About one hundred and fifty paces further East, near the extremity of the ridge, are the ruins of a fortress or castle; a large parallelogram likewise built of hewn stone from the quarry. The length of the enclosure, of which the walls are still standing, is more than three hundred feet from E. to W. On the eastern end there would seem to have been another and perhaps stronger part of the fortress, extending a hundred feet further quite to the brow of the precipice. This part is now wholly destroyed; and of the larger enclosure no portion is covered over. The entrance was from the West, by a fine arched portal now broken at the top. We looked here, as well as in the church, for inscriptions; but without success. At the eastern end, beyond the present wall, but within the circuit of the smaller fortress, is a very deep cistern capable of holding several hundred hogsheads; and further on, near the extreme point of the rock, a well about one hundred feet deep, now dry. The bottom of this well for some sixty feet is wholly sunk in the solid rock; while the top for about forty feet is walled up eight feet square with hewn stones in an uncommonly good style of masonry. An arch was formerly thrown over the top, which is now broken down. The walls of the smaller part of the fortress included both the cistern and well. At the bottom of the hill immediately below this point, is another well about forty feet deep, walled up in the same manner. On the East of the water-course of Wady el-Bîrein are also ruins of buildings; and the walls of fields similar to those we saw at first, extend far out into the plain.

From the castle the direction of the wells Bîrein was pointed out about S. by E. Further to the East the water-course of Wady el-Hufîr comes down across the plain; and uniting with that of Wady el-Bîrein just N. of the castle, gives its name to the whole. It then runs off N. W. to join Wady el-Abyad.

We had no doubt at the time, nor have I any now, that these were the ruins of the ancient Eboda or Oboda, a city mentioned only by Ptolemy, and marked on the Peutinger Tables as lying on the Roman road twenty-three Roman miles to the southward of Elusa ; equivalent to nine hours with camels at the usual rate of travel. We were afterwards eight hours in passing from these ruins to the site of Elusa, at a rate more rapid than usual; so that the correspondence is here sufficiently exact; and the name of 'Abdeh, which the spot still bears, is decisive. It must have been a place of importance and of great strength. The large church marks a numerous Christian population; though Eboda is nowhere mentioned among the episcopal cities. It is rare also to find in the desert a fortress of such extent, and built with so much care. But the desert has reassumed its rights; the intrusive hand of cultivation has been driven back; the race that dwelt here have perished; and their works now look abroad in loneliness and silence over the mighty waste.1

We left the ruins at 103 o'clock. Just as we were mounting our camels, one of the 'Azâzimeh, who was pasturing in the vicinity, came up and scolded our guides most violently for bringing Christians to view his country. Our course lay N. E. by E. across the plain to regain our former road. The character of the desert began to change, and became more and more sandy as we advanced. We struck the route at a quarter past noon; and fell in again with our acquaintances, the Haweitât, who were now going the same road.

We soon passed by their caravan, and saw them no more.

During this time we were exposed to a violent Sirocco, which continued till towards evening, resembling the Khamsîn of Egypt. The wind had been all the 1) See Note XXI, at the end of the volume.

morning N. E. but at 11 o'clock it suddenly changed to the South, and came upon us with violence and intense heat, until it blew a perfect tempest. The atmosphere was filled with fine particles of sand, forming a bluish haze; the sun was scarcely visible, his disk exhibiting only a dun and sickly hue; and the glow of the wind came upon our faces as from a burning oven. Often we could not see ten rods around us; and our eyes, ears, mouths, and clothes, were filled with sand. The thermometer at 12 o'clock stood at 88° F. and had apparently been higher; at 2 o'clock it had fallen to 76°, although the wind still continued.

We kept on our way, proceeding among sand-drifts, the ground in spots being white with broken snailshells; and began to descend very gradually towards Wady el-Abyad. At 12h 50' there were again walls of fields, marking an extensive enclosure. At 1 o'clock we came to an Arab cemetery, with a rude heap of stones, called the tomb of Sheikh el-'Amry, whom the Arabs never mention without a curse. A ridiculous story of Arab superstition is attached to this tomb. There seemed also to be the foundations of a village or the like, connected with the said fields. Close by is the bed of Wady el-Abyad, running to the left into the 'Arîsh; it was said to be the last Wady on our route that joins the latter valley. The region is here all sand; and we now passed among swelling hills, which, though of sand, were yet covered to the top with tufts of herbs and shrubs, like the vallies and plains; all greener than before, and indicating our approach to a land of rain. Among these hills we passed at half past two through a large basin, the head of a Wady called Nehîyeh, running off W. to Wady el-Abyad. Here we overtook our two men with a load of good water from el-Bîrein. They reported that the wells were four instead of two; all twenty-five or thirty feet

deep, walled up with hewn stone, and containing living water. The plain beyond the wells, they said, was extensively cultivated by the Arabs.

We overtook the rest of our party not long after, and soon began to descend gradually towards the head of Wady er-Ruhaibeh. The tempest continued unabated, although the burning glow had in part passed away. As we crossed a plain slightly descending towards the N. E. there were, at 3h 20', traces of walls and former fields. Ten minutes further brought us to the entrance of Wady er-Ruhaibeh, which runs from the plain towards the N. E. Here is the fork of the two main roads leading to Gaza and Hebron. We encamped at 3 o'clock in the Wady, which is at first narrow, lying between hills of gentle acclivity.

The tempest now seemed to have reached its greatest fury, and had become a tornado. It was with the utmost difficulty that we could pitch our tent, or keep it upright after it was pitched. For a time the prospect was dreadful; and the storm in itself was probably as terrific, as most of those which have given rise to the exaggerated accounts of travellers. Yet here was no danger of life; though I can well conceive that in certain circumstances, as where a traveller is without water and is previously feeble and exhausted, such a "horrible tempest" may well prove fatal. Most of our Arabs covered their faces with a handkerchief, although we were travelling before the wind. After 5 o'clock the wind fell; the air became less obscure; a breeze sprung up from the N. W. which soon purified the atmosphere, restored the sun to his splendour, and brought us a clear and pleasant evening, with a temperature of 66° F. It was no little labour to free ourselves from the casing of sand in which we were enveloped.

We had not been told of ruins at this place, or only VOL. I. 37

in general terms; and were therefore the more surprised to find here also traces of antiquity. In the valley itself, just at the left of the path, is the ruin of a small rough building with a dome, built in the manner of a mosk; it was obviously once a Wely or tomb of a Muhammedan Saint. On the right of the path is a confused heap of hewn stones, the remains of a square building of some size, perhaps a tower. On the acclivity of the eastern hill we found traces of wells; a deep cistern, or rather cavern, which seemed to have been used as such; and a fine circular threshing floor, evidently antique. But on ascending the hill on the left of the valley, we were astonished to find ourselves amid the ruins of an ancient city. Here is a level tract of ten or twelve acres in extent, entirely and thickly covered over with confused heaps of stones, with just enough of their former order remaining, to show the foundations and form of the houses, and the course of some of the streets. The houses were mostly small, all solidly built of bluish limestone, squared and often hewn on the exterior surface. Many of the dwellings had each its cistern, cut in the solid rock; and these still remain quite entire. One mass of stones larger than the rest, appeared to be the remains of a church, from the fragments of columns and entablatures strewed around. Another large mass lay further to the North, which we did not visit. There seemed to have been no public square, and no important or large public buildings; nor could we trace with certainty any city walls. We sought also in vain for inscriptions. Once, as we judged upon the spot, this must have been a city of not less than twelve or fifteen thousand inhabitants. Now, it is a perfect field of ruins, a scene of unutterable desolation; across which the passing stranger can with difficulty find his way. Multitudes of lizards

were briskly and silently gliding among the stones;