ed up this Wady, still on a general course N. E. by E. It is quite narrow and winds much among the hills; so that it seemed to be almost interminable. The sides were rocky, but clothed with grass and the shrub Bellân, a sort of furze. Here we met several wild savage-looking Arabs; and further on, a man on horseback, the first we had seen since leaving Egypt. He was on a sleek mare, which brought him rapidly down the steep rocky side of one of the hills. The bottom of the valley in its steeper parts was formerly laid off into terraces, of which the massive walls still remain; but nothing more. After some time flocks of sheep and goats mingled together were seen feeding on the hills; and we fell in with other flocks consisting of young kids alone. Not long after, we came upon herds of neat cattle and donkies grazing; and at length, at a quarter past 11 o'clock, got sight of the village of edh-Dhoherîych on the summit of a hill terminating the Wady, the head of which here opens out into a green basin. This and the hills around were covered with flocks and neat cattle in the ancient patriarchal style, with many horses, asses, and camels, all in fine order; and affording to us a most pleasing prospect, after having been for thirty days confined to the dreary nakedness of the desert. We reached Dhoherîyeh at 11h 35'.

Our Tawarah Arabs had always said, that they could take us only as far as to this village, the first on this road within the borders of Syria. They had represented it too as being very near to Hebron. The Bedawîn never bring travellers or loads further than this point; as the inhabitants, living on the great road from Hebron to Gaza and Egypt, have the monopoly of transporting all goods and passengers that come by way of the desert. Our first object therefore was to obtain the means of proceeding without delay to

Hebron; the day being not yet half spent. We sought for the Sheikh of the village, but he was absent. The person who acted for him, we found sitting with a number of the inhabitants. He informed us that we could obtain no animals until the next day; when they would engage to take us through to Jerusalem. To all our pressing solicitations to be sent forward immediately, they turned a deaf ear; probably because they did not wish to stop for the night with us at Hebron; but they said our Arabs might go on with us, if they would. This we then proposed; but the Tawarah said they were strangers here, and feared that if they went to Hebron their camels would be pressed for the service of the government; a thing not at all unusual, as we knew. We now tried to ascertain the distance to Hebron; thinking we could perhaps send one of our servants thither and obtain animals. Some said it was three, some four, and some five hours distant; nor was it till we had actually travelled over the ground ourselves, that we arrived at any certainty; and then we found the largest estimate correct. Under all the circumstances, much as we wished to get on, we felt compelled to have the camels unloaded, and the tent pitched. This was done for the first time on green grass, and among olive-trees, in the basin just below the village on the S. E. Our intention was to pay off and dismiss our Tawarah; and then, if possible, obtain animals from Hebron.

We found no difficulty in satisfying all our Arabs, whose camels had brought loads from the convent; but an unexpected question arose in the case of Tuweileb. We had regarded him merely as taking the place of Beshârah, as head of the party and guide; which, according to the express stipulation of our contract, he was to do without additional expense to

us, except such slight presents as we might choose to give him. I have already mentioned, that he had brought with him two extra camels, apparently for himself and children; one of which had been taken into our service at 'Akabah, instead of a camel which had died by the way. But his views, it seems, in entering upon the journey, had been different from ours; and Beshârah had told him, that we would take him as Sheikh of the party, and pay him the hire of a dromedary for himself; or rather, would make him an equivalent and generous present. Thus the animal, which all along upon the journey had been nothing more than a broken down camel, was now suddenly transformed into the dromedary of a Sheikh. We had already paid him enough, as we supposed; but this was a higher claim, touching his honour as a Sheikh and as a Bedawy. He had been understood to come as the Sheikh of our party; he had consented that his dromedary should bear a burden for our accommodation; and now both he and his dromedary would be forever degraded in the eyes of his tribe, unless we made him a fitting present for a Sheikh. To all this we had nothing to reply, except the words of our contract, which he could not read. We cut the matter short at last, by giving him our old pistols, which he had usually paraded in his girdle on the way, and which we had bought for a trifle in Cairo. With this present he seemed highly gratified. But we were not sure that he did not immediately sell the pistols in the village; where fire-arms were sought with avidity, in consequence of the disarming of the people by the Egyptian government.

We had on the whole been much pleased with Tuweileb; although, as I have already remarked, he had seen his best days, and for much of the time had been quite unwell. He was uniformly kind, patient,

accommodating, and faithful; and until now had shown himself less a beggar than his companions. He gave us his adieu by repeatedly kissing each on both cheeks, in addition to the usual kiss of the hand. We parted with our Tawarah Arabs with regret and with the kindest feelings. For thirty days they had now been our companions and guides through the desert; and not the slightest difficulty had arisen between us. On the contrary, they had done all in their power to lighten the toils of our journey, and protect us from discomforts by the way. In all our subsequent journeyings, we found no guides so faithful and devoted.

By this time it was too late to think of reaching Hebron. We therefore sent and engaged camels for Jerusalem, to take us and our luggage at midnight, and reach the Holy City before the next evening. The journey through the desert had made such inroads upon our stores, that the Sheikh of the camels required us to take only six, instead of the nine which had brought us thus far. They were however much larger and stouter than those of the Bedawîn.

The village of Dhoherîyeh lies high, and is visible from a great distance in every direction. It is a rude assemblage of stone hovels; many of which are half under ground, and others broken down. A castle or fortress apparently once stood here; the remains of a square tower are still to be seen, now used as a dwelling; and the door-ways of many hovels are of hewn stone with arches. It would seem to have been one of the line of small fortresses, which apparently once existed all along the southern border of Palestine. The village contains, according to the government census, one hundred full-grown men; of whom thirtyeight had been taken at three separate times for the Egyptian army. Though half in ruins, it is yet rich in flocks and herds, and has at least a hundred camels.

The inhabitants are Hudhr, or townsmen; and belong to the party called Keis. Most of the villagers in this quarter are of this party; as well as some of the Bedawîn.

The country around looks barren; the limestone rocks come out in large blocks and masses upon the sides and tops of the hills; and give a whitish cast to the whole landscape. No trees were visible; nor any fields of grain, except in the bottoms of the narrow vallies. Indeed the aspect of the whole region was stern and dreary. Yet it must be a fine grazing country; as is proved by the fat and sleek condition of the herds and flocks; and by its having been, from the days of Abraham onward, a place of resort for nomadic herdsmen.

Towards evening we went to the top of a hill just East of our tent; but could see nothing all around save rocky hills and swells. On one of these in the direction E. by S. was a ruined castle; which proved to be Semû'a, on the road from Wady Mûsa to Hebron. In its immediate vicinity, the Arabs said there were two other like ruins; one called 'Attîr, and the other Husn el-Ghurâb. Of the latter we heard no more; but saw the former place as we afterwards returned from Wady Mûsa through Semû'a.

During the evening we lay down and slept. At the rising of the moon, about 10 o'clock, the camels came, and we fixed the time for loading at half-past twelve; not wishing to reach Hebron before day. They all, camels and men, lay down upon the ground, and were soon in deep sleep. My companions also lay down; while I sat up alone to watch during the few hours that yet remained.

Saturday, April 14th. Half an hour after midnight we mustered again, and set to work on the luggage; but such was the inefficiency and stupidity of