SAARET. 65 



Travelling for nearly an hour through this 

 chilly and moist atmosphere, we at length began 

 to descend into the long narrow valley of 

 Saaret. The few huts which constitute this 

 apparently poor village, we found, as the people 

 of Isna had stated, quite deserted, and some- 

 what dilapidated by the winter rains. The 

 village stands between the sources of two small 

 streams, one flowing to the sea, and the other 

 through the long valley to the north-east into 

 the plain of Kassabar. This valley nowhere 

 exceeds a quarter of a mile in breadth. We 

 proceeded at once across it to the ruined walls 

 crowning the rocky eminence opposite. We 

 passed the sarcophagus examined by Sir C. 

 Fellows, the inscription on which Mr. Daniell 

 was equally unsuccessful in deciphering. 



The walls of this small city encircle a rugged 

 brow, and enclose a very rocky uneven sur- 

 face, on which are several uninscribed rock- 

 tombs, sarcophagi, and remains of many rude 

 cyclopsean buildings, with their doorways still 

 erect. The greater portion of the walls are 

 uniform in style. They enclose a space of about 

 two hundred and fifty yards long, and one hun- 

 dred broad. One sarcophagus which stands in 



F 



