here S. E. The bed of this Wady passes across the plain to the eastward of the wells, and then sweeps around to the N. W.

Leaving the wells at 2h 50' we ascended gently among low chalky hills for half an hour; when we again descended gradually, and passing two or three small Wadys, came upon Wady el-'Ain, here running to the left through a wide gravelly plain with occasional tracts of sand, thinly covered in this part with shrubs and herbage. We reached the deep gully which forms its water-course, at 4 o'clock; and found it bordered with grass, daisies, and other small flowers, most refreshing to the eye after so long an abstinence. Indeed, we had found to-day more vegetation in the desert, than before in all the way from Egypt. This Wady, as we have seen, comes from el-'Ain, the fountain above mentioned, by a circuitous course; and continues on to join Wady el-'Arîsh. Further down, a Wady enters it from the left, having in it brackish water called el-Muweilih, forming a station on the western road from the convent to Gaza.

After crossing the water-course, we came upon a broad tract of tolerably fertile soil, capable of tillage, and apparently once tilled. Across the whole tract the remains of long ranges of low stone-walls were visible, which probably once served as the divisions of cultivated fields. The Arabs call them el-Muzeiri'ât, "little plantations." We afterwards saw many such walls, which obviously were not constructed by the present race of Arab inhabitants; but must be referred back to an earlier period. We neither saw nor heard of any site of ruins in this valley; it may have been tilled by the inhabitants of some place not far remote. We encamped at 4h 25' upon the plain. On its northern side rose a swelling ridge of considerable elevation, with several sharp chalky peaks; the most proVOL. I.

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minent of which was called Râs es-Serâm. Towards the East, mountains were visible only at a distance.

The country through which we had passed to-day, though in itself barren and desolate in the extreme, yet in consequence of the recent rains presented the appearance of a less frightful desert. Some grass, a few flowers, more frequent herbs and shrubs, and a few faint traces of tillage, were to us agreeable novelties; the more grateful, as they gave promise of better things to come.

Wednesday, April 11th. The morning was bright and beautiful; and we set off at 5 o'clock in high spirits, in the hope of finding to-day, not indeed Arab habitations, but the more interesting remains of the dwellings of former generations. Our guides had promised to take us to a place with ruins, not far from our path, which they knew only by the name of 'Aujeh; but which Tuweileb said was also called 'Abdeh. Our course lay first across the plain N. E. by N. and our main route continued in this direction all day. On both sides of the way patches of wheat and barley were seen; their deep green contrasting strongly with the nakedness around. We saw many such patches in the course of the day; but they were mostly stunted and poor, in consequence of the little rain. The plain now became a gradual acclivity; and following up a broad Wady, or tract covered with herbs, we came out at 6h 40′ on a smaller high circular plain, surrounded by chalky hills, which from a distance appear like mountain-peaks. This plain is about a mile in diameter, and covered with shrubs. One of the hills, a chalky cone on the S. W. is the Râs es-Serâm seen yesterday. It is so called from Wady es-Serâm of which this plain is the head, and which issues from it on the opposite or N. E. part. On this plain comes in the great western road from the convent of Sinai

to Gaza; the different routes over Jebel et-Tîh by the two passes er-Râkineh and el-Mureikhy, having united long before reaching this point. Thus all the roads across the desert were now combined into one main trunk, and continued so for the remainder of the day.

We crossed the plain; and at a quarter past 7 o'clock entered and descended Wady es-Serâm. The desert began to assume a gentler aspect. The Serâm spread out further down into a wide plain, with shrubs and grass and patches of wheat and barley, looking almost like a meadow. A few Arabs of the 'Azâzimeh were pasturing their camels and flocks. The country around became gradually still more open, with broad arable vallies separated by low swelling hills. Grass increased in the vallies; and herbs were sprinkled over the hills. We heard this morning, for the first time, the songs of many birds, and among them the lark. I watched the little warbler rising and soaring in his song; and was inexpressibly delighted. On reaching the plain, we sent two Arabs with a camel over the hills on the right to the wells Bîrein for water, with directions to overtake the party again in the course of the day. At 8 o'clock, leaving our servants and camels to continue in the direct route to Ruhaibeh, where we were to encamp, we ourselves with the dromedaries and three Arabs turned off the road towards the left of a low range of hills, in order to visit the ruins of 'Aujeh or 'Abdeh. In half an hour, travelling about North, we came upon a low ridge, commanding a view out over a boundless plain or slightly undulating tract towards the East, often sandy, but everywhere sprinkled with shrubs and herbs like a Wady. The Serâm expands into this plain, as do also Wady el-Bîrein from the S. and Wady el-Hufîr from the S. E. The water-course of the Serâm keeps along on

the western side of the plain beneath the hills on which we now were. We here struck a track coming from Wady es-Serâm on the right and going off to Gaza; but it was not the usual Gaza road. We soon left it, and turning more to the right, saw, at three quarters past 8, the ruins on a hill North.

those we had seen near

Descending along a little Wady, we struck the water-course of the Serâm at 9 o'clock, still running N. along the base of the low hills which continue to skirt the plain on this side. Here we came upon the remains of walls similar to Wady el-'Ain, apparently once enclosing fields or gardens, along the tract overflowed by the torrent during the rainy season. At first these walls were slight, but became thicker and more solid as we advanced. Most of them are two or three feet thick, and double; the faces being laid up very neatly with round stones from the torrent, and the middle filled in with gravel. Some, built across the water-course, are six or eight feet thick, forming a solid dam; and were doubtless intended to regulate the flowing and distribution of the water. In some of the walls, the sides are perpendicular; in others sloping; and occasionally the round stones are broken to a face. At 9h 10' the water-bed of Wady el-Bîrein came in across the plain, and gave its name to the whole. Five minutes further on was a Ghudir or pool of rain-water in its bed, and another just below. This point was about a quarter of an hour distant from the hill with ruins. Here we dismounted, and turned up a little Wady coming in from the West, to visit the ruin of a square tower of hewn stone on its southern bank. Near by it the foundations of houses were visible; and many hewn stones and fragments of pottery were strewn around. On the N. side of the little Wady, opposite the tower, is a deep cavern in the limestone hill, apparently once a quarry,

with pillars left to support the roof. From it the materials for the neighbouring buildings were probably taken. It is more than a hundred feet in length; and has been apparently inhabited, perhaps by the Arabs; as fragments of pottery were scattered in it. It is now the resort of multitudes of pigeons, which flew out in a cloud as we entered.

The principal ruins are situated on a hill or rocky ridge, from sixty to one hundred feet high, running out like a promontory towards the E. from the elevated land on our left, and overlooking the broad plain in front; while the bed of the torrent sweeps in a deep channel close around its end. On this hill two ruins were conspicuous, resembling the fortresses of an acropolis. As we approached, there was on our left apparently an ancient reservoir, which received its water from the hills above. Here we found Arabs with their camels and goats at pasture; they proved to be a family of the Tawarah, who had wandered off thus far from their home. Arriving at the foot of the hill, we found the southern base and slope covered with the ruins of buildings of hewn stone, thrown together in utter confusion, and showing this to have been the main site of the ancient town. Among these we noticed several columns and entablatures. On the top of the hill, the westernmost building, near the middle of the ridge, proved to be a Greek church, fronting towards the E. about one hundred and twenty feet in length, and of proportional breadth. The walls are still in great part standing, built of hewn stone apparently from the neighbouring quarry, and of good workmanship. The arched recess or place of the altar was yet visible, with a similar smaller recess on each side quite entire. In the western part was a side chapel with two or three smaller rooms. The space within the walls was strewn with broken columns and entablatures.