on a caravan of the 'Amrân.

They fell upon the caravan as it was encamped at night, seizing the plunder and taking the lives of one or two.

Our road now led over a most desert tract of swelling hills, covered in like manner with black flints; our course being still N. by W. towards Jebel 'Arâif. At 7 20′ the cliff el-Mŭkrâh bore N. E. while the western end of its high ridge bore North. Ten minutes further on, the road from 'Akabah through Wady Beyâneh fell into ours from the right. At 7 40′ we crossed a Wady running off to the right to Wady elGhudhâghidh and so to el-'Arabah. Ascending again slightly to a small plateau, we came immediately upon the water-shed, or dividing line between the waters of el-'Arabah and those of the Mediterranean; the former drained off by the Jerâfeh, and the latter by the great Wady el-'Arîsh. At no great distance on our left were low chalky cliffs of singular form, apparently spurs from the ridges we had before seen in that direction. Descending a little, we immediately struck and crossed Wady el-Haikibeh at 8 o'clock, here running towards the N. E. but sweeping round again afterwards to the N. W., so that our path crossed it a second time after three quarters of an hour. It is full of shrubs. We now continued along its side N. N. W.. until a quarter past nine o'clock, and then left it running to join the Kureiyeh, a tributary of Wady el-'Arîsh. Just beyond this Wady were the chalky cliffs above mentioned; and as we left them behind, other low ridges appeared on our left at different distances of five, ten, or fifteen miles. We now rode over another barren flinty tract, with a few small Rîdhân running towards the Haikibeh. In some spots we

found very small tufts of grass springing up among the pebbles, the effect of recent rains. Our guides said, that in those years when there is plenty of rain, grass

springs up in this way all over the face of the desert. In such seasons, they said, the Arabs are kings. At 10 o'clock a path went off to the right leading to some wells of sweet water called el-Mâyein, lying in a direction N. by E. in the mountains beyond Jebel 'Arâif. This path passes to the right of 'Arâif, over the low part of the ridge extending East from that mountain; and falls again into our road further on.

We reached Wady el-Kureiyeh at 10" 10', coming down from near the ridge of el-Mukrâh, which was now not far off. Here a round mountain on our left called Jebel Ikhrimm bore W. by N. The Kureiyeh bends around and passes at the northern base of this hill; and further down, about half a day's journey from the point where we crossed, there are in it pits of rain-water, Emshâsh, forming a station on the great road from the convent to Gaza.-Another similar flinty tract now succeeded, called Hemâdet et-'Anaz, over which our course was N. N. W. A clayey Wady called Abu Tîn followed at 12h 50'; and another, the deep bed of a torrent, el-Khŭrâizeh, at half past one; both running S. W. into the Kureiyeh. The country now became open quite to the base of Jebel 'Arâif enNâkah, which had so long been our landmark. The mountain is of a conical form, five or six hundred feet high, consisting of limestone thickly strewed with flints. At a distance it seems wholly isolated; the low ridges, which extend from it E. and W. being there overlooked. That on the E., as has been said already, connects with higher ridges further on, and terminates in the bluff el-Mŭkrâh; while that on the W. continues lower and more broken. The 'Arâif forms a striking object, as thus seen in the middle of the mighty waste. It is indeed a huge bulwark, terminating the open desert on this part, and forming the outwork or bastion of a more mountainous tract be

yond. At 2 o'clock a Wady came down directly from the mountain, (here half an hour or more distant,) bearing the same name, 'Arâif, and passing on W. S. W. to the Kureiyeh. Under one of its low banks the corpse of a man had been recently half-buried, and a few stones placed around; some of the toes and a few rags were visible; and our Arabs said the hyaenas would soon devour the body.

Proceeding on the same course N. N. W. we came at 3 o'clock to the top of the low ridge, running out W. from Jebel 'Arâif. Here we could look back over the desert tract we had just crossed, bounded on the S. by low hills at a great distance, the whole of it drained by the Kureiyeh into Wady el-'Arîsh. Before us was another plain, extending into the mountains towards the right and bounded on the N. by a line of higher hills about two hours distant. From this point in our road, Jebel 'Arâif bore N. 70° E. about a mile distant. Jebel Ikhrimm bore W. being separated from the ridge on which we stood only by Wady el-Kureiyeh. At a much greater distance in the W. N. W. appeared a high and longer mountain called Yelek; and more to the right, about N. N. W. another called el-Helâl. Both these last were said to be beyond Wady el-'Arish.

A short and steep descent now brought us in ten minutes to the bed of Wady el-Mâyein or el Ma'ein, which flowing along the northern base of Jebel 'Arâif and the ridge further West goes to unite with the Kureiyeh. It has its head far up among the mountains on the right; and in it are the wells of the same name already mentioned. Its bed bears evident traces of a large volume of water; and the flat plain beyond is much cut up by its torrents. The bed of the Wady and the adjacent part of the plain are covered with stones, some quite large, apparently brought down by VOL. I.

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the waters from the mountains. Crossing the plain on a course N. we encamped at half past 4 o'clock at the foot of the line of hills which bound it on this side; Jebel 'Arâif bearing from our tent S. 55° E. in full view, about three miles distant. On this plain comes in the road from the Convent to Gaza, which passes by 'Ain and eth-Themed.-Our tent was pitched near a shallow water-course running off to Wady el-Mâyein, full of herbs and shrubs like most of the Wadys we had passed, and affording fine pasture for the camels. Among the shrubs of the desert, the Retem or broom was particularly abundant, and of a larger size than we had before seen it.

We had now left the country of the Haiwât, and entered that of the southern Tiyâhah. Here too ends the region or desert of the Tîh, through which we had been travelling ever since we left the 'Arabah. The territory of the Haiwât commences, as we have seen, at the northern ridge of Jebel et-Tîh; and extends northwards along and adjacent to the 'Arabah as far as to the mountains 'Arâif and el-Mŭkrâh; where the high ridge between rises like a wall and forms a boundary on this side. On the West of this tribe lies the country of the Tiyâhah, also extending from Jebel etTîh through the middle of the desert northwards beyond that of the Haiwât, to the vicinity of Gaza and Beersheba. The Tiyâhah are divided into the Beneiyât and the Sukeirât. Still further West are the Terâbîn, dwelling from the mountains near Suez to the region of Gaza; their main body being found not far distant from the latter place. This tribe is the strongest of all, and is closely leagued with the Tiyâhah.

The mountainous district North of Jebel 'Arâif and el-Mukrâh, and between el-'Arabah and the Tiyâhah, is inhabited by the 'Azázimeh, who are in close alliance with the former tribe, and sometimes pasture

within their territory. Still further North along the Ghôr, are the Sa'îdîn or Sa'îdîyeh, the Dhullâm, and the Jehâlîn; the latter dwelling between Hebron and the Dead Sea. Our guides mentioned also the names of the Sawârikeh, the Jebârât, and the Henâjireh, as living in the same region; respecting whom we learned nothing further, and heard of them no more.-The above, so far as we could ascertain, are all the Arab tribes inhabiting the great western desert.

We had now become so far acquainted with the general features of this region, as to perceive the reason, why all the roads leading across it from 'Akabah and from the Convent to Hebron and Gaza, should meet together in one main trunk in the middle of the desert. The whole district adjacent to the 'Arabah, North of Jebel 'Arâif and el-Mukrâh, as has been said, is mountainous; and is composed, as we afterwards found, of steep ridges running mostly from East to West, and presenting almost insuperable obstacles to the passage of a road parallel to the 'Arabah. In consequence, no great route now leads, or ever has led, through this district; but the roads from 'Akabah which ascend from Wady el-'Arabah and in any degree touch the high plateau of the desert S. of el-Mukrâh, must necessarily all curve to the West, and passing around the base of Jebel 'Arâif el-Nâkah, continue along the western side of this mountainous tract.

We felt assured, therefore, that we were now upon the ancient Roman road, as marked upon the Peutinger Tables, leading across this desert from 'Akabah to Jerusalem; whether it ascended from the 'Arabah by the route we had followed; or, as is more probable, kept along the 'Arabah for a time and then ascended through Wady Beyâneh. We inquired very minutely after the names of Rasa (Gerasa) and Gypsaria, the