231 
regimen. The caravan halted until the following day to 
give me time to repose. On that day, which seemed 
destined to be entirely unlucky, one of my finest 
camels died. 
Wednesday, 8th July. 
Having slept tolerably well, and my wound not being 
very painful, I mounted my horse a little after four 
o'clock in the morning, and taking every necessary 
precaution, proceeded along with the caravan in a N. E. 
direction. 
Five hours afterwards we halted in a place called 
Aarass. At noon the thermometer marked 42° 7'* of 
Reaumur in the shade. It was here that I collected a 
sample of the sand, of which the principal part of the 
desert of the isthmus of Suez is composed. 
#Vt a quarter past two in the afternoon, we set out 
towards the N. E. and half an hour afterwards, passed 
a little Oasis, which was deserted, but very agreeable 
on account of the beauty of the palm trees that cover- 
ed it. 
At five in the evening we passed near several hills of 
loose sand, which were tolerably high, and almost per- 
pendicular, on the southern side, though composed of 
a sand extremely fine and moveable; the perpendicular 
surface formed, as it were, slender flutings from top to 
bottom. 
We halted at half past five in a spot called Barra; 
My wound was doing very well, and the scene which 
occasioned it had at least one good effect; my stock of 
water was thenceforward respected. 
* 12/0 Fahrenheit, 
