^^FROM SUEZ TO SINAI.'^ 



257 



of the main wadi. One traveller speaks of an irresistible river he 

 met in this wadi, eight feet deep, carrying all before it : and 

 though our track lay up these dry watercourses or over the 

 banks of former river beds, nowhere ivas a drop of water to he 

 found I Yet the waters of Feiran, which disappear suddenly in 

 the sand at this end of the oasis, are amply sufhcient, if carefully 

 stored and conveyed in aqueducts, to irrigate the whole wadi 

 as far as the sea, and to turn it into a fertile valley. 



From here onwards we could hear the occasional chirp of a 

 bird, a very strange sound in this wdlderness. At length 

 we came upon a running brook, where the camels drank and the 

 men too, and then patches of wheat and palms. After refreshment 

 we wandered through the oasis of palms and tamarisks, and as 

 it was already dark we were constantly in the water crossing 

 and recrossing the stream. From time to time lesa lighted up 

 the wadi with magnesium wire, revealing the palm trees and 

 silvery feathery tamarisks in wonderful relief against the rocks 

 and sky. After an hour, or perhaps less, we saw the welcome 

 sight of Bedouins from camp coming to meet us with two 

 Chinese lanterns, and the last half mile we were escorted to 

 camp by them. AVe arrived at a quarter past seven — thirteen 

 and a-half hours from our start in the morning. 



I spent the following day (Thursday, March 14th) in camp, 

 writing up my diary, while Mackinnon made the ascent of Mount 

 Horeb (Serbal). From any point of view the ascent seems 

 impossible, but to mountain climbers it is possible. Mackinnon 

 enjoyed his day immensely, and made perhaps a record in 

 reaching the summit in four and a-half hours, including tw^o or 

 three rests, whereas Baedeker allows six hours for the task. 



In the course of the day I had a visit from the sheikh of the 

 district. He had two sons with him, about ten years of age, of 

 whom he was very proud. lesa had discovered that the sheikh 

 had some turquoises, from the ancient mines of the Pharaohs, 

 and these he was willing for me to have at what he said was a 

 very low price, " out of consideration for me and for IN'aum Bey 

 Shoucair," of the War Office, Cairo, for w^hom he had a great 

 admiration. I was very glad to have these stones, and found 

 later the price was very reasonable. 



Towards the evening I came across another camp, w^ith a 

 party making the journey northw^ard. There w^ere tw^o ladies, 

 three divinity professors, and a doctor, all of them French. AYe 

 accepted an invitation to their camp in the evening, and spent a 

 pleasant time with them comparing experiences. 



In this region, quite naturally, w^e endeavoured to recall the 



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