36 MEMOIR OP BURCKHARDT. 



position. During the whole four days that he was 

 detained in the khan, the people who frequented it 

 were constant in their imprecations against him ; 

 but at length the departure of the caravan (on the 

 10th) relieved him from his unpleasant situation. 



The mode and time of removal must have pre- 

 sented a husy and picturesque scene. The whole 

 area of the court was divided into small squares of 

 different sizes, by means of cords, at the ends of 

 which iron wedges were fastened, which were driven 

 into the earth up to their heads. Each muleteer 

 chooses one of these squares, proportionate in size 

 to the number of his beasts, and loads them in it. 

 Though the ropes are little more than one inch 

 above ground, the animals never move out of the 

 space assigned them ; and thus great order prevailed, 

 although it was dark wiien they loaded, and the 

 whole court crowded with beasts and bales. At 

 every place where they halt for feeding, the same 

 cords are extended in front of the animals, to pre- 

 vent their getting amongst the luggage. 



The route of the caravan was across a plain coun- 

 try on the right bank of the Orontes, the breadth of 

 which was about fifty yards, and its depth nowhere 

 more than five feet. A journey of two days, and 

 a passage over a range of calcareous mountains, 

 brought them into the eastern plain of Syria. Up 

 to this period, Burckhardt's companions had re- 

 garded him as an orthodox Mussulman ; but two of 

 them having kept a strict w^atch over all his move- 

 ments and actions, pretended to discover some 



