32 BASFIAN. 



too ridiculous to imagine the sentiment of ' Home, sweet 

 home ! ' entering into the head of an inhabitant of Derat, 

 and most of the villages of Bashan are similar to it. The 

 town stands above a deep ravine, at the bottom of which 

 flows the Yarmuk, the ancient Hieromax, which we crossed 

 by a ford close to the river-side, where we found two fine 

 sarcophagi, one ornamented with a human bust, the other 

 with lion's heads. A little above the ford the Hieromax 

 is crossed by a Roman aqueduct, which, spanning the 

 ravine by a very bold bridge, is carried at least eighty feet 

 above the water. Our course now lay almost in a direct 

 line east, across a great plain ; on the further side rose the 

 group of Jebel Hauran, with the conical peak of El-Kleil^ 

 conspicuous in their midst, and the castled crag of Salkhat 

 on a southern spur. We followed exactly in the line of the old 

 Roman road, the pavement of which was in places intact. 

 After passing the ruins of Gharz, where we failed to discover 

 anything remarkable, we rode on through cultivated land, 

 dotted at intervals by black villages. Presently ten horse- 

 men appeared in the distance ; suspecting their character, 

 we at once fell back on the baggage. The Bedouins 

 advanced, then split into two bodies, and wheeled round 

 on either flank of our party ; after an interval of apparent 

 indecision, they again united their forces. By this time 

 we were within 300 yards of them, and could judge from 

 their demeanour that they were out on no lawful errand. 

 Khasim rode forward to meet them, when one of the party 

 (apparently the chief) saluted him, and they held a parley 

 together in high tones. As they rode alongside, we ad- 

 mired the skill with which Khasim made his horse dance 

 round the other, constantly keeping his rifle pointed in the 

 face of the Bedouin chief. After a few minutes' conversa- 

 tion, Khasim rode back to us, while the Arabs wheeled 

 round and scampered away. We found out that they were 



