Chap. LXXXV. WA'dI KAWA'k. — DI'rKI. 429 
our right. Meanwhile the country became beau- 
tifully wooded at the dawn of the day, and numerous 
travellers attested a certain degree of industry in 
this curious abode of men in the heart of the desert. 
After a march of about twelve miles, where the 
valley became contracted by a lower rocky ridge 
crossing it, we encamped at the side of a palm- 
grove, with a number of draw-wells, or " khdttatir," 
where every kind of vegetable might be easily raised. 
The ground produced '* aghiil," and " molukhia," or 
Cor chorus olitorius^ and was surrounded by high sandy 
downs, while at some distance eastward a village is situ- 
ated, of the name of E'ggir. Having halted here for 
about five hours, we pursued our journey, the strip 
of trees closely approaching the rocky cliff, and after 
a march of three miles, left on our right the village 
E'm-i-maddama, and further on, that called Shemid- 
deru, lying partly at the foot, partly on the slope of the 
rocky cliffs on our right. Having then left a small 
isolated grove of date trees on the same side, we 
reached the beginning of the plantation of Dirki ; and 
traversing the grove where the fruit was just ripen- 
ing, we approached the dilapidated wall of the town, 
which presented a very poor spectacle, and then kept 
between it and the offensive salt-pool on our right, 
and encamped on the north side. This town, which, 
notwithstanding its insignificance, has a name all 
over the desert, was of some importance to me, from 
the fact of its containing the only blacksmith in the 
whole of this oasis, whom I wanted to prepare for me 
