47o TRAVELS TO DISCOVER 



tion, amidft thofe barren, bare, and ftony mountains which 

 border the valley of Egypt on the weft. 



The 6th of October they came to El-Vah, a large village, 

 or town, thick-planted with palm-trees, the Oafis Parva of 

 the ancients, the laft inhabited place to the weft that is un- 

 der the jurifdiction of Egypt. By foftening the original 

 name, Poncet calls this Helaoue, which, as he fays, fignifies 

 fweetnefs. But furely this was never given it from the pro- 

 ductions he mentions to abound there, ttiss. fehna and colo- 

 quintida. The Arabs call El-Vah ; a fhrub or tree, not un- 

 like our hawthorn either in form or flower. It was of this 

 wood, they fay, Mofes's rod was made when he -fweetened 

 the waters of Marah. With a rod of this woo$, too, Kaleb 

 Ibn el Waalid, the great deftroyer of Chriftians, fweetened 

 thefe waters at El-Vah, once very bitter, and gave it the 

 name from this miracle. A number of very fine fprings 

 burft from the earth at El-Vah, which renders this fmall 

 fpot verdant and beautiful, though mrrounded with dreary 

 deferts on every quarter ; it is fituated like an ifland in the 

 midft of the ocean. 



The caravan refted four days at El-Vah to procure wa- 

 ter and provifions for the continuation of the journey thro' 

 the defert. Poncet's defcription of the unpleafantnefs of 

 this, is perfectly exact, and without exaggeration. In two 

 days they came to Cheb, where there is water, but ftrODgly 

 impregnated with alum, as the name itfelf fignifies ; and, 

 three days after, they reached Selima, where they found the 

 water good, rifmg from an excellent fpring, which gives its 

 name to a large defert extending weftward forty-five days 

 journey to Dar Fowr, Dar Sele, and Bagirma, three fmall 

 2 principalities 



