2,6 Bcdojiin Tribes of the Euphrates, [ch. xvh.. 



set on tlie face of a white slope of clialk, wliicli 

 ended in the cliffs called Uthahek. To the left of it 

 stood eleven olive trees in a row, showing very 

 blackly against the white ground. It then occurred 

 to us that Ave might perhaps find some one in the 

 village who could take us to Jedaan without going 

 further, and we sent Ghanim in on the white 

 donkey. We timed his start and his arrival, for we 

 could see him all the way ; and, though we had both 

 calculated the distance at three miles, he did it in 

 sixteen minutes, for the donkey is extraordinarily 

 fast, going at a sort of run. Ghd,nim was not long 

 away, and brought no news that was of any good to 

 us. Mohammed had been there and was gone, and 

 nobody could tell anything clear about the Anazeli. 

 Nearly all the men of the village were away after 

 kemeyes, and though one person had spoken of 

 Jediian's being three days' journey to the south, he 

 either did not know where or was afraid to go with 

 us. A band of robbers had attacked the village the 

 night before and carried off horses, camels, and sheep 

 belonging to a caravan. So, having wasted half the 

 morning, we went on in the direction of Tudmur,. 

 that is to say to the south west. 



Our way lay up a long broad valley, with a line 

 of perfectly regular cliffs to our left and tall hills to 

 our right. Down this the wind blew AA'ith a violence 

 which I can only compare with a Mistral in the 

 valley of the Ehone, and it was with the greatest 

 difficulty that the camels could make head against 



