1897] Doggedly on to Natron 275 



him. I said, ' For the water.' He answered, ' It was not worth it.' 

 (If we had not chanced to meet him it would have fared ill with us.) 

 From this point I took command, as Kheydr had no clear idea of the 

 direction. Abu Bekr had told us, ' go towards that star,' pointing to 

 one rising in the east. I made my course a point north of west, and 

 made a nine hours' march, perhaps twenty-three miles, letting the 

 camels feed, and am camped in a good wady, with erta and cshitb. 

 Yemama eats the erta, and several kinds of eshub, besides the nossi. 

 We have our six girbehs full, to last us till the Nile or the Wady Natron. 



"13th March. — Another nine hours' march due east. I insisted 

 upon this, as they wanted, all of them but Suliman, to go south-east, 

 which I knew must be wrong. So across country we went, taking care- 

 ful bearings at every height to keep our line true. It was all open 

 ground. Some camel herders we passed told us the Wady (Natron) 

 was in front of us, thus confirming my judgment. At 2.45 we camped 

 in a bit of pasture, whence we disturbed gazelles. These are now once 

 more of the smaller Eastern kind. (They are larger in the west). 

 Came on a vulture on a dead camel. Saw cranes passing northwards 

 overhead. Three days more should see us now at home. Twenty- 

 seven miles' march. 



"14th March — Held doggedly on my course due east, passing much 

 petrified wood. There is a general discontent at my persisting in my 

 own direction over hill and dale, all good going on gravel. At noon 

 we crossed a well-marked caravan road, bearing north-east, but I held 

 on by compass, and presently we got glimpses of a yellow wady about 

 three miles off I knew must be Natron, and at four found ourselves 

 within two miles of the westernmost convent straight in front of us 

 (a good bit of navigation). Here we are camped. Some thirty miles 

 to-day. 



" 15//? March. — This morning our party broke up, Beseys and Min- 

 shawi making a line for their home in the Fayoum, our two khabirs also 

 leaving us to visit friends in the Rif, and we down the Natron Valley, 

 passing four convents on our way to Sheykh Ahmed and Fum el Bahr. 

 We camped in the plain between Natron and the Rif. Twenty-eight 

 miles. 



" 16th March. — This morning we saw a strange sight. The moon 

 was setting, and we saw three moons, and the sun was rising, and we 

 saw two suns. At noon we reached the Nile Valley and rested awhile, 

 feasting our eyes on the greenness and the water near Sheykh Ahmed. 

 Then on, and camped at Fum el Bahr. Thirty miles. 



" ijth March. — Reached Sheykh Obeyd on St. Patrick's day, at 

 1 1. 15, a weary crew, having travelled 413 miles in fourteen and a half 

 days, the fortieth day from our leaving it. El Hamdul IllaJi ! 



" 24th March. — Sheykh Obeyd. I returned from my Siwah journey 



