130 
COURSE OVER THE DESERT. 
through the day, for ten hours and a quarter, without 
stopping. Our course was along the broad wady, 
which resembles an immense plain. On the surface 
of its sandy bed are scattered pebbles and blocks of 
sandstone and limestone, but the former chiefly. 
There was nothing to please the eye but the delicate 
tints of the line of sand-hills on the left — a faint yel- 
low, at times mingling with the sky when very lumi- 
nous; and the round tholukh-trees, scattered like 
black spots on the light sand of the valley. A little 
mirage figured a dark, black lake, which, however, 
sparkled with light under the trees. Few animals 
were seen : a young camel, left to graze in the valley, 
followed us most cheerfully this morning. 
We passed two or three wells in the coarse of 
the day, at a place called Kouwana, with water near 
the surface, and obtained some by scraping out the 
sand ; we did not, however, take any up, because it 
was not very good. Caravans seldom use these wells. 
"No doubt there is water to be found everywhere 
throughout the wady, which by a little care might 
be turned into an oasis. Perhaps it was one in old 
times. There is now no encouragement to cultivate 
any stubborn ground. 
July 2. — Two hours in getting off again ! We 
started at six and went on until past five in the after- 
noon, following a south-west course along the same 
wady, with the same low line of sand-hills on our left, 
and sand and the low edge of the plateau, which the 
people say extends many days' journey, on our left. 
