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large branch joins it from the N. W. bearing the same name. The two open broadly together upon the sea, over an immense bed or slope of gravel, forming quite a promontory. We came out upon the slope at half past nine. Towards the sea is a palm-tree, and a little further North another. There was said also to be brackish water in the vicinity. Here some fishermen were encamped in two or three black tents, with a few goats. One of them brought us a Beden (as he called it) which he had shot; we bought it for five Piastres, instead of the twenty which he asked; but it turned out to be a gazelle. We were now in the territory of the Haiwât; that of the Tawarah and Terâbîn extending only to the northern Tîh.

This is doubtless the spot where Burckhardt was stopped on his way to 'Akabah, and compelled to turn back. As seen from here, every thing corresponds to his description; the line of date-trees around the castle of 'Akabah bearing N. E. by E.; the promontory of Râs Kureiyeh (as he calls it); and the little island with ruins which his guides told him of, but which he did not see; having probably looked for it (as I did at first) further out in the Gulf, while it lies close in near the shore and directly under the eye. Burckhardt however calls the place not Wady Merâkh, but Wady Tâba'; and in general the names he mentions in this vicinity are so different from those we heard, or so differently applied, that for a long time we knew not what to make of it. We knew that old 'Aîd, Burckhardt's guide, must have been well acquainted with the country; and as there was no reason to suspect any deception on his part, we were inclined to distrust the accuracy of Tuweileb's information. On mentioning the discrepancy to Tuweileb, he said at once that 'Aîd knew better than he, and would not

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tell a lie. Yet on his inquiring in our presence of the Arabs encamped on the spot, they confirmed the account which Tuweileb had already given. I am inclined therefore to charge the error to Burckhardt himself, or rather to the circumstances in which he was placed; for he says expressly, that for the two days he was in these parts he found no opportunity to take any notes. It is not surprising, that in such a multitude of new names, not noted at the time, some should have been forgotten and others applied to wrong places. We here took leave for the present of this accomplished and lamented traveller; whose book hitherto had been our constant companion.2

Turning now to the left we descended obliquely on a N. E. course across the gravel slope, and at 9h 40′ reached the shore of a little bay with a sandy beach. At 10 o'clock we were opposite the little island above mentioned, which we judged to be a quarter of a mile or more distant from the shore. It is merely a narrow granite rock some three hundred yards in length, stretching from N. W. to S. E. with two points or hillocks, one higher than the other, connected by a lower isthmus. On it are the ruins of an Arabian fortress with an embattled wall running around the whole, having two gateways with pointed arches. This is without any doubt the former citadel of Ailah, mentioned by Abulfeda as lying in the sea. In A. D. 1182 it was unsuccessfully besieged with ships, by the impetuous Rainald of Chatillon; and in Abulfeda's time (about A. D. 1300) it was already abandoned, and the governor transferred to the castle on the

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2) Old 'Aîd, it seems, was quite a noted character in the peninsula. Tuweileb had known him, and all our Arabs had heard of him. They also knew Hamd, the other faith

ful and intrepid attendant of Burckhardt, who was of their clan, the Aulad Sa'id. He was still living as a poor man in Cairo; where he made it his business to procure fodder for camels.

shore. The ruins therefore cannot well be referred to a period later than the twelfth century. Our Arabs called this island only el-Kurey, or el-Kureiyeh; the diminutive of a word which signifies a village, but which they also apply to the ruins of such a place. The Arabs of the eastern coast, according to Lieut. Wellsted, give it the name of Jezîrat Far'ôn, 'Pharaoh's Island.'2 From the castle of 'Akabah it bears W. S. W.

Continuing our course we came in twenty minutes to the little Wady el-Kureiyeh, coming down from the left, so called from the island before it. Then followed the sand and stones of Wady el-Mezârîk, which we passed at 10 o'clock. Here low hills of sandstone and chalk interrupted the granite for a time. Further on, in the broad plain of Wady Tâba' we came at half past 11 o'clock to a brackish well, with many palmtrees. Among the latter was one tree of the species called Dôm, the Theban palm, so frequent in Upper Egypt. Here was also a large square hole dug in the ground, walled up with rough stones, like a cellar; in it had once been a well, but the bottom was now covered with young palm-trees.

Higher up in the valley there was said to be better water.

Beyond this valley or plain, the granite rocks come down to the shore again, forming a long black promontory, called by Burckhardt Râs Kureiyeh, and by our guides Elteit; but the Arabs at 'Akabah gave it the name of Râs el-Musry, and said that Elteit was the name of a valley on the eastern coast.

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2) This island has been described by Lieut. Wellsted, Travels, II. pp. 140, 142, seq; also by Laborde and by Rüppell, Reisen in Nubien, p. 252. Both these travellers have given views of the ruins; that of Laborde is more elegant, and that of Rüppell more correct.

brought us to the side of this promontory running E. N. E. Our way led along its base; and we turned the extremity at a quarter past noon. Hence the little island bore S. 65° W. while the shore before us continued N. E. Just beyond this point, a valley called Wady el-Musry is said to come in; but we did not take note of it at the time. The mountains on the left here retire from the coast; and near it are only low hills of conglomerated sand and gravel, almost of the consistence of rock, and extending beyond the head of the Gulf. We now began to see the opening of the great valley el-'Arabah. The mountains on the East of it are high and picturesque; and a low spot in them marks the place of Wady el-Ithm. At 2 o'clock, we passed a small rock on the shore, with a heap of stones upon it, called Hajr el-'Alawy, 'Stone of the 'Alawy.' This Tuweileb said, was the ancient and proper bound

ary of the Tawarah in this quarter, separating them from the 'Alawîn; and here in former days, both men and beasts entering the territory of the Tawarah paid a tribute. At length, at a quarter past 2 o'clock, we reached the N. W. corner of the Gulf, and entered the great Haj road, which comes down from the western mountain and passes along the shore at the northern end of the sea. Just at this point we met a large caravan of the Haweitât coming from the eastern desert, whence they had been driven out by the drought. They were now wandering towards the South of Palestine, and had with them about seventy camels and many asses, but no flocks. These were the first real Arabs of the desert we had seen; not wearing the turban like the Tawarah, but decorated with the Kefiyeh, a handkerchief of yellow or some glaring colour thrown over the head, and bound fast with a skein of woollen yarn; the corners being left loose and hanging down the sides of the face and neck.

They were wild, savage, hungry-looking fellows; and we thought we had much rather be with our mild Tawarah than in their power. Tuweileb held a parley with them, which detained us fifteen minutes.

From this point, which we left at 24 o'clock, the N. shore of the Gulf runs S. E. almost in a straight line nearly to the castle of 'Akabah. The general course of Wady el-'Arabah, taken about the middle, is here N. N. E. Its width at this end is about four geogr. miles; farther North it is wider. The mountains on either side are high; those on the West fifteen to eighteen hundred feet, and those on the East two thousand to twenty-five hundred feet. The valley

was full of sand-drifts as far as the eye could reach; and seemed to have little or no acclivity towards the North. The torrents, which in the rainy season stream into it from the adjacent mountains, flow along its western side, so far as they are not absorbed by the sand; and enter the sea at the N. W. corner. There is no appearance of a water-course in any other part of the valley. Along the shore from this point nearly to the castle, the waters of the Gulf have cast up an unbroken bank of sand and gravel which is higher than the level of the Wady, and would prevent the passage of any stream. On the North of the path, towards the western side, a large tract has the appearance of moist marshy ground, seemingly impregnated with nitre, and looking as if water had recently been standing upon it; which sinking or drying away, had left an incrustation on many portions of the surface. This tract is mostly naked of vegetation; yet the parts in the vicinity are full of shrubs, chiefly of the Ghurkud; and seen from a distance, the ground appears as if covered with a luxuriant vegetation. This however vanishes on a nearer approach. We looked in vain in the western part of the valley for

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