Page:Mount Seir, Sinai and Western Palestine.djvu/123

. Not feeling equal to a double clay's work, I contented myself with a start two hours later for Petra, and accompanied by Sheikh Abdullah and another sheikh from Petra, together with our dragoman, Ibraham, I left the camp about six o'clock; Bernhard Heilpern remained to take care of the camp during our absence.

It was still dark when we set out; and we had to thread our way over the plain towards the east by the aid of a lantern carried in front of my camel, and so for an hour we wended our way towards the entrance of the Pass of Wâdy Haroun. Just as day began to dawn, but before sunrise, I turned to take a look at the country behind. What was my surprise on looking beyond the Valley of the Arabah to behold the whole tableland of the Tih to the westward lighted up with remarkable clearness, the plains and escarpments distinguished by lines and streaks of gold and white; so that it might have been supposed that we were looking towards the direction of sunrise rather than of sunset, and that this region was lit up under the first rays of dawn. I expressed my astonishment to Ibraham; but that worthy was equal to the occasion. Nothing could surprise this man; nothing was new to him. He assured me that it was always so, and that in these parts the western lands receive the sun's rays before those of the eastern! The effect was doubtless due to the light of the morning sun reflected from the sky.

On entering the ravine of the Wâdy Haroun above our camp of the previous morning, a griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) appeared soaring above my head. It was a handsome bird, and with my glass I could scan its form and colour. The body was grey, and the wings tipped with black. Soon another appeared; and presently, one after another, about a dozen came in sight, flying low or clambering up the rocks. The animals had been gorging themselves on the carcase of a camel of our party, which, from overwork and probably insufficient food, had dropped down from exhaustion on the previous day.

As we were wending our way up the gorge of the W. Haroini, Abdullah and our dragoman kept up a lively conversation. Some time after I inquired of the latter what it was all about, and he rehearsed it to me as follows:—

Abdullah. Have you ever been on pilgrimage?

Ibraham. Yes! once to Mecca, and twelve times to the mosque at Jerusalem (El Khods).

A. Where do you live when you are at home?