is a huge perpendicular block, apparently inaccessibleas a tower, and composed of the dull yellow ferruginousconglomerate called "El-Safrá:" the tint contrasts strongly witha long line of bright white Rugham (gypsum), bisecting the headof the Wady Makná. Below the apex is a thick stratum ofmanganese-stained rock: the upper line, with a dip of 15 deg. Towards the main valley, looks much like a row of bulwarks whichhad slipped from the horizontal, while still bluff between thenorth-east and east. Indeed, the shape is so regular that M. Lacaze, at first sight, asked if it was une construction. 

As soon as the washing-trough was brought up from Sharmá, weopened operations by digging a trench, at least twelve feet deep, in the re-entering angle of the bed close to the Mimosa tree. Thesand, pink above and chloritic yellow below, ended in a thick bedof water-rolled pebbles, not in ground-rock; nor did it show thecouch of excellent clay which usually underlies the surface, andwhich, I have said, is extracted through pits to make sun-driedbrick, swish, and other building materials. We also secured someof the blood-red earth from the eastern tail of the northern"Shigh, " the manganese-stained Tauá and the gravelly sand washedout of the Cascalho-gravel, the latter very promising. The resultof our careless working, however, was not successful; the normalilmenite, black sand of magnetic iron, took the place ofgold-dust. And this unlooked-for end again made us suspicious ofmy old friend's proceedings: the first occasion was that of hisnotable "malingering. " Had he bought a pinch of "Tibr" (puregold) from the Bedawin, and mixed it with the handful of surfacestuff ? Had the assayer at Alexandria played him a trick ? Or hadan exceptionally heavy torrent really washed down auriferous"tailings"? I willingly believe the latter to have been the case;and we shall presently see it is within the range of possibility. Traces of gold were found by Lieutenant-Colonel W. A. Ross, through his pyrological process, in the sandy clays brought fromthe mouth of Wady Makná. 

Meanwhile, despite our magnificent offers, the Arabs managed tokeep inviolate their secret--if they had one. An old man, now arich merchant and householder at Suez, had repeatedly declared toMr. A. G. K. Levick, that in his young days the Bedawin washedgold in Midian, till the industry fell into disrepute. During mylast visit he was unfortunately absent upon a pilgrimage; afterour return he asserted that he had sent for specimens of thesand, but that it paid too little even for transport. This 'Abdel-Hámid el-Shámi, interviewed, after our return, by Mr. Clarke, declared more than once, and still declares, that many years agohe obtained from the Wady Zibá, behind the settlement, a certainquantity of reddish sand which appeared auriferous. He roastedand washed the contents of three small baskets called"Coffas"[EN#88] by Europeans; and this yielded a pinch of "whatlooked like pure gold. "

In camp our men spoke freely of Tibr stored in quills, carriedbehind the ear, and sold at Suez--not at Cairo for fear ofconsequences. Yet neither promises nor bribes would persuade thepoorest to break through the rule of silence. The whole mighthave been a canard: on the other hand, there was also a validreason for reticence; the open mouth would not long have led to asound throat. So our many informants contented themselves withtelling us frequent tales of gold ornaments picked up after rain;they showed us a ring made from a bit found on the Tabúk road, and they invariably assure us that we shall find wondrousthings--about the next station. 

At Magháir Shu'ayb we wasted a whole fortnight (January 11-24, 1878) in vain works; and I afterwards bitterly repented that thetime had not been given to South Midian. Yet the delay waspleasant enough, after the month which is required to acquire, orto recover, the habit of tent-life. The halting-day was mostlyspent as follows: At six a. M. , and somewhat later on coldmornings, the Boruji sounds his réveillé--Kum, yá Habíbí, sáhel-Naum ("Rise, friend! sleep is done"), as the Egyptian officersinterpret the call. A curious business he makes of it, when hisfingers are half frozen; yet Bugler Mersál Abú Dunya is a man ofambition, who persistently, and despite the coarse laughter ofEuropeans, repairs for quiet practicing to the bush. We drink teaor coffee made by Engineer Ali Marie, or by Quartermaster Yusuf, not by Europeans; two camels supply us with sweet milk; butter wehave brought; and nothing is wanted for complete comfort butbread. 

We then separate to our work, after telling off the quarrymen totheir several tasks. Inveterate idlers and ne'er-do-weels, theironly object in life is not to labour; a dozen of them will pass aday in breaking ten pounds' weight of stone. They pound in thestyle of the Eastern tobacconist, with a very short stroke and avery long stay. At last they burst the sieves in order to enjoy aquieter life. They will do nothing without superintendence;whilst the officer is absent they sit and chat, smoke, or liedown to rest; and they are never to be entrusted with awater-skin or a bottle of spirits. The fellows will station oneof their number on the nearest hill, whilst their comrades enjoya sounder sleep; they are the greatest of cowards, and yet nonewould thus have acted sentinel even in the presence of the enemy. These useful articles all expect a liberal "bakhshísh" when thejourney is done, with the usual Asiatic feeling: they know thatthey deserve nothing, but my "dignity" obliges me to largess. Onthis occasion it did not. 

Those told off to dig prefer to make a deep pit, because fewercan work together at it, rather than scrape off and sift the twofeet of surface which yield "antíka's. " They rob what they can:every scrap of metal stylus, manilla, or ring is carefullytested, scraped, broken or filed, in order to see whether it begold. Punishment is plentifully administered, but in vain; wecannot even cure their unclean habits of washing in and pollutingthe fountain source. Three Europeans would easily do the work ofthese thirty poor devils. 

Mr. Clarke is our camp-manager in general: he is also our jäger;he shoots the wild poultry, duck and partridge, sand-grouse, and"Bob White" the quail, for half our dinners; and the Arabs callhim the "Angel of Death belonging to the Birds. " He failed tosecure a noble eagle in the Wady 'Afál, whose nest was built uponan inaccessible cliff: he described the bird as standing as highas our table, and with a width of six to seven feet from wing towing. He also brought tidings of a large (horned?) owl, possiblythe same species as the fine bird noted at Sinai. The Arabs callit classically Búmah, and vulgarly Umm Kuwayk ("Mother ofSqueaking"): the Fellahin believe that it sucks out children'seyes, and hence their name, "Massásah. " Here, as in the SinaiticPeninsula, "the owl and the hyena are used as charms; and theburnt feathers of the former, and the boiled flesh of the latter(superior filth!), are considered as infallible specifics fornumerous disorders. " In other parts of Arabia the hooting of theowl portends death; and the cry, Fát--fát, is interpreted, "He isgone, gone. "

The two Staff-officers make plans and sketches of the new places, or they protract their field-books, working very hard and veryslowly. I have but little confidence in their route-surveys:sights are taken from mule-back, and distances are judged by theeye. True, the protractions come out well, but this is all theworse, suggesting the process commonly called "doctoring. " Forthe style of thing, however, "dead reckoning" did well enough. 

M. Lacaze is the most ardent. Accompanied by his favouriteorderly, Salámat el-Nahhás, an intelligent negro from Dár-For, hesets out after breakfast with a bit of bread, a flagon of water, a tent-umbrella, and his tools, which he loses with remarkablepunctuality, to spend the whole day sketching, painting, andphotographing. M. Philipin is our useful man: he superintends thewashing-cradle; he wanders far and wide, gun in hand, bringing usspecimens of everything that strikes the eye; and he is great athis forge: the Bedawin sit for hours, gazing attentively as heconverts a file into a knife, and illustrating the reverence withwhich, in early days, men regarded Vulcan and Wayland Smith. 

At eleven a. M. The bugle sounds Tijrí taakul! ("Run and feed"), asignal for déjeuner ŕ la fourchette. It is a soup, a stew, and aPuláo ("pilaff") of rice and meat, sheep or goat, the onlyprovisions that poor Midian can afford, accompanied by onions andgarlic, which are eaten like apples, washed down with bonordinaire; followed by cheese when we have it, and ending withtea or coffee. George the cook proves himself an excellent manwhen deprived of oil and undemoralized by contact with his fellowGreeks. After feeding, the idlers, who have slumbered, or ratherhave remained in bed, between eight p. M. And six to seven a. M. , generally manage a couple of hours' siesta, loudly declaring thatthey have been wide awake. One of the party seems to live by theblessing of him who invented sleep, and he is always good forhalf of the twenty-four hours--how they must envy him whoseunhappy brains can be stupefied only by poisonous chloral!

At two p. M. , after drinking tea or coffee once more, we proceedto another four hours' spell of work. As sunset and the coldhours draw near, all assemble about the fire, generally two orthree huge palm trunks, whose blaze gladdens the soul of thelonely night-sentinel; and, assembling the Shaykhs of the Arabs, we gather from them information geographical, historical, andethnological. The amount of invention, of pure fancy, of airylying, is truly sensational; while at the same time they concealfrom us everything they can; and, more especially, everything wemost wish to know. Firstly, they do not want us to spy out thesecrets of the land; and, secondly, they count upon fleecing usthrough another season. During the whole day, but notably at thishour, we have the normal distractions of the Arabian journey. Oneman brings, and expects "bakhshísh" for, a bit of broken metal orsome ridiculous stone; another grumbles for meat; and a thirdwants tobacco, medicine, or something to be had for the asking. Iam careful to pay liberally, as by so doing the country is wellscoured. 

Dinner, at seven p. M. , is a copy of what was served before noon. It is followed by another sitting round the fire, which is builtinside the mess tent when cold compels. At times the conversationlasts till midnight; and, when cognac or whisky is plentiful, Ihave heard it abut upon the Battle of Waterloo and theImmortality of the Soul. Piquet and écarté are reserved for lifeon board ship. Our only reading consists of newspapers, whichcome by camel post every three weeks; and a few "Tauchnitz, "often odd volumes. I marvel, as much as Hamlet ever did, to seethe passionate influence of the storyteller upon those full-grownchildren, bearded men; to find them, in the midst of this wildnew nature, so utterly absorbed by the fictitious weal and woe ofsome poor creature of the author's brain, that they neglect evenwhat they call their "meals ;" allow their "teas" to cool, andstrain their eyesight poring over page after page in the dimlight of a rusty lantern. Thus also the Egyptian, after sittingin his café with all his ears and eyes opened their widest, whilst the story-teller drones out the old tale of Abú Zayd, willdispute till midnight, and walk home disputing about what, undersuch and such circumstances, they themselves would have done. Tome the main use of "Tauchnitz" was to make Arabia appear thehappier, by viewing, from the calm vantage-ground of the Desert, the meanness and the littlenesses of civilized life--in novels. 

The marching-day is only the halting-day in movement. By sevena. M. In winter and four a. M. In spring, we have breakfasted andare ready to mount mule or dromedary; more generally, however, weset out, accompanied by the Sayyid and the Shaykhs, for a morningwalk. The tents and, most important of all, the tent-table areleft to follow under the charge of the Egyptian officers, whoallow no dawdling. With us are the cook and the twobody-servants, riding of course: they carry meat, drink, andtobacco in my big tin cylinder intended to collect plants; andthey prefer to give us cold whilst we fight for hot breakfasts. After resting between ten a. M. And noon in some shady spot, generally under a thorn, we ride on to the camping-ground, whichwe reach between two and three p. M. This is the worst part of theday for man and beast, especially for the mules--hence thenecessity of early rising. 

The average work rarely exceeds six hours (= eighteen to twentymiles). Even this, if kept up day after day, is hard labour forour montures, venerable animals whose chests, galled by thebreast-straps, show that they have not been broken to the saddle. Accustomed through life to ply in a state of semi-somnolence, between Cairo and the Citadel, they begin by proving howunintelligent want of education can make one of the mostintelligent of beasts. They trip over every pebble, and arealmost useless on rough and broken ground; they start and swerveat a man, a tree, a rock, a distant view or a glimpse of the sea;they will not leave one another, and they indulge their petdislikes: this shies at a camel, that kicks at a dog. PresentlyTamaddun, as the Arabs say, "urbanity, " or, more literally, being"citified, " asserts itself, as in the human cockney; and at lastthey become cleverer and more knowing than any country-bred. Theyclimb up the ladders of stone with marvellous caution, and slipdown the slopes of sand on their haunches; they round everyrat-hole which would admit a hoof; and they know better than wedo where water is. They are not always well treated; the"galloping griff" is amongst us, who enjoys "lambing" and"bucketing" even a half-donkey. Of course, the more sensibleanimal of the two is knocked up; whilst the rider assumes theairs of one versed in the haute école. The only difficulty, by nofault of the mules, was the matter of irons: shoeless they couldtravel only in sand; and, as has been said, the farrier wasforgotten. 

Amongst our recreant Shaykhs I must not include Furayj bin Rafí'ael-Huwaytí, a man of whom any tribe might be proud, and a livingproof that the Bedawi may still be a true gentleman. A shortfigure, meagre of course, as becomes the denizen of the Desert, but "hard as nails, " he has straight comely features, a cleandark skin, and a comparatively full beard, already, like hishair, waxing white, although he cannot be forty-five. A bullet inthe back, and both hands distorted by sabre-cuts, attempts atassassination due to his own kin, do not prevent his using sword, gun, and pistol. He is the 'Agíd of the tribe, the African"Captain of War;" as opposed to the civil authority, the Shayhk, and to the judicial, the Kázi. At first it is somewhat startlingto hear him prescribe a slit weasand as a cure for lying; yet heseems to be known, loved, and respected by all around him, including his hereditary foes, the Ma'ázah. He is the only Bedawiin camp who prays. Naturally he is a genealogist, rich in locallore. He counteracts all the intrigues by which that rat-facedlittle rascal, Shaykh Hasan el-'Ukbi, tries to breed mischiefbetween friends. He is a walking map; it would be easy to draw upa rude plan of the country from his information. He does not knowhours and miles, but he can tell to a nicety the comparativelength of a march; and, when ignorant, he has the courage to sayM'adri, "don't know. " He never asked me for anything, nor told alie, nor even hid a water-hole. Willing and ready to undertakethe longest march, the hardest work, his word is Házir--"I'mhere"--and he will even walk to mount a tired man. Seated uponhis loud-voiced little Hijn, [EN#89] remarkable because it is ofthe noble Bishári strain, bred between the Nile and the Red Sea, he is ever the guide in chief. At last it ends with Nádi ShaykhFurayj!--"Call Shaykh Furayj"--when anything is to be done, to beexplained, to be discovered. I would willingly have recommendedhim for the chieftainship of his tribe, but he is not wealthy; hewisely prefers to see the dignity in the hands of his cousin'Alayán, who, by-the-by, is helpless without him. He remainedwith us to the end: he seemed to take a pride in accompanying theexpedition by sea to El-Haurá, and by land to the Wady Hamz, farbeyond the limits of his tribe. When derided for mounting a pairof Government "bluchers, " tied over bare feet, with bits ofglaring tassel-string from his camel-saddle, he quoted theproverb, "Whoso liveth with a people forty days becomes of them. "We parted after the most friendly adieu, or rather au revoir, andhe was delighted with some small gifts of useful weapons:--Iwonder whether Shaykh Furayj will prove "milk, " to use Sir WalterScott's phrase, "which can stand more than one skimming. "

In such wild travel, the traveller's comfort depends mainly uponweather. Usually the air of Magháir Shu'ayb was keen, pure, andinvigorating, with a distinct alternation of land-breeze bynight, and of sea-breeze by day. Nothing could be more charmingthan the flushing of the mountains at sunrise and sunset, and themagnificence of the windy, wintry noon. The rocky spires, pinnacles, and domes, glowing with gorgeous golden light, and thelower ranges, shaded with hazy blue, umber-red, and luminouspurple, fell into picture and formed prospects indescribably pureand pellucid. But the average of the aneroid (29. 19) gave analtitude of eight hundred feet; and even in this submaritimeregion, the minimum temperature was 42 deg. F. , ranging to amaximum of 85 deg F. In the shade. These are extremes which thesoft Egyptian body, reared in the house or the hut, could hardlysupport. 

Darwaysh Effendi followed suit after Yusuf Effendi; it was astudy to see him swathed to the nose, bundled in the thickestclothes, with an umbrella opened against the sun, and with asoldier leading his staid old mule. Bukhayt Ahmar and several ofthe soldiers were laid up; Ahmed Kaptán was incapacitated forwork by an old and inveterate hernia, the effect, he said, ofriding his violent little beast; and a sound ague and fever, which continued three days, obliterated in my own case the lastevils of Karlsbad. We had one night of rain (January 15), beginning gently at 2. 30 a. M. , and ending in a heavydownfall--unfortunately a pluviometer was one of the forgottenarticles. Before the shower, earth was dry as a bone; shortlyafter it, sprouts of the greenest grass began to appear in thelow places, and under the shadow of the perennial shrubs. Thecold damp seemed to make even the snakes torpid: for the firsttime in my life I trod upon one--a clairvoyante having alreadywarned me against serpents and scorpions. There were also burstsof heat, ending in the normal three grey days of raw piercingnorther; and followed by a still warmer spell. Upon the Gulf ofEl-'Akabah a violent gale was blowing. On the whole the winterclimate of inland Midian is trying, and a speedy return to theseaboard air is at times advisable, while South Midian feels likeThebes after Cairo. The coast climate is simply perfect, save andexcept when El-Aylí, the storm-wind from 'Akabat Aylah, isabroad. My meteorological journal was carefully kept, despite theimperfection of the instruments. Mr. Clarke registered theobservations during my illness; Mr. Duguid and Násir Kaptán madesimultaneous observations on board the ships; and Dr. Macleankindly corrected the instrumental errors after our return toCairo. [EN#90]

I had proposed to march upon the Hismá, or sandy plateau to theeast, which can be made from Magháir Shu'ayb without themortification of a Nakb, or ladder of stone. Thereupon ourTagaygát-Huwaytát Shaykhs and camel-men began to express greatfear of the 'Imran-Huwaytát, refusing to enter their landswithout express leave and the presence of a Ghafír ("surety"). Our caravan-leader, the gallant Sayyid, at once set off in searchof 'Brahim bin Makbúl, second chief of the 'Imrán, and recognizedby the Egyptian Government as the avocat, spokesman anddiplomatist, the liar and intriguer of his tribe. This man wasfound near El-Hakl (Hagul), two long marches ahead: he came inreadily enough, holding in hand my kerchief as a pledge ofprotection, and accompanied by three petty chiefs, Musallam, Sa'd, and Muhaysin, all with an eye to "bakhshísh. " In fact, every naked-footed "cousin, " a little above the average clansman, would call himself a Shaykh, and claim his Musháhirah, or monthlypay; not a cateran came near us but affected to hold himselfdishonoured if not provided at once with the regular salary. 'Brahim was wholly beardless, and our Egyptians quoted theirproverb, Sabáh el-Kurúd, wa lá Sabán el-'Ajrúd--"Better (seeill-omened) monkeys in the morning than the beardless man. " Asthe corruption of the best turns to the worst, so the Bedawi, anoble race in its own wilds, becomes thoroughly degraded bycontact with civilization. I remember a certain chief of the WuldAli tribe, near Damascus, who was made a Freemason at Bayrút, andthe result was that "brother" Mohammed became a model villain. 

By way of payment for escort and conveyance to the Hismá, 'Brahimexpected a recognition of his claim upon the soil of MagháirShu'ayb, which belongs to the wretched Masá'id. He held the trueIshmaelitic tenet, that as Sayyidná (our Lord) Ádam had diedintestate, so all men (Arabs) have a right to all things, provided the right can be established by might. Hence the sayingof the Fellah, "Shun the Arab and the itch. " Thus encouraged bythe Shaykhs, the "dodges" of the clansmen became as manifold asthey were palpable. They wanted us to pay for camping-ground;they complained aloud when we cut a palm-frond for palms, or useda rotten fallen trunk for fuel. They made their sheep appear fatby drenching them with water. The people of the Fort el-Muwaylah, determined not to déroger, sent to us, for sale, the eggs laid byour own fowls. And so forth. 

Presently 'Brahim brought in his elder brother, Khizr bin Makbúl, about as ill-conditioned a "cuss" as himself. Very dark, with theleft eye clean gone, this worthy appeared pretentiously dressedin the pink of Desert fashion--a scarlet cloak, sheepskin-lined, and bearing a huge patch of blue cloth between the shoulders; acrimson caftan, and red morocco boots with irons resemblingice-cramps at the heels. Like 'Brahim, he uses his Bákúr, orcrooked stick, to trace lines and dots upon the ground;similarly, the Yankee whittles to hide the trick that lurks inhis eyes. Khizr tents in the Hismá, and his manners are wild andrough as his dwelling-place; possibly manly, brusque certainly, like the Desert Druzes of the Jebel Haurán. He paid his firstvisit when our Shaykhs were being operated upon by thephotographer: I fancied that such a novelty would have attractedhis attention for the moment. But no: his first question was, Aysh 'Ujratí?--"What is the hire for my camels?" Finally, thesemen threw so many difficulties in our way, that I was compelledto defer our exploration of the eastern region to a later day. 

After a week of washing for metals at Magháir Shu'ayb, it wastime to move further afield. On January 17th, the EgyptianStaff-officers rode up the Wady 'Afál, and beyond the twopyramidal rocks of white stone, which have fallen from thetowered "Shigd, " they found on its right bank the ruins of asmall atelier. It lies nearly opposite the mouth of the WadyTafrígh, which is bounded north by a hill of the same name; andsouth by the lesser "Shigd. " Beyond it comes the Wady Nimir, thebroad drain of the Jibál el-Nimir, "Hills of the Leopard, "feeding the 'Afál: the upper valley is said to have water andpalms. After a "leg" to the north-east (45 deg. Mag. ), they foundthe 'Afál running from due north; and one hour (= three miles)led them to other ruins on the eastern side of the low hills thatprolong to the north the greater "Shigd. " The names of both siteswere unknown even to Shaykh Furayj. The foundations of uncutboulders showed a semicircle of buildings measuring 229 pacesacross the horseshoe. They counted eleven tenements--probablyoccupied by the slave-owners and superintendents--squares andoblongs, separated by intervals of from forty-five toninety-seven or a hundred paces. On the north-north-east lay thechief furnace, a parallelogram of some twenty-three paces, builtof stone and surrounded by scatters of broken white quartz andscorić. These two workshops seem to argue that the country wasformerly much better watered than it is now. Moreover, itconvinced me that the only rock regularly treated by theancients, in this region, was the metallic Marú (quartz). 

I had heard by mere chance of a "White Mountain, " at no greatdistance, in the mass of hills bounding to the north theSecondary formations of Magháir Shu'ayb. On January 21st, M. Marie and Lieutenant Amir were detached to inspect it. They wereguided by the active Furayj and a Bedawi lad, Hamdán of theAmírát, who on receiving a "stone dollar" (i. E. Silver) could notunderstand its use. Travelling in a general northern direction, the little party reached their destination in about three hours(= nine miles). They found some difficulty in threading a mileand a quarter of very ugly road, a Nakb, passing through rocksglittering with mica; a ladder of stony steps and overfalls, withangles and zigzags where camels can carry only half-loads. TheEuropean dismounted; the Egyptian, who was firm in the saddle, rode his mule the whole way. We afterwards, however, explored acomparatively good road, viâ the Wady Murákh, to the seaboard, which will spare the future metal-smelter much trouble andexpense. 

The quartz mountain is, like almost all the others, the expandedmushroom-like head of a huge filon or vein; and minor filetsthread all the neighbouring heights. The latter are thefoot-hills of the great Jebel Zánah, a towering, dark, anddome-shaped mass clearly visible from Magháir Shu'ayb. Thisremarkable block appeared to me the tallest we had hitherto seen;it is probably the "Tayyibat Ism, 6000, " of the HydrographicChart. The travellers ascended the Jebel el-Marú, trembling thewhile with cold; and from its summit, some fifteen hundred feetabove sea-level, they had a grand view of the seaboard and thesea. They brought home specimens of the rock, and fondly fanciedthat they had struck gold: it was again that abominable"crow-gold" (pyrites), which has played the unwary traveller somany a foul practical joke. 

During our stay at Magháir Shu'ayb the camp had been much excitedby Bedawi reports of many marvels in the lands to the north andthe north-east. The Arabs soon learned to think that everythingwas worth showing: they led M. Lacaze for long miles to a rockwhere bees were hiving. A half-naked 'Umayri shepherd, one Suwaydbin Sa'íd, had told us of a Hajar masdúd ("closed stone") aboutthe size of a tent, with another of darker colour set in it; theArabs had been unable to break it open, but they succeeded with asimilar rock in the Hismá, finding inside only Tibn ("tribulatedstraw") and charcoal. Another had seen a Kidr Dahab ("goldenpot"), in the 'Aligán section of the Wady el-Hakl (Hagul) whereit leaves the Hismá; and a matchlock-man had brought down withhis bullet a bit of precious metal from the upper part. Thisreport prevails in many places: it may have come all the way from"Pharaoh's Treasury" at Petra, or from the Sinaitic Wady Lejá. Atthe mouth of the latter is the Hajar el-Kidr ("Potrock"), whichevery passing Arab either stones or strikes with his staff, hoping that the mysterious utensil will burst and shed its goldenshower. Moreover, a half-witted Ma'ázi, by name Masá'í, hadtantalized us with a glorious account of the "House of 'Antar" inthe Hismá, and the cistern where that negro hero and poet used towater his horses. Near its massive walls rises a Hazbah ("steepand solitary hillock") with Dims or layers of ashlar atop: he hadactually broken off a bit of greenstone sticking in the masonry, and sold it to a man from Tor (Khwájeh Kostantin?) for a largesum--two napoleons, a new shirt, and a quantity of coffee. Asimilar story is found in the Bádiyat el-Tíh, the Desert north ofthe Sinaitic Peninsula. At the ruined cairns of Khara'bat Lussán(the ancient Lysa), an Arab saw a glimmer of light proceedingfrom a bit of curiously cut stone. "This he carried away with himand sold to a Christian at Jerusalem for three pounds. "[EN#91]

Shaykh 'Brahím had also heard of this marvel; but he called itthe Haráb 'Antar ("Ruin of 'Antar"), and he placed it in the Wadyel-Hakl, about an hour's ride south of the Wady 'Afál. Finally, atablet in the Wady Hawwayi', adorned with a dragon and otheranimals, was reported to me; and the memory of inscriptionsmentioned in the Jihan-numá was still importunate. Evidently allthese were mere fancies; or, at best, gross distortions of facts. The Bedawin repeat them in the forlorn hope of "bakhshísh, " andnever expect action to be taken: next morning they will probablydeclare the whole to be an invention. Yet it is never safe toneglect the cry of "wolf": our most remarkable discovery, theTemple at the Wady Hamz, was made when report promised least. 

Accordingly, on January 24th, I despatched, with Shaykhs Khizrand 'Brahím as guides, Mr. Clarke and the two Staff-lieutenantstowards El-Rijm, the next station of the pilgrim-caravan. Ridingup the Wady 'Afál, they reached, after an hour andthree-quarters, the ruins known as Igár Muás--a name of trulybarbarous sound. The settlement had occupied both banks, but theprincipal mass was on the left: here two blocks, separated by ahillock, lay to north-east and south-west of each other. Apparently dwelling-places, they were composed of amasonry-cistern and of fourteen buildings, detached squares andoblongs, irregular both in orientation and in size; the largestmeasuring eighty by fifty metres, and the smallest five by four. The material was of water-rolled boulders, huge pebbles withoutmortar or cement. There were no signs of a furnace, nor were theusual fragments of glass and pottery strewed about. To the northand running up the north-north-eastern slope stood a line of walltwo metres broad and three hundred long: it ended at thesouth-western extremity in five round towers razed to theirfoundations. It was suggested that this formed part of a street, laid out on the plan of the Jebel el-Safrá, the hauteville ofMagháir Shu'ayb. On the right bank of the Wady appeared a heap ofstones suggesting a Burj. Fine, hard, compact, and purple-blueslate was collected in the ruins; and the red conglomerates oneither side of the watercourse suggested that Cascalho had beenworked. 

After riding their dromedaries some three hours, halts notincluded, the travellers were asked why they had not broughttheir tents. "Because we expect to return to camp this evening!"Then it leaked out that they had not reached half-way to the"closed stone, " while the dragon-tablet would take a whole day. Unprepared for a wintry night in the open, some twelve hundredfeet above sea-level, they rode back at full speed, greatly tothe disgust of the Arabs, who, at this hungry season, rarely pushtheir lean beasts beyond three and a half to four miles an hour. Lieutenant Amir, who is invaluable in the field, would havepressed forward: not so the European. 

I did not see Shaykhs Khizr or 'Brahím for many a day; nor did weattempt any more reconnaissances to the north of Magháir Shu'ayb. 

Not the least pleasant part of our evening's work was collectinginformation concerning the origin of the tribes inhabiting modernMidian; and, as on such occasions a mixed multitude was alwayspresent, angry passions were often let rise. As my previousvolume showed, the tribes in this Egyptian corner ofNorth-Western Arabia number three--the Huwaytát, the Maknáwi, andthe Beni 'Ukbah; the two former of late date, and all more orless connected with the Nile Valley. Amongst them I do notinclude the Hutaym or Hitaym, a tribe of Pariahs who, like theAkhdám ("serviles") of Maskat and Yemen, live scattered amongst, although never intermarrying with, their neighbours. As a rulethe numbers of all these tribes are grossly exaggerated, theobject being to impose upon the pilgrim-caravans, and to drawblack-mail from the Government of Egypt. The Huwaytát, forinstance, modestly declare that they can put 5000 matchlocks intothe field: I do not believe that they have 500. The Ma'ázah speakof 2000, which may be reduced in the same proportion; whilst theBaliyy have introduced their 37, 000 into European books ofgeography, when 370 would be nearer the mark. I anticipate nodifficulty in persuading these Egypto-Arabs to do a fair day'swork for a fair and moderate wage. The Bedawin flocked to theSuez Canal, took an active part in the diggings, and left a goodname there. They will be as useful to the mines; and thus shallMidian escape the mortification of the "red-flannel-shirtedJove, " while enjoying his golden shower. 

I first took the opportunity of rectifying my notes on the originof the Huwayta't tribe. [EN#92] According to their own oralgenealogists, the first forefather was a lad called 'Alayán, who, travelling in company with certain Shurafá ("descendants of theApostle"), and ergň held by his descendants to have been also aSherif, fell sick on the way. At El-'Akabah he was taken incharge by 'Atíyyah, Shaykh of the then powerful Ma'ázah tribe, who owned the land upon which the fort stands. A "clerk, " able toread and to write, he served his adopted father by superintendingthe accounts of stores and provisions supplied to the Hajj. TheArabs, who before that time embezzled at discretion, called himEl-Huwayti' ("the Man of the Little Wall") because his learningwas a fence against their frauds He was sent for by his Egyptianfriends; these, however, were satisfied by a false report of hisdeath: he married his benefactor's daughter; he became Shaykhafter the demise of his father-in-law; he drove the Ma'ázah fromEl-'Akabah, and he left four sons, the progenitors and eponymi ofthe Midianite Huwaytát. Their names are 'Alwán, 'Imrán, Suway'id, and Sa'id; and the list of nineteen tribes, which I gave in "TheGold-Mines of Midian, " is confined to the descendants of thethird brother. 

The Huwaytát tribe is not only an intruder, it is also theaggressive element in the Midianite family of Bedawin; and, oflate years, it has made great additions to its territory. If itadvances at the present rate it will, after a few generations, either "eat up, " as Africans say, all the other races or, by amore peaceful process, assimilate them to its own body. 

We also consulted Shaykh Hasan and his cousin Ahmed, alias AbúKhartúm, concerning the origin of his tribe, the Beni 'Ukbah. According to our friend Furayj, the name means "Sons of the Heel"('Akab) because, in the early wars and conquests of El-Islám, they fought during the day by the Moslems' side; and at night, when going over to the Nazarenes, they lost the "spoor" bywearing their sandals heel foremost, and by shoeing their horsesthe wrong way. All this they indignantly deny; and they are borneout by the written genealogies, who derive them from "Ukbah, theson of Maghrabah, son of Heram, " of the Kahtániyyah (Joctanite)Arabs, some of the noblest of Bedawi blood. They preserve thememory of their ancestor 'Ukbah, and declare that they come fromthe south; that is, they are of Hejázi descent, consequently farmore ancient than the Huwaytát. At first called "El-Musálimah, "they were lords of all the broad lands extending southwardbetween Shámah (Syria) and the Wady Dámah below the port of Zibá;and this fine valley retains, under its Huwayti occupants, thetitle of 'Ukbíyyah--'Ukbah-land. Thus they still claim as Milk, or "unalienable property, " the Wadys Gharr, Sharmá, 'Aynúnah, andothers; whilst their right to the ground upon which Fortel-Muwaylah is built has never been questioned. 

The first notable event in the history of the Beni 'Ukbah was aquarrel that arose between them and their brother-tribe, the Beni'Amr. The 'Ayn el-Tabbákhah, [EN#93] the fine water of WadyMadyan, now called Wady Makná, was discovered by a Hutaymishepherd of the Beni 'Ali clan, while tending his flocks; otherssay that the lucky man was a hunter following a gazelle. Howeverthat may be, the find was reported to the Shaykh of the Musálimah(Beni 'Ukbah), who had married 'Ayayfah, the sister of Ali ibnNejdi, the Beni 'Amr chief, whilst the latter had also taken hisbrother-in-law's sister to wife. The discoverer was promised aJinu or Sabátah ("date-bunch") from each palm-tree; and therivals waxed hot upon the subject. The Musálimah declared thatthey would never yield their rights, a certain ancestor, 'Asaylah, having first pitched tent upon the Rughámat Makná, orwhite "horse" of Makná. A furious quarrel ensued, and, as usualin Arabia as in Hibernia, both claimants prepared to fight itout. 

To repeat the words of our oral genealogist, Furayj: "Now, whenthe wife of the Shaykh of the Musálimah had heard and understoodwhat Satan was tempting her husband to do against her tribe, sherose up, and sent a secret message to her brother of the Beni'Amr, warning him that a certain person (Fulán) was about to layviolent hands on the beautiful valley of El-Madyan. Hearing this, the Beni 'Amr mustered their young men, and mounted their horsesand dromedaries, and rode forth with jingling arms; and atmidnight they found their opponents asleep in El-Khabt, [EN#94]the beasts being tied up by the side of their lords. So they cutthe cords of the camels, they gagged the hunter who guided theattack, they threatened him with death if he refused to obey, andthey carried him away with them towards Makná. 

"When the Musálimah awoke, they discovered the deceit, theysecured their beasts, and they hastened after the enemy, following his track like Azrail. Both met at Makná, when a battletook place, and Allah inclined the balance towards the Beni 'Amr. The Musálimah, therefore, became exiles, and took refuge inEgypt. And in the flow of days it so happened that the Shaykh ofthe Beni' Amr awoke suddenly at midnight, and heard his wife, asshe sat grinding at the quern, sing this quatrain:--

 'If the handmill (of Fate) grind down our tribe We will bear it, O Thou (Allah) that aidest to bear! But if the mill grind the foeman tribe, We will pound and pound them as thin as flour. '

"Whereupon the Shaykh, in his wrath, seized a stone, and cast itat his wife, and knocked out one of her front teeth. She saidnothing, but she took the tooth and wrapped it in a rag, and sentit with a message to her brother, the Shaykh of the Musálimah. Now, this chief was unable to revenge his sister single-handed, so he travelled to Syria, and threw himself at the feet of thegreat Shaykh of the Wuhaydi tribe, who was also a Sherif. 

"The Wuhaydi despatched his host together with the warriors ofthe Musálimah, and both went forth to do battle with the Beni'Amr. The latter being camped in a valley near 'Aynúnah, tetheredtheir dogs and, some say, left behind their old people, [EN#95]and lit huge bonfires; whence the name of the place is Wady UmmNírán ('the Mother of Fires') to this day. Before early dawn theyhad reached in flight the Wady 'Arawwah of the Jibál el-Tihámah. In the morning the Musálimah and the Wuhaydi, finding that atrick had been practiced upon them, followed the foe, and beathim in the Wady 'Arawwah, killing the Shaykh. And the chief ofthe Musálimah gave his widowed sister as wife to the Wuhaydi, andsettled with his people in their old homes. The Beni 'Amr fled tothe Hismá, and exiled themselves to Kerak in Syria, where theystill dwell, owning the plain called Ganán Shabíb. There is nowpeace between the Beni 'Ukbah and their kinsmen the Beni 'Amr. "

The second event in the history of the tribe, the "Tale of AbúRísh, "[EN#96] shall also be told in the words of Furayj:--"Afterthe course of time the Beni 'Ukbah, aided by the Ma'ázah, madewar against the Shurafá, who were great lords in those days, andplundered them and drove them from their lands. The victors wereheaded by one Salámah, a Huwayti who dwelt at El-'Akabah, and whohad become their guest. In those ages the daughters of the tribewere wont to ride before the host in their Hawádig('camel-litters'), singing the war-song to make the warriorsbrave. As Salámah was the chief Mubáriz ('champion in singlecombat'), the girls begged him to wear, when fighting, a whiteostrich feather in his chain-helmet, that they might note hisdeeds and chant in his name. Hence his title, Abú Rísh--the'Father of a Feather. ' The Sherifs, being beaten, made peace, taking the lands between Wady Dámah and El-Hejaz; whilst the Beni'Ukbah occupied Midian Proper (North Midian), between 'Dámah' and'Shámah' (Syria). 

"Abú Rísh, who was a friend to both victor and vanquished, settled among the Sherifs in the Sirr country south of WadyDámah. He had received to wife, as a reward for his bravery, thedaughter of the Shaykh of the Beni 'Ukbah; and she bare him ason, 'Id, whose tomb is in the Wady Ghál, between Zibá andEl-Muwaylah. On the Yaum el-Subúh ('seventh day after birth'), the mother of 'Id followed the custom of the Arabs; and, afterthe usual banquet, presented the babe to the guests, includingher father, who made over Wady 'Aynúnah in free gift to hisgrandson. Now, 'Id used to lead caravans to Cairo, for thepurpose of buying provisions; and he was often plundered by theMa'ázah, who had occupied by force the Wadys Sharmá, Tiryam, andSurr of El-Muwaylah. 

"This 'Id ibn Salámah left, by a Huwayti woman, a son 'Alayán, surnamed Abú Takíkah ('Father of a Scar') from a sabre-cut in theforehead: he was the founder of the Tugaygát-Huwaytát clan, andhis descendants still swear by his name. Once upon a time, whenleading his caravan, he reached the Wady 'Afál, and he learnedthat his enemies, the Ma'ázah, and the black slaves whogarrisoned El-Muwaylah, were lurking in the Wady Marayr. So heplaced his loads under a strong guard; and he hastened, with hiskinsmen of the Huwaytát, to the Hismá, where the Ma'ázah had lefttheir camels undefended: these he drove off, and rejoined hiscaravan rejoicing. The Ma'ázah, hearing of their disaster, hurried inland to find out the extent of the loss, abandoning theblack slaves, who, nevertheless, were still determined to plunderthe Káfilah. 'Alayán was apprized of their project; and, reachingthe Wady Umm Gehaylah, he left his caravan under a guard, andsecretly posted fifty matchlock-men in El-Suwayrah, east of thehills of El-Muwaylah. He then (behold his cunning!) tetheredbetween the two hosts, at a place called Zila'h, east of the tombof Shaykh Abdullah, [EN#97] ten camel-colts without their dams. Roused by the bleating, the negro slaves followed the sound andfell into the ambush, and were all slain. 

"'Alayán returned to the Sirr country, when his tribe, theHuwaytát, said to him, 'Hayya (up!) to battle with these Ma'ázahand Beni 'Ukbah; either they uproot us or we uproot them!' So hegathered the clan, and marched to a place called El-Bayzá, [EN#98]where he found the foe in front. On the next day the battlebegan, and it was fought out from Friday to Friday; a truce wasthen made, and it was covenanted to last between evening andmorning. But at midnight the enemy arose, left his tents pitched, and fled to the Hismá. 'Alayán followed the fugitives, came upwith them in the Wady Sadr, and broke them to pieces. Upon thisthey took refuge in Egypt and Syria. 

"After a time the Beni 'Ukbah returned, and obtained pardon from'Alaya'n the Huwayti, who imposed upon them six conditions. Firstly, having lost all right to the land, they thus became'brothers' (i. E. Serviles). Secondly, they agreed to give up theprivilege of escorting the Hajj-caravan. Thirdly, if a Huwaytiwere proved to have plundered a pilgrim, his tribe should makegood the loss; but if the thief escaped detection, the Beni'Ukbah should pay the value of the stolen property in coin or inkind. Fourthly, they were bound not to receive as guests anytribe (enumerating a score or so) at enmity with the Huwaytát. Fifthly, if a Shaykh of Huwaytát fancied a dromedary belonging toone of the Beni 'Ukbah, the latter must sell it under cost price. And, sixthly, the Beni 'Ukbah were not allowed to wear the 'Abáor Arab cloak. "[EN#99]

The Beni 'Ukbah were again attacked and worsted, in the days ofSultan Selim, by their hereditary foe, the Ma'ázah. Theycomplained at Cairo; and the Mamlúk Beys sent down an army whichbeat the enemy in the Wady Surr. They had many quarrels withtheir southern neighbours, the Baliyy: at last peace was made, and the land was divided, the Beni 'Ukbah taking the tractbetween Wadys Da'mah and El-Muzayrib. Since that time the tribehas been much encroached upon by the Huwayta't. It still claims, however, as has been said, all the lands between El-Muwaylah andMakná, where they have settlements, and the Jebel Harb, wherethey feed their camels. They number some twenty-five to thirtytents, boasting that they have hundreds; and, as will appear, their Shaykh, Hasan el-'Ukbi, amuses himself by occasionallyattacking and plundering the wretched Maknáwis, or people ofMakná, a tribe weaker than his own. 

 Chapter VI. To Makná, and Our Work There--the Magáni or Maknáwis. 

After a silly fortnight at old Madiáma, I resolved to march uponits seaport, Makná, the of Ptolemy, which the peoplecall also "Madyan. "[EN#100] We set out at seven a. M. (January25th); and, after a walk of forty-five minutes, we were shown byFurayj a Ghadír, or shallow basin of clay, shining and bald as anold scalp from the chronic sinking of water. In the middle stoodtwo low heaps of fine white cement, mixed with brick and gravel;while to the west we could trace the framework of a mortaredFiskíyyah ("cistern"), measuring five metres each way. The ruinlies a little south of west (241 deg. Mag. ) from the greater"Shigd;" and it is directly under the catacombed hill which bearsthe "Praying-place of Jethro. " A tank in these regions alwayspresupposes a water-pit, and there are lingering traditions thatthis is the "Well of Moses, " so generally noticed by medićvalArab geographers. It is the only one in the Wady Makná, not tomention a modern pit about an hour and a half further down thevalley, sunk by the Bedawin some twenty feet deep: the walls ofthe latter are apparently falling in, and it is now bone-dry. Butthe veritable "Moses' Well" seems to have been upon the coast;and, if such be the case, it is clean forgotten. True, Masá'íd, the mad old Ma'ázi, attempted to trace a well inside our camp bythe seashore; but the Beni 'Ukbah, to whom the land belongs, hadnever heard of it. 

After marching about six miles, we entered a gorge called Ummel-Bíbán, "the Mother of Gates, " formed by the stony spurs of theWady bank: the number of birds and trees, especially in thesyenitic valleys, showed that water could not be far off. At10. 10 a. M. A halt was called at the half-way place, a bay orhollow in the left cliff, El-Humayrah--"the Little Red"--anoverhanging wall of ruddy grit some eighty feet high, with stratavarying in depth from a few lines to as many fathoms, alldiffering in colour, and all honeycombed, fretted, and sculpturedby wind and rain. Above the red grit, weathered into a thousandqueer shapes, stood strata of chloritic sand, a paleyellow-green, and capping it rose the usual dull-brown carbonateof lime. Large fossil oysters lay in numbers about the base, suggesting a prehistoric feast of the Titans. Amongst them is themonstrous Tridacna (gigantea), which sometimes attains a growthof a yard and a half; one of these is used as a bénitier at thechurch of Saint Sulpice, Paris. Amongst the layers were wavybands of water-rolled crystals, jaspers, bloodstones, iron-revetted pebbles, and "almonds, " which, in the Brazil, accompany and betray the diamond. [EN#101] We had no time to makea serious search; but, when the metals shall be worked, it will, perhaps, be advisable to import a skilled prospecter from theBrazil or the Cape of Good Hope. 

At noon we met the "heaven-sent, life-sustaining sea-breeze;" andnow the broad and well-marked Wady Makná, with its rosy-pinksands, narrowed to a gut, flanked and choked on both sides, northand south, by rocks of the strangest tricolour, green-black, yellow-white, and rusty-red. The gloomy peak, which had longappeared capping the heights ahead, proved to be the culminationof a huge upthrust of porphyritic trap. Bottle-green when seenunder certain angles, and dull dead sable at others, it wasvariegated by cliffs and slopes polished like dark mirrors, andby sooty sand-shunts disposed at the natural slope. Crumblingoutside, the lower strata pass from the cellular to the compact, and are often metalliferous when in contact with the quartz: atthese Salbandes the richest mineral deposits are always found. Set in and on the black flanks, and looking from afar like thegouts of a bloodstone, are horizontal beds, perpendicular spines, and detached blocks of felsitic porphyry and of rusty-redsyenite, altered, broken, and burnt by plutonic heat. In places, where the trap has cut through the more modern formations, it hasbeen degraded by time from a dyke to a ditch, the latter walledby the ruddy rocks, and sharply cut as a castle-moat. And alreadywe could see, on the right of the Wady, those cones and crests ofghastly, glaring white gypsum, which we had called "the Hats. "

These gloomy cliffs, approaching the maritime plain, sweep awayto the south, and melt into the "Red Hills" visited on our firstexcursion. They are known as the Jebel el-'Abdayn--"of the TwoSlaves:" this, perhaps, is the Doric pronunciation of the Bedawinfor Abdín--"slaves. " Presently we sighted the familiar featuresof the seaboard, described in my first volume, especially theRughámat el-Margas to the north; and westward the Gulf of'Akabah, looking cool and blue in the Arabian glare. After fivehours and thirty minutes (= seventeen miles and a half) in thesaddle we reached Makná. 

I had thought of encamping near the "Praying-place of Moses, " afine breezy site which storms would have made untenable. As atSharmá, camels must turn off to the right over the banks whenapproaching the mouth of the Wady Madyan, whose bed is madeimpassable by rocks and palm-thicket. We then proposed to pitchthe tents upon the valley sands within the "Gate, " but this wasoverruled by the Sayyid, who told grisly tales of fever and ague. Finally, we returned to our former ground, near the oldconglomerates and the mass of new shells, which ledge the shoreof the little harbour. Approaching it, we were delighted to seethe gunboat Mukhbir steaming up, despite the contrary wind, fromSharm Yáhárr; she was towing the Sambúk, which brought from'Aynúnah Bay our heavy gear, rations, and tools. This was astroke of good luck: already we were on half rations, and provantfor men and mules threatened to run short. 

Our week at Makná (January 25--February 2) justified the pleasantimpression left by the first visit, and enabled us to correct theinaccuracies of a flying survey. 

This "Valley of Waters, " with its pink and yellow (chloritic)sands, is bounded on the right near the sea by a sandbank aboutone hundred feet high, a loose sheet thinly covering the dykes ofsyenite and the porphyritic trap which in places peep out. Possibly it contains, like the left flank, veins of quartz, lowered by corrosion, and concealed by the sand-drift spread bythe prevalent western winds. The high-level abounds in detachedsprings, probably the drainage of the Rughámat Makná, the huge"horse" or buttress of gypsum bearing north-east from theharbour. The principal veins number three. The uppermost andsweetest is the Ayn el-Tabbákhah; in the middle height isEl-Túyuri (Umm el-Tuyúr), with the dwarf cataract and itstinkling song; whilst the brackish 'Ayn el-Fara'í occupies thevalley sole. Besides these a streak of palms, perpendicular tothe run of the Wady, shows a rain-basin, dry during the droughts, and, higher up, the outlying dates springing from the arid sands, are fed by thin veins which damp the rocky base. Hence, probably, Dr. Beke identified the place with the "Elim" of the Exodus: hisartist's sketch from the sea (p. 340) is, however, absolutelyunrecognizable. 

The high-level spring and the middle water rise in sandy basins;course down deeply furrowed beds of grit; and, after passingthrough a tangle of vegetation, a dense forest of palms, aliveand dead, and open patches sown with grain, wilfully waste theirtreasures in the upper slope of the right bank. This abundance ofwater has developed a certain amount of industry; although theBedawin tear to pieces the young male-dates, whose tender greengrowth, at the base of the fronds, supplies them with a "chaw. " Anumber of artificial runners has been trained to water dwarfbarley-plots, whose fences of date-fronds defend them from sheepand goats; and further down the bank are the fruit trees whichfirst attracted our attention. 

The low-level water consists of two springs. The upper is the'Ayn el-'Aryánah, springing from the sands under the date-treeswhich line the right and left sides: apparently it is thedrainage of a gypsum "hat, " called El-Kulayb, "the LittleDog"--in their Doric the Bedawin pronounce the word Galáib. Further down the bed, and divided by a tract of dry sand, is the'Ayn el-Fara'i, which also rises from both banks, forms a singlestream, sleeps in deep pellucid pools like fairy baths among thehuge boulders of grey granite, and finally sinks before reachingthe shore. When these waters shall again be regulated, as of old, they will prove amply sufficient for the vegetable and themineral. Anton, the Greek, who everywhere saw the shop, was socharmed with the spot, that he at once laid out hisestablishment: here shall be the hotel; there the billiard andgambling room, and there the garden, the kiosk, the buvette--infact, he projected a miner's paradise. 

On the crest of this right bank, above the vegetation, lies thetraditional Musallat Musá ("Moses' Oratory"), of which thefoundations, or rather the base-stones, are in situ. The largerenceinte measures, without including two walls projecting fromthe north-east and north-west angles, an oblong of thirty-sevenby twenty-five feet; and, as usual with Midianite ruins, it hasbeen built of all manner of material. The inner sanctum opens tothe west, the northern and southern basement-lines onlyremaining: the former is composed of eight blocks of gypsumresembling alabaster, five being larger than the others; and thesouthern of three. Upon these the Bedawin still deposit theirsimple ex-votos, oyster and other shells, potsherds, and colouredpebbles. [EN#102]

The left or opposite bank, which wants water, is formed by thetall conglomerate-capped cliffs, which support the "Muttali'" orhauteville, and by the warty block called Jebel el-Fahísát. In"The Gold-Mines of Midian" (Chap. XII. ) it is called El-Muzayndi, an error of my informants for El-Muzeúdi: the latter is the nameof the small red hill north of our camp. I again visited the hightown, which is about a hundred feet above the valley: presentlyit will disappear bodily, as its base is being corroded, like theJebel el-Safrá of Magháir Shu'ayb. The walls still standing forma long room running north-south; and the two adjoining closetsset off to the north-east and south-east. This sadly shrunkenupper settlement covers the remnant of the rocky plateau to theeast: there are also traces of building on the southern slopes. Ruined heaps of the usual material, gypsum, dot and line theshort broad valley to the north, which rejoices in the neat andhandy name, Wady Majrá Sayl Jebel el-Marú. Here, however, theyare hardly to be distinguished from the chloritic spines andnatural sandbanks that stud the bed. The only antiquities foundin the "Muttali"' were a stone cut into parallel bands, and thefragment of a basalt door with its pivot acting as hinge in theupper part: it reminded me of the Grćco-Roman townlets in theHaurán, where the credulous discovered "giant Cities" and similarineptitudes. Our search for Midianite money was in vain; Mr. Clarke, however, picked up, near the sea, a silver "Taymúr, " theMoghal, with a curiously twisted Kufic inscription. (A. H. 734). 

The 'Ushash or frond-huts of the Maknáwi and the Beni 'Ukbah werestill mostly empty. At this season, all along the seaboard ofNorth-Western Arabia, the Bedawin are grazing their animals inthe uplands, and they will not return coastwards till July andAugust supply the date-harvest. The village shows theinconséquence of doors and wooden keys to defend an interior madeof Cadjan, or "dry date-fronds, " which, bound in bundles, make agood hedge, but at all times a bad wall. One of its peculiarfeatures is what looks like a truncated and roofless oven; inthis swish cylinder they pound without soaking the date-kernelsthat feed their camels, sheep, and goats. A few youths, however, who remained in this apology for a "deserted village, " assistedus in night-fishing with the lantern; and they brought from theadjoining reefs the most delicate of shell and scale fish. Thebest were the langoustes (Palinurus vulgaris), the clawlesslobsters called crawfish (crayfish) in the United States, and theagosta or avagosta of the Adriatic: it was confounded by theEgyptian officers with "Abú Galambo, "[EN#103] the crab (Cancerpelagicus). The echinidae of various species, large-spined andsmall-spined, the latter white as well as dull-red, werepreserved in spirits. [EN#104] Amongst the excellent fish, theMarján (a Sciśna) the Sultan el-Bahr, the Palamita (Scomber), theMakli (red mullets, Mugil cephalus), and the Búri, were monstrousanimals, with big eyes and long beaks like woodcocks; some ofthese were garnished with rows of ridiculously big teeth. Ifailed to procure live specimens of small turtle, and yet thehuts were full of carapaces, all broken and eight-ribbed. Onespecies, the Sakar, supplies tortoise-shell sold at Suez for 150piastres per Ratl or pound; the Bísa'h, another large kindwithout carapace, is used only for eating: both are caught offthe reefs and islets. An eel-like water-snake (Marrína = MurśnaOphis) showed fight when attacked. The Arabs do not eat it, yetthey will not refuse the Shaggah, or large black land-snake. 

The enforced delay at Makná gave us the opportunity of makingcareful reconnaissances in its neighbourhood. During the lastspring I had heard of a Jebel el-Kibí't ("sulphur-hill") on theroad to 'Aynúnah, but no guide was then procurable. Shortly afterour return, a Bedawi named Jázi brought in fine specimens ofbrimstone, pure crystals adhering to the Secondary calcaire, andpossibly formed by decomposition of the sulphate of lime. If thisbe the case we may hope to find the mineral generally diffusedthroughout these immense formations; of course, in some placesthe yield will be richer and in others poorer. Furtherinvestigation introduced us, as will be seen, to two southerndeposits, without including one heard of in Northern Sinai. Alllie within a short distance of the sea, and all are virgin: theBedawin import their sulphur from the "Barr el-'Ajam, " thepopular name for Egypt, properly meaning Persia or any non-Arabland. Thus, in one important article Midian rivals, if notexcels, the riches of the opposite African shore, where for asingle mine thirty millions of francs have been demanded by wayof indemnity. 

Betimes on January 26th, a caravan of four camels, for the twoquarrymen and the guide, set off southwards, carrying sacks, tools, and other necessaries. They did not return till themorning of the third day; Jázi had lost the road, and the Bedawinrather repented of having been so ready to disclose theirtreasures. Of course, our men could not ascertain the extent ofthe deposits; but they brought back rich specimens whichdetermined me to have the place surveyed. Unfortunately I hadforgotten a sulphur-still; and the engineer vainly attempted toextract the ore by luting together two iron mortars, and byheating them to a red heat. The only result was the diffusion ofthe sulphur crystals in the surrounding gypsum. This discoverygave me abundant trouble; the second search-party was a failure;and it was not till February 18th that I could obtain asatisfactory plan of the northern Jebel el-Kibrít. 

At Makná I was much puzzled by the presence of the porous basalt, which had yielded to the first Expedition a veinlet of"electron"--gold and silver mixed by the hand of Nature. Theplutonic rock, absent from the Wady Makná, appears in scattersalong the shore to the north. Our friend Furayj knew nothingnearer than El-Harrah, the volcanic tract bounding the Hismá onthe east, and distant some five days' march. This was going toofar; querns of the same material, found in all the ruins, suggested a neighbouring outcrop. Moreover, during the lastspring, I had heard of a mining site called Nakhil Tayyib Ism, the "Palm-orchard (of the Mountain) of the Good Name, " in theso-called range to the north of Makná. 

Lieutenant Amir was despatched (January 27th) to seek for basalt, with a small dromedary-caravan, under the lead of Shaykh Furayj. After winding for about two hours along the shore, which is cutby the broad mouths of many a Wady; and whose corallines, grits, and limestones are weathered into the strangest shapes; he leftto the right (east) the light-coloured Jebel Sukk. On thesouthern side of the Wady (Sukk) which drains it to the sea, ahill of the porous stone which the Arabs call "Hajar el-Harrah"appeared. The specimens brought home, si vera sunt exposita, ifthey be really taken from an outcrop, prove that volcaniccentres, detached, sporadic, and unexpected, like those foundfurther north, occur even along the shore. As will afterwardsappear, another little "Harrah" was remarked by Burckhardt("Syria, " p. 522), about one hour and a quarter north of SinaiticSherm. He says, "Here for the first and only time, I saw volcanicrocks, " and he considers that their extension towards Ras Abú(?)Mohammed may have given rise to the name . 

Wellsted, [EN#105] who apparently had not read Burckhardt, makesthe same remark. The many eruptive centres in the limestones ofSyria and Palestine were discovered chiefly by my late friend, the loved and lamented Charles F. Tyrwhitt-Drake. It would beinteresting to ascertain the relation which they bear to tilegreat lines of vulcanism in the far interior, the Haura'n and theHarrah, subtending the coast mountains. And Dr. Beke, anotherfriend now no more, would have been delighted to know that his"True Mount Sinai" was not unconnected with a volcanic outbreak. 

Beyond the Wady Sukk, a bad rough path leads along the base ofthe Tayyih Ism Mountain; then the cliffs fall sheer into the sea, explaining why caravans never travel that way. Yet there was amaritime road, for we know that Abú Sufyán, on his way from Syriato fight the battle of "Bedr" (A. H. 2), passed by a roundaboutpath for safety, along the shore of Midian. Thus compelled, thetrack bends inland, and enters a Nakb, a gash conspicuous fromthe Gulf, an immense cańon or couloir that looks as if ready toreceive a dyke or vein. Curious to say, a precisely similarformation, prolonged to the south-west, cuts the cliffs south ofMarsá Dahab in the Sinaitic Peninsula. The southern entrance tothe gorge bears signs of human habitation: a parallelogram ofstones, 120 paces by 91, has been partially buried by a land-slip(?); and there are remnants of a dam measuring about a hundredmetres in length (?). About three hundred yards higher up, waterappears in abundance, and palm clumps grow on both sides of it. Here, however, all trace of man is wanting; the winter torrentsmust be dangerous; and there is no grass for sheep. The crevassenow becomes very wild; the Pass narrows from fifty to ten paces, and, in one section, a loaded camel can hardly squeeze through;whilst the cliff-walls of red and grey granite (?) tower some twothousand feet above the thread of path. [EN#106] Water which, asusual, sinks in the sand, is abundant enough in three otherplaces to supply a large caravan; and two date-clumps werepassed. Hence, if all here told be true, the "Nakhil(palm-plantation) Tayyib Ism" reported to the first Expedition. 

After covering sixteen miles in five hours, the caravan had notmade more than half the distance to the Bir el-Máshi, where asmall Marsá, or anchorage-ground, called El-Suwayhil ("the LittleShore") nestles in the long sand-slope between the mountainTayyib Ism and its huge northern neighbour, the Mazhafah block. From this "Well of the Walker, " a pass leads to the Wady Marsha', where, according to certain Bedawin, are found extensive ruinsand Bíbán ("doors"), or catacombs. The whole is, however, aninvention; our Sayyid had ridden down the valley during hisjourney to El-Hakl. 

On the next day another reconnaissance was made. I had been shownfine specimens of quartz from the Eastern highlands; moreover, abottle of "bitter" or sulphur-water from the Wady Mab'úg, the"oblique" or "crooked" valley, mentioned in "The Gold-Mines ofMidian, "[EN#107] had been brought to us with much ceremony. Thosewho tasted it, indeed, were divided as to whether it smacked moreof brimstone or of ammonia. Accordingly, Mr. Clarke andLieutenant Yusuf walked up the Wady Makná, and ascended theMab'úg, where the mineral spring proved to be a shallow pool ofrain-water, much frequented by animals, camels included. Searchfor the "Marú" was more successful: they found a network of veinsin the sandstone grits (?) of the Jebel Umm Lasaf; and they thusestablished the fact that the "white stone" abounds to the eastas well as to the south of Makná. 

Meanwhile we were working hard at the Jebel el-Fahísát, the greatdiscovery of the northern journey. I had been struck by the nameof the watercourse to the north of the hauteville, Wady MajráSayl Jebel el-Marú--"the Nullah of the Divide of the Torrent(that pours) from the Mountain of Quartz. " Moreover, a Makna'wilad, 'Id bin Mohsin, had brought in fine specimens of the Negroor iridescent variety, offering to show the place. Lastly, otherBedawi had contributed fine specimens of Marú, with the greycopper standing out of it in veins. On the evening of January27th we walked up the picturesque mouth of the Makná valley. After passing the conglomerate "Gate, " and the dwarf plantationson both sides above it, we reached in forty-five minutes the spotwhere the lower water, 'Ayn el-Fara'í, tumbles over rocks of gritand granite. On the left bank, denoted by a luxuriant growth ofrushes, is an influent called Sha'b el-Kázi, or "the Judge'sPass. "[EN#108] Ascending it for a few paces, we struck up thebroad and open Fiumara, which I shall call for shortness "WadyMajrá. " The main trunk of many branches, it is a smooth incline, perfectly practicable to camels; with banks and buttresses ofgreen-yellow chloritic sands, and longitudinal spines outcroppingfrom the under surface. It carries off the surplus water from thenorth-western slopes of that strange wavelike formation, theJebel el-Fahísát, which bounds the right (southern) bank of theWady Makná. Presently we sighted the Jebel el-Maru', thestrangest spectacle. The apex of the gloomy porphyritic trap is along spine of the tenderest azure-white, filmy as the finials ofMilan Cathedral, and apparently melting into thin air. Its crestseems abnormally tall and distant; and below it a huge grey vein, horizontal and wavy, cuts and pierces the peaklet of red rock;and is cut and pierced, in its turn, by two perpendicular dykesof porphyritic trap, one flanking the right and the leftshoulders of the low cone. When standing upon the hautevilleduring my first visit, I had remarked this "white Lady" of avein, without, however, attaching to it any importance. 

After a quarter of an hour's walk up the Wady Majrá, we came tothe sandy base of the rocky Fahísát; and climbed up atorrent-ladder with drops and stiff gradients, which werepresently levelled for the convenience of our quarrymen. A fewminutes' "swarming" placed us upon the narrow knife-like ridge ofsnowy quartz, so weathered that it breaks under the hand: this isthe aerial head which from below appears so far. The summit, distant from our camp about one direct mile and a quarter, gives355 degrees to the Gypsum-hill, Ras el-Tárah, on the shore; 358degrees to the palm-clump nearest the sea, and due north (360degrees, all magnetic) to the tents, which are well in sight. Thealtitude is about six hundred feet (aner. 29. 40). 

The view from this summit of the Fahísát is charming as it isextensive. Westward and broad stretching to the north-west liesthe fair blue gulf that shows, on its far side, the brokenmountains of the Sinaitic Peninsula. Northwards, at our feet, stretch the palm-groves of Makná, a torrent of verdure pouringtowards the shore. A little to the left, sheltered from theboreal wind by the white gypseous ridge, Ras el-Târah ("the Headthat surrounds"), and flanked at both ends by its triangularreefs, the Sharm Makná, the past and future port of the mines, supports the miniature gunboat no larger than a "cock, " and theSambúk dwarfed to a buoy. Beyond the purpling harbour, along theglaring yellow shore, cut by broad Wady-mouths and dotted hereand there with a date-clump, the corallines, grits, andsandstones are weathered to the quaintest forms, giant pins andmushrooms, columns and ruined castles. These maritime lowlandsare bounded on the north by heights in three distinct planes: thenearest is the Jebel Sukk, low and white; farther rises TayyibIsm, a chocolate-coloured mass studded with small peaks; whilethe horizon is closed by the grand blue wall, the Jebelel-Mazhafah. In places their precipices drop bluff to the sea;but the huge valley-mouths separating the two greater ridges, have vomited a quantity of sand, forming the tapering tongue andtip known as the "Little Shore. " Turning to the east and thesouth-east we have for horizon the Wady el-Kharaj (El-Akhraj?), backed by its immense right bank of yellow gypsum, which dwarfseven the Rughámat Makná, and over it we catch sight of the darkand gloomy Kalb el-Nakhlah, a ridge which, running parallel withand inland of the Fahísát, will be worked when the latter isexhausted. 

We at once recognized the value of this discovery when, reachingthe tents, we examined the quartz, and found it seamed and pittedwith veins and geodes containing Colorado, earthy and crumblingmetallic dust, chlorure, iodure, and bromure of silver, withvarious colours, red, ochre-yellow, and dark chocolate-brown. Itstained the fingers, and was suspiciously light--n'importe. Imust regret that here, as indeed throughout the exploration, allour specimens were taken from the surface: we had not time to digeven a couple of feet deep. The lad 'Id almost fainted with joyand surprise when the silver dollars were dropped into his hand, one by one, with the reiteration of "Here's another for you! andhere's another!" This lavishness served to stimulate cupidity, and every day the Bedawin brought in specimens from half a dozendifferent places. But the satisfaction was at its height when thecrucible produced, after cupellation, a button of "silver"weighing some twenty grammes from the hundred grammes of what thegrumbling Californian miners had called, in their wrath, "dashedblack dust;"[EN#109] and when a second experiment yieldedtwenty-eight grammes (each fifteen grains and a half) and tencentigrammes from 111 grammes, or about a quarter of a poundavoirdupois. In the latter experiment also, the culot came awaywithout the litharge, which almost always contains traces ofsilver and antimony. Hence we concluded that the proportions were30:110--a magnificent result, considering that 12-1/2:100 is heldto be rich ore in the silver mines of the Pacific States. [EN#110]The engineer was radieux with pride and joy. The yellow tint ofthe "buttons" promised gold--two per cent. ? Three per cent. ?Immense wealth lay before us: a ton of silver is worth 250, 000francs. Meanwhile--and now I take blame to myself--no one thoughtof testing the find, even by a blow with the hammer. 

Alas! THE "SPLENDID BUTTONS" PROVED TO BE IRON, CONTAINING ONLY TWO AND AHALF GRAMMES OF SILVER TO ONE HUNDRED KILOGRAMMES. [EN#111]

I can afford to make merry on the absurd mistake, which at thetime filled the camp with happiness. The Jebel el-Fahísát playedus an ugly trick; yet it is, not the less, a gloriousmetalliferous block, and I am sure of its future. 

The rest of our time at Makná was given to the study of thisdiscovery. The great quartz-wall or vein runs nearly due northand south, with a dip of 5 degrees west; it has pierced thesyenite, forming a sheet down one peak, spanning a second, andfinally appearing in an apparently isolated knob, that bore fromthe apex 215 degrees (mag. ) The upper part, like that of theJebel el-Abyaz, is apparently sterile: at a lower horizon itbecomes panaché; and at last almost all is iridescent--in fact, it is the Filon Husayn, still richer in veins and geodes. Thefilets and fibrils of dust are exposed to sight in the flanks, and near the base of the great quartz-vein: we should never havebeen able to remove the barren upper capping. 

Every day's work brought with it some novelty. The Jebel el-Mará, the centre or focus of the formation, was found to push out veinsto the north, extending within a few yards of the Wady Makná'smouth. Here, however, the quartz imbedded in grey granite appearscupriferous, producing fine grey copper (?); and the same is thecase to the east of the Fahísát block. Other green-tinged veinswere found bearing 205 degrees (mag. ) from our camp. There isalso a quartz-hill whose valley-drain, about a mile and a thirdlong, leads down to the sea, about two minutes' walk south of thesouthern clump of "tabernacles" occupied by the Maknáwis. Thedust is richest, as usual, at the walls where the vein is inimmediate contact with the heat-altered granites, whose redvariety, containing very little mica, becomes quasi-syenitic. Certain of the Expedition thought that the Fahísát showed signsof having been worked by the ancients: my eyes could see nothingof the kind. And here, as in other parts of our strange country, there is a medley, a confusion of different formations. 

On February 2nd, the day before we left Makná, the Arabs broughtin heavy masses of purple-black, metalliferous rock, scatteredover the gorges and valleys south of the Jebel el-Fahísát; whileothers declared that they could point out a vein in situ. Ourengineer declared it to be argentiferous galena, but it proved tobe magnetic iron. His assays were of the rudest: he broke atleast one crucible per day, lamenting the while that he had beensupplied with English articles, instead of creusets de Bourgogne. And no wonder! He treated them by a strong blast in a furiouscoal-fire without previous warming. His muffle was a wreck, andsuch by degrees became the condition of all his apparatus. However, as we sought, so we found: hardly a Bedawi lad in campbut unpouched some form of metallic specimens. The Shaykhsdeclared that the wealth of "Kárún" must have been dug here; andI vainly told them that the place of punishment of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram is still shown by Christians in the Convent of MountSinai. [EN#112]

On January 28th, after a ruddy and cloudy sunset, El-Ayli, the'Akabah wind, beginning at eleven p. M. , gave us a taste of hisquality. These northers are the Tyrants of the Gulf; which, comparatively unbroken by capes and headlands, allows them alltheir own way, carrying a strong swell, and at times huge waves, to meet the tide inflowing from the Red Sea. The storm began witha rush and a roar, as if it came from above. The gravel, strikingthe canvas, sounded like hail or heavy rain-drops; it then kickeddown at one blow the two large tents: they had been carefullypitched above the reach of water, when wind only was to beguarded against. Fortunately most of our goods were packed, inexpectation of embarking on the morrow; but the fall broke allthe breakables that were not under cover, and carried newspapersand pamphlets, including--again, alas!--the Reseau Pentagonal ofElie de Beaumont, over the plain southwards till arrested by theheights of Jebel el-Fahísát. This Bora, as it would be called onthe Adriatic, makes the air exceptionally cold and raw beforedawn: it appears to abate between noon and sunset, and it is mostviolent at night: it either sensibly increases or lessens inturbulence with moonrise; and it usually lasts from three toseven days. We rigged up one of the native huts with the awningof a tent, till it looked very like a Gypsy dwelling, and inpatience we possessed our souls, grumbling horridly like Britons. 

Poor Captain Mohammed of the Mukhbir, who had already escaped oneshipwreck, was in mortal terror: he at once got up steam, andkept his weary vigil all night. He was perfectly safe, as thenorthern reef, under which the Sambúk Musahhil rode easily as ifin smooth water, and the headland, Ras el-Tárah, formed acomplete defence against the Aylí, while the natural pier to thesouth would have protected him from its complement, the Azyab or"south-easter. " But it would have been very different had thestorm veered to the west, and the terrible Gharbi set in. Theport of Makná, which has been described in "The Gold-Mines ofMidian, "[EN#113] can hardly be called safe; on the other hand, its floor has not been surveyed, and a single brise-lame seawardswould convert it into a dock. I should propose a gallegiante, afloating breakwater, tree-trunks in bundles strongly boundtogether with iron cramps and bands, connected by stout rings andstaples and made fast by anchors to the bottom. And, at any rate, on the Sinaitic shore opposite, at the distance of thirteenknots, there is, as will appear, an admirable harbour of refuge. 

Next day the cloud-veil lifted; and the mountains of Sinai andMidian, which before had been hidden as if by a November fog inLondon, again stood out in sharp and steely blue. I proposed toboard the gunboat. Afloat we should have been much morecomfortable than ashore in the raw, high, and dusty-laden wind. The Egyptian officers, however, quoted the unnautical Fellah'sfavourite saws, El-barro birr li-Ahlihi--"Earth is a blessing tothose upon her"--Zirtat el-Jimál, wa lá tasbíh el-Samak--"Theroar of the camels and not the prayer[EN#114] of the fish;" andthe sailors' saying, Kalb el-Barr, wa lá Sabá el-Bahr--"Better bea dog ashore than a lion afloat. " The public voice was decidedlyagainst embarking; so two more days of gale were spent in addingto our collection of mineralogy. On the other hand, the Sayyidand the three Shaykhs were anxious for a speedy return toEl-Muwaylah, where the Hajj-caravan was expected on Safar 10 (=February 11th), and where their presence would be officiallyrequired. 

On the last day of January I boated off to the Mukhbir severaltons of the specimens collected during the northern march;including the iron, the sulphur, and the fine white gypsum, crystalline and amorphous, which forms the Rughámat MaknáLieutenant Yusuf and M. Philipin were directed to remain in campuntil they should have collected and placed upon the seashore, ready for embarkation on our return, one ton of white quartz, three tons (= one cubic metre) of the iridescent variety, andfour boxes half full of the "silver" (iron) dust whose veins andpockets seam the Negro. They were also to wash in the cradle twotons of the pounded Cascalho (conglomerate gravel); one ton ofthe green-yellow chloritic or serpentine sand forming the undersurface of the Wady Makná, reduced to four Girbahs or"water-sacks;" and five tons of the dark metal (not argentiferousgalena). After that they were to visit the northern Sulphur-hill;estimate its contents, trace, if possible, its connection withadjoining formations; map the country and prospect for wood, water, and harbour. Lastly, they were ordered to march with thewhole camp, including our mules, upon El-Muwaylah, and there toawait my return. 

The three normal days of El-Aylí had come and gone; still theFortuna[EN#115] did not fall. The water, paved with dark slate, and domed with an awning of milky-white clouds, patched here andthere with rags and shreds of black wintry mist that pouredwestward from the Suez Gulf, showed us how ugly the Birkat'Akabah can look. As in Iceland also, the higher rose thebarometer, the higher rose the norther; the latter being a colddry wind is, consequently, a heavy wind. And when the sky wascomparatively clear and blue, the display of cirri wasnoticeable. In some places they formed filmy crosses and threadylozenges; in others the wrack fell into the shape of the letterZ; and from the western horizon the curl-clouds shot up thinrays, with a common centre hid behind the mountains of Sinai, affecting all the airs of the sun. 

Before leaving Makná I must give an account of its peculiartribe, concerning which "The Gold-Mines of Midian"[EN#116]contained sundry inaccuracies. These men are not the "pauperdescendants of the wealthy Midianites; they cannot boast ofancient race or of noble blood; and their speech differs innothing from that of the Arabs around them. There can be nogreater mistake than to suppose that they represent in any waythe ancient Nabathćans. In features, complexion, and dress theyresemble the half-settled Bedawin around them; and, like these, they show a kind of connection with the Sinaitic tribes. TheMagáni, [EN#117] to whom only the southern clump of huts at Maknábelongs, call themselves Fawá'idah, Zubáidah, and Ramázání, afterfamilies of the Juhayni stock; and the Fawá'idah have, bydescent, some title to the name. They are, however, considered tobe Khaddamín ("serviles"), like the Hutaym race, by theirneighbours, who give tile following account of their origin. 

An Egyptian silk-seller, who accompanied the Hajj-caravan, happened to fall asleep at Kubázah, between the stations of'Aynúnah and Magháir Shu'ayb. His companions went their ways, andhe, like a "bean-eater" as he was, fearing to follow them alone, made for Makná. Having married and settled there, and seeing inthe fertility of the soil a prospective spec. , he sent to hisnative country for Fellahín--cultivateurs and peasants--who werecollected from every part of Pharoah-land and its neighbourhood. The new-comers were compelled to pay one-half of their harvest, by way of El-Akháwah ("the brother-tax"), in token ofsubjugation, to the Beni 'Ukbah, the owners of the soil. Theyhave gradually acquired Milk ("legal title") to the ground. According to some, they first settled at Makná in the days of theBeni 'Amr, whom they subsequently accompanied to the Hismá, whenflying from the victorious Musálimah. After peace was patched up, they were compelled to make over one-fourth of the date-harvestas El-Akháwah to the 'Imrán-Huwaytát and to the Ma'ázah; whilstthe Tagaygát-Huwaytát claimed a Bursh, or "mat of fine reeds, " asa poll-tax from every head of man. Under these hard conditionsthey are left unmolested; and everything taken from them isrestored by the Shaykhs who receive tribute. They have no chief, although one Sálim ibn Juwayfili claims the title. 

Before 1866 the Magáni numbered about a hundred tents: the WadyMakná was then, they say, a garden; and its cultivators wereremarkable for their goodness and hospitality to strangers. Butin that year a feud with the Beni 'Ukbah was excited, as oftenhappens, by the belli teterrima causa; the women quarrelled withone another, saying, "Thy husband is a slave to my husband, " and so forth. The littletribe, hoisting two flags of red and white calico with greenpalm-fronds for staves, dared the foe to attack it; after a lossof four killed and sundry wounded, all ran away manfully, leavingtheir goods at the mercy of the conqueror. Shaykh Hasan el-'Ukbíwas assisted by the Ma'ázah in looting the Magáni huts, and incarrying off the camels, while Shaykh Furayj vainly attemptedconciliation. Shortly afterwards the Maknáwis went in a body tobeg aid from Hammád el-Sofi, Shaykh of the Turábín tribe, whichextends from Ghazzah (Gaza) westwards to Egypt. Marching with ahost of armed followers, he took possession of the palm-hutsbelonging to the Beni 'Ukbah, when the owners fled in turn, leaving behind their women and children. Furayj hastened from'Aynúnah to settle the quarrel; and at last the Sofi said to him, "Whilst I protect the Magáni, do thou protect the Beni 'Ukbah. "Whereupon the latter returned from their mountain-refuge toEl-Muwaylah. The Magáni at the present time are mostly campedabout 'Aynúnah; and only some fifteen head, old men, women, andboys, who did not take part in the fight, and who live byfishing, remain at Makná under the protection of the Beni 'Ukbah. Hence the waters are waste and the fields are mostly unhoed. 

Such is the normal condition of Arabia and the Arabs. What onedoes the other undoes; what this creates, that destroys. Professor Palmer tells us, "Another misconception is that allArabs are habitual thieves and murderers. "[EN#118] Fear of theterrible vendetta, the blood feud and the blut-geld, amounting toabout eight hundred dollars, prevents the Bedawin, here aselsewhere, slaying any but strangers. The traveller's experience, however, was chiefly of the Towarah or Sinaitic Bedawin, a racewhich, bad as bad could be in the early quarter of the presentcentury, has been thoroughly tamed and cowed by the "fear ofAllah and the Consul. " And the curse pronounced by the Jewsagainst their brother Ishmael, "his hand shall be against everyman, " etc. , must, as was known even in the days of Gibbon, betaken with many a grain of salt. 

Yet the Bedawin of Midian have till late years been a turbulent"mixed multitude, " and are ready to become troublesome again. Itis only by building forts and by holding the land militarily, that the civilized can hope to tame this vermin. I repeat, however, my conviction that the charming Makná Valley is fated tosee happy years; and that the Wild Man who, when ruled by an ironhand, is ever ready to do a fair day's work for a fair wage(especially victuals), will presently sit under the shadow of hisown secular vines and fig-trees. 

About midnight on February 2nd, the tempestuous northerly gale, which had now lasted four days and five nights, ceased almostsuddenly: the signs of the approaching calm were the falling ofthe mercury, the increased warmth of the atmosphere, and theshifting of the wind towards the east. All hailed the change withjoy. The travellers looked forward to ending theirperegrinations, while the voyagers, myself included, hoped safelyto steam round the Gulf el-'Akabah, and to trace, as correctly aspossible, the extent, the trend, and the puissance of thequartz-formations. At Cairo Mr. Consul Rogers told me he hadfound them in large quantities veining the red grits of Petra;and I thought it possible that the "white stone" may extend underthe waters of 'Akabah into the peninsula of Sinai. 

 Chapter VII. Cruise from Maknáto El-'Akabah. 

This "Red Sea in the Land of Edom" (1 Kings ix. 26) is still, asWellsted entitles it, "a vast and solitary Gulf. " It bears aquaint resemblance to that eastern fork of the northern Adriatic, the Quarnero, whose name expresses its terrible storms; while theSuez branch shows the longer stretch of the Triestinebifurcation. Yamm Elath or Eloth, as the Hebrews calledEl-'Akabah, has, by the upheaval of the land, lost more of itsfair proportions than its western sister. It was at one time theembouchure of the Jordan, extending up the Wady el-'Arabah to theAsphaltite Lake (Dead Sea), before the former became, so tospeak, a hill and the latter a hole. This view dates from oldentimes. "Si suppone, " says Cornelius ŕ Lapide, [EN#119] "che sia unsollevamento che accadde, mentre un abbassamento formava il MarMorto; e che il Giordano si gettasse nel Golfo Elanitico (YammAilath), ciň é nel Mar Rosso, prima della destruzione di Sodoma. "For the latter date we have only to read, "When a movement ofdepression sank the lower Jordan Valley, and its presentreservoirs, the Tiberias Lake and the Dead Sea, to their actuallevel. " There is nothing marvellous nor unique in the feature, asit appears to those suffering from that strange malady, "HolyLand on the Brain. " The Oxus and the Caspian show an identicalformation, only the sinking has been on a smaller scale. 

Wellsted was unfortunate, both in his weather and in his craft. To encounter a "sea of breakers" and "northerly gales with a highand dangerous swell" in a wretched "bugalá" (i. E. Sambúk), and inthat perfect tub, the Palinurus, was somewhat like temptingProvidence, --if such operation be possible. No wonder that "inthis Gulf, in a course of only ninety miles, the nautical mishapswere numerous and varied. " The surveyor, however, neglected amatter of the highest interest and importance, namely, toascertain whether there be any difference of level between theheads of the Suez and the 'Akabah waters. The vicinity ofcontinuous maritime chains, varying from six to nearly ninethousand feet, suggests an amount of attraction (theoretically)sufficient to cause a sensible difference of plane. It would bewell worth while to run two lines of survey, one from El-'Akabahto Suez, and the other down the eastern flank of the SinaiticPeninsula. 

The Mukhbir, like the Palinurus, promised a certain amount ofexcitement. Her boiler, I have said, was honeycombed; it was easyto thrust one's fist through it. Mr. David Duguid, the engineer, who on one occasion worked thirty-six hours at a stretch, hadapplied for sixty new tubes, and he wanted one hundred and fifty:we began with two hundred and forty; we lost, when in the Gulf, from three to nine per diem, a total of seventy five; and thework of the engine-room and the ship's carpenters consisted inplugging fractures with stays, plates, and wedges. Presently thesteam-gauge (manomčtre) gave way, making it impossible toregister pressure; the combustion chamber showed a rent ofeighteen inches long by one wide, the result of too rapidcooling; and, lastly, the donkey-engine struck work. Under thesehappy circumstances bursting was not to be expected; breakingdown was, a regular collapse which would have left us like a logupon the stormy waves. A new boiler might have cost, perhaps, Ł900, and the want of one daily endangered a good ship whichcould not be replaced for Ł9000. I therefore determined upon a"Safer Khoriyyah, " that is, steaming by day and anchoring atnight in some snug bay. It was also agreed, nem. Con. , to tow theSambúk El-Musahhil, in order that, should accidents happen, itmight in turn act tug to the steamer; or even, at a pinch, serveus as a lifeboat. 

Nothing becomes Makná better than the view on leaving it. Avaried and attractive picture this, with the turquoise-blue ofthe deep water, the purple and leek-green tints of the shoaly andsandy little port, and the tawny shore dotted by six distinctpalm-tufts. They are outliers of the main line, yon flood ofverdure, climbing up and streaming down from the high, dry, andbarren banks of arenaceous drift, heaped up and filmed over bythe wind, and, lastly, surging through its narrow "Gate, " withthe clifflets of conglomerate forming the old coast. Add thebluff headland of the Ras el-Tárah to the north of the harbour, and behind it the Rughámat Makná, the greenish-yellow, flat-backed "horse" of Madyan, which, shimmering in the sunsetwith a pearly lustre, forms the best of landmarks. Finish to thesouth of the Wady with the quaint chopping outlines of the Jebelel-Fahísát, resembling from afar a huge alligator lying on thewater; with the similar but lower forms to the north of thevalley, both reflected in the Jibál el-Hamrá (the Red Hills), whose curtains of green-black trap are broken by sheets of dulldead-white plaster. Cap the whole with the mighty double quoin ofgypseous Jebel el-Kharaj, buttressing the eastern flank of itsvalley, and with the low, dark metal-revetted hills of the Kalbel-Nakhlah, a copy of the Fahísát. Throw in the background, slowly rising as you recede from the shore, a curtain of plutonicpeaks and buttresses, cones, quoins, cupolas, parrot-beaks; withevery trick of shape, from the lumpy Zahd to the buttressed andpinnacled 'Urnub; with every shade of mountain-tint betweenlapis-lazuli and plum-purple. Dome the whole with that marvelloustransparent sky, the ocean of the air, that spreads lovelinessover the rugged cheek of the Desert; and you have a picturewhich, though distinctly Arabian, you can hardly expect to see inArabia. 

From the offing, also, we note how the later formations, graniteand syenite, seamed with a network, and often topped by cones, ofporphyritic trap, have upthrust, pierced, and isolated the olderSecondaries. We traced this huge deposit of sulphates andcarbonates of lime from the southern Wady Hamz, through theislets at the mouth of the Birkat 'Akabah, all along the shore ofNorth Midian. Here it crosses diagonally the northern third ofthe 'Akabah Gulf, and forms the north-eastern base of theSinaitic Peninsula; whilst eastward it stretches inland as far asMagháir Shu'ayb. The general disposition suggests that before theupheaval of the Gháts, the Jibál el-Tihámah, this vast gypseoussheet was a plain and plateau covering the whole country, till amovement of depression, caused by the upheaval of the igneousmountains, sank in it the Gulf of 'Akabah. At present the surfaceis here flat, there hilly like huge billows breaking mostly tothe north, and reaching an altitude of twelve hundred feet abovethe surface. Hence the lines stretching north-south, the Fahísát, the Red Hills, and the Kalb el-Nakhlah, look like so manyvolcanic island-reefs floating in a sea of greenish-yellowSecondaries. 

Like the old Irish post-horse, the difficulty and danger of our"kettle" consisted in starting it: two tubes at once burst, and anew hole yawned in the boiler; moreover, our anchor had beenthrown out in a depth of seventy-three feet. Enfin! At nine a. M. (February 3rd) we stood straight for the Sinaitic shore, distantthirteen miles (direct geographical), and in three hours we madethe Sharm, Marsá or Minat el-Dahab--the "Golden Anchorage, Cove, or Port. "[EN#120] Another hour was spent in steaming southwardsto the Dock-harbour, wrongly so called in the charts; the pilots, and the many Sambúks that take refuge in it, know the place onlyas Mínát Ginái (Jinái). The northern baylet, preferred whensoutherly winds blow, is simply the embouchure of the Wady Dahab("Fiumara of Gold"). The name is properly applied to thesub-maritime section of the valley draining the eastern flanks ofthe so-called Mount Sinai. This great watercourse breaks throughthe Gháts which, always fringing similar peninsulas, peak to thesouth. It reaches the Gulf at a shallow sag marked by a line ofpalms, the centre of three: they are fed by their severalNullahs, and are watered with the brackish produce of sundrywells. The statio malefida is defended to the north by a shortsandspit and a submerged reef; and southwards by a projection ofsandstone conglomerate. The latter, running from north-east tosouth-west, subtends this part of the coast, and serves to buildup the land; after a few years the débris swept down by thewatercourses will warp up the shallows, dividing shore fromoutlier. Such, in fact, seems to be the general origin of thesesandspits; beginning as coralline reefs, they have been coveredwith conglomerates, and converted into terra firma by the rubbishshot out by the Wady-mouths. 

The southern port, "Ginái, " is formed by a bend in the reef whichsweeps round from east to south-west like a scorpion's tail. Thenatural sea-wall, at once dangerous and safety-giving, protects, to the south and south-east, diabolitos of black rock visibleonly at high tide: inshore the sickle-shaped breakwater runs byeast to south-west, becoming a "sandy hook, " and enclosing abasin whose depth ranges from seven to twelve fathoms. Itsapproach from the south is clean; and the western opening isprotected by the tall screen of coast cliffs, the Jebel el-Ginái, whose deep-black porphyritic gorge seemingly prolongs that ofMidianite Tayyib Ism. This is a section of the Jibál el-Samghi, the coast-range which extends as far north as the Wady Wati'r. The Dock-port, so useful when the terrible norther blows, has anadmirable landmark, visible even from Sináfir Island, andconspicuous at the entrance of the Gulf. Where the sandy slopesof South-Eastern Sinai-land end, appears a large white blot, apparently supporting a block, built, like a bastion, upon a tallhill of porphyritic trap. We called this remnant of materialharder than the rest, Burj el-Dahab--"the Tower Hill of Dahab. " Ihave been minute in describing the Golden Harbour: scant justicehas been done to it by the Hydrographic Chart, and it will provevaluable when the Makna' mines are opened. Ahmed Kaptán vainlyattempted soundings--he was too ill to work. Wellsted'sidentification of the site with Ezion-geber (ii. Ix. ), and thereef with the rock-ledge which wrecked Jehosaphat's fleet, hasone great objection--no ruins are known to exist near it. [EN#121]

The formation of this part of Sinai, as far as we can see fromthe shore, reflects, in wilder forms and more abrupt lines, theopposite coast of Midian: there is, however, the importantdifference that the Secondaries and the quartz-veins, there soimportant, are here wanting. The skeletons of mountain and hillappear as if prolonged under water. The ruddy syenite is dykedand veined by the familiar network of green-black porphyritictrap; the filons are disposed in parallels striking north-south, with a little easting; the dip is westerly (about 35 degreesmag. ), and the thickness extends to hundreds of feet, oftenforming a foundation for the upper cliff. The subaerial parts arethe same warty and pimply growth which appears on the other side. Nothing could be more wearisome to the Alpine climber than such acountry: he would scale the peaks and ridges for fifty feet, todescend thirty on the other side; and the frequent Wadys, ankle-deep in loose sand, generally end in steep stony couloirs. The watercourses, whose broad mouths are scattered with thingreen, contain pebbles and rolled quartzes, including finespecimens of the crystallized variety. 

We landed, after an hour's row in the gig, at the central or mainline of palms; and on the banks of Wady Dahab, here a full milewide, we found the works of man, like those of Nature, a copy ofMakná. The date trees and clumps are hedge-closed; two scattersof 'Ushash (tabernacles) show round towers of rough stone, brokenand patched with palm-frond; and, further north of the GoldenValley, a few old Arab graves have been weathered into mere heapsof large stones. These are the Kubur el-Nasárá ("Nazarene'sGraves") of Burckhardt, [EN#122] a name apparently forgotten bythe present generation. We vainly sought and asked after ruins:of old, however, "Dí'zahab" might have served to disembark cargowhich, by taking the land-route northwards, as the Christianpilgrims still do from El-Nuwaybi', would avoid the dangerousheadwaters of El-'Akabah. Nor could we believe withPococke[EN#123] that the place derived its name from the micashining like gold; his theory is stultified by the fact that micais by no means a prominent feature, even had the Ancients been soignorant as to be deceived by it. 

The people were by no means communicative. An elderly man, with ared turban and sword by side, hurried away from us when weaddressed him, leaving his middle-aged wife to follow with a babeon shoulder and a boy in hand: she also refused to speak, wavingher hand by way of reply to every question. At last asemi-civilized being, acquainted with the Convent of St. Catherine, Selím bin Husayn, of the Muzaynah tribe, satisfied ourcuriosity in view of tobacco, and offered a rudely stuffedibex-head for a shilling. In the evening our fishermen visitedthe reef, which supplied admirable rock-cod, a bream (?) calledSultan el-Bahr, and Marján (a Scićna); but they neglected thefine Sirinjah ("sponges"), which here grow two feet long. Thenight was dark and painfully still, showing nought but theyoungest of moons, and the gloomiest silhouettes of spectralmountains. 

We set out at seven a. M. On the next day, when an Azyab orsouth-easterly wind was promised by the damp air, the slaty sea, and the gloomy nimbi on the hill-tops. A small party landed aftertwo hours' steaming, in search of quartz, which proved to bechloritic sandstones and limestones. In the broad valley theyfound a few Muzayni families, with their camels, sheep, andgoats. These unfortunates had no tents, sleeping under the trees;they were desperate beggars, and, although half-starved, theyasked a napoleon for a kid, declaring that such was its price atthe quarantine station of Tor. Here the errors of theHydrographic Chart, which have been copied literally by thelatest and best popular books such as Professor Palmer's "Desertof the Exodus, " began to excite our astonishment. For instance, Ras Kusayr ("the Short One") becomes Ras Arser--what a name for aheadland! A good survey will presently become a sine quâ non. Unfortunately Ahmed Kaptán was suffering so much that I could notask him to make solar observations; while the rest of us hadother matters in hand. It was a great disappointment, where somuch useful work remains to be done. 

Hereabouts the sterile horrors of the hideous Sinaitic shore seemto reach their climax. The mountains become huge rubbish-heaps, without even colour to clothe their indecently nude forms; andeach strives with its neighbour for the prize of repulsiveness. The valleys are mere dust-shunts that shoot out their rubbish, stones, gravel, and sand, in a solid flow, like discharges oflava. And, as Jebel Mazhafah, on the opposite coast, is the apexof the visible eastern Gháts, so beyond this point the Sinaiticsea-chain of mountains begins to decline into mere hills, whilelonger sand-points project seawards. Such is the near, the realaspect of what, viewed from Makná, appears a scene in fairy-land, decked and dight in heavenly hues of blue and purple and rosylight--

 "Where the bald blear skull of the Desert With golden mountains is crowned. "

The first sign of a change of formation appeared near the "Lower(southern) Nuwaybi'" ("the Little Spring"), which the chart calls"Wasit. " Here the shore shows blots of dead-white and mauve-red, in which our engineer at once detected quartz. Seeing itprolonged in straight horizontal lines, and the red overlying thewhite, I suspected kaolin and the normal Tauá (coloured clays):my conjecture was confirmed on the next day. Hereabouts, Wellsted(ii. 151) also remarked the colouring of the hills, whichresemble those of "Sherm;" some of a deep-blue tinge, and othersstreaked with a brilliant red and violet. We then doubled a longsandspit running out to sea eastward, and forming, on the north, a deep bay well protected from the souther; whilst several linesof reef and shallow to the north defend it from the angry Bora. This anchorage is known to the pilots as "Wásit;" and it occupiesthe southern half of the bay, the northern half and itspalm-groves being called the "Upper Nuwaybi'. " About "Wásit" thedate-palms are scattered, and the large sand-drifts ever threatento bury them alive. Behind it yawns the great gash, "Wady Watír, "which shows its grand lines even from the opposite side of thegulf: this is the route by which Christian pilgrims from Syriamake the Sinai monastery, rounding on camels the northern end ofEl-'Akabah. The main valley receives from the north the Wadyel-'Ayn, which can be reached in half a day. From the south, distant one whole march, comes the Wady el-Hazrah. This isdoubtless the Hazeroth of the Exodus, meaning the fencedenclosures of a pastoral people; and a modern traveller figuresand describes it as "the most beautiful and romantic landscape inthe Desert. " At least, so said the lately shipped guide, Mabru'kibn Sulayyim el-Muzayni. 

After a run of six hours and thirty minutes (= thirty miles), wecast anchor off Wásit: there was nothing to see ashore, save somewretched Muzaynah, two males and three females, helpmates meetfor them, living like savages on fish and shell-molluscs;drinking brackish water, and sleeping in the "bush, " rather thantake the trouble to repair the huts. They have no sheep, but afew camels; and, by way of boats, they use catamarans composed oftwo palm-trunks: their home-made hooks resemble the schoolboy'scrooked pin. Yet these starvelings would not fetch specimens ofthe white stuff, distant, perhaps, two direct miles of cross-cut, seen near Nuwaybi', and still visible. They also refused, withoutpreliminary "bakhshísh, " to show or even to tell where certainruins, concerning which they spoke or romanced, are found intheir hills. And yet there are theologians who would raisePoverty, the most demoralizing of all conditions, to the rank ofan "ecclesiastical virtue. "

At 6 30 a. M. On the next day, the Mukhbir stood eastwards toavoid the northern reef. Presently we passed the "UpperNuwaybi', " a creeklet to the north-west of Wásit, with astraggling line of palms fed by the huge Wady Muzayríj. From thispoint to the 'Akabah head all the coast is clean of man. TheJibál el-Samghi now become the Sinaitic Jibál el-Shafah ("LipMountains"), the latter stretching northwards to the Hajj-road, and forming the western wall of the 'Arabah valley, whose namethey assume (Jibál el-'Arabah). The scene abruptly shifts. Amottle of clouds sheds moving shadows over the hill-crests, andrelieves them from the appalling monotony of yesterday. Brilliantrainbow hues, red, green, mauve, purple, yellow and white clays, gleam in the lowlands, and form dwarf bluffs; while inland, peering above the granites, the syenites, and the porphyries ofthe coast, pale quoins and naked cones again show the familiarSecondary formation of Midianitish Makná. We were not surprisedto hear that sulphur had been found in the gypsum of theseeastern Gháts of Sinai, when a Jebel el-Kibí't, approached by theWady Suwayr, was pointed out to us. The natural deduction is thatthe brimstone formation is, like the turquoise, the copper, andthe manganese, a continuation of the beds that gave a name toMafka-land; while the metalliferous strata round, inhorseshoe-form, the head of El-'Akabah, and run down the Arabianshore, till they become parallel with those subtending theseaboard of Africa. 

The view of the eastern or Midianite coast was even more variedand suggestive. Far inland, and tinged light-blue by distance, rose the sharp, jagged, and sawlike crests of El-Sharaf, underwhich the Hajj-caravan wends its weary way, thus escaping themountains which dip perpendicularly into the sea. Then come thebroad and sandy slopes, here and there streaked with dark ridges, spanned by the Sultáni or Sultan's high-road, and stretching fromthe Gulf to the inner heights. The latter are no longer a doubleparallel chain: they bend from south-south-east tonorth-north-west, and become the Jibál el-Shará', anciently"Mount Seir;" in fact, the eastern retaining-wall of the greatWady 'Arabah. Evidently they are primary, but a white and purplepatch, visible from afar, suggested a Secondary remnant. Severalof the peaks, especially the blue block El-Yitm, appeared to beof great height; we all remarked its towering stature and trifidheadpiece, apparently upwards of five thousand feet high, beforewe had heard the tale attached to it. Abreast of us and on theshore, lie the large inlet and little islet El-Humayzah: thesurveyors have abominably corrupted it to "Omeider. " North of ita palm grove, lining the mouth of a broad Wady which snakes highup among the sands and stones, denotes the Hajj-station, El-Hakl(Hagul), backed by tall arenaceous buttresses. 

After six hours (= twenty-two knots and a half), we anchored inthe deep channel, about three-quarters of a kilometre wide, thatseparates the Sinaitic mainland from the northern one of the onlytwo islands known in the 'Akabah Gulf, a scrap of rock crownedwith picturesque grey ruins. The Jezírat Fara'ún of the maps, theIsle of Pharaoh, concerning whom traditions are still current, itis known to the 'Akabites only as Jebel el-Kala'h or "Fort-hill:"hence El-Graa in Laborde, and Jezírat El-Q reieh inArconati. [EN#124] Burckhardt alone mentions that the ruins areknown as El-Dayr--"the Convent. " This human lair is encircled bybarrier-reefs of coralline, broad to the south-west and large inscattered places: eastward they form a shallow wall-like ledge, beyond which blue water at once begins. The island-formation isthat of the opposite coasts, Midian and Sinai, grey granite dykedwith decaying porphyritic trap, and everywhere veined with whiteand various-coloured quartzes. The shape is a long oval of aboutthree hundred and twenty by one hundred and fifty-two metres; asaddleback with two stony heads, the higher to the north, risinga hundred feet or so above sea-level. Pommel and cantle areconnected by a low seat, a few yards of isthmus; and the threedivisions, all strongly marked, bear buildings. The profile fromeast and west shows four groups: to the extreme north a tower, backed by the castle donjon, on the knob of granite here andthere scarped; the works upon the thread of isthmus; and thewalls and bastions crowning the southern knob, which, beinglower, is even more elaborately cut to a perpendicular. 

We landed upon the eastern side of the islet rock, where thetrunk of a broken mole is covered in rear by a ruined work. Here, being most liable to attack, the fortifications are strongest;whereas on the west side only a single wall, now strewn on theground, with square Burj at intervals, defends the littleboat-harbour. The latter appears at present in the shape of afish-pond, measuring sixty by forty metres; sunk below sea-level, fed by percolation, and exceedingly salt. To the east of thiswater, black cineraceous earth shows where the smith had been atwork: we applied the quarrymen to sift it, without other resultsbut bits of glass, copper, and iron nails. 

The pier leads to a covered way, enabling the garrison safely tocirculate round the base of the islet. Behind it a path, muchbroken and cumbered by débris of the walls, winds up the southernface of the northern hill, which supports the body of the place:it meets another track from the west, and a small work defendstheir junction. Below it, outside the walls, we found a well sunkabout eight feet in the granite, and cemented with fine lime, thered plaster in places remaining. Above this pit a Mihráb, orprayer-niche, fronting Meccah-wards (more exactly 175 degreesmag. ) shows the now ruinous mosque: the Bedawi declare that itwas built by a "Pasha. " Higher again, upon a terreplein, arelines of tanks laid out with all that lavishness of labour whichdistinguishes similar works in Syria: it is, however, difficultto assign any date to these constructions. The cisterns wereexplored by Mr. Clarke and Lieutenant Amir, who dug into andplanned them. They descended by ropes, although there are twoflights of steps to the west and the south-west. The tanks arebuilt up from the base with blocks one foot nine inches long:seven inches deep of rubbish were cleared away before reachingthe floor, composed of black stones bedded in layers of cementabove and below, and resting upon the ground-rock. The diggingsyielded only big pieces of salt fallen from the walls, and abroken handmill of basalt. The sides are supported by pilastersof cut stone, and the crown by four pillars in a double row: thedividing arches, according to the plan, are not symmetrical. Hardby, measuring twelve metres by twelve, is the quarry whence thestone was taken; and near it stands the normal Egyptianpigeon-tower, with its nest-niches. 

The donjon or body is defended by an enceinte, opening northwardsupon a large yard, where, doubtless, the garrison mustered, andwhence a flight of steps leads to the wicket. The inside of theworks shows the roofless party-walls still standing; and theground is scattered over with the remains of many differentraces: there are drums of columns and fragments of marblepillars, but no sign of an inscription. Even in the upperramparts two epochs are distinctly traceable, the medićval andthe modern. The lower ashlar, mostly yellow grit, is cut andcarefully cemented; the upper part is generally of rough drystone, the plutonic formations of the islet heaped up with scantycare. The embrasures are framed with decaying palm-trunks; theloop-holes belong partly to the age of archery; and nothing canbe ruder than the battlements placed close together, as if to bemanned by bowmen, while in not a few places there are the remainsof matting between the courses. At the highest part we foundanother carefully cemented Sehrij, or underground cistern, withtwo sharp-topped arches divided by a tall column, Saraceniccertainly and not Doric:[EN#125] above it a circular aperture, arched round with the finest bricks, serves to lighten thesuperstructure. It communicates to the north with a Hammám, whoseplan is easily traced by the double flues and earthenware tubes, well made and mortared together. Here we found inscribed on theplaster, "Arona Linant 22 Mars 1846. "

The southern knob of the islet supports similar but inferiorconstructions, still more ruinous withal: its quarry is on thelower slopes, and its granitic base has also been scarpedseawards. Two stout walls, twelve feet thick below and six above, crossing the length of the rock from north to south, here meet ina Burj which shows signs of fine tiles on an upper floor; whilsta third wall forms a southern spine bisecting the tail of the"Jezírat. " The castle is much more dilapidated than when sketchedby Ruppell, the first Frank who visited El-'Akabah, in 1826. Hisillustration (p. 214) of Ruinen auf der Insel Emrag shows asingle compact building in good preservation, the towers beinground, when all are square; and it is garnished with theimpossible foreground and background of his epoch; the former, enlivened with a Noah's-Ark camel, being placed quite close, whenit is distant some ten miles. In the German naturalist's time, the now desolate island was occupied by die Emradi, a tribe whichhe suspected to be Jewish, and of which he told the queeresttales: I presume they are the 'Imrám-Huwaytát of El-Hakl and theHismá. Wellsted's short description (II. Ix) is still correct asin 1838. 

The castle is evidently European, built during the days when theCrusaders held El-'Akabah; but it probably rests upon Romanruins; and the latter, perhaps, upon Egyptian remains of farolder date. It protected one section of the oldest overlandroute, when the islet formed the key of the Gulf-head. Itsubsequently became an eyrie whence its robber knights andbarons--including possibly "John, the Christian ruler of 'Akabah"(A. D. 630), and, long after him, madcap Rainald de Chatillon(A. D. 1182)--could live comfortably and sally out to plundermerchants and pilgrims. The Saracenic buildings may date, as thepopular superstition has it, from the reign of Saláh el-Dín(Saladin) who, in A. D. 1167, cleared his country of the Infidelinvader by carrying ships on camel-back from Cairo. Latergenerations of thieves, pirates, and fishermen naturally made ittheir refuge and abode. I hardly anticipate for it great thingsin the immediate future, although it has been proposed for acoal-depôt. 

After a day given to tube-tinkering with tompions, stays, plugs, plates, and wedges, to the distraction of the ship's carpenterand blacksmith, steam was coaxed up; and, at 9. 15 a. M. (February7th), we ran northwards through the deep narrow channel, roundingthe upper end of the Pharaohnic islet. Here the encircling wallis defended by two square Burj, to the north-east and to thenorthwest, flanking what is probably the main entrance. On theSinaitic mainland to port, the broad mouth of the Wady el-Masrileads to the Nakb, the rocky Pass which, so much dreaded tillrepaired by Abba's Pasha, is popularly said to be described inEl-'Akabah--"the Steep. " The Bedawin, however, declare that thelocale is so called because the Gulf here "heels" (Ya'kkabel-Bahr), that is, comes to an end. At the head of the sea, theconfused mass of the Sinaitic mountains range themselves in lineto the west, fronting its sister wall, the grand block El-Shará'(Seir); while in the middle lies the southern section of the"Ghor, " the noble and memorious Wady el-'Akabah, supposed to havegiven a name to Arabia. [EN#126] The surface-water still rollsdown it after rains; and the mirage veiling the valley-soleprolongs the Gulf-waters far to the north, their bed in the oldgeologic ages. The view was charming to us; for the first timesince leaving Suez we saw the contrast of perpendicular andhorizontal, of height and flat. Nothing could be more refreshing, more gladdening to the eye, after niente che montagne, as thepoor Italian described the Morea, than the soft sweeps and thelevel lines of the hollow plain: it was enjoyable as a heavyshower after an Egyptian summer. On the next day also, the playof light and shade, and the hide and seek of sun-ray andwater-cloud, gave the view a cachet of its own. I am sorry to seethat scientific geologist, Mr. John Milne, F. G. S. , [EN#127]proposing to cut through the two to five hundred feet ofelevation which separate the Gulf from the Dead Sea, somethirteen hundred feet below water level. Does he reflect that hesimply proposes to obliterate the whole lower Jordan? to buryTiberias and its lake about eight hundred feet under the waves?in fact, to overwhelm half the Holy Land in a brand-newnineteenth-century deluge, the Deluge of Milne?

All were delighted at having reached our northernmost point, without another visit from El-Ayli'. After one hour andthirty-five minutes (= seven miles) the Mukhbir anchored, intwelve fathoms of water, a couple of hundred yards off the fortand its dependent group of brown-grey mud buildings, halfconcealed by the luxuriant palms. The roads are safe enough: herethe north wind has not yet gained impetus; the south-easter isbluffed off by a long point; and in only the strongest Gharbí("westers") ships must run for refuge under the cliffs of Sinai. 

This is not the place to enter into the history of Elath, Ailat, Ailah, Ćlana, 'Akabah, or 'Akabat-Aylah: Robinson (i. 250-254)and a host of others give ample and reliable details. Suffice itto say that the site is mentioned in the Wanderings (Deut. Ii. 8), which must not be confounded with the Exodus. It issubsequently connected with the gold-fleet (I Kings ix. 26, etc. ); and, conquered by Rezin, king of Syria (B. C. 740), it waspermanently lost to the Jews (2 Kings xvi. 6). Under the Romans, this great station upon the "Overland" between the southernmostNabathćan port, Leukč Kóme, and Petra, the western capital, was aPrćsidium held by the Tenth Legion; and a highway connected itwith Gaza (Ghazzah), measuring one hundred and twenty directmiles, when the Isthmus of Suez numbers only ninety-five. InChristian times it had a prince and a bishop; and, under Mohammedand the early Moslems, it preserved an importance which lastedtill the days of the Crusaders. El-Makrízi describes its ruins, and here places the northern frontier of the Hejaz: in his day"Madyan" was thus a section of the Tihámat el-Hejaz, the maritimeregion of the Moslems' Holy Land. 

A group of camels had gathered on the shore; and inland lay a mobof pilgrims, the Hajj el-Magháribah, numbering some threethousand North-West Africans; an equally large division hadalready preceded them to Suez. Letters from Egypt assured us thatcholera had broken out at Meccah and Jeddah, killing in bothplaces ninety-eight per diem. Here the pilgrims swore by theirAllah that all were, and ever had been, in perfect health; it isevery man's business to ignore the truth, to hide the sick, andto bury the dead out of sight. Hard swearing, however, did notprevent the Hajj undergoing a long quarantine before enteringSuez. The English journals had reported another disaster: "Nowthat the Sultán's power is collapsing, the most powerful Bedaweentribes are rising because their subsidies are withheld. For weeksthe great pilgrim-traffic of autumn (? add the other threeseasons) was arrested by them; and even between Medina and Meccathe road is unsafe. " Of this I could hear nothing. 

We awaited, on board, the departure of the pauper and infected"Mogrebbins:" when the place was clear we fired a gun, and, afteran answer of three, I received the visits of the fort officials. They were civility itself; they immensely admired our two"splendid buttons" of poor iron; and they privily remarked, withmuch penetration, that the colour was that of brass: they were, in truth, far wiser than we had been. With them came Mohammed ibnJád (not Iját) el-'Alawí (of the 'Alawlyyin-Huwaytát), who styleshimself "Shaykh of El-'Akabah:" he is remarkable for frankcountenance, pleasant manners, and exceeding greed. He wasgorgeously arrayed in an overall ('Abáyah) of red silk and goldthread (Gasab), covering a similar cloak of black wool: besideswhich, a long-sleeved Egyptian caftán, striped stuff of silk andwool, invested his cotton Kamís and Libás ("bag-breeches"). Tohis A'kál or "fillet" of white fleecy wool hung a talisman; hisKhuff ("riding-boots") were of red morocco, and hissword-scabbard was covered with the same material. The Arab everloves scarlet, and all varieties of the sanguine hue are as dearto him as to the British soldier. 

We held sundry long confabs with Shaykh Mohammed, who seemed toknow the neighbourhood unusually well. He declared that therewere ruins but no trees at 'Ayn el-Ghadya'n, distant one day'smarch up the Wady el-'Arabah, and lying near the western wall. This is the place first identified by Robinson, who says nothingabout the remains, with Ezion-geber, while Dean Stanley ("Sinai, "etc. , p. 85) opines that we have no means of fixing the positionof the "Giant's shoulder-blade. "[EN#128] Josephus ("Antiq. , "viii. 6, 4) places it near Ćlana; and the present distance fromthe sea, like that of Heroopolis (Shaykh el-Ajrúd?) from Suez, may show the rise of the Wady el-'Arabah within historic times. The Shaykh assured us that "Marú" was to be found everywhereamong the hills east of El-'Akabah, and Mr. Milne (Beke, p. 405)brought from the very summit of the "true Mount Sinai" (Jebelel-Yitm) a "fine piece of quartz, the same kind of stone as theBrazilian pebbles of which they make the best spectacles. " Wecarried off a specimen of native copper from the Sinaitic Jebeland Wady Raddádí, some six hours to the north-west of the fort:it is found strewed upon the ground but not in veins (?). Thestone looked so new that we concluded it to be the work of latergenerations; and the traces of smelting furnaces at old Elathconfirmed the idea. 

Shaykh Mohammed, who boasted that his tribe could mount fivehundred horses--by which understand five--offered his safeguardto the Hismá, three easy marches, without pass or climax, up theWady Yitm to the east, and behind the range El-Shará'. He madethe region begin northwards at one day south of El-Ma'án, thefort lying to the east-south-east of Petra; and he confirmed theaccounts of Mabrúk, the guide, who was never tired of expatiatingupon its merits. The fountains flow in winter, in summer thewells are never dry; the people, especially the Huwaytát, arekind and hospitable; sheep are cheap as dirt. At Jebel Saur aMaghrabi magician raised a Kidr Dahab ("golden pot"); but, hisincense failing at the critical moment, it sank before yieldingits treasures. 

Pointing north-eastwards to the majestic pile in the Shara" orSeir Mountains, the Jebel el-Yitm, [EN#129] a corruption ofEl-Yatim, the Shaykh told us a tale that greatly interested us. It appears, I have said, a remarkable formation from whose groupof terminal domes and pinnacles the tomb of Aaron on Mount Horis, [EN#130] they say, visible; and it is certainly the highestvisible peak of the grand wall that forms the right bank of theWady Yitm. Thus it is but one of a long range; and the Bedawinvisit it, to make sacrifice, according to universal custom, atthe tomb of a certain Shaykh Bákir. Here, some years ago, came anold man and a young man in a steamer (Erin) belonging to hisHighness the Khediv: the former told the Arabs that in his booksthe height was called the Jebel el-Núr ("Mountain of Light"), atitle which apparently he had first applied to the Jebel el-Lauz;and the latter climbed to the mountain-top. After that they wenttheir way. 

I quite agree with my lamented friend, Dr. Beke, that it is anenormous blunder to transfer Midian, the "East Country, " to thewest of El-'Arabah, and to place it south of the South Country(El-Negeb, Gen. Xx. I). I own that it is ridiculous to make theLawgiver lead his fugitives into a veritable cul-de-sac, then acentre of Egyptian conquest. Evidently we have still to find the"true Mount Sinai, " if at least it be not a myth, pure andsimple. The profound Egyptologist, Dr. Heinrich Brugsch-Bey, observes that the vulgar official site lies to the south of andfar from the line taken by the Beni Israil, and that the papyrishow no route leading to it; whilst many have remarked that theSinai of the Exodus is described as a single isolated mountain orhill, not as one projection from a range of heights. [EN#131] Iwould also suggest that the best proof of how empirical is theactual identification, will be found in the fact that theJews--except only the Rev. Jos. Wolff (1821)--have never visited, nor made pilgrimages to, what ought to be one of their holiest ofholy places. This crucial point has been utterly neglected by theofficers of the Ordnance Survey of Sinai. It is evident thatJebel Serbal dates only from the early days of KopticChristianity; that Jebel Musá, its Greek rival, rose after thevisions of Helena in the fourth century; whilst the building ofthe convent by Justinian belongs to A. D. 527. Ras Sufsafah, itsrival to the north, is an affair of yesterday, and may be calledthe invention of Robinson; and Jebel Katerina, to the south, isthe property of Ruppell. Thus the oft-quoted legends of theSinaitic Arabs are mere monkish traditions, adopted byIshmaelitic ignorance. The great Lawgiver probably led his hordeof fugitive slaves over the plains of El-Negeb and El-Tih, northof the so-called Sinaitic mountain-blocks, marching in smalldivisions like those of a modern Bedawi tribe; and we know fromthe latest surveys that the land, now alternately a fiery orfrozen wilderness, was once well supplied with wood and water. The "true Mount Sinai" is probably some unimportant elevation inthe Desert named by moderns after the Wanderings. 

Dr. Beke, I am persuaded, is right in denying that Mount Sinaioccupies the site at present assigned to it; but I cannot believethat he has found it in the Jebel el-Yitm, near El-'Akabah. His"Mount Bárghir" is evidently a corruption of the "Wali" on thesummit, Shaykh Bákir--a common Arab name. His "Mountain of Light"is a term wholly unknown to the Arabs, except so far as theywould assign the term to any saintly place. The "sounds heard inthe mountain like the firing of a cannon, " is a legend applied totwo other neighbouring places. All the Bedawin still sacrifice atthe tombs of their Santons: at the little white building whichcovers the reputed tomb of Aaron, sheep are slaughtered andboiled in a huge black cauldron. The "pile of large roundedboulders" bearing "cut Sinaitic inscriptions" (p. 423) areclearly Wusúm: these tribal-marks, which the highly imaginativeM. De Saulcy calls "planetary signs, " are found throughoutMidian. The name of the Wady is, I have said, not El-Ithem, butEl-Yitm, a very different word. Lastly, the "Mountain Eretówa, "or "Ertówa" (p. 404), is probably a corruption of El-Taur(El-Hismá), the "inaccessible wall" of the plateau, which Dr. Beke calls Jebel Hismá. My old friend, with his usual candour andstraightforwardness, honestly admitted that he had been"egregiously mistaken with respect to the volcanic character of(the true) 'Mount Sinai. "' But without the eruption, the "fireand smoke theory, " what becomes of his whole argument?[EN#132]Save for the death of my friend, I should have greatly enjoyedthe comical side of his subject; the horror and disgust withwhich he, one of the greatest of geographical innovators, regardsa younger rival theory, the exodist innovation of Dr. HeinrichBrugsch-Bey. The latter is the first who has rescued the "Marchof the Children of Israel" from the condition of mere guessworkdescribed by the Rev. Mr. Holland. 

Under the guidance of our new acquaintances, we rowed to the siteof Elath, which evidently extended all round the Gulf-head fromnorth-east to north-west. Linant and Laborde ("Voyage de l'ArabiePetrée, " etc. , Paris, 1830) confine it to the western shore, nearthe mouth of the Wady el-'Arabah, and make Ezion-geber to face itas suggested by the writings of the Hebrews. Disembarking at thenorthern palm-clump, we inspected El-Dár, the old halting-placeof the pilgrim-caravan before New 'Akabah was founded. The onlyruins[EN#133] are large blocks under the clearest water, and offa beach of the softest sand, which would make the fortune of abathing-place in Europe. Further eastward lies an encloseddate-orchard called El-Hammám: the two pits in it are said to bewells, but I suspect the treasure-seeker. Inland and to the northrise the mounds and tumuli, the sole remains of ancient Elath, once the port of Petra, which is distant only two dromedarymarches. During rain-floods the site is an island: to the westflows the surface-water of the Wady el-'Arabah, and eastward thedrainage of the Wady Yitm has dug a well-defined bed. A line oflarger heaps to the north shows where, according to the people, ran the city wall: finding it thickly strewed with scoriae, oldand new, I decided that this was the Siyághah or "smiths'quarter. " Between it and the sea the surface is scattered withglass, shards, and slag: I inquired in vain for "written stones, "and for the petroleum reported to exist in the neighbourhood. 

Shaykh Mohammed declared that of old a chain stretched from thePharaohnic island-castle to the Jebel el-Burayj or Kasr el-Bedawion the Midianite shore: this chain is a lieu commun of Easternlegends. The "Bedawi's Castle" is mentioned by Robinson andBurckhardt ("Syria, " p. 510), as lying one hour south ofEl-'Akabah. Moreover, the Wady Yitm, whose upper bed shows tworuins, was closed, at the narrow above the mouth, by a fortifiedwall of stone and lime, thus cutting off all intercourse with theinterior. The Bedawin declare it to be the work of King Hadíd(Iron), who thus kept out the Bení Hilál of El-Nejd. We wereshown large earth-dams, thrown across the embouchure of thetorrent to prevent the floods injuring the palm-groves of New'Akabah. These may date from ancient days, when the old city hereextended its south-eastern suburb; as usual, they have become acemetery, modern and Moslem; and on the summit of the largest theholy Shaykh el-Girmí (Jirmí) still names his ruined tomb. 

Walking round the eastern bay, where the ubiquitous black sandstriped the yellow shore, we observed that the tide here risesonly one foot, [EN#134] whereas at Suez it may reach a metre and ahalf to seven feet. According to the chart, the springs attainfour feet at "Omeider" (El-Humayzah), some nineteen direct knotsto the south; and in the Sharm Yáhárr we found them about onemetre. Presently we entered, by wooden doors with locks and keys, the carefully kept palm-groves, walled with pisé and dry stone. Wells were being sunk; and a depth of nine to ten feet gavetolerably sweet water. Striking the broad northern trail whichleads to the Wady Yitm and to the upper El-'Arabah, still afavourite camping-ground of the tribes, [EN#135] we reached themodern settlement, which has something of the aspect of atownlet, not composed, like El-Muwaylah, of a single house. Thewomen fled at our approach, as we threaded the alleys formed bythe mud tenements. 

The fort[EN#136] is usually supposed to have been built bySulta'n Selim I. , in A. D. 1517, or three years before his death, after he had subdued the military aristocracy of the Mamlúks, whohad ruled Egypt for three centuries. Much smaller than that ofEl-Muwaylah, it is the normal affair: an enceinte once stripedred and white; curtains flanked by four Burj, all circular, except the new polygon to the north-west; and a huge, gloomymain-gateway fronting north, and flanked by two bastions. On theproper right side is a circle of stone bearing, without date, thename of "Sultán Selim Khan el-Fátih, " who first laid out thepilgrim-route along the Red Sea shore. Inside the dark cool porcha large inscription bears the name "El-Ashraf Kansúr(sic)[EN#137] El-Ghori, " the last but one of the CircassianMamlúk kings of Egypt, who was defeated and slain by the Turkishconqueror near Aleppo in A. D. 1501. Above it stand two stoneshields dated A. H. 992 (= A. D. 1583--1584). In the southern wallof the courtyard is the mosque, fronted by a large deep well dug, they say, during the building of the fort: it still supplies thewhole Hajj-caravan with warmish sweet water. On the ground lies agood brass gun with Arabic inscription and numerals; and thetowers, commanding the little kitchen-gardens outside thefort-wall, are armed with old iron carronades. The garrison, consisting of half a dozen gunners and a few Ba'sh-Buzuks, lookspale, bloodless, and unwholesome: the heats of summer are almostunsupportable; and 'Akabah has the name of a "little hell. "Moreover, they eat, drink, smoke, sleep, chat, quarrel, and nevertake exercise: the officers complained sadly that I had made themwalk perhaps a mile round the bay-head. And yet they have, withintwo days of sharp ride, that finest of sanitaria, the Hismá, which extends as far north and south as they please to go. 

I at once made arrangements for a dromedary-post to Suez, andwrote officially to Prince Husayn Pasha, requesting that hisHighness would exchange the Mukhbir for a steamer less likely todrown herself. Moreover, the delay at Magháir Shu'ayb hadexhausted our resources; and the Expedition required a month'sadditional rations for men and mules. The application was, itwill appear, granted in the most gracious manner, with as littledelay as possible; and my wife, who had reached Cairo, saw thatthe execution of the order was not put off till the end of March. Messrs. Voltéra Brothers were also requested to forward anotherinstalment of necessaries and comforts; and they were as punctualand satisfactory as before. For this postal service, and by wayof propitiatory present, Shaykh Mohammed received ten dollars, ofwhich probably two were disbursed. We therefore parted fastfriends, he giving me an especial invitation to his home in theHismá, and I accepting it with the firm intention of visiting himas soon as possible. 

Meanwhile Mr. Clarke and Ali Marie were busy with buying up suchstores as El-'Akabah contains; and the officers of the fort, whostayed with us to the last, were profuse in kind expressions andin little gifts which, as usual, cost us double their worth. Inthese lands one must expect to be "done" as surely as in Italy. What the process will be, no one knows till it discloses itself;but all experts feel that it is in preparation. 

NOTE ON THE SUPPLIES TO BE BOUGHT AT EL-'AKABAH. 

The following is a list of the stores with their prices. It mustbe borne in mind that the Hajj-caravan was passing at the time wevisited El-'Akabah. 

A large sheep cost half a napoleon; the same was the price of asmall sheep, with a kid. 

Fowls (seventy-one bought), thirteen pence each; pigeons, sixpence a head. 

Eggs (sixty), two for threepence. 

Tobacco (8 lbs. ), coarse and uncut, but welcome to the Bedawin, one shilling per pound. 

Samn ("liquefied butter" for the kitchen) also one shilling perpound. This article is always dear in Arabia, but much cheaperthan in Egypt. 

Pomegranates (fifty), four shillings a hundred. 

Onions (one kanta'r or cwt. ), one sovereign. 

Thin-skinned Syrian raisins, fivepence per pound. 

Dried figs, twopence halfpenny per pound. 

Matches (sixteen boxes), three halfpence per box. 

A small quantity of grain may be bought. Lentils (RevalentaArabica) are to be had in any quantity, and they make anadmirable travelling soup. Unfortunately it is supposed to be afood for Fellahs, and the cook shirks it--the same is the casewith junk, salt pork, and pease-pudding on board an Englishcruiser. Sour limes are not yet in season; they will be plentifulin April. A little garden stuff may be had for salads. The listof deficiencies is great; including bread and beef, potatoes, 'Ráki, and all forms of "diffusable stimulants. "

Here, as at Cairo, the piastre is of two kinds, metallic (debasedsilver) and non-metallic. Government pays in the former, which iscalled Ságh ("coin"); and the same is the term throughout Egypt. The value fluctuates, but 97-1/2 may be assumed = one sovereign(English), and one hundred to the Egyptian "lira. " The secondkind, used for small purchases, is not quite half the value ofthe former (205:100); in North-Western Arabia it is called Abyas("white"), and Tarífá ("tariff"); the latter term in Cairo alwayssignifying the Ságh or metallic. The dodges of the Shroffs, or"money-changers, " make housekeeping throughout Egypt a study ofarithmetic. They cannot change the value of gold, but they "rush"the silver as they please; and thus the "dollar-sinko" (i. E. Thefive-franc piece), formerly fetching 19. 10, has been reduced to18. 30. The Khurdah, or "copper-piastre, " was once worth apiastre; now this "coin of the realm" has been so debased, thatit has gradually declined through 195 to 500 and even 650 for thesovereign. Moreover, not being a legal tender, it is almostuseless in the market. 

As regards the money to be carried by such expeditions, anythingcurrent in Egypt will do. The Bedawin prefer sovereigns whenoffered five-franc pieces, and vice versa. The Egyptian sovereignof 100 piastres (metallic) or 250 "current" must not beconfounded with the Turkish = 87. 30 (curr. 175. 20 to 180). Thenapoleon averages 77. 6 (curr. 160); the dollar varies accordingto its kind; the shilling is 3. 35 (curr. 10), and the franc 3. 35(curr. 8). It is necessary to lay in a large quantity of smallchange by way of "bakhshísh, " such as ten and twenty parah bits(40 = 1 piastre). 

 Chapter VIII. Cruise from El-'Akabah to El-Muwaylah--the Shipwreck Escaped–Résumé of the Northern Journey. 

I resolved upon hastening back with all speed to El-Muwaylah, finishing, by the way, our work of quartz-prospecting on the'Akabah Gulf. Thus far it had been a success; we heard of "Marú"in all directions. But all had not gone equally well. We hadalready on two occasions been prevented by circumstances fromvisiting the mysterious Hismá, and we now determined to devoteall our energies to its exploration. 

Two heavy showers having fallen during the dark hours, onFebruary 8th Aurora looked as if she had passed a very bad nightindeed. The mist-rack trailed along the rock slopes, and restedupon the Wady-sands; the mountains veiled their heads in clouds, and--

 "Above them lightnings to and fro ran coursing evermore, Till, like a red, bewildered map, the skies werescribbled o'er. "

Meanwhile, in the north-west and south-west we saw--rare thing inArabia!--Iris holding two perfect bows at the same time, not tospeak of "wind dogs. " Zephyrus, the wester, here a noted badcharacter, rose from his rocky couch strong and rough, beatingdown the mercury to 56 degrees F. : after an hour he made way forEurus; and the latter was presently greeted by Boreas in one ofhis most boisterous and blustering moods. 

We steamed off, with only a single stoppage for half an hour tocool the engine-bearings, at 7. 30 a. M. ; and, after one mile wepassed, on the Arabian side, a ruin called Kasr el-Bint--"theGirl's Palace. " Beyond it lies the Kasr el-Bedawi, aliasEl-Burayj ("of the Little Tower or Bastion"), the traditionalholding-pier of the great chain. When Wellsted (ii. 146) says, "Here (i. E. At the Kasr el-Bedawi), I am told, there is a chainextending from the shore to a pier built in the sea"--heevidently misunderstood the Arabs. The eastern coast ofEl-'Akabah begins with an abrupt mountain-wall, like that whichsubtends the whole of the Sinai shore, till it trends south ofthe Mí'nat el-Dahab. After three miles the heights fall into astony, sandy plain, which rises regularly as a "rake, " orstage-slope, to the Shará' (Seir) range, which closes thehorizon. After two hours and forty five minutes we passed intothe fine, open, treacherous Bay of "Hagul" (El-Hakl), distantthirteen knots from El-'Akabah Fort, to which it is the nearestcaravan-station. On the north-east, and stretching eastward, arethe high "horse, " or dorsum, and the big buttresses of the long, broad Wady, which comes winding from the south-east. They appearto be a body of sand; but, as usual on this coast, thesuperficial sheet, the skin, hardly covers the syenite andporphyritic trap that form the charpente. Between west and south, a long spit, high inland, and falling low till where itssandstone blufflet meets the sea, proves to be the base of alarge and formidable reef, which extends in verdigris patchesover the blue waters of the bay. It is not mentioned by Wellsted(ii. 149), who describes "Ha'gool on the Arabian shore, " as "asmall boat-harbour much exposed to the northerly winds. " Theembouchure of the Wady nourishes four distinct clumps ofdate-trees, well walled round; a few charred and burnt, the mostof them green and luxuriant. These lines are broken by thechannels which drain the surface water; and between the twowestern sections appear the ragged frond-huts. Not a soul wasseen on shore. 

The wind blew great guns outside the bay, and the inside provedanything but calm. As the water was fifty-eight fathoms deep nearthe coast, our captain found no moorings for his ship, except tothe dangerous reef; and we kept drifting about in a way whichwould have distracted sensitive nerves. I had been told of ruinsand tumuli at El-Hakl, which denote, according to mostauthorities, the Mesogeian town (Ancale): Ptolemy(vi. 7, 27) places this oppidum Mediterraneum between Mákna orMaína (Madyan), and Madiáma (Magháir Shu'ayb), the old capital. 

Unwilling, however, to risk the safety of the gunboat, wherenothing was to be expected beyond what we had seen at El-'Akabah, I resolved, after waiting half an hour, not to land. The Sambúkreceived a cargo of quarrymen and sacks, in order to ship atMakná the "argentiferous galena" and other rocks left byLieutenant Yusuf and M. Philipin upon the shore; and, that done, she was directed to rejoin us at Tírán Island. As long as thenorther coursed high, she beat us hollow; in the afternoon, however, when the gale, as usual, abated, she fell off, perhapspurposely, not wishing to pass a night in the open. By sunset herwhite sail had clean disappeared, having slipped into some snugcove. 

The Arabian shore is here of simpler construction than that ofSinai; consequently the chart has had a better chance. TheMukhbir resumed her way southwards in glorious weather, a freshbreath blowing from the north; and fleecy clouds variegating thesky, which was almost as blue as the waves After six miles and ahalf from El-Hakl and nearly twenty from El-Akabah, she ran tothe west of El-Humayzah Island, the "Omasír" of Wellsted (ii. 149), between which and the mainland is a well sheltered berth. It is a great contrast with the "Hill of the Fort, " thePharaohnic rock, this lump some eighty feet high, built ofSecondary gypsum and yellow serpentine like the coast behind it. Gleaming deadly white, pale as a corpse in the gorgeous sunshine, and utterly bare, except for a single shrub, it is based upon abroad, dark-coloured barrier-reef. Local tradition here placesthe Kasr el-Bedawíyyah, "Palace of the Bedawi Woman (or Girl), "but we saw neither sign of building nor trace of population inthe second island which the Gulf el-'Akabah owns. 

We then passed sundry uninteresting features, and night fell uponus off Jebel Tayyib Ism, where familiar scenes began to presentthemselves. The captain had already reduced speed from four and ahalf to three knots, his object being to reach the Bugház or"Gulf-mouth" after dawn. But as midnight drew near it becamenecessary to ride out the furious gale with the gunboat's headturned northwards. M. Lacaze, a stout-hearted little man, workedhalf the night at the engine, assisting Mr. Duguid. About foura. M. (February 8th) a lull in the storm allowed her to resume hersoutherly course; but two hours afterwards, an attempt to makethe Makná shore, placing her broadside on to the wind, createdmuch confusion in the crockery and commotion among the men. Always a lively craft, she now showed a Vokes-like agility; for, as is ever the case, she had no ballast, and who would take thetrouble to ship a few tons of sand? At such moments the enginewas our sole stand-by: had it played one of its usual tricks, theMukhbir, humanly speaking, was lost; that is, she would have beenswamped and water-logged. As for setting sail, it was not tillour narrow escape that I could get the canvas out of stowage inthe hold. 

As the morning wore on the Gulf became even rougher, with itsdeep and hollow waves; they seemed to come from below, as if bentupon hoisting us in the air. The surface-water shivered; and theupper spray was swept off by the north wind, which waxed colderand more biting as we steered sunwards. The Sinaitic side nowshowed its long slopes; and at 9. 45 a. M. We passed the palms ofthe Nebíkí anchorage, some six miles from the "Gate. " On theshore of Midian, south of the dark Fahísát Mountains, fourseveral buttresses of gypsum, decreasing in size as they followedone another eastwards, trended diagonally away from the sea. Thispart of the Arabian coast ends in a thin point: the maps call it"Ras Fartak;" and the pilots "Shaykh Hamí, "[EN#138] from a holyman's tomb to which pious visitation is made. The otherland-tongue, adjoining to the south, is known as the Umm Ruús, or"Mother of Heads. " I cannot find out whence Ruppell borrowed his"Omel Hassanie" (Umm el-Hassání?). 

As we approached the ugly gape of the formidable Gulf, the wavesincreased in size, and coursed to all directions, as if distortedby the sunken reefs. The eastern jamb is formed by Tírán Island;the western by the sandy Ras Nasráni, whose glaring tawny slopeis dotted with dark basaltic cones, detached and disposed likegreat ninepins. Beyond this cape the Sinaitic coast, as far asRas Mohammed, the apex of the triangle, is fretted with littleindentations; hence its name, El-Shurúm--"the Creeks. " Near oneof these baylets, Wellsted chanced upon "volcanic rocks which arenot found in any other part of the peninsula:" this sporadicoutbreak gives credibility to the little "Harrah" reported to befound upon the bank of the Midianitish "Wady Sukk. " A hideous, horrid reef, dirty brown and muddy green, with white horses madlycharging the black diabolitos, whose ugly heads form chevaux defrise, a stony tongue based upon Tírán Island, and apparentlyconnected from the eastern coast behind, extends its tip tomid-channel. The clear way of the dreaded Bugház is easily foundin the daytime: at night it would be almost impossible; and whenMidian shall be "rehabilitated, " this reef will require a Pharos. 

Adieu, small spitfire of a Gulf! The change from the inside tothe outside of the Birkat el-Akabah was magical. We at onceglided into summer seas, a mosaic of turquoise and amethyst, fanned by the softest of breezes, the thermometer showing on deck63 deg F. Perhaps the natural joy at our lucky escape from"making a hole in the water" caused the beauties of the weatherand the glories of the scenery to appear doubly charming. Ourcaptain might have saved fifteen miles by taking the short cutnorth of Tírán Island, under whose shelter we required a day forboiler-tinkering. His pilot, however, would not risk it, and wewere compelled, nothing loth and little knowing what we did, toround for a second time the western and southern shores. 

The "Hill of Birds, " which some have identified with theclassical Island of Isis, [EN#139] shows a triune profile, whatthe Brazilians call a Moela or "gizzard. " Of its three peaks thelowest is the eastern; and the central is the highest, reachingseven hundred, not a thousand, feet. Viewed from within the Gulf, it is a slope of sand which has been blown in sheets up thebacking hills. The ground plan, as seen from a balloon, wouldrepresent a round head to the north, a thin neck, and a bodyrudely triangular, the whole measuring a maximum of five miles inlength: the sandy northern circlet, connected by the narrowest ofisthmuses, sweeping eastward, forms the noted port. The materialis the normal Secondary formation, sulphates and carbonates oflime supporting modern corallines and conglomerates of shell. Horizontal lines of harder stone are disposed in huge steps orroads that number three to six on the flank of the western peak:the manganese-coloured strata which appeared at Magháir Shu'ayb, and in the rent bowels of the Rughámat Makná, are conspicuousfrom the south. The whole has been upheaved by syenite, which, again, has been cut by dykes of plutonic stone, trap andporphyry. 

At two p. M. We anchored in a roadstead to the south-east of theisland, open to every wind except the norther. I had sentLieutenant Amir and sundry quarrymen ashore, to inspect whatlooked like a vein of sulphur. They delayed two hours, instead ofa few minutes; the boiler was grumbling for rest, and, notwishing to leave them adrift in an open boat, I imprudentlyconsented to await them in a roadstead where the coast wasdangerous, instead of proceeding, as had been intended, to thefine land-locked port, nature-hollowed in the eastern side of theisland. The old captain pitifully represented to me that his crewcould not row; and this I found to be generally the case: tenmiles with the oar would be considered a terrible corvée by theEgyptian man-o'-war's man. 

After blowing off steam, we at once went a-fishing. The onlyremarkable result was the discovery that this corner of the RedSea is a breeding-ground for sharks: we had not seen one in theGulf of El-'Akabah, where last April they swarmed. Here, however, the school contained all sizes and every age, and they regardedus curiously with their cat's eyes, large, dark, andyellow-striped down the middle. A small specimen, that had justcut its teeth, was handed over to the cook, despite his loudlyexpressed disgust. The meat was somewhat mealy and shortfibred;but we pronounced in committee the seadog to be thoroughlyeatable when corrected by pepper, garlic, and Worcester sauce. The corallines near the shore were finely developed: each bunch, like a tropical tree, formed a small zoological museum; and theysupplied a variety of animalculae, including a tiny shrimp. Theevening saw a well-defined halo encircling the moon at aconsiderable distance; and Mr. Duguid quoted the Scotch saw--

 "A far-awa' bruch's a near-awa' blast. "

The blast was nearer than we expected; and, during the rest ofthe journey, the "bruch" rarely if ever deceived us. Yet thenight was not much disturbed by the furious northerly gusts, showing that the storm which we had escaped was raging in thestill-vexed 'Akabah. 

Next morning we landed to the south-west of Tírán's easternmostpeak, with a view of prospecting and adding to our collections. On the shore, about three hundred feet from the sea, is a bank ofdead shells which are not found on the northern or sandy end ofthe island: near the water most of them are tenanted by paguri("hermits"). We caught a number of crabs and small fish, and wecarried off a single rock-oyster: as yet we had not found outthat the Ustrída--the vulgar form of the Hellenic and classical"Istiridiyá"--abounds in these seas. After thirty minutes' walkup the southern plane of the prism, composed of gypseous andcoralline rocks, veins of white petrosilex resembling brokencolumels, streaks of magnetic black sand, and scatters of gritand harder stones, we reached the summit of the little ridge. Itafforded a fine bird's-eye view of the splendid middle port; ofthe false harbour; of the real shoal to its south-east, and ofthe basin which seems to form Sináfir Island. 

We now bent to the south-west. Here the surface is much cut andbroken by sandy Wadys, dotted with a few straggling plants: toour right was a Goz or inclined arenaceous bank, where the southwind had sifted the sand from the gravel, disposing the former inthe hollows, and the latter on the crest of the ripples. Presently we reached a strange formation which, seen from theeast, appears a huge vein, red and rusty, beginning close to thesea, and crossing the body of the island from south to north, while a black cone is so disposed that its southern frontsimulates a crater. A narrow gorge opens upon a semicircularhollow lined with ochraceous or ferruginous matter; in fact, partof the filon, which sends off fibrils in all directions. Theconfusion of formations was startling. The floor was here ofwhite petrosilex, there of grey granite, variegated with squaresand lozenges, drops and pineapples, red, green, neutral tinted, and disposed by oxides of iron and copper in natural designs thatlooked artificial. Scattered over the bed of the upper ravinebeyond the hollow, were carbonates of lime, ruddy brown andchocolate-hued, here a pudding-stone, there porous like basalt:the calcareous sulphates were both amorphous and crystalline, thelatter affected by contact with plutonic matter. The walls of thegash showed a medley of clay breccias, disposed in everyimaginable way; and divided by horizontal veins of heat-alteredquartz. A few paces further led to the head of the ravine, wherea tumble of huge rocks, choking the bed, showed that therain-torrents must at times be violent. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Clarke and Lieutenant Amir had walked to the largecentral harbour, hoping there to hit upon sweet water and somestray Hutaym fishermen, who would show us what we wanted. Theydid not find even the vestige of a hut. The two exploring partiessaw only three birds in the "Isle of Birds, " and not one of thevenomous snakes mentioned at "Tehran" by Wellsted (II. Ix. ), anddescribed as "measuring about thirty inches, of a slender form, with black and white spots. " We also utterly failed to discoverthe sulphur which was once abundant and the naphtha which, according to the same authority, was produced here inconsiderable quantities, and was used "by the Arab mariners topay their boats. "

The evening was exceptionally fine and calm; and we expected onthe morrow (February 11th) a quiet return to El-Muwaylah. Yet amanner of presentiment induced me to summon the engineer and hisnative assistants, and to promise the latter a liberal"bakhshísh, " if by hard work at the boiler all night, and byrigging up the ship's pump instead of a donkey-engine, they couldsteam off at dawn. 

Unexpectedly, about four a. M. , a violent sandy and misty westerbegan to blow; and all fancied that we had set sail to the south. Quite the contrary! The engine was still under repair. TheMukhbir was being tossed and rolled by the inshore set, and thesequel is quickest told by an extract from my "Penny":--

"Written in sight of Death. Wind roaring furiously for victims:waves worse. No chain can stand these sledge-hammer shocks. Chainparts, [EN#140] and best sheet-anchor with it. Bower and kedgeanchors thrown out and drag. Fast stranding broadside on: sharpcoralline reef to leeward, distant 150 yards. Sharks! Packed upnecessaries. Sambúk has bolted, and quite right too! Enginestarts some ten minutes before the bump. Engineer admirably cool;never left his post for a moment, even to look at the sea. Giorgi(cook) skinning a sheep: he has been wrecked four times, anddon't care. Deck-pump acting poorly. Off in very nick of time, 9. 15 a. M. General joy, damped by broadside turned to hugebillows. Lashed down boxes of specimens on deck, and wore roundsafely. Made for Sináfir, followed by waves threatening to poopus. Howling wind tears mist to shreds. Second danger worse thanfirst. Run into green water: fangs of naked rock on both sideswithin biscuit-throw; stumps show when the waves yawn. Niceposition for a band-box of old iron! With much difficulty slippedinto blue water. Rounded south end of spit, and turned north intoglorious Sináfir Bay. Safe anchorage in eight fathoms. Anchordown at 10:15 a. M. , after one hour of cold sweat. Distance sevenmiles on chart, nine by course: Mukhbir never went so fast; blownlike chaff before wind. Faces cleared up. All-round shaking ofhands; ‘El-Hamdu li'lláhi, ' followed by a drink. Some wept forjoy. "

The engine, or rather the engineer, had saved us: as the sayingis, it was touch and go--the nearest thing I ever did see. Hadthe rotten old boiler struck work for five minutes when we wereclearing out of Tírán, or steaming along Sináfir shore, nothingcould have kept the ship afloat. Those who behaved best, afireman, a boy who crept into the combustion-chamber to clear it, and helmsman who, having been at Liverpool, spoke a littleEnglish, were duly "bakhshísh'd. " The same reward was given bymistake to the boilermaker, Mohammed Sa'íd Haddád, who hadmalingered, instead of working, through the night. At Suez he hadthe impudence to ask me for a Shahádah ("testimony") to his goodcharacter. On the whole the conduct of the crew was worthy of allpraise. 

In a decently equipped English steamer we should have laughed atthis storm, and whistled for more wind; but the condition of theMukhbir quite changed the case. The masts might have rolled out, or she might have sprung a leak at any moment. And supposing thatwe had escaped the crash upon the reef, the huge waves, and theschools of sharks, our situation would have been anything butpleasant. The Island of Tírán, as has been shown, is a grislyscrap of desert: it has no sweet water; and its three birds wouldnot long have satisfied thirty hungry men. It is far from themainland; the storm, which lasted through two days, was tooviolent for raft or boat to live, and at so early a season nativecraft are never seen on these seas. Briefly, a week might haveelapsed before our friends at El-Muwaylah, who were startled bythe wildness of the wind, could have learned our plight, or couldhave taken measures to relieve the castaways. 

Sináfir Island, which we have to thank for giving us hospitalityon two occasions, consists mainly of a bay. Viewed by the normaverticalis, it is shaped like an ugly duckling, with an oval(Wellsted says a circular) body of high ground disposednorth-east to south-west; and with head and neck droopingwestward so as to form a mighty pier or breakwater. The wateryplain within is out of all proportion to the amount of terrafirma. The body-profile shows straight-backed heaps of gypsum, some two hundred feet high, which become quoin-shaped about themiddle of the isle: these hillocks are connected by low strips ofsand growing the usual vegetation, especially the pink Staticepruinosa. 

Presently our Sambúk, which had also lost chain and anchor beforeshe could run out of the storm, appeared to the north-west of thebay; and a pilgrim-craft, bound for Suez, was our companion ingood fortune. A party landed to examine Sináfir, which stillshows signs of a junction with Tírán. In days when the Secondaryformation was an unbroken street, the whole segment of a circle, extending from Sharm Yáhárr to northern Sinai, must have been dryland; these reefs and islands are now the only remnants. Theislet itself seems lately to have been two: the neck and head areone, and the body is another; an evident sea-cliff marks thejunction, and what appears like a Wady below it, is the upraisedsea-bed of coralline. To the north-west, and outside this strip, lies the little port defended by a network of reefs, in which ourSambúk had first taken refuge. The bay-shore bears traces of morethan one wreck; and in the graveyard used by the native sailor, an open awning of flotsam and jetsam looks from afar like atumble-down log-hut. The number of reefs and shoals shown bystripes of vivid green water promised excellent fishing, andfailed to keep its promise. 

At length, after a third wasted day, we managed, despite a newhole in the old boiler, to steam out of hospitable Sináfir at6:30 a. M. On the auspicious Wednesday, February 13. Theappearance of the Mukhbir must have been originale enough: hercanvas had been fished out of the hold, but in the place of amainsail she had hoisted a topsail. We passed as close aspossible to the islet-line of Secondary formation, beginning withShu'shu', the wedge bluff-faced to south: the Palinurus anchoredhere in a small bight on the north-east side, between two reefs, and narrowly escaped being wrecked by a northerly gale. At 10:45a. M. We were alongside of Baráhkán, a double feature, lumpy andcliffy, connected by a low sandy isthmus: the eastern flank givesgood shelter to native crafts. Lastly came Yubá', the compoundquoin, the loftiest of the group, upwards of 350 feet high, withits low-lying neighbour Wálih. These islets have classical names, as I have before mentioned, [EN#141] and appear once to have beeninhabited: even at Yubú', the least likely of all, we heard fromseveral authorities of a deep rock-cut well, covered with a stonewhich the Arabs could not raise. 

And now we were able to cast an intelligent glance in review ofthe scenes made familiar by our first or northern march. Thesurpassing purity of the transparent atmosphere, especially atthis season, causes the land to look as near at twenty as at tenmiles; and thus both distances, showing the horizon with theutmost distinctness, appear equally close to the ship. Beginningtowards El-‘Akabah, the Jebel el-Zánah behind Magháir Shu'ayb, and its mighty neighbour, the Jebel el-Lauz, form the horizon ofmountains which are not the least amongst the giants. Southwardsappear the Jibál el-Tihámah, the noble forms of the seaboard, theparallel chains noting the eastern boundary of Madyan (Proper);while behind them the Jibál el-Shafah, reduced to blue heads andfragments of purple wall, are evidently disposed on a far moredistant plane. 

As regards the Jibál el-Tihámah, I have registered ad nauseam thenames of the eight several blocks into which, between El-Zahdnorth and El-Shárr south, the curtain, rising from a sea-horizon, seems to divide itself. Every one consulted gave me a new or adifferent term; and apparently seamen and landsmen have theirseparate nomenclature. Thus, the pilots call the Fás, Harb andDibbagh blocks, Jibál el-Musaybah, Tiryam, and Dámah, after theWadys and main valleys that drain them. The Bedawin, again, willname the whole block after the part most interesting to them:thus the tower-like formation characterizing Jebel Dibbagh wasoften called "Jebel el-Jimm, " and even this, as will afterwardsappear, was not quite exact. [EN#142]

We fired a gun off El-Muwaylah, where our camp, ranged in longline, looked clean and natty. At five p. M. We were once more athome in our old quarters, the Sharm Yáhárr: the day's work hadnumbered fifty direct geographical miles between Sina'fir andEl-Muwaylah, with five more to our dock. 

 Résumé

Our journey through Madyan Proper (North Midian) had lastedfifty-four days (December 19, 1877, to February 13, 1878). Duringnearly two months the Expedition had covered only 105 to 107miles of ground: this, however, does not include the variousby-trips made by the members, which would more than double thetotal; nor the cruise of two hundred miles round the Gulf of‘Akabah, ending at El-Muwaylah. The total of camels employedvaried from 106 to 61, and their hire, including "bakhshísh" andall minor charges, amounted, according to Mr. Clarke, to Ł31614s. 3d. 

This section of North Midian may be described as essentially amining country, which, strange to say of a province so nearEgypt, has been little worked by the Ancients. The firstKhedivial Expedition brought back specimens of free gold found inbasalt, apparently eruptive, and in corundophyllite, which theengineer called greenstone porphyry: silver appeared in the redsands, in the chloritic quartz, and in the titaniferous iron ofthe Jebel el-Abayz; the value being 265 to 300 francs per ton, with traces in the scorić. The second Expedition failed to findgold, but brought back argentiferous galena in copper-stainedquartz, and possibly in the ochraceous red veins seaming theSecondary gypsum; with silicates and carbonates of copper: selectspecimens of the latter yielding the enormous proportion of fortyper cent. In this northern region the great focus of metallicdeposit appears to lie between north lat. 28° 40' and 27° 50';that is, from the Jebel Tayyib Ism, north of Makná, to thesouthern basin which contains the Jebel el-Abyaz or "WhiteMountain. " Its characteristics are the argentiferous andcupriferous ores, whereas in South Midian gold and silver wereworked; and the parallelogram whose limits are assigned above, might be converted into a Northern Grant. Concerning the immenseabundance of gypsum, and the sulphur which is suspected to bediffused throughout the Secondary formation, ample details havebeen given in the preceding pages. 

The principal ruins of ancient settlements, and the ateliers, allof them showing vestiges of metal-working, numbered eight: theseare, beginning from the south, Tiryam, Sharmá, ‘Aynúnah, theJebel el-Abyaz, Magháir Shu'ayb, Makná', Tayyib Ism, andEl-‘Akabah. Magháir Shu'ayb, the Madiáma of Ptolemy, is evidentlythe ancient capital of the district. It was the only place whichsupplied Midianitish (Nabathćan) coins. Moreover, it yieldedgraffiti from the catacombs; fragments of bronze which it will beinteresting to compare by assay with the metal of the Europeanprehistoric age; and, finally, stone implements, worked as wellas rude. 

I will end with a few words concerning the future industry ofNorth Midian. 

For the success of these mines the greatest economy will benecessary. The poorest ore can be treated on the spot by crushingand washing, where no expenditure of fuel is required. The richerstone, that wants roasting and smelting, would be shipped, whenworth the while, from North Midian to Suez: there coal isabundant, and the deserted premises of Dussaud-Bey, belonging tothe Egyptian Government, would form an excellent site for a greatusine centrale. Finally, the richest specimens--especially thosecontaining, as many do, a medley of metals--would be treated withthe least expenditure, and the greatest advantage, at Swansea orin other parts of England, where there are large establishmentswhich make such work their specialty. 

The following analyses of the specimens brought home by the firstKhedivial Expedition, were made at the Citadel, Cairo, by thewell-known chemist, Gastinel-Bey, in conjunction with M. GeorgeMarie, the engineer attached to the Expedition:--

Analyses (Mm. Gastinel-bey and George Marie of Cairo) of Rocks Brought Home by the First Khedivial Expedition. 

(All by Voie Sčche. )

Gold (assay on 100 grammes)--

 1. In basalt (lava?). 

 2. In serpentine. (None in white quartz. )

Silver--

 1. In Filon Husayn, 1/1000 = 265 to 300 francs per ton (verygood). 

 2. In red sands, 1/10, 000 (= 20 francs per ton). 

 3. In scorić, traces. (None in white quartz or in the black sands. )

Copper--

 1. In ‘Aynúnah quartz, 4 1/2 per 100. 

 2. In Filon Husayn, 2 1/2 to 3. 40 per cent. Filon Husayn = Titaniferous iron, 86. 50 Silica, 10. 10 Copper, 3. 40. 

 3. In chloritic slate, 1. 40 per cent. (Chloritic slate of Makná' = Silica, 90. 50 Carbonate of lime, 5. 60 Oxide of iron, 2. 30 Copper, 1. 40. )

Sulphur (Jebel el-Kibri't of El-Muwaylah)-- 4 per cent. Above. 9 ditto below. 

Lead everywhere. 

Calamine (zinc) very rich. 

 Part II. 

 The March Through Central and Eastern Midian. 

 Chapter IX. 

 Work in and Around El-Muwaylah. 

We arrived at El-Muwaylah too late to meet the Hajj-caravan, which, home returning, had passed hurriedly through the stationon February 9th. This institution has sadly fallen off from itshigh estate of a quarter of a century ago. Then commanded by anAmir el-Hajj--"Lord of the Pilgrimage"--in the shape of twoPashas (generals), it is now under the direction of a single Bey(colonel). The "True Believers, " once numbering thousands, werereduced in 1877-78 to some eight hundred souls, of whom onlyeighty appeared at El-Muwaylah; and the peculiar modification ofmodern days is that the Mahmal is escorted only by paupers. Yetthe actual number of the Hájis who stand upon Jebel ‘Arafát, instead of diminishing, has greatly increased. The majorityprefer voyaging to travelling; the rich hire state-cabins onboard well-appointed "Infidel" steamers, and the poor contentthemselves with "Faithful" Sambúks. Indeed, it would seem thatall the present measures, quarantines of sixty days (!) anddetention at wretched Tor, comfortless enough to make thehealthiest lose health, are intended to discourage and deter"palmers" from proceeding by land. If this course be continued, avery few years will see the venerable institution represented byonly the Mahmal and its guard. The late Sa'id Pasha of Egypt onceconsigned the memorial litter per steam-frigate to Jeddah: theinnovation saved Ghafr ("blackmail") to the Bedawin; but it wasnot approved of by the Moslem world. 

The Hájis were so poor that they had nothing for barter or forsale. Happily, however, there was a farrier amongst them, andLieutenant Yusuf took care that our mules were properly shod. M. Philipin had been a maréchal ferrant, but a kick or two had lefthim no stomach for the craft. Our two fellow-travellers, with thewhole camp, had set out from Makná on February 6th, and marchedup the great Wady el-Kharaj. Along the eastern flank of the Jebelel-Fahísát, the "Iron Mountain, " they found many outcrops ofquartz, a rock which appears sporadically all the way to thenorthern soufričre. In two places it was green-stained, showingcopper, while in another hydrated oxide and chromate of iron(hematite)[EN#143] abounded. After a stage of four hours andtwenty minutes they left the caravan, struck off to the west, accompanied by Shaykh Furayj, and reached their destination. Here, however, they met with accidents: the mules bolted, followed by the Shaykh's dromedary, and they were obliged tohurry off for fear of losing the caravan, now well ahead of them. Thus, when I had ordered Lieutenant Yusuf to make a detailed planof the formation, he had spent exactly ten minutes on the spot, and he appeared not a little proud of his work. 

This young officer was not a pleasant companion. He had doubtlessreceived his orders, but he carried them out in a peculiarlydisagreeable way, taking notes of all our proceedings under oureyes. Together with Lieutenant Amir, he began to make acollection of geology: both, being utterly innocent of allknowledge, imitated us in picking up specimens; mixed themtogether without notes or labels; and, on return to Cairo, dulypresented them at the Citadel. This was all that was required. The papers were "written to" and reported as follows: "Closerexamination has shown that the ‘turquoises' brought to Cairo aremerely malachite (!); and that the existence of any such quantityof gold as would pay for the working is, to say the least of it, very doubtful. "[EN#144]

The whole camp, indeed, was seized with a mania for collecting:old Háji Wali again gathered bits of quartz, which he once morepresented as gold-stone to his friends and acquaintances atZagázig; and Anton, the dragoman, triumphantly bore awayfragments bristling with mica-slate, whose glitter he fondlyconceived to be silver. 

Lieutenant Yusuf was presently despatched with three soldiers, three quarrymen, Jází, the Arab guide of a former visit, andeight camels, to bring back specimens of the copper silicate tothe south of ‘Aynánah, and to make a regular survey of thenorthern solfatara. He set out early on February 18th, and aftertwenty-one hours of caravan-marching reached the Jebel el-Fara'. Here the outcrop is bounded north by the Wady el-Fara', and southby the Wadys el-Maríkhah and Umm Nírán, the latter forming thegeneral recipient of these Nullahs. The Jebel is about 120 feethigh, of oval form, stretching 1750 metres from north-north-westto south-south-east. The rich silicate (not carbonate) of copper, which disdains a streak and affects the file, is found, as usualwith this ore, only in one part of the valley to the south-west, some thirty-five feet above the sole: it is a pocket, a"circumscribed deposit, " as opposed to a "true vein" or a"vein-fissure. " The adjoining rocks contain carbonates of ironand copper, and the ore-mass is apparently carbonate of lime. This second visit generally confirmed the report of Ahmed Kaptán, except that there were no signs of working, as he had supposed. The travellers passed the whole of February 20th at the diggings, made a plan, and sent back two camel-loads (four sacks) of thegangue, in charge of a soldier, to the Fort of El-Muwaylah. 

On the next day the little party made for the Wady ‘Aynúnah, and, striking to the left of the straight line, crossed the maritimecountry, here a mass of Wadys, including our old friend the‘Afál. This highway to the northern Hismá falls, I have said, into the Mínat el-‘Ayánát, a portlet useful to Sambúks: itssickle-shaped natural breakwater, curving from west to south, resembles that of Sinaitic Marsá el-Ginái, and those which are socommon in Western Iceland. On February 22nd, a very devious path, narrow and rocky, lasting for one hour, led them, about noon, tothe northern Jebel el-Kibrít. The distance from El-Muwaylah isabout sixty-six miles; and the country west of a line drawn from‘Aynúnah to Makná was, before this march, utterly unknown to us, consequently to all the civilized world. 

Lieutenant Yusuf's two journals checking each other, his plan andhis specimens enable me to describe the northern deposit withmore or less accuracy. The Sulphur-hill is a long oval of fourhundred metres (east-west), by a maximum of one hundred andeighty (north-south); but it extends branches in all directions:the mineral was also found in a rounded piton, a knob on the WadyMusayr, attached to the north-eastern side. The flattened dome isfrom fifty to sixty feet high, and the piton one hundred andforty. The metal underlying a dark crust, some twelve to fifteencentimetres thick, appears in regular crystals and amorphousfragments of pure brimstone pitting the chalky sulphate of lime:blasting was not required; the soft material yielded readily tothe pick. This gypseous or Secondary formation was found toextend, not only over the adjacent hills, but everywhere alongthe road to Makná. The important point which now remains to bedetermined is, I repeat, whether sulphur-veins can be founddiffused throughout these non-plutonic rocks. 

Lieutenant Yusuf fixed his position by climbing the adjacenthills, whence Sina'fir bore 190°, and Shu'shu' 150° (bothmagnetic); while greater elevations to the west shut out the viewof lofty Ti'ra'n, and even of the Sinaitic range. The nearestwater in the Wady el-Nakhil to the north-east was reported to bea two hours' march with loaded camels (= five miles) Severallittle ports, quite unknown to the Hydrographic Chart, werevisited. These are, beginning from the north, the Mínat Hamdán, lying between Makná and Dabbah; a refuge for Sambúks defended, like that of old "Madyan, " by rising ground to the north. Aboutthree miles and a quarter further south is the Sharm Dabbah, the"Sherm Dhaba, good anchorage" of the Chart: this mass of reefsand shoals may have been one of the "excellent harbours"mentioned by Procopius. It receives the Wady Sha'b el-Gánn(Jánn), "the Watercourse of the Demons' (Ja'nn) Ravine, " flowingfrom a haunted hill of red stone, near which no Arab dares tosleep. From that point the travellers struck nine miles and ahalf to south-east of Ghubbat Suwayhil: this roadstead, used onlyby native craft, lies eastward of the long point forming theArabian staple of the Gulf el-‘Akabah's gate, where thecoast-line of Midian bends at a right angle towards the risingsun. Adjoining it to the east, and separated by a long thin spit, is the Ghubbat el-Wagab (Wajb), the mouth of the watercoursesimilarly named: it is also known to the Katírah or "smallervessel, " and about a mile up its bed, which comes from thenorth-east, there is a well. According to Jázi, the guide, thisGhubbah ("gulf"), distant only four to five hours of slowmarching from the Sulphur-hill, will be the properest place forshipping produce. In another eastern feature, the Wady Giyál(Jiyál), distant some eleven miles and a half from ‘Aynúnah andending in a kind of sink, there is a fine growth of palms, abouta quarter of a mile long, and a supply of "wild" (brackish) waterin wells and rain-pools. These uninteresting details will becomevaluable when the sulphur-mines of North Midian are ripe forworking. 

From the Ghubbat el-Wagab, the path, easy travelling over flatground, strikes to the north-east; and, fourteen miles and a halfbeyond, joins the ‘Aynúnah highway. On February 26th, at the endof nine days' work, Lieutenant Yusuf returned to El-Muwaylah withtwo sacks of sulphur-bearing chalk which justified his previousreport. As will appear, the Expedition was still travellingthrough the interior: after a halt for rest at head-quarters, herejoined us on our northward route from Zibá, and I again founduseful occupation for his energies. 

Upon our happy return "home, " i. E. Sharm Yáhárr, preparations fora march upon the Hismá were at once begun. My heart was firmlyfixed upon this project, hoping to find an "unworked California"to the east of the Harrah volcanoes; but the Shaykhs andcamel-men, who did not like the prospect of a rough reception bythe Ma'ázah bandits, threw sundry small stumbling-blocks in ourpath. It was evidently useless to notice them so far from thespot; they would develop themselves only too well as weapproached the tribal frontier. While these obstacles were beingcleared away, we carefully examined the little dock that had sooften given us shelter in the hour of need; and I set a smallparty to work at the central Jebel el-Kibri't, which had beenexplored by the first Expedition. 

Sharm Yáhárr is the usual distorted T, a long channel heading ina shorter cross-piece: it is formed by the confluence of fourvalleys, all composed of corallines and conglomerates of newsandstone. Those to the north and the north-west show distinctsigns of upheaval; the two eastern features, known as the Wadyel-Hárr ("the Hot Watercourse"), of which Yáhárr appears to be acorruption, bear marks of man's hand. The dock is divided into anouter and inner "port" by a projecting northern point which isnot sufficiently marked in the Chart (enlarged plan). At thisplace, where the tide rises a full metre, the crew of the Mukhbirhad built a jetty of rough boulders, by way of passe-temps and toprevent wading. Native craft lie inside, opposite the ruins of astone house: the existence of a former population is shown by themany graves on the upper plateau. In the northern Wady el-Hárr, also, we picked up specimens of obsidian, oligistic iron, andadmirably treated modern (?) slags showing copper and iron;evidently some Gypsy-like atelier must once have worked upon theWady Yáhárr. The obsidian also has apparently been subjected tothe artificial fire; and a splinter of it contains a paillette offree copper. 

What concerned us most, however, was the discovery of oysters, which, adhering to the reefs projected under water from the rockynorthern cliff, formed a live conglomerate; and from the presenttime forwards we found the succulent molluscs in almost everybay. Those to the south, where the shallows overlie sand and mud, are not so good. At this season the Ustrída is flat, fleshy, andfull sized; the shell has a purple border, and the hinge muscleof the savage, far stronger than that of the civilized animal, together with its exceeding irregularity of shape, giving nopurchase to the knife, makes oyster-opening a sore trouble. Wetried fire, but the thick-skinned things resisted it for a longtime; and, when they did gape, the liquor had disappeared, thereby spoiling the flavour. The "beard" was neither black, likethat of the Irish, nor colourless, as in the English oyster. TheBedawin, who ignore the delicacy, could not answer any questionsabout the "spatting season"--probably it is earlier than ours, which extends through June; whether also a close time isrequired, as in England to August 4th, we could not guess. Theyoung probably find a natural "culch" in the many shells, cockleand others, that strew the rock, sand, and clay. 

Knowing that my gallant friend, Admiral McKillop (Pasha) ofAlexandria, takes great interest in "ostreoculture, " I sent himfrom Suez a barrel of the best Midianites The water had escapedby the carelessness of the magazine-man: enough, however, remained alive to be thrown into the harbour Eunostos, where theywill, I hope, become the parents of a fine large progeny of"natives. " Similarly we had laid in a store of forty-twolangoustes (crayfish) for presentation at Court, and to gladdenthe hearts of Cairéne friends: our Greeks placed the tubs in thesun and so close to the funnel, that, after about three hours, all the fine collection perished ignobly. 

We will now proceed to the central Jebel el-Kibri't; asuperficial examination of which by the first Expedition[EN#145]proved that the upper rock yielded four, and the lower nine, percent. Of tolerably pure brimstone. The shortest cut from thedock-harbour lies up the southern Wady Ha'rr, with its strangelyweathered sandstone rocks, soft modern grits that lookworm-eaten. Amongst them is a ledge-like block with underminedbase projecting from the left bank: both the upper and the lowerparts are scattered over with Wasm, or Arab tribal marks. On ourreturn from El-Wijh we found this sandstone tongue broken in two:the massive root remained in situ, but the terminal half hadfallen on the ground. This was probably the work of an earthquakewhich we felt at Sharm Dumayghah on March 22nd. [EN#146] The trackthen strikes the modern Hajj-road, which runs west of and closeto the Sulphur-hill; the line is a succession ofwatercourses, [EN#147] and in Wady Khirgah we found blocks of thehydrous silicate, corundophyllite which may be Serpentine: it iscomposed of a multitude of elements, especially pyrites. After anhour and a quarter's sharp walking, we hit the broad Wadyel-Kibrít, which rounds its Jebel to the south-east, and whichfeeds the Wady el-Jibbah, itself a feeder of the Sharm Jibbah. The latter, which gave us shelter in the corvette Sinnár (CaptainAli Bey), is a long blue line of water bounding the western baseof the Sulphur-hill. 

This central Tuwayyil el-Kibrít is an isolated knob, risingabruptly from Wady-ground; measuring some 240 feet in height, andabout 880 metres in diameter, not including its tail of fourvertebrć which sets off from north-west to south-east. Viewedfrom the north it is, as the Egyptian officers remarked, aregular Haram ("pyramid"), with a kidney-formed capping ofprecipitous rock. Drinkable water, like that of the Wady el-Ghál, is said to be found in the Wady el-Kibrít to the north-east; andthe country is everywhere tolerably wooded. The Bedawin broughtus small specimens of rock-crystal and fragments of Negro-quartz, apparently rich in metal, from a neighbouring "Maru. " They placedit amongst the hill-masses to the east and south; and weafterwards found it for ourselves. [EN#148]

Our middle Sulphur-hill differs essentially from the other twodeposits, the northern near Makná, and the southern near El-Wijh, in being plutonic and not sedimentary. One would almost say thatit smokes, and the heat-altered condition of the granite, thegreenstone, and other rocks, looking as if fresh from a fire, suggests that it may be one of the igneous veins, thrown westwardby the great volcanic region, El-Harrah. In parts it is aconglomerate, where a quantity of quartz takes the place of chalkand gypsum. Other deposits are iron-stained and have theappearance of the decomposed iron pyrites which abounds in thisneighbourhood. Usually the yield is the normal brimstone-yellow, yet some of the beds are deep red, as if coloured by ochre oroxide of iron: this variety is very common in the solfataras ofIceland; and I have heard of it in the Jebel Mokattam, nearCairo. The colour is probably due to molecular changes, andpossibly shows greater age than the yellow. 

M. Philipin was directed to take charge of Sergeant Mabrúk, thenine quarrymen, and the Bedawi owners of two camels to carry hisboring-irons, forge, and water from El-Muwaylah. I advised him todig at least forty feet down all round the pyramid, whereversurface-indications attracted notice: old experience had taughtme that such depth is necessary before one can expect to findbrimstone beds like those of Sicily. The borings brought upsulphur from fourteen metres; beyond these, six were pierced, butthey yielded nothing. In and around the pyramid M. Philipin sankfive pits; the northernmost shaft, half-way up the hill, gavecrystals of the purest sulphur. 

If the depth of the deposit be not great, the surface extent is. The pyramid evidently forms the apex of a large vein whichstrikes north-south. The field consists of this cone with itsdependencies, especially the yellow cliffs to the north and thesouth, facing, in the latter direction, a large plain cut by theWady el-Kibrít. Moreover, a vein of the red variety, about threekilometres long by twenty-five to thirty metres broad, lies tothe south-east near a gypsum hill: the latter also yields thecrystallized salt which so often accompanies sulphur, and heapsof gigantic half-fossilized oyster-shells are strewed about it. 

M. Philipin here remained sixteen days (February 18--March 5), during our absence in the East Country; on return we found ourgood blacksmith much changed for the worse. Whilst in hard workhe had been half-starved, the Jeráfín Bedawin of theneighbourhood having disappeared with their flocks; he had beenterribly worried by the cameleers, and he had been at perpetualfeud with the miserable quarrymen. I never saw a man less fittedto deal with (two-legged) "natives. " The latter instinctivelydivined that he would rather work himself than force others towork; and they acted accordingly. 

The Expedition was thus divided into four, three working partiesand one of idlers. Anton and Petros were left behind to donothing as magazine-men. 

Lieutenant Darwaysh (the linesman) who was too weak to ride, andSub-Lieutenant Mohammed (the miner) who was too old to travel, had charge of the sick; both found the far niente equally sweet. On February 17th I again bade adieu to the gunboat Mukhbir, andmarched with the largest party upon our camp at El-Muwaylah, distant about six miles (=one hour and forty-five minutes). Thepath from Sharm Yáhárr crosses the hard sands of the maritimeplain, metalled with the natural macadam of the Desert. The stoneis mostly dark silex, the "hen's liver" of the Brazil, and itssurface is kept finely polished, and free from "patina, " by thefriction of the dust-laden winds. The line is deeply gashed byshort, broad gullies: the Hajj-road, running further east, headsthese ugly Nullahs. The third and largest channel is Wady Surr, the great valley of El-Muwaylah, which may be regarded as thesouthern frontier of "Madyan" (Proper): we shall trace it to itshead in the Hismá. 

I had left the camp-pitching at El-Muwaylah to the Egyptianofficers, who naturally chose the site nearest the two northernwells; a wave of ground hot by day, cold at night, windy anddusty at all times; moreover, the water was near enough to behorribly fouled. No wonder that in such a place many of the menfell ill, and that one subsequently died--our only loss duringthe four months' march. 

On February 18th we proceeded, under the misguidance of aBásh-Buzúk of the fort, Ahmed Sálih el-Mal'ún, to inspect aneighbouring ruin called Abá Hawáwít--"the Father of (Dwelling-)Walls. " Wallin (p. 30) declares that, "finding no mention made ofMuweilih in Arab manuscripts, nor traces or traditions among theexisting generation in the land, pointing to a high antiquity, "he is inclined to consider it a town of modern origin, in factthe growth of the Egyptian pilgrimage. His error is excusable. Hewas a passing traveller; and I well remember that for a wholeyear the true name of a hill immediately behind our house atDamascus remained unknown to me: we had called it after our ownfashion, and the term had at once been adopted by all ourover-polite native friends. Indeed, this is one of the seriousdifficulties to be encountered, throughout the East, by thescrupulous traveller whose greatest fear is that of misleadingothers. The Expedition had paid four several visits toEl-Muwaylah, and had never heard a word about ruins, when Ihappened to read out before the Shaykhs assembled at MagháirShu'ayb a passage from El-Makrízi treating of the destroyedcities of Madyan. They at once mentioned half a dozen names lyingwithin short distances of the "little salt. " Amongst them was AbúHawáwít, literally meaning "tenement walls, " but here applied, inthe short form Hawáwít, to ruins in general. 

Had "Wali Háji, " as Wallin was called by the Bedawin, looked onlyten feet beyond the north-eastern tower of the fort, near the ruinsof a modern Mastabah ("masonry bench"), he would have found long-forgotten vestiges of ovens and slags containing copper and iron. The same will prove to be the case about the inland defence of El-Wijh; in fact, all these works seem for obvious reasons to have beenbuilt upon sites that have been utilized long before their modernday. El-Muwaylah was probably a more important place than it is atpresent, when the reef-harbour, which now admits native craft onlyby a gap to the south-west, had not been choked by shoals. The sandysoil wants only water to produce a luxuriant perennial growth, andevery garden can have its well. But more life is wanting; a manheaps up a thorn-hedge, or builds a swish-wall of the brick-clayunderlying the Wady, and he forgets only to lay out the fieldwithin. Local history does not, it is true, extend beyond twohundred years or so, the probable date of Shaykh Abdullah'svenerated sepulchre, a truncated parallelogram of cut coralline onthe Wady Sughayyir to the north of the settlement. Yet this "littlesalt" is too remarkable a site to have remained unoccupied. Possiblyit is the ", " the Horse Village (and fort ?), which Ptolemy(vi. II) places in north lat. 26° 40' (true 27° 40'), whilst his"" would be the glorious Shárr, correctly consigned to northlat. 27° 20'. This argues an error of nearly sixty miles by thegeographer or his copyists. But Chapter XII. Will attempt to showthat the latitude of, the modern Shuwák, is also one degreetoo low. So on the East African coast Ptolemy places his AromataPromontorium, which can only be "Guardafui, " between north lat. 5°and 7°, whereas it lies in north lat. 11° 41' 4". 

The Awwal Hawáwít, or first ruins, begin on the right bank of theSurr after one mile and three quarters from camp; and bearnorth-east (55° mag. ) from the minaret of El-Muwaylah Fort. Theposition is a sandy basin, containing old Bedawi graves, boundedby a low ridge forming a boulder-clad buttress to the Wady, whilethe circuit of the two may be a mile and a half. A crumblingmodern tower, crowning the right bank, and two Mahrákah("rub-stones") were the principal remains. The situation musthave been well chosen in the days when the heights were wooded, and the Wady was a river. We afterwards mapped the body of theplace, lying about three miles from the fort, showing the Yubú'bank to north-west (298° mag. ); and nearly due west (260° mag. )El-Muwaylah's only house, the Sayyid's. The site is a holm orisland in the Wady Surr, which here runs east-west, and splits:the main line is the southern, and a small branch, a mere gully, occupies the northern bed-side. 

The chief ruin is an oblong of twenty metres by sixteen, theshort ends facing 195° (mag. ); the whole built of huge pebbles. The interior is composed of one large room to the north, withsundry smaller divisions to the south, east, and west. Defencewas secured by a wall, distant 142 metres, thrown across thewhole eastern part of the islet: outside it are three large pits, evidently the site of cisterns. The people also told us of awell, the Bir el-Ashgham, which has long been mysteriouslyhidden. Immense labour has also been expended in revetting thenorthern and southern banks, both of the islet and the smallerbranch-bed, for many hundreds of yards with round andwater-rolled boulders, even on a larger scale than at MagháirShu'ayb. What all this work meant we were unable to divine. Perhaps it belonged to the days when the seaboard of Midian wasagricultural; and it was intended as a protection against the twotorrents, the Wadys el-Zila' and Abú Zabah, which here fall intothe northern bank. 

The 18th of February also made itself memorable to the secondExpedition. M. Marie was strolling near the old furnaces to thenorth-east of the fort where, in 1877, he had picked up anauriferous specimen, unfortunately lost before it reached Cairo. Here he again found a fragment of serpentine, broken andwater-rolled into the semblance of half a globe; it showed crustand stains of iron, filets of white quartz, and a curve (~) ofbright yellow dots, disposed like the chainlet of an aneroid. Thereupon, we gravely debated whether these were the remains of avein, or had been brought to the surface by the rubbing andpolishing of the stone in water. 

I could not but remark that the interior, which appearedpyritiferous, did not show the slightest trace of precious metal. Still the discovery gave fresh courage to all our people. Thetrophy was shown to every Bedawi, far and near, with the promiseof a large reward (fifty dollars) to the lucky wight who couldlead us to the rock in situ. The general voice declared that the"gold-stone" was the produce of Jebel Malayh (Malíh): weafterwards ascertained by marching up the Wady Surr that it wasnot. In fact, the whole neighbourhood was thoroughly wellscoured; but the results were nil. In due course of time thetarnishing and the disappearance of the metal reduced myscepticism to a certainty: the "gold dots" were the trace of somepilgrim or soldier's copper-nailed boot. It was the first timethat this ludicrous mistake arose, but not the last--our nativefriends were ever falling into the same trap. 

Amongst the minor industries of the Fort el-Muwaylah must bereckoned selling gazelles. The Bedawin bring them in, and sosucceed in taming the timid things that they will follow theirowner like dogs, and amuse themselves with hopping upon hisshoulders. When thus trained, "Ariel" is supposed to be worthhalf a napoleon. The wild ones may be bought at almost everyfort, as Zibá or El-Wijh. 

 Chapter X. 

 Through East Midian to the Hismá. 

The Land of Midian is by no means one of the late PrinceMetternich's "geographical expressions. " The present tenants ofthe soil give a precise and practical definition of its limits. Their Arz Madyan extends from El-‘Akabah north (north lat. 29°28') to El-Muwaylah with its Wady, El-Surr (north lat. 27° 40'). It has thus a total latitudinal length of 108 direct geographicalmiles. [EN#149] South of this line, the seaboard of North-WesternArabia, as far as El-Hejaz, has no generic name. The Bedawin arecontented with such vague terms, derived from some strikingfeature, as "the Lands of Zibá, " "of Wady Salmá, " "of WadyDámah, " "of El-Wijh, " to denote the tract lying between theparallels of El-Muwaylah and of Wady Hamz () in northlat. 25° 55' 15. Thus the north-south length of the southernmoiety would be 105 direct geographical miles, or a little lessthan the northern; and the grand total would be 213 miles. 

The breadth of this Egyptian province is determined by thedistance from the sea to the maritime mountains. In MadyanProper, or North Midian, the extremes would be twenty-four andthirty-five miles. For the southern half these figures may bedoubled. Here, again, the Bedawin are definitive as regardslimits. All the Tihámah or "lowlands" and their ranges belong toEgypt; east of it the Daulat Shám, or Government of Syria, claimspossession. 

I have taken the liberty of calling the whole tract Midian; thesection above El-Muwaylah (Madyan Proper) I would term "NorthMidian, " and that below it "South Midian. " In the days of theancient Midianites the frontiers were so elastic that, at times, but never for a continuity, they embraced Sinai, and were pushedforward even into Central Palestine. Moreover, I would prolongthe limits eastward as far as the Damascus-Medínah road. Thiswould be politically and ethnologically correct. With theexception of the Ma'ázah country, the whole belongs to Egypt; andall the tribes, formerly Nabathćan, are now more or lessEgypto-Arab, never questioning the rights of his Highness theViceroy, who garrisons the seaboard forts. Of the other points, historical and geographical, I am not so sure. My learned friend, Aloys Sprenger, remarks: "Let me observe that your extending thename ‘Midian' over the whole country, as far south as thedominions of the Porte, appears to me an innovation by which theidentity of the race along the shore of the Gulf of ‘Akabah, coast down to Wajh and Hawrá, is prejudged. Would it not bebetter to leave Midian where it always has been, and to considerBadá[EN#150] the centre of Thaműditis, as it was at the time ofPliny and Ptolemy, and as it continued to be until the Balee(Baliyy), and other Qodhâ' (Kudá') tribes, came from SouthernArabia, and exterminated the Thaműdites?" This is, doubtless, avalid objection: its only weak point is that it goes too farback. We cannot be Conservatives in geography and ethnology; norcan we attach much importance, in the nineteenth century, to arace, the Beni Tamúd, which had wholly disappeared before theseventh. On the whole, it still appears to me that by adopting myinnovation we gain more than we lose; but the question must beleft for others to decide. 

In our days, two great Sultánis or "highways" bound Madyan theLess and Midian the Greater. The western, followed by the Hajjel-Misri (Egyptian caravan), dates from the age of Sultán SelimKhán the Conqueror; who, before making over the province to thelater Mamlúk Beys, levelled rocks, cut through ridges, dug wells, laid out the track, and defended the line by forts. Before thattime the road ran, for convenience of water, to the east orinland: it was, in fact, the old Nabathaean highway which, according to Strabo, connected Leukč Kóme with the westerncapital, Petra. Further east, and far beyond the double chain ofmaritime mountains, is the highway followed by the Hajj el-Shámi(Syrian or Damascus caravan), which sets out from Constantinople, musters at Damascus, and represents the Sultan. On both thesemain lines water is procurable at almost every station; and tothem military expeditions are perforce limited. The parallelogrambetween the two, varying in breadth, according to Wallin, from 90to 120 miles (direct and geographical), is irregularly suppliedin places with springs, wells, and rain-pits, which can always befilled up or salted by the Bedawin. 

The main body of the Expedition, Mr. Clarke, MM. Marie andLacaze, Ahmed Kaptán, and Lieutenant Amir, set out fromEl-Muwaylah at 6. 30 a. M. (February 19th), escorted by the Sayyidand the three salaried Shaykhs, including our friend Furayj. TheRemingtons numbered ten, and there were also ten picks, of whomfive waited upon the mules; of the sixty-one camels six weredromedaries, and as the road grew lighter our beasts of burdenincreased, somehow or other, to sixty-four. The caravan now loadsin twenty minutes instead of five hours; and when politiké, orfear of danger, does not delay us, we start in a quarter of anhour after the last bugle-sound. This operation is under chargeof Lieutenant Amir, who does his best to introduce Dar-Foriandiscipline: the camels being first charged with the Finátís("metal water-barrels"), then with the boxes, and lastly with thetents. 

After passing the ruins of Abú Hawáwit, we began at 9:15 a. M. Toexchange the broad Wady Surr of the flat seaboard, with its tallbanks of stiff drab clay, for a gorge walled with oldconglomerates, and threading the ruddy and dark-green foot-hillsof the main Ghát. As in the Wady el-Maka'dah and other"winter-brooks, " the red porphyritic trap, heat-altered argil, easily distinguished by its fracture from the syenites of thesame hue, appeared to be iron-clad, coated with a thin crust ofshiny black or brown peroxide (?). This peculiarity was noticedby Tuckey in the Congo, by Humboldt in the Orinoco, and by myselfin the Săo Francisco river; I also saw it upon the sandstones ofthe wild mountains east of Jerusalem, where, as here, air and notwater must affect the oxide of iron. In both cases, however, thecause would be the same, and the polish would be a burnishing ofNature on a grand scale. 

After six very slow miles we halted, for rest and refection, at athread of water in the section of the Surr which receives theWady el-Najil. The sides were crowded with sheep and goats, thelatter, as in the Syrian lowlands, almost invariably black; andthe adjoining rocks had peculiar attractions for hares, hawks, and partridge. In these upland regions water is almosteverywhere, and generally it is drinkable; hence the Bedawinnaturally prefer them to the coast. An umbrella-shapedthorn-tree, actually growing on a hill-top, and defined by thesky-line, excited our wonder and admiration; for here, as inPontus--

 "Rara, nec hćc felix, in apertis eminet arvis Arbor, et in terra est altera forma maris. "

Indeed, throughout our journey this spectacle always retained itscharms, aiding Fancy to restore the barrens to what they had beenin the prosperous days of yore. 

The Wady Surr now began to widen out, and to become more riant, whilst porphyry was almost the only visible rock. After a totalof ten "dawdling" miles, marching almost due east, we found ourtents pitched in a broad and quasi-circular basin, called El-Safh("the level ground of") Jebel Malíh ("Mount Pleasant"?), whichthe broad-speaking Bedawin lengthen to Malayh. Our camel-men hadhalted exactly between two waters, and equally distant from both, so as to force upon us the hire of extra animals. We did notgrumble, however, as we were anxious to inspect the Afrán("furnaces") said to be found upon the upper heights of theShárr--of these apocryphal features more hereafter. Freshdifficulties! The Jeráfín-Huwaytát tribe, that owns the countrysouth of the Surr, could not be reached under a whole day ofdromedary-riding: in reality they were camped a few furlongs off, but anything to gain Ł8 per diem for doing nothing! Two Bedawishepherd-lads promised to act guides next morning, and dulyfailed to appear, or, more probably, were forbidden to appear. They had also romanced about ruins, fountains, palms, and rushesin the Wady el-Kusayb, the south-eastern influent. At night Ahmedel-‘Ukbi, surnamed Abú Khartúm, arrived in camp: he had travelledmore than once to Tabúk, carrying grain, and though he had failedas a merchant, he retained his reputation as a guide. As regardsthe furnaces, he also, like Furayj, could speak only fromhearsay. Opinions were divided in camp: I saw clearly that astand was being made to delay us for four or five days; and, despite grumbling, I resolved upon deferring the visit till ourreturn from the interior. 

The first march had led us eastward, instead of north-eastward, in order to inspect the Wady Surr. From the seaboard, this line, which drains the northern flank of the Shárr Mountains, appearsthe directest road into the interior. We shall presently see, however, why the devious northern way of the Wady Sadr has becomethe main commercial route connecting El-Muwaylah withTabúk. [EN#151] During the evening we walked up the Wady Surr, finding, in its precipitous walls, immense veins of serpentineand porphyritic greenstone, but not a speck of gold. The upperpart of the Fiumara also showed abundant scatters of water-rolledstones, serpentines, and hard felspars, whose dove-colouredsurface was streaked with fibrils and at times with regular veinsof silvery lustre, as if brought out by friction of the surface. I offered a considerable sum to a Jeráfín Bedawi if he would showthe rock in situ; he was evidently ignorant of it, but, likeothers, he referred us to Jebel Malíh. 

The whole of the next day (February 20th) was spent in northing. Leaving the noisy braying caravan to march straight on itsdestination, we set out (6. 15 a. M. ) up the Wady Guwaymarah, guided by Hasan el-‘Ukbí, who declared that he well knew thesites of the ruined settlements El-Khulasah and El-Zibayyib. After walking half an hour we turned eastward into a feeder ofthe Surr, the Wady el-Khulasah, whose aspect charmed me: thisdrain of the inner Jedayl block was the replica of a Fiumara inSomali-land, a broad tree-dotted flat of golden sand, bordered oneither side by an emerald avenue of dense Mimosas, forming lineunder the green-stone hills to the right, and the red-stoneheights to the left. The interior, we again remarked, isevidently more rained upon, and therefore less sterile anddesolate, than the coast and the sub-maritime regions; and hereone can well imagine large towns being built. At last, afterwalking about an hour and a half (= four miles and a half)towards the Shárr, with our backs turned upon our goal, therat-faced little intriguer, Hasan, declared that he knew nothingabout El-Khulasah, but that Zibayyib lay there! pointing to abright-red cliffy peak, "Abá'l-bárid, " on the left bank of theWady, and to others whose heads were blue enough and low enoughto argue considerable distance. He had intended his cousin Gabrto be the real guide, and to take to himself all the credit; butI had sent off the parlous "judge" in another direction. 

Mr. Clarke, whose cantering mule had no objection to leave itsfellows, rode off with the recreant Hasan, whilst we awaited hisreturn under a tree. 

Instead of hugging Abá'l-bárid, behind which a watercourse wouldhave taken him straight to his destination, he struck away fromthe Wady el-Khulasah. Then crossing on foot, and hauling hisanimal over, a rough divide, he fell, after six miles instead oftwo, into the upper course of the Wady Surr, which he reported tobe choked with stones, and refusing passage to loaded camels--aswill afterwards appear, the reverse is the case. The ruins ofEl-Zibayyib lie at a junction of three, or rather four, watercourses. The eastern is the Surr, here about five hundredyards broad, forming a bulge in the bed, and then bendingabruptly to the south; a short line from the south-west, the WadyZibayyib, drains the Aba'‘l-bárid peak; and the northernmost isthe Wady el-Safrá, [EN#152] upon which the old place stands ŕcheval. The western part is the larger and the more ruinous. Thethin line, three hundred yards long by thirty broad, never showsmore than two tenements deep, owing to the hill that rises behindit: here the only furnace was found. The eastern block measuresone hundred yards by forty; both are razed to their basements, resembling the miners' settlement on the Sharmá cliff. Theyattract attention only by their material, red boulders being usedinstead of the green porphyries of the hills; and the nowdesolate spot shows no signs of water or of palm-groves. 

Mr. Clarke rejoined us after a couple of hours, having lost thedog ‘Brahim: under a sudden change of diet it had become tooconfident of its strength, and thus it is that dogs and men cometo grief. We retraced our steps down the Wady el-Khulasah, whoseJebel is the crupper of the little block Umm Jedayl. The lowervalley shows a few broken walls, old Arab graves, and other signsof ancient habitation; but I am convinced that we missed theruins which lay somewhere in the neighbourhood. One Sulaymán, aBedawi of the Selálimah-Huwaytát tribe, who had been rascalizedby residence at El-Muwaylah, was hunted up by the energeticSayyid; hoping, as usual, that no action would be taken upon merewords, he declared that El-Khulasah stood on the top of atrap-lump. We halted to inspect it, and Lieutenant Amir rode theShaytánah, his vicious little she-mule, up and down steeps fitonly for a goat. Again all was in vain. 

We then travelled over granite gravel along the westernfoot-hills of Umm Jedayl, in which a human figure or statue hadbeen reported to me: now, however, it became a Sarbút, or"upright stone. " Along the flanks of the chief outlier, the Jebelel-Ramzah, distinguished by its red crest and veins, the slopewas one strew of quartz, whole and broken; like that which we hadseen to the north, and which we were to see on our southernjourney. Despising the "rotten water" offered in two places bythe Umm Jedayl, we pitched camp on the fine gravel of the SaylWady el-Jimm. Here I heard for the first time, after sighting itfor many weeks, that the latter is the name, not of amountain, [EN#153] but of a Sha'b or "gully" in the Jebel Dibbaghwhere waters "meet. " The Wady Kh'shabriyyah, separating the UmmJedayl from its northern neighbour, the Dibbagh, looks like ahighway; but all declare that it is closed to camels by Wa'r, or"stony ground. " Of its ruins more when we travel to the Shárr. This day's march of four hours (= ten miles and a half) had beena series of zigzags--north, north-east, west, and again north. 

After a cool, pleasant night we set out at 6. 30 a. M. (February21st), across the broad Sayl, towards a bay in the mountainsbearing north-north-west, the mouth of the Wady Zennárah. Entering the block, we made two short cuts to save great bends inthe bed. The first was the Sha'b el-Liwéwi', the Weiwî of Wallin(p. 304)--wild riding enough; the path often winding almost dueeast, when the general direction was north-north-east. We saw, for the first time, pure greenish-yellow chlorite outcroppingfrom the granite. The animals were apparently hibernating, andplants were rare; we remarked chiefly the sorrel and the bluethistle, or rather wild artichoke, the Shauk el-Jemel, a thornloved by camels (Blepharis edulis), which recalled to mind thehighlands of Syria. The second short-cut, the Wady el-Ga'agah, alias Sawáwín, was the worse of the two: the deep drops andnarrow gutters in the quartz-veined granite induced even theShaykhs to dismount before attacking the descents. This is rarelydone when ascending, for their beasts climb like Iceland ponies. One of M. Lacaze's most effective croquis is that showing montureand man disappearing in the black depths of a crevice. Some ofthe hill-crests were weathered with forms resembling theartificial. At the mid-day halting-ground we saw a stone-mothernursing a rock-child, which might still be utilized in landswhere "thaumaturgy" is not yet obsolete. 

Our course thence lay eastward up the easy bed of the Fiumara, aneastern section of an old friend, the Wady Tiryam; it now takesthe well-known name "Wady Sadr, " and we shall follow it to itshead in the Hismá. The scene is rocky enough for Scotland orScandinavia, with its huge walls bristling in broken rocks andblocks, its blue slides, and its polished sheets of drywatercourse which, from afar, flash in the sun like livingcataracts. On the northern or right bank rises the mighty Harb, whose dome, single when seen from the west, here becomes aTridactylon, splitting into three several heads. Facing it, thenorthernmost end of the Dibbagh range forms a truncated tower, conspicuous far out at sea: having no name, it was called by usBurj Jebel Dibbagh. A little further to the east it will prove tobe the monstrous pommel of a dwarf saddleback, everywhere afavourite shape with the granite outcrop. 

MM. Clarke and Lacaze, who had never before seen anything higherthat the hillocks of the Isle of Wight or the Buttes deMontmartre were hot upon ascending the almost perpendicular sidesof the Burj, relying upon the parallel and horizontal fissures inthe face, which were at least ten to twenty feet apart. Thesedark marks, probably stained by oxide of iron, reminded me ofthose which wrinkle the granitic peaks about Rio de Janeiro, andwhich have been mistaken for "hieroglyphs. "

The valley-sole is parti-coloured; the sands of the deeper lineto the right are tinctured a pale and sickly green by thedegradation of the porphyritic traps, here towering in thelargest masses yet seen; while the gravel of the left bank iswarm, and lively with red grit and syenitic granite. Looking downthe long and gently waving line, we feel still connected with thecivilized world by the blue and purple screen of Sinai formingthe splendid back-ground. Everything around us appears deserted;the Ma'ázah are up country, and the Beni ‘Ukbah have temporarilyquitted these grazing-grounds for the Surr of El-Muwaylah. Wecamped for the night, after a total march of eleven miles, at theSayl el-Nagwah, a short Nullah at the foot of a granite blocksimilarly named; and a gap supplied us with tolerable rain-water. 

On the next day (February 22nd) we left the "Nagwah" at seveninstead of six a. M. , and passed to the right a granitic outcropin the Wady bed, a reduced edition of the Burj. After an hour'sslow walking we were led by a Bedawi lad, Hasan bin Husayn, to arock-spur projected northwards from the left side and separatingtwo adjacent Sayls or "torrent-beds, " mere bays in the bank ofmountains. A cut road runs to the top of the granite tongue, which faces the westernmost or down-stream outbreaks of the hugeporphyritic masses on the other side of the Wady Sadr. The ridgeitself is strewed with spalled stone, quartz broken from theveins that seam the granite, and with slag as usual admirablyworked. Not a trace of human habitation appears, nor is there anytradition of a settlement having existed here; consequently weconcluded that this was another atelier of wandering workmen. Below the rock-tongue we found for the first time oxydulated ironand copper, either free or engaged in trap and basaltic dykes:the former metal, also attached in layers to dark-red vermeilledjasper, here appears streaked with white quartz. 

Resuming our ride, we dismounted, after four miles, at thehalf-way Mahattah ("halting-place"): it is a rond-point in theWady Sadr, marked from afar by a tall blue pyramid, the Jebelel-Ga'lah (Jálah). We spent some time examining this interestingbulge. Here the Jibál el-Tihámah end, and the eastern parallelrange, the Jibál el-Shafah, begins. The former belong to theHuwaytát and to Egypt; the latter, partly to the Ma'ázah and toSyria. The geographical frontier is well marked by two largewatercourses disposed upon a meridian, and both feeding the maindrain, the Sadr-Tiryam. To the north the Wady Sawádah divides thegranitic Harb from the porphyritic Jebel Sawádah; while thesouthern Wady Aylán separates the Dibbagh from the Jebel Aylán, atall form distinctly visible from the Upper Shárr. The rest ofour eastward march will now be through the Shafah massif. Itresembles on a lower scale the Tihámah Gháts; but it wholly wantstheir variety, their beauty, and their grandeur. The graniteswhich before pierced the porphyritic traps in all directions, nowappear only at intervals; and this, I am told, is the casethroughout the northern, as we found it to be in the southern, prolongation of the "Lip"-range. At the same time there is nodistinct geographical separation between the two parallels; andboth appear, not as if parted by neutral ground, but rather astopographical continuations of each other. 

While breaking our fast and resting the mules, a few shotsringing ahead caused general excitement: we were now on the edgeof the enemy's country. Presently three of the Ma'ázah came inand explained, with their barking voices, that their people hadbeen practicing at the Níshán ("target"); which meant "We havepowder in abundance. " One of them, at once dubbed El-Nasnás ("theSatyr") from his exceeding monstrous ugliness--a baboon's muzzlewith a scatter of beard--kindly volunteered to guide us, with theintention of losing the way. The dialogue that took place wassomething as follows:--

What are your names ?

A. Na'akal wa nashrab! Our names are "We eat and We drink!"

Where do we find water to-day?

Furayj ejaculates, "The water of the Rikáb!"

A. No, by Allah! The Arabs will never allow you to drink! Youshould be killed for carrying off in Dumús ("skins") the sand ofthe Wady Jahd (alluding to Lieutenant Amir's trip). 

We did not pay much heed to these evil signs. Ahmed el-‘Ukbí hadbeen sent forward to obtain a free pass from the chiefs, and wehardly expected that the outlying thieves would be daring enoughto attack us. 

Resuming our way, in a cold wind and a warm sun, up the upperWady Sadr, we threaded the various bends to the south andsouth-east, with a general south-south-eastern direction. Thenormal dark-green traps and burnished red porphyries and gritswere sparsely clad with the Shauhat and the Yasár trees, resembling the Salvadora and the Tamarix. The country began toshow a few donkeys and large flocks of sheep and goats; themuttons have a fine "tog, " and sell for three dollars and a half. The women in charge, whose complexions appeared notably lighterthan those of the seaboard, barked like the men. They were muchpuzzled by a curious bleating which came from the mules; andhurriedly counted their kids, suspecting that one had beenpurloined, whilst they had some trouble to prevent the wholeflock following us. All roared with laughter when they found thatMr. Clarke was the performer. 

We crossed two short cuts over long bends in the Wady; and at thesecond found a pot-hole of rain-water by no means fragrant, except to nostrils that love impure ammonia. It has a grand name, Muwah (for Miyáh) el-Rikáb ("the Waters of the Caravan"); and wemade free with it, despite the morning's threats. We again campedin the valley at an altitude of 2200 feet (aner. 27. 80); and, though the thermometer showed 66° F. At five p. M. , fires insideand outside the mess-tent were required. A wester or sea-breeze, deflected by the ravines to a norther, was blowing; and in theseregions, as in the sub-frigid zones of Europe, wind makes all thedifference of temperature. During the evening we were visited bythe Ma'ázah Bedawin of a neighbouring encampment: they began tonotice stolen camels and to wrangle over past times--another badsign. 

Setting out on a splendidly lucent morning (6:45 a. M. , February23rd), when the towering heads of Harb and Dibbagh looked only afew furlongs distant, we committed the imprudence of preceding, as usual, the escort. Our men had become so timid, starting atthe sight of every wretched Bedawi, that they made one long for a"rash act. " After walking about a mile and a half, we passed someblack tents on the left bank, where the Sadr enters a narrowrocky gorge; and suddenly about a dozen varlets were seenscampering over the walls, manning the Pass, and with lightedmatches threatening to fire. Then loud rang the war-song--

 "Hill el-Zawáib, hilla-há; W'abdi Nuhúdak kulla-há!"

 "Loose thy top-locks with a loosing (like a lion's mane); And advance thy breast, all of it (opponite pectora withoutshrinking). "

Other varieties of the slogan are:--

 "O man of small mouth (un misérable)! If we fail, who shall win?"

And--

 "By thy eyes (I swear), O she-camel, if we go (to theattack) and gird (the sword), We will make it a day of sorrow to them, and avert fromourselves every ill. "

We dismounted, looked to our weapons, and began to parley. Theragged ruffians, some of them mere boys, and these always thereadiest to blow the matches of guns longer than themselves, began with high pretensions. They declared that they would besatisfied with nothing less than plundering us; they floutedShaykh Furayj, and they insulted the Sayyid, threatening to takeaway his sword. 

Presently the escort and the Arab camel-men were seen coming upat the double. The Ma'ázah at once became abject; kissed ourheads and declared "there was some mistake. " I had alreadyremarked, whilst the matchlock-men were swarming up theWady-sides, that the women and children remained in camp, and thesheep and goats were not driven off. This convinced me thatnothing serious had been intended: probably the demonstration wasordered from head-quarters in order to strike us with a wholesomeawe. 

The fellows gently reproached us with travelling through theircountry without engaging (and paying) Ghafír--"guides andprotectors. " So far, as owners of the soil, they were "in theirright;" and manning a pass is here the popular way of levyingtransit dues. On this occasion the number of our Remingtonssufficed to punish their insolence by putting the men to flight, and by carrying off their camels and flocks; but such a stepwould have stopped the journey, and what would not the"Aborigines Protection Society" have said and done? I thereforehired one of the varlets, and both parties went their waysrejoicing that the peace had not been broken. 

The valley, winding through the red and green hills, was dull andwarm till the cool morning easter, which usually set about eighta. M. , began to blow. The effect of increasing altitude showeditself in the vegetation. We now saw for the first time the Kidád(Astragalus), with horrid thorns and a flower resembling fromafar the gooseberry: it is common on the Hismá and in the SouthCountry. The Kahlá (Echium), a bugloss, a borage-like plant, withviscous leaves and flowers of two colours, --the young light-pinkand the old dark-blue, --everywhere beautified the sands, andreminded me of the Istrian hills, where it is plentiful as in theNile Valley. The Jarad-thorn was not in bloom; and the same wasthe case with the hyacinth (Dipcadi erythraeum), so abundant inthe Hisma', which some of us mistook for a "wild onion. " TheZayti (Lavandula) had just donned its pretty azure bloom. Therewere Reseda, wild indigo, Tribulus (terrestris), the blueAristida, the pale Stipa, and the Bromus grass, red and yellow. The Ratam (spartium), with delicate white and pink blossoms, wasa reminiscence of Tenerife and its glorious crater; whilst alittle higher up, the amene Cytisus, flowering with gold, carriedour thoughts back to the far past. 

Presently the great Fiumara opened upon a large basin denotingthe Ras ("head") Wady Sadr: native travellers consider this theirsecond stage from El-Muwaylah. In front the Jibál Sadr extendedfar to the right and left, a slight depression showing theKhuraytah, or "Pass, " which we were to ascend on the morrow. Buttressing the left bank of the broad watercourse was the dwarfhill of which we had been told so many tales. By day its redsands gleam and glisten like burnished copper; during the nightfire flashes from the summit: in truth, its sole peculiarity isthat of being yellow amongst the gloomy heights around it; whilstthe Wady el-Safrá, higher up to the left, discharges from itsJebel a torrent of quartz and syenite, gravel and sand. AbúKhartám, the author of the romance, was among the party: he onlysmiled when complimented upon the power of his imagination. 

This was a day of excitement: even the mules kept their earspricked up. After a short nine miles we had camped below theJebel Kibár, and we had remounted our animals to ascend aneighbouring hill commanding a bird's-eye view of the Hismáplain. There was evidently much excitement amongst the Bedawishepherds around us; and presently Ahmed el-‘Ukbí, our messenger, appeared in sight, officially heading the five chiefs of theMa'ázah, who were followed by a tail of some thirty clansmen. Only two rode horses, wretched garrons stolen from the Ruwalá, the great branch of the Anezah, which holds the eastern regions;the rest rode fine sturdy and long-coated camels, which lookedSyrian rather than Midianite. [EN#154] We returned hurriedly tomake arrangements for the reception: our Shaykhs could not, without derogating, go forth to meet the strangers; but thelatter were saluted with due ceremony by the bugler and theescort, drawn up in line before the mess-tent. 

After the usual half-hour's delay, the "palaver, " to speakAfricanicč, "came up, " and M. Lacaze had a good opportunity ofprivily sketching the scene. The Shaykh, Mohammed bin ‘Atíyyah, who boasts (falsely) that he commands more than half the twothousand males composing the tribe, is a tall, sinewy man ofabout fifty, straight-featured, full-bearded, and gruff-voiced:his official style of speaking from the throat, a kind of vaccinelow, imitated in camp for many a day, never failed to causemerriment. His costume rose to the height of Desert-fashion, described when pourtraying Shaykh Khizr the ‘Imráni; his mannerswere those of a gentleman below the Pass, and above it he becamean unmitigated ruffian, who merited his soubriquet El-Kalb ("theHound"). On one side sat his son Sálim, a large, beardless lad, who had begun work by presenting us with a sheep--Giorgi (cook)said it cost us Ł40. On the other was his eldest brother andalter ego: the wrinkled Sagr (Sakr) has been a resident at Cairo, and still boasts that he received the "tribute" of a horse fromthe Viceroy, whom he affects to treat as an equal or rather aninferior. The others were old Sagr's ill-visaged son Ali, and, lastly, a cunning-eyed villain, ‘Abayd bin Sálim, the rightfulheir to the chieftainship, which, however, he had been unable tokeep. All the Shaykhs were dressed in brand-new garments andglaring glossy Kúfíyahs ("head-kerchiefs"); they trade chieflywith Mezáríb in the Haurán; and, during the annual passage to andfro of the Damascus caravan, they await it at Tabúk, and threatento cut off the road unless liberally propitiated with presents ofraiment and rations. The Murátibah (honorarium) contributed byEl-Shám would be about one hundred dollars in ready money to theheadman, diminishing with degree to one dollar per annum: thiswould not include "free gifts" by pilgrims. The Ma'ázah are underSyria, that is, under no rule at all; and they are supposed to betributary to, when in reality they demand tribute from, thePorte. In fact, nothing can be more pronounced than the contrastof the Bedawin who are subject to Egypt, and those supposed to begoverned by the wretched Ottoman. 

During the palaver all outside was sweet as honey, to use theArab phrase, and bitter as gall inside. The Ma'ázah, many of whomnow saw Europeans for the first time, eyed the barnetá (hat)curiously, with a certain facial movement which meant, "This isthe first time we have let Christian dogs into our land!" Theywere minute in observing the escort, and not a little astonishedto find that all were negroes--in the old day Egyptian soldiers, under the great Mohammed Ali Pasha and his stepson, IbrahimPasha, had made themselves a terror to the Wild Man. "What hadnow become of them?" was the mental question. When asked whencethey had procured the two horses, they answered curtly, MinRabbiná--"From our Lord, " thus signifying stolen goods; and, likemediaeval knights, they took a pride in avowing that not one oftheir number could read or write. Finally a tent was assigned tothem; food was ordered, and they promised us escort to their denson the morrow. 

During the raw and gusty night the mercury sank to 38° F. , theaneroid (26. 91) showing about three thousand feet abovesea-level; and blazing fires kept up within and without thetents, hardly sufficed for comfort. On the morning of February24th

 "Over the wold the wind blew cold;"

and the Egyptian officers all donned their gloves. The earlyhours were spent in a last struggle with our Shaykhs, who nowfelt themselves and their camels hopelessly entering the lion'slair. The sole available pretext for delay was that their animalscould never carry the boxes and tents up the Pass; but, thoughvery ugly reports prevailed concerning the reception of Ahmedel-‘Ukbí, and the observations that had been made last night, nota word was suffered to reach my ears until our retreat had beenresolved upon. Such concealment would have been inexcusable in aEuropean; in the East it is the rule. 

At 7. 15 a. M. We struck the camp at Jebel Kibár, and moved dueeastward towards the Pass. This north-eastern Khuraytah (Col) istermed the Khuraytat el-Hismá or el-Jils, after a hillock on theplateau-summit, to distinguish it from the similar feature to thesouth-west: the latter is known as the Khuraytat el-Zibá; orel-T h m, the local pronunciation of Tihámah. About two miles ofrough and broken ground lead to the foot of the ladder. Thezigzags then follow the line of a mountain torrent, the naturalPass, crossing its bed from left to right and from right again toleft: the path is the rudest of corniches, worn by the feet ofman and beast; and showing some ugly abrupt turns. The absoluteheight of the ascent is about 450 feet (aner. 26. 70--26. 25) andthe length half a mile. The ground, composed mostly of irregularrock-steps, has little difficulty for horses and mules; butcamels laden with boards (the mess-table) and long tent-polesmust have had a queer time--I should almost expect after this tosee an oyster walking up stairs. Of course, they took theirleisure, feeling each stone before they trusted it, but they allarrived without the shadow of an accident; and the same was thecase during the two subsequent descents. 

We halted on the Sath el-Nakb ("the Passtop") to expect thecaravan, and to prospect the surrounding novelties. Heaps andpiles of dark trap dotted the summit like old graves; many of thestones were inscribed with tribal marks, and not a few werecapped with snowy lumps of quartz detached from their veins inthe porphyry. This custom, which appears universal throughoutMidian, has many interpretations. According to some it denotesthe terminus of a successful raid; others make it show where adispute was settled without bloodshed; whilst as a rule it is anexpression of gratitude: the Bedawi erects it in honour of theman who protected or who did a service to him, saying at the sametime, Abyaz ‘alayk yá Fula'n--"White (or happy) be it to thee!"naming the person. Amongst these votive stones we picked upcopper-stained quartz like that of ‘Aynúnah, fine specimens ofiron, and the dove-coloured serpentine, with silvery threads, soplentiful in the Wady Surr. The Wasm in most cases showed someform of a cross, which is held to be a potent charm by theSinaitic Bedawin; and on two detached water-rolled pebbles weredistinctly inscribed lH and Vl, which looked exceedingly likeEurope. Apparently the custom is dying out: the modern Midianiteshave forgotten the art and mystery of tribal signs (Wusúm). Inmany places the people cannot distinguish between inscriptionsand "Bill Snooks his mark, " and they can interpret very few ofthe latter. 

Looking westward through the inverted arch formed by the twohill-staples of the Khuraytah, and down the long valley which hadgiven us passage, the eye distinguishes a dozen distances whoseseveral planes are marked by all the shades of colour that themost varied vegetation can show. There are black-browns, chocolate-browns, and light umber-browns; bright-reds anddull-reds; grass-greens and cypress-greens; neutral tints andFrench greys contrasting with the rosy pinks, the azures, thepurples, and the golden yellows with which distance paints thehorizon. From a few feet above the Col-floor appear the easternfaces of the giants of the coast-range; and our altitude, some3800 feet, gave us to a certain extent a measure of their grandproportions. 

We now stand upon the westernmost edge of the great centralArabian plateau, known as El-Nejd ("the Highlands"), opposed toEl-Tihámah, the lowland regions. In Africa we should call it the"true" subtending the "false" coast; delightful Dahome comparedwith leprous Lagos. This upland, running parallel with the"Lip"-range and with the maritime Gháts, is the far-famed Hismá. It probably represents a remnant of the old terrace which, likethe Secondary gypseous formation, has been torn to pieces by thevolcanic region to the east, and by the plutonic upheavals to thewest. The length may be 170 miles; the northern limit is eitherclose to or a little south of Fort Ma'án; and we shall see itssouthern terminus sharply defined on a parallel with the centralShárr, not including "El-Jaww. "[EN#155] An inaccessible fortressto the south, it is approached on the south-west by difficultpasses, easily defended against man and beast. Further north, however, the Wadys ‘Afál near El-Sharaf, El-Hakl (Hagul), andEl-Yitm at El-‘Akabah, are easy lines without Wa'r ("stonyground") or Nakb ("ravines"). 

The Hismá material is a loose modern sandstone, showing every huebetween blood-red, rose pink, and dead, dull white: again andagain fragments had been pointed out to us near the coast, inruined buildings and in the remains of handmills and rub-stones. Possibly the true coal-measures may underlie it, especially ifthe rocks east of Petra be, as some travellers state, a region ofthe Old, not the New Red. According to my informants, the Hismáhas no hills of quartz, a rock which appears everywhere excepthere; nor should I expect the region to be metalliferous. 

We ascended the Jebel el-Khuraytah, a trap hillock some 120 feethigh, the southern jamb of the Khuraytah gate: the summit, wherestands a ruined Burj measuring fourteen metres in diameter, givesa striking and suggestive view. After hard dry living on grislymountain and unlovely Wady, this fine open plain, slightlyconcave in the centre, was a delightful change of diet to theeye--the first enjoyable sensation of the kind, since we hadgazed lovingly upon the broad bosom of the Wady el-‘Arabah. Thegeneral appearance is that of Eastern Syria, especially theHaurán: at the present season all is a sheet of pinkish red, which in later March will turn to lively green. On this parallelthe diameter does not exceed a day's march, but we see itbroadening to the north. Looking in that direction over thegloomy-metalled porphyritic slopes upon which we stand, theglance extends to a manner of sea-horizon; while the severalplanes below it are dotted with hills and hill-ranges, white, red, and black, all dwarfed by distance to the size of thimblesand pincushions. The guides especially pointed out the ridgeEl-Mukaykam, a red block upon red sands, and a far-famedrendezvous for raid and razzia. Nearer, the dark lumps ofEl-Khayráni rise from a similar surface; nearer still lie the twowhite dots, El-Rakhamatayn; and nearest is the ruddy ridge Jebeland Jils el-Rawiyán, containing, they say, ruins and inscriptionsof which Wallin did not even hear. 

The eastern versant of the Hismá is marked by long chaplets oftree and shrub, disposed along the selvage of the watercourses;and the latter are pitted with wells sunk after the fashion ofthe Bedawin. In this rhumb the horizon is bounded by El-Harrah, the volcanic region whose black porous lavas and honey-combedbasalts, often charged with white zeolite, are still brought downeven to the coast to serve as mortars and handmills. The profileis a long straight and regular line, as if formed under water, capped here and there by a tiny head like the Syrian KulaybHaurán: its peculiar dorsum makes it distinguishable from afar, and we could easily trace it from the upper heights of the Shárr. It is evidently a section of the mighty plutonic outburst whichhas done so much to change the aspect of the parallel Midianseaboard. Wallin's account of it (p. 307) is confined to theplace where he crossed the lava-flood; and he rendered El-Harrah, which in Arabic always applies to a burnt region, by"red-coloured sandstone. "

The Bedawin far more reasonably declare that this Harrah is not amere patch as it appears in Wallin's map, a narrow oblong notexceeding sixty miles (north lat. 27°--28°), disposed diagonallyfrom north-west to south-east. According to them, it is a regionat least as large as the Hismá; and it extends southwards notonly to the parallel of El-Medínah, but to the neighbourhood ofYambú'. The upper region has two great divisions: theHarrat-Hismá or the Harrah par excellence, which belongs to theMa'ázah, and which extends southwards through El-Sulaysilah asfar as the Jaww. The latter region, a tract of yellow sand, dotted with ruddy hills, apparently a prolongation of the Hismá, separates it from the Harrat el-‘Awayraz, in which the Jebelel-Muharrak lies. [EN#156] This line of volcanism is continuedsouth by the Harrat el-Mushrif (P. N. Of a man); by the HarratSutúh Jaydá; and, finally, by the Harrat el-Buhayri. The lattershows close behind the shore at El-Haurá, in nearly the samelatitude as El-Medínah, where we shall presently sight it. Thereis great interest and a general importance in this largecoast-subtending eruptive range, whose eastern counterslopedemands long and careful study. 

Sweeping the glance round to south, we see the southern of thetwo Jilsayn, tall mounds of horizontal strata, with ironstone inharder lines and finial blocks. This is the Jils el-Dáim, sodistinguished from the northern Jils el-Rawiyán. The lower edgeof the Hismá swells up in red and quoin-like masses, the Jibálel-Záwiyah, and then falls suddenly, with a succession of greatbreaks, into the sub-maritime levels. During our next ten days'travel we shall be almost in continuous sight of its southernramparts and buttresses. Far over the precipices lie the lowyellow sands of the Rahabah, alias the Wady Dámah; and behind itrises the sky-blue mountain block, which takes a name from theruins of Shaghab and Shuwák. 

We breakfasted upon the Khuraytah crest; and Mr. Clarke set outto shoot the fine red-legged "Greek" partridges (caccabis) thathaunt the hilltops, whilst the rest of us marched with thecaravan to the nearest camping-ground. About a mile from the Col, and lying to the west of the Jils el-Rawiyán, it is supplied withexcellent drinking-water by the Miyáh el-Jedayd, lying ninehundred to a thousand metres to the south-east. On the otherhand, fuel, here a necessary of life, was wanting; nor could thecamels find forage. Thus we were camped upon the western edge ofthe Hismá. The Ma'ázah Shaykhs, who vainly urged us forwards, showed a suspicious disappointment at our not reaching theirquarters on the far side, where, they said, a camel was awaitingto be slaughtered for our reception. 

Meanwhile, we were enjoying the reverse of hospitality. TheBedawin evidently now held that all which was ours had becometheirs. Their excessive greed made them imprudent. Not satisfiedwith "eating us up, " with a coffee-pot ever on the fire, withdemanding endless tobacco, and with making their two garronsdevour more barley than our eight mules, they began to debate, aloud as usual, how much ready money they should demand. This wasat last settled at four hundred dollars; and the talk wasreported to me by the Básh-Buzúk Husayn, whom they had compelledto cook for them. At the same time unpleasant discussions werebeginning: "This man stole my camel!" "That man killed myfather, " already took the form of threats; in fact, I almostrepented having brought the Huwaytát and their camels into thetrap. Still they all respected Furayj, as might be seen by theirrising and making room for him whenever he approached the fire. 

At last an evil rumour arose that the Ma'ázah had determined tosupply us with transport, and had sent messengers in alldirections to collect the animals. This step looked uncommonlylike a gathering of war-men. I was sorely disappointed, for morereasons than one. The state of affairs rendered a distant marchto the east highly unadvisable. The principal object of thisjourney had been to investigate the inland depth of themetalliferous deposits; in fact, their extent from west to east. Their north-south length would be easily ascertained, but thewidth would still remain unknown. The "Land of Midian, " throughwhich we have been travelling, has evidently been worked, and inplaces well worked; thus the only chance of finding a virginCalifornia would be in the unknown tracts lying to the east ofthe "Harrahs. " Too bad to be thwarted in such a project by theexorbitant demands of a handful of thieves!

The disappointment was aggravated by other considerations. Fromall that I had heard, the Hismá is a region full of archćologicalinterest. Already we were almost in sight of the ruins of Ruáfá, lying to the north between the two white dots El-Rakhamatayn. Further eastward, and north of the pilgrim-station Zát-Hajj, arethe remains of Karáyyá, still unvisited by Europeans. Finally, Ihad been shown, when too late to inspect the place, a fragment ofa Nabathćan inscription, finely cut in soft whitesandstone:[EN#157] it had been barbarously broken, and two otherpieces were en route. The stone is said to be ten feet long (?), all covered with "writings, " from which annalistic informationmight be expected: it lies, or is said to lie, about two hours'ride north of our camp, and beyond the Jils el-Rawiyán famed forHawáwít. At first I thought of having it cut to portable size;but second thoughts determined me to leave it for another visitor for some more fortunate visitor. Lastly, we were informed, afew weeks afterwards, that the Ma'ázah Shaykhs had carried it offto their tents--I fear piecemeal. 

It was not pleasant to beat a retreat; but, under thecircumstances, what else could be done? No one was to be reliedupon but the Europeans, and not all even of them. The blackescort, emancipated slaves, would have run away at the firstshot; except only Acting-Corporal Khayr. And when I told theofficers assembled at mess that we should march back early nextmorning, the general joy showed how little they relished theprospect of an advance. Then came out in mass the details--manydoubtless apocryphal--which should have been reported to me, andwhich had carefully been kept secret. The Ma'ázah, when ourmessenger first notified our visit, had declared that they wouldhave no Nazarenes in their mountains; that they did not care afico for Egypt. Why had not "Effendíná" written to them? theywere his equals, not his subjects! It was then debated whetherthey should not raise a force of dromedary-men to fall upon us. Some of them proposed to summon to their aid the rival chief, IbnHermás; but the majority thought it would be better to reservefor themselves the hundred dollars per diem, of which theyproposed to fleece us. 

Of course, everything around us was intrigue; the Máyat tahtel-Tibn ("water under the straw") of the Arab saying. Furayj, itis true, looked serene, and privately offered me to fight theaffair out; but he was alone in the idea. The Sayyid wastranquil, as usual; Hasan the ‘Ukbi wore an unpleasant appearanceof satisfaction, as if he had been offered a share in the plunderof the Huwaytát; and ‘Alayán, a brave man on his own ground, could hardly conceal his dejection. I might, it is evident, haveseized Shaykh Mohammed, placed a pistol to his ear, and carriedhim off a prisoner; but such grands moyens must be reserved forgreat occasions. The worst symptoms in camp were that the Ma'ázahat once knew the whole of my project; while the Egyptian officerswere ever going to their tents, and one stayed talking with themtill near midnight. 

February 25th was a day of humiliation. I aroused the camp at4. 30 a. M. , and at once gave orders to strike the tents and load. The command was obeyed in double quick time; but not beforeShaykh Mohammed had visited us to propose a march to his home inthe east. He was not comfortable; probably his reinforcements hadstill to arrive: his face was calm, as the Eastern's generallyis; but his feet trembled, and his toes twitched. I drily toldhim of our changed plans, and he left us in high dudgeon. Thetragi-comedy which followed may be divided into six acts:--

1. The Ma'ázah mount their horses and camels: I walk up to them, and expostulate about so abrupt a departure without even drinkinga friendly cup of coffee. 

2. They dismount, and squat in council round the fire, sending onthree dromedary-riders to crown a hill commanding the pass. The"burning question" is now whether armed clansmen are or are notlurking behind the heights. 

3. Shaykh Mohammed comes forward, and demands blackmail to theextent of two hundred dollars. I offer one hundred dollars. 

4. Our hosts break off the debate in a towering rage; refusecoffee, and declare that the caravan of "Effendíná" (the Viceroy)shall not be loaded. Mohammed's feet twitch more violently as thecamels are made to kneel. 

5. The caravan shows too much emotion. I pay the two hundreddollars into the chief's hands. He at once demands his Sharaf("honour") in the shape of a Kiswah, or handsome dress, and, thatfailing, an additional twenty-five dollars for each of the fiveheadmen. I promise that a robe shall be sent fromEl-Muwaylah. [EN#158]

6. The caravan sets out for the Pass, when the threedromedary-riders open with the war-cry: it is stopped with muchapparatus by the Shaykhs, who affect to look upon it asdangerous. 

 * * * * *

We now marched without delay upon the Col, which was reached at8:15 a. M. ; Mohammed bin ‘Atíyyah having meanwhile disappeared. Wedescended the Khuraytat el-Jils in twenty-six minutes, anddismissed the remainder of our Ma'ázah escort at the foot. Ivainly offered them safeguard to El-Muwaylah, which they have notvisited for the last dozen years; all refused absolutely to passtheir own frontiers. 

Au revoir Mohammed ibn ‘Atíyyah and company!

Having broken our fast and sent forward the caravan, we at oncebegan to descend the southern Pass, the Khuraytat el-Zibá. Herethe watershed of the Wady Surr heads; and merchants object totravel by its shorter line, because their camels must ascend twoladders of rocks, instead of one at the top of the Wady Sadr. TheCol was much longer and but little less troublesome than itsnorthern neighbour; the formation was the same, and forty-fiveminutes placed us in a gully, that presently widened to a bigvalley, the Wady Dahal or El-Khuraytah. We reached it at 12:30p. M. , and laid down the distance from the summit of the northernCol at about five miles and a quarter. The air felt tepid, thesun waxed hot; drinking-water was found on the left of the bed, and a hole in the sole represented a spring, which the people sayis perennial: we were dismounting to quench our thirst at thelatter, when Juno plunged into it, and stood quietly eyeing uswith an air of intense satisfaction. 

We spent that night at a place lower down the Wady Dahal, knownas the Jayb el-Khuraytah ("Collar of the Col"). The term "Jayb"is locally applied to two places only; the other being the Jaybel-Sa'lúwwah, which we shall presently visit. A larger featurethan a Wady, it reminds us of a Norfolk "broad, " but it is ofcourse waterless. Guards were placed around the camp; and awholesome dread of the Ma'ázah kept them wide awake. The onlyevil which resulted was that none dared to lead our mules towater; and the poor animals were hardly rideable on the next day. 

Of the Hismá in its present state, we may say as of Ushant, Quivoit Ouessant, voit la mort. Nothing can be done towards workingthe mines of Midian until this den of thieves is cleared out. Itis an asylum for every murderer and bandit who can make his waythere--a centre of turbulence which spreads trouble all aroundit. Under the sham rule of miserable Shám (Syria), with itsTurkish Wális, men like the late Ráshid Pasha, matters can onlywax worse. Subject to Egypt, the people will learn discipline andcease to torment the land. 

Happily for their neighbours there will be no difficulty inreducing the Ma'ázah. They are surrounded by enemies, and theyhave lately been obliged to pay "brother-tax" to the Ruwalá as adefence against being plundered: the tribute consists of onepiece of hair-cloth about twenty cubits long. On the north, asfar as El-Ma'án, they meet the hostile Beni Sakr (Jawázi), underthe Shaykh Mohammed ibn Jázi; southwards the Baliyy, commanded byShaykh ‘Afnán, are on terms of "blood" with them; eastward standthe ‘Anezah and the warlike Sharárát-Hutaym, who ever covet theirtwo thousand camels: westward lie in wait their hereditary foes, the Huwaytát. Shaykh Furayj, the tactician, has long ago proposeda general onslaught of his tribesmen by a simultaneous movementup the Wadys Surr, Sadr, Urnub, and ‘Afál: they seemed to havesome inkling of his intentions, as they hastened to conclude withhim a five months' ‘Altwah or "truce. " Finally, a smalldisciplined force, marching down the Damascus-Medínahpilgrimage-road to the east, and co-operating with the Huwayta'ton the west would place this vermin between two fires. 

The tale of my disappointment may conclude with an ethnologicalnotice of those who caused it. 

The Ma'ázah is a Syro-Egypto-Bedawi clan, originally Arab, orrather Syrian, but migratory, as are all Arabs. It now extendshigh up the valley of the Nile, and it is still found in the WadyMusá (of Suez) and on the Za'faránah block. Even in Egypt it isturbulent and dangerous: the men are professional robbers; andtheir treachery is uncontrolled by the Bedawi law of honour--theywill eat bread and salt with the traveller whom they intend tomurder. For many years it was unsafe to visit the camps withinsight of Suez, until a compulsory residence at head-quarterstaught the Shaykhs manners. The habitat in Arabia stretches fromthe Wady Musá of Petra, where they are kinsmen of the Tiyáhah, the Bedawin of the Tíh-desert; and through Ma'án as far as theBirkat el-Mu'azzamah, south of Tabúk. Finally, they occupy thegreater part of the Hismá and the northern Harrah. 

According to Mohammed el-Kalb, these bandits own the bluest ofblue blood. Their forefather was one Wáíl, who left by hisdescendants two great tribes. The first and the eldest took aname from their Ma'áz ("he-goats"); while the junior calledthemselves after the Annáz ("she-goats"): from the latter sprungthe great Anezah family, which occupies the largest and thechoicest provinces of the Arabian peninsula. Meanwhilegenealogists ignore the Ma'ázah. 

Wallin would divide the tribe into two, the Ma'ázah and the "Beni‘Atiyá:" of the latter in Midian I could hear nothing except thatthey represent the kinsmen of the Shaykh's family. We find "BenooAteeyah" in maps like that of Crichton's (1834), where theMa'ázah are laid down further south; and northwards the Beni‘Atiyyah are a powerful clan who push their razzias as far as thefrontiers of Moab. My informants declare that the numbers offighting men in the Midianite division of the race may be twothousand (two hundred?), and that they are separated only byallegiance to two rival Shaykhs. The greater half, under IbnHermás, is distributed into five clans, of whom the first, ‘OrbánKhumaysah, contain two septs. Under Mohammed ibn ‘Atíyyah(El-Kalb) they number also five divisions. Amongst them are theSubút or Beni Sabt, "Sons of the Sabbath, " that is, Saturday;whom Wallin suspects to be of Jewish origin, relying, it wouldappear, principally upon their name. The ringing of the largebell suspended to the middle pole of the tents at sunset, "tohail the return of the camels and the mystic hour of descendingnight, " is an old custom still maintained, because it confers aBarakat ("blessing") upon the flocks and herds. Certainly thereis nothing of the Bedawi in this practice, and it is distinctlycontrary to the tradition of El-Islam; yet many such survivalshold their ground amongst the highly conservative Wild Men, andthey must be looked upon only as local and tribal peculiarities. 

End of Vol. I. 

 Endnotes

[EN#1] My collection dates from between the first century B. C. And the first century A. D. ; this can be gathered from comparisonwith the coins of Alexander Jannaeus and his successor, AlexanderII. The tetradrachm may belong to the reign of Alexander theGreat, or the ages preceding it. 

[EN#2] Here probably disappeared some fine specimens of silicateof copper which caused a delay of three months in the report. --R. F. B. 

[EN#3] Messrs. Edgar Jackson found in the same box:--

Silver (per statute ton). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 oz. 17 dwts. 11 grs. 

[EN#4] "Box No. 37" yielded silver. . . . 13 dwts. 1. 6 grs. 

[EN#5] "Box. No. 47" yielded silver. . . 12 dwts. 1. 6 grms. 

[EN#6] In boxes Nos. 48 and 51 Mr. Jenken found silver 2 oz. 13dwts. 8 grs. ; and 4 oz. 5 dwts. 12 grms. 

[EN#7] In a fragment of similar "turquoise rock, " from the samesite (Ziba), Dr. L. Karl Moser, of Trieste, found silver. 

[EN#8] In a fragment of similar chalcedony, from the same site(Aba'l-Maru), Dr. Moser found specks of "free gold. "

[EN#9] This was the "splendid button" smelted at Makna. 

[EN#10] The "button" was pronounced to be almost pure antimony inthe Government Establishment of Mines, Trieste. 

[EN#11] In "box No. 4" Messrs. Jackson found rough crystals ofcorundum; and a qualitative analysis of this sample and "box No. 7" yielded quartz, carbonate of lime, alumina, and oxide of iron. 

[EN#12] The italics are mine. Mr. Mathey remarks of the specimencontaining 48 grains of gold per ton, "It would be worthless inits present condition; if however, it could be enriched by properwashing and dressing, and the cost in labour, etc. , be not toogreat, it might be made to give fair returns. "

[EN#13] "Little health" at Cairo prevented my choosing theinstruments; and the result was that at last I had to depend uponmy pocket-set by Casella. Even this excellent maker's maxima andminima failed to stand the camel-jolting. The barometer, lent bythe Chief of Staff (Elliott Brothers, 24), contained amalgam, notmercury. The patent messrad, or odometer (Wittmann, Wien), withits works of soft brass instead of steel, was fit only to measurea drawing-room carpet. M. Ebner sold us, at the highest prices, absolutely useless maxima and minima, plus a baromčtre aneroide, whose chain was unhooked when it left the box. M. Sussmann, ofthe Muski, supplied, for fifty francs, a good and usefulmicroscope magnifying seventy-five times. The watches from M. Meyer ("Dent and Co. !") were cheap and nasty Swiss articles; butthey were also subjected to terrible treatment:--I once saw thewearers opening them with table-knives. Fortunately M. Lacaze, the artist, had a good practical knowledge of instruments; andthis did us many a good turn. 

[EN#14] For Arabian travel I should advise aconite, instead ofDover's powder; Cockle's pills, in lieu of blue mass; Warburg'sDrops, in addition to quinine; pyretic saline and Karlsbad, besides Epsom salts; and chloral, together with chlorodyne. "PainKiller" is useful amongst wild people, and Oxley's ginger, withthe simple root, is equally prized. A little borax serves foreye-water and alum for sore mouth. I need not mention specialmedicines like the liqueur Laville, and the invaluable Waldöl(oil of the maritime pine), which each traveller must choose forhimself. 

[EN#15] It is Lane's "Kiyakh, vulgó Kiyák, " and Michell's "Kyhak, the ancient Khoiak, " or fourth month. The Copts begin their solaryear on our September 10-11; and date from the 2nd of Diocletian, or the Era of the "Martyrs" (A. D. 284). It is the old Sothic, orannus quadratus, which became the Alexandrine under thePtolemies; and which Sosigenes, the Egyptian, converted into theJulian, by assuming the Urbs condita as a point de départ, and bytransferring New Year's Day from the equinox to the solstice. 

Thus Kayhák I, 1594, would correspond with December 9, A. D. 1877, and with Zúl-Hijjah 4, A. H. 1294. On the evening of Kayhák 14(December 22nd) winter is supposed to set in. The fifth month, Tubá--Lane's "Toobeh, " and Michell's "Toubeh, the ancientTobi"--is the coldest of the year at Suez, on the isthmus and inthe adjacent parts of Arabia; rigorous weather generally lastsfrom January 20th to February 20th. In Amshír, about early March, torrents of rain are expected to fall for a few hours. The peoplesay of it, in their rhyming way, Amshír, Za'bíbel-kathir--"Amshír hath many a blast;" and

 "Amshir Yakul li'l-Zará 'Sir! Wa yalhak bi'l-tawi'l el-kasi'r. "'

"Amshír saith to the plants, 'Go (forth), and the little shallreach the big. "' It is divided into three 'Asharát or tens--1. 'Asharat el-'Ajúz ("of the old man"), from the cold and killingwind El-Husúm; 2. 'Asharat el-'Anzah ("of the she-goat"), fromthe blasts and gales; and 3. 'Asharat el-Rá'í' ("of theshepherd"), from its change to genial warmth. Concerning Barmahát(vulgó Barambát), of old Phamenoth (seventh month), the popularjingle is, Ruh el-Ghayt wa hát--"Go to the field and bring (whatit yields);" this being the month of flowers, when the world isgreen. Barmúdah (Pharmuthi)! dukh bi'l-'amúdah ("April! poundwith the pestle!") alludes to the ripening of the spring crops;and so forth almost ad infinitum. For more information see the"Egyptian Calendar, " etc. (Alexandria: Mourčs, 1878), a valuablecompilation by our friend Mr. Roland L. N. Michell, who will, letus hope, prefix his name to a future edition, enlarged andenriched with more copious quotations from the weather-rhymes andthe folk-lore of Egypt. 

[EN#16] This is a most interesting feature. According to Forskâl(Descriptiones xxix. ), "Suénsia litora, a recedente mari seriusorta, nesciunt corallia;" and he makes the submaritime"Cryptogama regio animalis" begin at Tor (Raitha) and extend to(Gonfoda). Near Suez is the Newport Shoal, which could be sailedover with impunity twenty years ago, and which is now dangerous:it resembles, in fact, the other reef at the entrance of theGulf, where tile soundings have changed, in late years, from 7-71/2 fathoms to 3-3 1/2. Geologists differ as to thecause--elevation or accretion by current-borne drift. 

[EN#17] In Chap. XIV, we will return to this subject. 

[EN#18] "The Gold-Mines of Midian, " etc. (London: C. Kegan Paul &Co. , 1878). 

[EN#19] Assuming the sovereign at 97 piastres 40 parahs, thishire would be in round numbers one and two shillings; theshilling being exactly 4 piastres 24 parahs. See Chap. VII. Forfurther details. 

[EN#20] Besides a popular account of the stages in "The GoldMines of Midian, " a geographical itinerary has been offered tothe Journal of the Royal Geographical Society. 

[EN#21] They were, perhaps, a trifle too long for small beasts:seventy-seven centimčtres (better seventy); and too deep, sixty, instead of fifty-eight. The width (forty-six) was all right. Thebest were painted, and defended from wet by an upper plate ofzinc; the angles and the bottoms were strengthened with ironbands in pairs; and they were closed with hasps. At each end wasa small block, carrying a strong looped rope for slinging theload to the pack-saddle; of these, duplicates should be provided. In order to defend our delicate apparatus from excessive shaking, we divided the inside, by battens, into several compartments. Thesmaller cases of bottles and breakables should have been cut tofit into the larger, but this had been neglected at Cairo. Finally, not a single box gave way on the march: that wasreserved for the Suez-Cairo Railway, and for landing at theLondon Docks. 

[EN#22] MM. Gastinel (Bey) and Marie give it per cent. :--

Titaniferous iron . . . . . . . . . . . 86. 50Silica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10. 10Copper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3. 40 (2 1/2 per cent. )Silver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100. 0

[EN#23] Hence, evidently, the derivation of the "Marwah" hillnear Meccah, and the famous "Marwah" gold mine which we shallvisit in South Midian. The Arabs here use Jebel el-Mará and Jebelel-Abyaz (plur. Jibál el-Bayzá) synonymously. 

[EN#24] Spon: London, 1875. A book opening a new epoch, and dulyneglected. 

[EN#25] So said the engineer. He relied chiefly upon M. AmedéeBurat, p. 229, "Géologic Appliquáe" (Paris: Garnier, 1870), whoquotes the compte rendu of M. Guillemin, C. E. To the Expositionof 1867. The latter gentleman, who probably did not, like theformer, place Mexico in South America, makes the metalliferouslands measure four-fifths of the total surface. I am muchmistaken if the same is not the case with Midian. 

[EN#26] In "The Gold-Mines of Midian, " p. 171, I erroneouslyasserted that the Beden does not extend to these mountains. Thesecond Expedition could learn nothing about the stag with largebranches vaguely spoken of by the Bedawin. 

[EN#27] When "miles" are given, I mean the statute of 1760 yardsas opposed to the geographical; the latter equals 1 minute (of adegree) = 1 Italian or Arab = 1/4 German = 1 1/4 Roman = 10stadia. 

[EN#28] Were I a wealthy man, nothing would delight me more thanto introduce London to La Zarzuela, the Spanish and Portugueseopera bouffe. Sir Julius Benedict tells me that it has reachedParis. 

[EN#29] See Le Pionnier, Chemin de Fer Abyssinien d'apré's lesdesseins de M. J. L. Haddan. Another valuable form is "TheEconomical" (Mr. Russell Shaw). 

[EN#30] Chloritic slate is the matrix of gold in the Brazil andin Upper Styria. 

[EN#31] Chap. IX. 

[EN#32] Not Tayyibat Ism, as I wrongly wrote in "The Gold Minesof Midian, " misled by the Hydrographic Chart. None of the Bedawincould explain the origin of the flattering title. 

[EN#33] "The Gold-Mines of Midian. " Chap. XII. 

[EN#34] The so-called Oriental, stalactitic, or variegatedalabaster of Upper Egypt was nowhere hit upon. 

[EN#35] The Ptolemeian parallel is nearly right; the place mustnot be confounded with Modi'ana or Modouna (ibid. ), acoast-settlement in north lat. 27 degrees 45', between Onne andthe Hippos Mons, Monte Cavallo. 

[EN#36] I have no wish to criticize my able predecessor. His map, all things considered, is a marvel of accuracy; and the highpraise of Wellsted (ii. 148) only does it justice. 

[EN#37] The "Muttali" (high town) when small is termed a Burj, pyrgos, tower, Pergamus (?)

[EN#38] The Masháb or "camel-stick" of all Arabia is thatcarried by the Osiris (mummy), and its crook is originally thejackal-headed Anubis. 

[EN#39] The collection has been submitted to Mr. R. StanleyPoole, who kindly offered them for inspection to the NumismaticSociety of London (Nov. 21, 1878). 

[EN#40] "Ćgypten, " etc. , p. 269, et seq. 

[EN#41] "Les Inscriptions des Mines d'Or, " etc. Paris, 1862. 

[EN#42] In Tafel viii. (p. 387), he has added some cursory noteson the Sepulcral-Monumente in dem Thale Beden. 

[EN#43] Wellsted, vol. Ii. , appendix. 

[EN#44] All the useful matter has already been borrowed fromAbulfeda. Dr. Badger tells me that he looked through his Jarídatel-'Ajáib, wa Farídat el-Gharáib, by Siráj el-Din Umar ibnel-Wardí, A. H. 940 (= A. D. 1533--1534), where he expected tofind, but did not find, notices of Madyan. 

[EN#45] Geschichte Ćgyptens unter den Pharaonen. Nach denDenkmählern bearbeitet, von Dr. Heinrich Brugsch-Bey. Erstedeutsche Ausgabe. Leipzig: Hinrichs'sche Buchhandlung, 1877. Already the Premičre Partie had appeared in French, "Histoired'Égypte, Introduction--Histoire des Dynasties i. --xvii. ;"published by the same house with a second edition in 1875. AnEnglish translation of this most valuable compendium, whoseGerman is of the hardest, is now being printed in London. 

[EN#46] Pun, or Punt, the region on both sides of the RedSeamouth, including El-Yemen and Cape Guardafui, was made holy bythe birth of Osiris, Isis, and Horus. Dr. Brugsch-Bey shows thatone of the titles of the he-god was Bass, the cat or the leopard(whence our "Puss"); whilst his wife, Bast (the bissat ortabby-cat of modern Arabic), gave her name to Bubastis (Pi-Bast, the city of Bast). From the Osiric term (Bass) the learnedEgyptologist would derive Bacchus and his priests, the Bacchoiand the Bacchantes, whose dress was the leopard's skin. CouldOsiris have belonged to the race whose degenerate descendants arethe murderous Somal of modern days?

[EN#47] Vulg. Snefrou, "he who makes it good;" the ninth of thethird Dynasty; the twenty-fourth successor of Mena (Menes) in thepapyri, and the twenty-sixth according to Manetho the priest. Heconquered the "Mafka-land, " as the Sinaitic Peninsula was thencalled; and Wady Maghárah still shows his statue, habited inwarrior garb, with the proud inscription, "Vanquisher of StrangerRaces. " This campaign lends some colour to my suspicion thatSináfir Island, at the mouth of the Gulf el-'Akabah, may preservehis name. 

[EN#48] The German Türkis, and the English and French Turquoise, are both evidently derived from Gemma Turcica, Western Turkistanbeing considered tile source of the finest stones. 

[EN#49] The accompanying lithograph gives a list of the lettersand the syllabic signs which occur in the inscription. {notincluded in this e-text}

[EN#50] The article "Ná" is emphatic, the with the sense of thator those. 

[EN#51] "Khomet" signifies, 1. Copper, 2. Metal generally, asargent, etc. 

[EN#52] "Mensh" is always applied to sea-going ships, as opposedto Bari, Uáu, Kerer, etc. , riverine craft. 

[EN#53] "Kemi" signifies, 1. Found, 2. Found out, discovered. 

[EN#54] That is, the royal pavilion at Thebes. 

[EN#55] The word "Deb" (brick) still survives in the Arabic Tob, and, perverted to the Iberian Adobe (Et-tob) it has travelled toMexico. 

[EN#56] "Hefennu, " as is shown by the ideograph to the right overthe three perpendiculars denoting plurality, may be either a frogor a lakh (one hundred thousand). 

[EN#57] The Egyptians divided gold into four qualities--1, 2, 3, and two-thirds. But it is not known whether No. 1 was the best, and we can only guess that two-thirds alluded to some alloy. 

[EN#58] The same as the Shu'ayb of my pages. 

[EN#59] For a notice of "Moses' Well, " now quite forgotten by theArabs, see Chapter VI. 

[EN#60] For an account of these diggings, see "The Gold-Mines ofMidian, " Chap. IX. 

[EN#61] This strange legend will be found copied into manysubsequent authors. 

[EN#62] El-Abjad, the oldest existing form of the Arabicalphabet; to judge from its being identical with the Hebrew. Itis supposed to date from after the beginning of the Christianera, when the Himyaritic form fell into disuse, and it is nowused in chronograms only. 

[EN#63] L'auteur est doublement inexact en avanc, ant quel'Aboudjed se compose de vingt-quatre lettres seulement, d'abordparce que les six mots qu'il énumčre ne renferment que vingt-deuxlettres, et en second lieu, parce qu'il oublie de citer les deuxderniers mots techniques, et, lesquelscomplétent les vingt-huit lettres prises comme valeursnume'riques ("Voyez l'Exposé des signes de numération chez lesOrientaux, " par M. Pihan, p. 199 et suiv. ). To this I may addthat the French translators have sadly corrupted the words whichshould be Abjad, Hawwaz, Hutti, Kalaman, Sa'fas, and Karashat;whilst Sakhiz and Zuzigh are not found in the Hebrew and cognatedialects. 

[EN#64] The "Gate of Lamentation, " vulgarly and most erroneouslywritten, "Babelmandel. "

[EN#65] That is, "spoiled, " dry; instead of "honoured, "respected. The difference of the words is in the "pointing" ofthe third letter, and the change of m and l. 

[EN#66] Not to be confounded with a cosmography of the same nameby Ahmed ibn Yahyá el-Shá'ir. Cf. Journal of the RoyalGeographical Society, vol. Xx. Of 1850, p. 343. 

[EN#67] This route, from Suez to El-'Akabah, probably one of theoldest in this world, has been traversed perfunctorily byBurckhardt and by Beke. It still wants a detailed survey, andeven hieroglyphic inscriptions may be expected. Beke's map marksHawáwit ("ruins") near one of his nighting-places, but apparentlythe remains were not visited. 

[EN#68] The Syrian Hajj no longer pass through El-'Akabah toMakná, but inland or eastward of it. The reason is made evidentin Chap. VII. 

[EN#69] Thus the Khálú or Khárú of the old Egyptians, meaning a"mixed multitude, " were originally Phoenicians and domiciled fromearliest ages about Lake Menzálah. So the "mixed multitude, " ormingled people, which followed Israel from Egypt would be ariff-raff of strangers. D'Herbelot says (sub voce Midian):"Quoyque les Madianites soient reputez pour Arabes, neanmoins ilsne sont pas du nombre des Tribus qui partageoient l'Arabie, etdont les Auteurs nous ont rendu un compte exact dans leurHistoire et dans leurs Genealogies; de sorte qu'il passe pour unpeuple étranger qui s'est établi parmi eux. " Yet, as we have seenby the foregoing extracts, Madyan was reckoned within theterritory of El-Medi'nah, i. E. The Hejaz. 

Caussin de Perceval ("Essai sur l'Histoire des Arabs avantl'Islamisme") regards the old Midianites as one of the "Raceséteintes;" and he makes them (vol. I. P. 23) descendants ofCéthura, Abraham's second wife. In vol. Ii. P. 232, he brings theBanu-Djodha'm (Juzám) from El-Yemen, and settles them in thecountry of the ancient Midianites. He adds: "La region surlaquelle ils étaient répandus avec leurs frčres les Benou-Lakhm, et, je crois aussi, avec les families Codhaites, de Bali (Baliyy)et de Cayn, touchait par l'ouest ŕ la Mer Rouge, par le nord aupays que les Romains appelaient troisičme Palestine, par le sudaux déserts . . . Par l'est, enfin, au territoire deDaumat-Djandal sur laquelle campaient les Benou-Kelb, tribuCodhaďte, alors Chrétienne, et alliée ou sujette des Romains. " Invol. Iii. P. 159, he recounts from the Táríkh el-Khamísí, and theSírat el-Rasúl, how Zayd made an expedition against the "Djodhám(Juzám) established at Madyan on the coast of the Red Sea. " Thewarrior captured a number of women and children who were exposedfor sale, but the "Prophet, " hearing the wails of the mothers, ordered that the young ones should not be sold apart from theparents. 

[EN#70] The "Burd, " or "Burdah, " was worn by Mohammed, as we knowfrom a celebrated poem, for which see D'Herbelot, sub voce"Bordah. "

[EN#71] Michaud ("Hist. Des Croisades, " ii. 27) says: "Une foisqu'il (Saladin) fűt maitre de la capitale (Damascus); son arméevictorieuse et l'or pur appelé Obreysum (Ubraysun ou Hubraysum)qu'il tirait de l'E'gypte, lui soumirent les autres cités de laSyrie. " The question is whether this gold was not from Midian: myfriend Yacoub Artin Bey, who supplied me with the quotation, thinks that it was. 

[EN#72] The most curious form, perhaps, which the ancientMidianitic tradition has assumed, was in the thirteenth century, when the Russians believed that the Tartars, "with theirfour-cornered faces, " were the ancient Midianites coming in thelatter days to conquer the world. Lieutenant C. R. Conder, R. E. ("Tentwork in Palestine, " Bentley, 1878), has done his best torival this style of ethnology by declaring that "the hosts ofMidian" were, no doubt, the ancestors of the modern Bedawin. 

[EN#73] Alluding to the legend that the shepherds, after wateringtheir flocks, rolled a great stone over the mouth of the well, sothat the contents might not be used by Jethro's daughters. Musáwaxed wroth, and, weak as he was with travel, gave the stone sucha kick that it went flying full forty cubits from the spot. See"Desert of the Exodus, " Appendix, p. 539. 

[EN#74] A name now unknown to the Bedawin of Madyan. Theculminating peak is now supposed to be either the Shárr, theJebel el-Lauz, or the Jebel Zánah. 

[EN#75] The Badais of Ptolemy, which we shall presently visit. 

[EN#76] A large ruin east of Zibá, also visited. 

[EN#77] For a notice of El-Khalasah, also called El-Khulusah, El-Khulsah, or Zu'l-Khalasah, consult the art. "Midian, " Smith's"Dict. Of the Bible, " by E. S. Poole, vol. Ii. P. 356. For theKhalasah of the Negeb, "where Venus was worshipped with all thelicentious pomp of the Pagan ritual, " see Professor Palmer's"Desert of the Exodus, " p. 385. The text, however, alludes to aruin called El-Khulasah, one march from El-Muwaylah to the east(Chap. VIII. ). 

[EN#78] El-Mederah is possibly Hasíyat el-Madrá, which, likeEl-A'waj, El-Bírayn, and Ma'ín, is now included in Syria. El-Mu'allak may be Jebel Yalak, --at least, so say the Bedawin. 

[EN#79] In the last remark, also found in El-Kazwíní, the Madyanof El-Shu'ayb is referred to the district of Tiberias. Thus itwould belong to Syria, whilst the majority of geographers referit to the Hejaz, and a minority to El-Yemen. 

[EN#80] Alluded to in a note to p. 331 of "The Gold Mines ofMidian, " etc. 

[EN#81] This means only according to Hebrew and Arabic tradition, neither of them being, in this case, of much value. As I remarkedbefore ("The Gold-Mines of Midian, " p. 177), the hieroglyphicname of the land is Mádí, in the plural Mádí-án or Mádí-ná; onthe other hand, we have no information concerning the origin andderivation of Mádí, except that it is not Egyptian. 

[EN#82] None of the tribes or families now inhabiting Midianrepresent the ancient Midianites; and all speak the vulgarhalf-Fellah Arabic, without any difference of accent orvocabulary from their neighbours. 

[EN#83] See the preceding notes on El-Makrízi. 

[EN#84] The Ma'ázah spoke of Kanátir (arches, i. E. Aqueducts) andBibán (doors or catacombs). 

[EN#85] I inquired in vain concerning the ruins near SharmBurayttah, south of Yambú' in the Harb country. Wellsted, whovisited the site (11. Xi. ), conjectures them to be Niebuhr's"El-Jár. " He makes that near the point "as large as Yembo, extending about a mile in length, and half that space in breadth, with a square fort in the vicinity, the remains of which havetowers at the corners and gates. " Near the middle on either side, the tall walls are six feet thick, strong enough where artilleryis unknown. At the landing-place are a quay paved with large hewnstones, and a jetty of solid masonry in ruins. The sailors dugand found only shapeless fragments of corroded copper and brass;coloured glass, as usual more opaque than the modern, andearthenware of the kind scattered about Egyptian ruins. About onemile from the fort were other remains, built of coral, now muchblackened by exposure; and similar constructions on the furtherside of the Sharm could not be examined, as the Harb Bedawin werejealous and hostile. 

[EN#86] The name is from Gen. Xx. 1, and it signifies the countrylying to the south of Palestine. See "The Negeb, " by the lateRev. E. Wilton (London, 1863), and vol. Ii. "The Desert of theExodus, " so often alluded to in these pages. 

[EN#87] "The Gold-Mines of Midian, " Chap. IX. 

[EN#88] Kúfah or in Persian means a basket ora coffin. 

[EN#89] Roaring when the rider mounts, halts, or dismounts, isconsidered a proof of snobbish blood among the Bisha'ri'n: forsome months the camel-colt is generally muzzled on such occasionstill it learns the sterling worth of silence. 

For an admirable description, far too detailed to place beforethe general public, of the likeness and the difference betweenthe dromedary of the Bishárín and the Númaní and Maskatí, thepurest blood of the Arabs, see pp. 145--154, "L' Etbaye, etc. , Mines d Or, " by my old friend Linant de Bellefonds Bey, nowSulayman Pasha. Paris: Arthus Bertrand (no date). 

[EN#90] The contents worked into shape by Mr. William J. Turner, of the Royal Geographical Society, appear in the Appendix. 

[EN#91] "Desert of the Exodus, " p. 347. 

[EN#92] "The Gold-Mines of Midian, " Chap. VI. 

[EN#93] In "The Gold-Mines of Midian" (passim) this "Spring ofthe She-Cook" appeared as the "She-Cork!"

[EN#94] A region to the north-west of 'Aynúnah, afterwardsvisited by Lieutenant Yusuf. See Chap. IX. 

[EN#95] Such an act would disgrace an Arab tribe, and of courseit is denied by the Beni 'Ukbah. We visited this valley, which isone of the influents of the Wady 'Aynúnah, during the firstExpedition ("The Gold-Mines of Midian, " p. 165). 

[EN#96] The modern Beni 'Ukbah ignore the story of Abú Rísh, notwishing to confess their obligations to the Huwaytát. 

[EN#97] The tomb on the hillock north of El-Muwaylah. 

[EN#98] South-east of EI-Muwaylah. 

[EN#99] These hard conditions were actually renewed sometwenty-five years ago. 

[EN#100] For ample notices on this subject, see "The Gold-Minesof Midian, " Chap. XII. In p. 337, however, I made the mistake ofsupposing Makná to be the capital, instead of the port of thecapital. The true position is north lat. 28 degrees 24'. 

[EN#101] For historical notices of the diamond in North-WesternArabia, see "The Gold-Mines of Midian, " p. 168. 

[EN#102] Dr. Beke's artist made a plan of this rude affair (p. 349), and nothing can be worse. The Egyptian Staff-officers drewthe ruin correctly; but the poor remains by no means deserve thehonour of a wood-cut. 

[EN#103]. The word is corrupted from Jamb, "the side, " alludingto the animal's gait; we did not find the true lobster (Homarusvulgaris), the astica of the Adriatic, whose northern watersproduce such noble specimens. 

[EN#104] The spirit-tins, prepared for me at Trieste, were asmost things there are, very dear and very bad; after a short usethey became full of holes. So the bowie-knives, expressly made toorder at old Tergeste, proved to be of iron not of steel. 

[EN#105] "Travels, " Vol. II. Chap. IV. 

[EN#106] Confirmed by Dr. Beke, p. 533. 

[EN#107] P. 351. 

[EN#108] I am doubtful about this name, which the Bedawi apply tomore than one place. 

[EN#109] Strictly speaking, the dust of the Nevada country wasoxide of silver. 

[EN#110] M. Burat ("Géologie Appliqée, " i. 8) gives the followingminima proportions in which metal may be worked on a grand scale, of course under the most favourable circumstances. The extremesare 0. 25 (iron), and 0. 00001 (gold); and antimony, bismuth, cobalt, and nickel are neglected, because the proportions vary somuch. 

 Iron, 0. 25 Zinc, 0. 20 Lead, 0. 02 (two per cent. ) Copper and mercury, 0. 01 Tin, 0. 005 (1/2 per cent. ) Silver, 0. 0005 (1/2 per 1000) Gold, 0. 00001 (1/100, 000)

This table is recommended to the many "profane" who do notbelieve a rock to be auriferous or argentiferous, unless they cansee the gold and silver with the naked eye. 

[EN#111] The button, when assayed by the official mining officeat Trieste, was pronounced to be antimony! It was extracted fromruddle (red ochre) and limonite (brown ochre or hydrous oxide ofiron): both are sesquioxides (Fe2O3) which become dark whenheated and change to magnetic oxide (Fe3O4). M. Marie is probablythe first who ever "ran down" iron oxide with lead. No wonderthat Colonel Ross pronounced his culot a marvellous alloy. 

[EN#112] Kárún was a pauper cousin of Musá, who had learnedalchemy from Kulsum, the Lawgiver's sister. The keys of histreasure loaded forty mules; and his palace had doors and roof offine gold. As he waxed fat he kicked against his chief, who asusual became exceeding wroth, and prayed that the earth mightswallow him. 

[EN#113] Pp. 337--339. 

[EN#114] "Tasbíh" literally means uttering Subhán Allah!--"Praisebe to Allah!"

[EN#115] It is curious how this goddess has extended, through theDalmatian "Fortunale" and the Slav "Fortunja" of the Bosnianpeasants, to Turkey, Egypt, and even Arabia. Applied to a violentstorm, perhaps it is a euphuism for the Latin word in the senseof good sign or omen; so in Propertius--"Nulla ne placatć venietfortuna procellć. "

[EN#116] P. 341. 

[EN#117] The singular is Maknáwi, pronounced Magnáwi. 

[EN#118] Loc. Cit. P. 79. 

[EN#119] The passage was brought to my notice by my excellentfriend, Mr. James Pincherle of Trieste. In the "Atlante Storico eGeografico della Terra Santa, esposto in 14 Tavole e 14 Quadristorici della Palestina, " republished (without date) by FrancescoPagnoni of Milan, appears an annexed commentary by Cornelius ŕLapide. The latter, Cornelius Van den Steen (Corneille de laPierre), born near Liege, a learned Jesuit, profound theologian, and accomplished historian, was famous as a Hebraist and lectureron Holy Writ. He died at Rome March 12, 1637; and a collectededition of his works in sixteen volumes, folio, appeared atVenice in 1711, and at Lyons in 1732. It is related of him that, being called to preach in the presence of the Pope, he began hissermon on his knees. The Holy Father commanded him to rise, andhe obeyed; but his stature was so short that he appeared to bestill kneeling. The order was reiterated; whereupon Zacchaeus, understanding its cause, said modestly, "Beatissime Pater, ipsefecit nos, et non ipsi nos. "

[EN#120] The name and other points connected with it have beennoticed in "The Gold-Mines of Midian, " p. 338. 

[EN#121] See "The Gold-Mines of Midian, " p. 338. 

[EN#122] "Travels in Syria, etc. , " p. 524. 

[EN#123] In "The Gold-Mines of Midian, " p. 338, this name became, by virtue of the author's cacography, "Beoche. "

[EN#124] "Diario in Arabia Petrea" (1865) di Visconte GiammartinoArconati. Roma, 1872. 

[EN#125] Wellsted, ii. 143. 

[EN#126] "Ghor" is the whole depression including the Jordan andthe Dead Sea, while El-'Akabah is its southernmost section. Inolder maps this gulf is made to fork at the north--atopographical absurdity. I have also fallen into a notableblunder about the Jebel el-Shará', in "The Gold-Mines of Midian, "note ?, p. 175. 

[EN#127] See Appendix, p. 537, "Geological Notes, " etc. , in Dr. Beke's "Sinai in Arabia. "

[EN#128] See "The Gold-Mines of Midian, " pp. 338, 339. 

[EN#129] This Yitm, which Burckhardt first wrote El-Ithem, unfortunately gave Dr. Beke an opportunity of finding, in his"Wady el-Ithem, " the "Etham of the Exodus. " (See "TheGold-Mines of Midian, " pp. 359--361). The latter has beenconclusively shown by Brugsch-Bey in his lecture, "La Sortie desHébreux d'E'gypte" (Alexandrie: Mourčs, 1874), p. 31, to be thegreat fort of Khatom, on the highway to Phoenicia. The rootsKhatam, Asham, Tam, like the Arabic "Khatm" () signify toseal up, close; and thus Khatom in Egyptian, as Atham, Etham inHebrew, means a closed place, a fortress. Wallin calls the"Yitm, " which he never visited, "Wâdî Lithm, a cross valleyopening through the chain at about eight hours (twenty-fourmiles) north of 'Akaba'"--possibly Lithm is a misprint, but it isrepeated in more than one page. 

[EN#130] Dr. Beke, who afterwards changed his mind, wouldidentify Hor, the burial-place of Aaron, with Horeb of the Rock("Orig. Biblicae, " 195). He then adopted ("Sinai in Arabia, " p. 77) the opinion of St. Jerome ("De Situ, " etc. , p. 191), "Mihiautem videtur quod duplice nomine mons nunc Sina, nunc Chorebvocatur. " Wellsted (ii. 103) also makes Horeb synonymous with"Wilderness of Sinai. " Professor Palmer (118) translates Horeb by"ground that has been drained and left dry:" he would include init the whole Desert of Sinai, together with "the Mountain;"whilst he warns us that the monks call the whole southern portionof their mountain "Horeb. " Others confine "Horeb" to Jebel Musá, and even to its eastern shoulder. 

[EN#131] For the Mount or Mountain see Exodus xix. 2, 12, 20, 23;also xxxii. 19; Deut. Iv. II, and v. 23; Heb. Xii. 18. Josephus("Antiq. , " II. Ii. I) speaks of it similarly as a "mountain, " anddescribes it with all the apparatus of fable; while hiscompatriot and contemporary, St. Paul (Epist. To the Galatiansiv. 25), calls it only "Mount Sinai in Arabia, " i. E. East ofJordan. 

[EN#132] See Athenaeum, February 8th and 15th, 1873. 

[EN#133] They were heard of by Burckhardt ("Syria, " p. 510). 

[EN#134] Beke (p. 446), on February 6th, estimated the rise ofthe tide at 'Akabah head to be three to four feet. This isgreatly in excess of actuality; but, then, he was finding outsome rational way of drowning "Pharaoh and his host. "

[EN#135] Those living further north, the 'Ammárín and theLiyásinah, are unmitigated scoundrels and dangerous ruffians:amongst the former Shaykh Sala'mah ibn 'Awwád with his brother, and among the latter Ibrahím el-Hasanát, simply deserve hanging. In Edom, too, 'Abd el-Rahmán el-'Awar ("the One-eyed"), Shaykh ofthe Fellahín, is "wanted;" and the 'Alawín-Huwaytát would begreatly improved were they to be placed under Egyptian, insteadof Syrian, rule. 

[EN#136] Dr. Beke's artist (p. 374) has produced a work ofimagination, especially in the foreground and background of his"Migdol or Castle of Akaba. "

[EN#137] Commonly written Kansúh (Kansooh) and corrupted byEuropeans to Campson (like Sampson) Goree. 

[EN#138] Not Hámid, as some mispronounce the word. 

[EN#139] "The Gold-Mines of Midian, " Chap. XII. 

[EN#140] The chain did not part. The anchor was afterwards fishedup by divers from El-Muwaylah, and its shank was found brokenclean across like a carrot. Yet there was no sign of a flaw. Mr. Duguid calculated the transverse breaking strain of averageanchor-iron (8 1/2 inches x 4 = 22 square inches), at 83 1/10tons; and the tensile breaking strain at 484 tons, or 22 tons tothe square inch; while the stud-length cable of 1 1/8 inch chain, 150 fathoms long, would carry, if proof, 24 tons. CaptainMohammed was persevering enough, after the divers had failed, torecover his chain when on his cruise homewards; and the Rais ofthe Sambúk was equally lucky. 

[EN#141] "The Gold-Mines of Midian, " Ch. XII. P. 317. 

[EN#142] See Chap. X. 

[EN#143] Lieutenant-Colonel Bolton kindly compared the specimenswith those in his cabinet. The first, which was accompanied byquartz, resembled the produce of Orenburg. A Peruvianmine-proprietor had pronounced it to be "Rosicler" silver. Themagnetic sand bore a tantalizing resemblance to the highlyauriferous black sand of Ekaterinburg. 

[EN#144] Correspondence of the Sheffield Telegraph (May 18), copied into the Globe of May 25, etc. , etc. , etc. 

[EN#145] "The Gold-Mines of Midian, " Chap. XI. It was thenvisited from its creek, Sharm Jibbah. 

[EN#146] Chap. XIV. 

[EN#147] A water-rolled fragment of this rock is calledKorundogeschieb by Dr. L. Karl Moser, Professor of NaturalHistory at the Gymnasium of Trieste, who kindly examined mylittle private collection of "show things. "

[EN#148] Chap. XII. 

[EN#149] Let me at once protest against the assertions containedin an able review of "The Gold-Mines of Midian" (Pall MallGazette, June 7, 1878). The writer makes ancient Midian extendfrom the north of the Arabic Gulf (El-'Akabah?) and Arabia Felix(which? of the classics or of the moderns?) to the plains ofMoab"--exactly where it assuredly does not now extend. 

[EN#150] Described in Chap. XV. 

[EN#151] This place is noticed in "The Gold-Mines of Midian, "Chap. X. 

[EN#152] I am not certain of this name, as several variants weregiven to me. For historical notices of the ruined town ofKhulasah, see Chap. IV. 

[EN#153] In "The Gold-Mines of Midian, " Chap. V. , occur severaldifferences of nomenclature, which may or may not be mistakes. They are corrected in my "Itineraries, " part ii. Sect. 2. 

[EN#154] To this breed belonged the beast which carried me on thefirst Expedition. 

[EN#155] For a short notice of this region, hitherto unvisited byEuropeans, see Chap. XVIII. 

[EN#156] For a note on the "Burnt Mountain, " so well known atEl-Wijh, see Chap. XVIII. 

[EN#157] It was afterwards exhibited at the Hippodrome, Cairo, and was carefully photographed by M. Lacaze. Others said that itcame from the east of our camp, near the Jils el-Dáim. 

[EN#158] It was duly committed to the charge of our Sayyid. 

End of The Land of Midian (Revisited) By Richard F. Burton,