EGYPT, AND SYRIA. 175 
CHAP. XIV. 
JOURNEY TO SINAI. 
Route — Sue% — Ships and Jloip-building — Trade — Scarcity of Wd" 
ter — Remains of the antient canal — Tur — Mountains of red 
granite—Defcription of Sinai — Kafern gulf of the Red Sea—^ 
Return to Kahira, 
On the ift of March 1793 left Kahira to proceed to Suez. I 
had made an agreement with the Arab Shech, who was charged 
with the care of the caravan, that he and his fervant fhould ac- 
company me, without waiting for its flow progrefs. But he 
broke his engagement, as ufual with the Arabs, and I was con- 
ftrained to wait for the departure of a large body, confiding of 
an hundred and fifty perfons and two hundred camels. 
The route to Suez is nearly one uniform plain, generally hard 
and rocky, though here and there fpots of deep fand occur. The 
journey was very llowly conducted, as the camels were permit- 
ted to brouze on the verdure which fprinkles the defert folely 
after the winter. On the third day, a South-weft wind having 
fubfided, rain fell for four hours and a quarter. The mornings 
and evenings were cold, though hot in the day. Some have 
ignorantly conceived that no rain falls in Egypt. At Alexandria 
fhowery 
