40 
STATE OF THE OASIS. 
Witli the exception of the little valley we had 
crossed, nothing could be seen from Ghareeah but 
a dreary waste, especially to the south and east. A 
tower of modern date rises to the east, on a solitary 
rock ; and we knew that Eastern Ghareeah was con- 
cealed among the hills at a distance of six hours. 
The inhabitants of these secluded towns are called 
Waringah, and promise shortly to become extinct. 
In this Western Ghareeah there are twenty heads of 
families, but very few children, — scarce sixty souls 
altogether ; and the population of the other place, 
which gives itself airs of metropolitan importance, 
is not more than double. How they have not 
abandoned the place long ago to jackals and hawks 
is a mystery. They do not possess a single camel ; 
only two or three asses and some flocks of sheep ; 
and depend, in a great measure, on chance profits 
from caravans, for their valley often only affords 
provision for a couple of months or so. At intervals, 
it is true, when there has been much rain, they sell 
barley in the neighbouring valleys ; but this season 
has been a dry one, and the crop has consequently 
fallen short. When they have no barley, they say, 
they eat dates ; and when the dates are out, they 
fast — a long, continual fast — and famine takes them 
off one by one. The melancholy remnant preserve 
traditions of prosperity in comparatively recent 
times. Notwithstanding their miserable condition, 
however, these wretched people are drained by 
taxation of thirty mahboubs per annum — so many 
