START FROM THE OASIS. 
29 
CHAPTER IIL 
Leave Mizdali — Gloomy Country — Matrimonial Squabbles in the 
Caravan — "Playing at Powder" — Desert Geology — A Roman 
Mausoleum — Sport — A Bully tamed — Fatiguing March — Wady 
Taghijah— Our old friend the Ethel-Tree— The Waled Bou Seif— 
Independent Arabs — A splendid Mausoleum — One of the nagahs 
foals — Division of a Goat — March over a monotonous country — 
Valley of Amjara — Two new Trees — Saluting the New Moon — 
Sight the Plateau of the Hamadah — Wady Tabooneeah — Travel- 
ling Flies — The Desert Hour — A secluded Oasis — Buying Barley 
— Ghareeah — Roman Remains — Oasean Cultivation — Taxation — 
Sand -Pillar — Arrangements for crossing the Hamadah — An 
Emeute in the Caravan — Are compelled to discharge the quarrel- 
some Ali. 
We started for Mizdah, at length, towards noon, 
Sheikh Omer bringing us a little on our way, and 
begging to be well spoken of in high quarters ; and 
after passing the ruins of two Arab castles that 
frown over the southern side of Wady Esh-Shrab, 
got into a gloomy country, exactly resembling that 
on the other side of the oasis, except that the strata 
of the limestone rocks, instead of being horizontal 
are inclined. The whole desert, however, wears 
a more arid appearance. Yet there were some 
lote-trees here and there, and a few tholukhs. The 
traces of the aoudad were noticed ; and the blacks, 
