34 
NATURE 
[May 11, 1871 

covered by Mr. Rowlands, though he seems to confuse it with 
Ain El Gudeirat). Many facts support this supposition, for 
instance, the suitability as a strategic position for a camp of 
long duration. There is abundance of water there even at the 
present day, and springs are found at Ain Muweilah to the north 
and Biyar Maayin to the south. The probability is great thata 
large host like the Israelites, encumbered with their families and 
herds, would take the easy route by the open country to the west 
of the Azazimeh mountains in preference to the barren and rugged 
passes south-west of the Dead Sea. 
The desert of the Tih consists cfa succession of limestone plateaux 
intersected by several wadies, of which the most important are 
W. El Arish, which is joined near Nakhl by W. Rowag, W. 
Garaiyeh, with its tributaries Mayin, Jerur, Muweileh, W. El 
Ain, which runs into W. El Abyadh, W. Rehaibeh and W. 
Seba, which drain into the Mediterranean. W. Ghamr and W. 
Jerafeh—the names of which have been interchanged by former 
travellers—fall into the northern slope of the Arabeh, and so run 
into the Dead Sea, as also do Wadies Murreh, Maderah, and 
Figreh, which debouch into the Ghor es Safi, 
The southernmost limit is Jebel el Rahah and Jebel el Tih on 
he S.W., and Jebel el’Ejmeh on the S. and S.E., which together 
form a cliff running from Suez to Akabah, and projecting into the 
peninsula of Sinai much in the same way as that peninsula pro- 
jects into the Red Sea. The height of this cliff at its most elevated 
point—on Jebel el ’Ejmeh—is about 4, 200 feet above the sea, and 
from its summit the ground descends north-westwards. 
To the N.E. of the Tih rises a third steppe or promontory, its 
northern portion corresponding to the ‘‘ Negeb” or south-country 
of Scripture, its southern part bearing the name of Jebel Magrah, 
sometimes also called ‘‘the mountains of the Azazimeh,” from the 
tribe of Arabs which inhabits it. To the S.E. of this mountainous 
region we came upon the only bed of sandstone which occurs 
throughout the whole country. It belongs to the same formation 
(New Red sandstone) as that at Petra and the lower strata of the 
Dead Sea basin. 
Having carefully considered the best means of thoroughly 
examining the Tih plateau, Mr. Palmer and myself determined 
to proceed along the base of Jebel el Tih, and leaving to the west 
the Nagbs Emreikheh and er Rakineh—the passes on the or- 
dinary routes for travellers proceeding northwards from Mount 
Sinai—to cross Jebel el’Ejmeh wherever it might prove practicable, 
and thus proceed through a hitherto untraversed district to Nakhl, 
where we had established a depdt of provisions, and where we 
should have to make arrangements with a different tribe of Arabs 
for carrying our baggage northwards. 
This plan was carried out, and we entered the Tih by the Nagb 
el Mirad on January 12, 1870. From the summit of the cliff— 
for Jebel el ’Ejmeh has no pretensions to be called a mountain—a 
magnificent view is obtained of the Sinaitic peninsula. The 
range itself is composed of mountain limestone, so worn and 
broken by the action of frost and weather that the hills are 
covered with fine detritus, which, after rain, would produce some 
herbage, but when we were there only a few dried-up, stunted 
bushes were to be seen, which here as elsewhere in the desert 
supply good and abundant fuel. 
From Jebel el’Ejmeh the steep, bleak, waterworn hills gradually 
slope down and fall away into the great plains, or rather, low 
plateaux, which stretch across to the Mediterranean. Thesame- 
ness of outline and dreariness of this country is something terrible: 
the few shrubs that exist are grey or brown, and seemingly 
withered and dead ; no animal life enlivens the scene-—at times 
perhaps a stray vulture or raven may be seen sailing far away in 
the blue sky, a frightened lizard will start from beneath one’s 
feet, ora small flight of locusts be disturbed from their scanty 
meal on some ‘‘retem bush.” Water on the read there was 
absolutely none ; a supply for four days had to be carried from 
El Biyar, a well strongly impregnated with Epsom salts, and 
lying a few miles to the south of Nagb el Mirad. 
Under these conditions we can scarcely expect to meet with 
many signs of life. Judging from the numerous cairns and 
other primeval remains, this district must at one time have been 
populous. Wearily did I tramp day after day, gun in hand, but 
I was seldom rewarded with any thing more than a stray beetle 
or lizard, and now and then some small desert bird, and on very 
rare occasions a hare or snake. 
As from former experience we had found that it was impossible 
to work a country thoroughly when mounted, we only employed 
enough camels to carry our baggage. The camel-drivers acted as 
guides, and, to a certain extent, as attendants, for we took no ser- 


vants whatever. This added to our already heavy work, yet it en- 
abled us to get on much more satisfactorily with the various Arab 
tribes than- we could otherwise have done. 
From the Nagb el Mirad our course lay down Wady Rouag, 
which takes its rise in the highest part of Jebel el ’Ejmeh, about 
eighteen miles east of the head of Wady el Arish, with which it 
holds a nearly parallel course till it joins it at a short distance to 
the north-east of Nakhl. The district between Wady el Arish 
and Wady Rowag is drained by W. Ghabiyeh, which falls into 
the latter about twenty-five miles from the Nagb el Mirad ; after 
this junction the country becomes open and comparatively level. 
Here the ground is almost as hard as a macadamised road, and 
is covered with a layer of small, black, polished flints, which 
glisten in the sun as though they were wet. This polish must 
be attributed to the dust and grit kept in motion by the almost 
incessant winds, which are frequently very violent. Many ot 
the monuments in Egypt bear witness to the destructive action 
of the grit. In this desert sand is almost unknown. There are 
only two or three sandy tracts, and these may be traversed in a 
few hours at most. The largest sandy district we had to cross 
was the Rumeilet Hamed, to the north of Khalasah (the ancient 
Elusa) where the prevailing north-west winds have formed ex- 
tensive dunes. This sand, however, seems to have been entirely 
brought from the coast. 
On arriving at Nakhl we found a small fort with wells and 
cisterns. In this dreary spot, encompassed by glaring white hills, 
a few miserable soldiers are maintained by the Egyptian Govern- 
ment for the protection of the Hajj caravan, the place being 
halfway between Suez and Akabah. Here we were obliged to 
dismiss the Towarah Arabs, and taking up our provisions which 
we had sent on from Suez, we entered into an agreement with the 
Teyahah, who, after considerable discussion and futile attempts 
to extort a large ‘‘ghafr” or black mail, engaged to take us any- 
where we wished through their country. 
Of the various tribes which inhabit the Desert of the Tih, the 
most numerous and powerful are the Teyahah, of whom there 
are two divisions, the Sagairat and the Benaiyat, and truly they 
were, as their name implies, “birds of prey.” They possess 
large herds of camels whose numbers are frequently increased by 
the product of the raids which they make on their hereditary 
foes the ’Anazeh, whose territory lies around Palmyra and to the 
east of the Hauran, and is about twenty days’ journey from the 
Tih. These forays are sometimes carried out on a large scale ; 
on the last occasion the Teyahah numbered 1,000 guns. At 
times the plunder amounts to many hundred camels, but at 
others the owners come down in force and the aggressors are com- 
pelled to retire. Bloodshed in these freebooting expeditions and 
even actual warfare is avoided as much as possible, for it results 
in a blood feud which is always much dreaded by a Bedawi, since 
it binds the relatives of anyone who has perished either by murder 
or manslaughter—the Arabs do not distinguish between them— 
to avenge his death. ‘The blood feud or vendetta thus exercises a 
most salutary influence, for without it the value of human life 
would be totally disregarded in these wild regions which lie 
beyond the pale of the law. 
The Terabin, the tribe next in importance, occupy the country 
east of the Teyahah, their territory extending from Jebel Bisher 
and Bir Abu Suweirah on the Sinai road some forty miles south- 
east of Suez, as far as Gaza to the north. 
The Haiwatt live in the mountains to the west and north-west 
of Akabah, and are not numerous. 
The Azazimch occupy the mountainous region which I haye 
before mentioned as bearing their name: this tribe is not large, 
and they are exceedingly poor ; their only food consists of the 
milk and cheese obtained from their camels and goats and such 
roots as they can dig up. On very rare occasions they may have 
the luck to shoot some wild animal which, whether it be ibex or 
hyzena, is equally acceptable to their not over squeamish stomachs. 
They are obliged to live in very small and scattered communities, 
from the fact that—with the exception of one or two brackish 
and unpalateable springs, their only water supply is derived from 
the rains collected in hollows of rocks in the ravines and wady 
beds, and even these are few and far between. This water was 
usually putrid and full of most uninviting animalcule : however, 
as no other was to be had, we were obliged to drink it. 
From Nakhl we went in a north-easterly direction to Wady 
Garaiyeh, thence to Jebel’ Araif, which we ascended ; though it is 
little more than 2,000 ft. high; the view is very extensive. We 
then proceeded to cross Wady Mayin, W. Lussan, and W. 
Jertir, and afterwards reached Ain Muweileh (the supposed 
