56 
S. B. Miles —On the route between 
[No. 1, 
Katar, and el-Hasa is the district of el-Ja’fur. Through these districts 
lies the route from el-Bereymi to el-Hasa, from whence the road con¬ 
tinues to el-Bladh. There is no tract that can be followed, as the sand is 
blown about by the wind, but there appear to be two general routes, one of 
which is used more in winter, the other in summer ; the first is straighter 
and shorter, the other passes near the sea, is more winding, and after leav¬ 
ing the Sabkheh turns north for three days. The journey is not considered 
dangerous or difficult, as water is found in a great many places, though 
usually very brackish, and they seldom have to carry a supply for more 
than two days. Caravans very rarely make the journey, and travel only 
at night, taking about thirty days from el-Hasa to el-Bereymi. Troops 
as a rule travel by day only, their pace being a gentle amble, and they cover 
the distance in twenty to twenty-five days. A kasid takes ten days. The 
Menasir and Beni Yas chiefly hold possession of the eastern part of the 
route, the A1 Morra of the western. No hills are met on the way, and 
the only Wadis are el-Sabkheh and el-Sohba. I give in a tabular form 
the halting stations of the two routes, but as already observed, water is pro¬ 
curable in many other places. The Sabkheh, or Sabkheh Matti, as it is 
sometimes termed, is a marshy tract or Wadi about forty miles in breadth, 
commencing from the vicinity of Wadi Jabrin and entering the Persian 
Gulf between Long. 51° 50' and 52° 20', lat. 24°. In some parts it is a trea¬ 
cherous morass, only to be crossed at the beaten tracks, and it is said that 
should the camel miss the path, he becomes engulphed in the mud. The 
Sabkheh, according to the concurrent testimony of all the Sheikhs and best 
informed persons I have spoken to on the subject, both in el-Jow and Mus¬ 
cat, including His Highness Seyyid Turki, is the boundary line between 
Nejd and ’Oman, and has been so considered from time immemorial. The 
water-shed of el-Aarid and Yemameh appears to lie S. E., the Wadi Hani- 
feh and all other Wadis converging towards el-Randha, where they unite 
in the Wadi el-Sohba, which falls into the Persian Gulf just above the 
Sabkheh Matti, probably at Ivhor el-Dhoan. The Bedouins in the great 
desert rear great numbers of camels, the sale of which constitutes their 
chief support. The A1 Morra and ’Awamir are said to traverse it exten¬ 
sively, as it is not entirely destitute of water, which can be obtained of 
brackish quality in places by digging. Palms and other large trees are not 
met with, but dwarf acacias and herbaceous vegetation, suitable for camel 
fodder, are sufficiently abundant. Besides two species of gazelle and the 
oryx, numerous ostriches inhabit the more northern and western portions, 
and are hunted for the sake of their feathers, which eventually find their 
way to Mecca, there being no sale for them in ’Oman. There is said to be a 
route running direct S. E. from Nejd to Mahra that takes twenty-five days. 
Water is procured every three or four days, and is carried on in skins, the 
