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of Edinburgh, Session 1879 - 80 . 
the last two weeks the power of the sun became so great that work 
was only possible in the early morning, for the party remained in 
valley even after the Arabs had retired to the hills. The exhaustion 
due to this campaign necessitated a long rest for the whole party, 
and the expedition experienced a sad and serious loss in the death 
of Mr Tyrwhitt Drake, who sank under a second attack of fever 
brought on by the malaria of the valley and the toils and privations 
of the survey work. 
It was not until the 5th October that the expedition was again 
able to take the field. Lieutenant Kitchener, RE., was appointed to 
take the place of Mr Drake as second officer for the party. At this 
time more than half the survey (3500 square miles) had been com- 
pleted, including all the country between Bethlehem and Nazareth, 
and it was determined to complete the southern portion of the 
work, 1200 square miles, before attempting the survey of Galilee : 
the autumn of the year was consequently passed in the hills of 
Hebron and the desert of Beersheba. The season was unusually 
sickly, and the mortality in the plains was in some villages not less 
than 50 per cent, of the native peasant population. In the high 
mountains the party were, however, comparatively safe, although it 
became necessary to invalid one of the most valuable members 
(Sergeant Black) during the winter. An attempt was made to push 
the work through the desert west of the Dead Sea about Christmas 
time, but the expedition was driven to shelter by a succession of 
violent gales which nearly wrecked the camp. 
In the spring of 1875 a very light expedition was organised for 
the exploration of the desert. The invalid members of the party, 
including Lieutenant Kitchener, remained in Jerusalem with the 
baggage, and accompanied by two corporals I set out carrying only 
the barest necessaries, with food and provender for two days at a 
time. The work was pushed on with the greatest possible rapidity, 
and as before stated 330 square miles were mapped in ten days. 
The shores of the Dead Sea, here girt with cliffs 4000 feet high, were 
visited, and a special survey made of the famous fortress of Masada. 
The Arab tribes were found in a very disturbed condition, in 
consequence of recent tribal conflicts, and this portion of the work 
was perhaps the most adventurous episode of the survey. 
In the middle of March the survey of the low hills and plains of 
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