Page:Mount Seir, Sinai and Western Palestine.djvu/266

218 which the country is more level, but continues to ascend as far as Has Zuweirah.

Camp was pitched after dark in Wâdy el 'Abd, where there is a small supply of water. The water supply in these wells is very limited.

Next morning I was able to obtain a valuable round of observations from the cairn on Ras Zuweirah, at the top of the ascent. The cairn itself was apparently a very ancient landmark or tumulus, and is seen prominently from all the country round.

Passing over some rolling hills through very open country, with a few ruins distinctly marked by the verdure around them, we encamped on the edge of our former surveyed work at Tel el Milh. The following day we marched to Bir es Seba, and from there to Tel abu Hareireh, all in the published Map of Palestine.

At the latter place I left the party, and with four Arabs of the Egyptian tribe struck across country by a southern road to Ismailia The rest of the party proceeded to Gaza.

I was greatly assisted in my work by Mr. George Armstrong, late Sergeant-Major R.E., who has had a vast amount of experience in surveying in the East for the Palestine Exploration Fund, and without his aid I should not have been able to arrive at nearly as satisfactory results on this expedition.

The means of surveying adopted was, 1st: In the Mount Sinai work taking a broad base over twenty miles long on Sir Charles Wilson's surveyed country; positions were fixed by observation, and a chain of observations were kept through to 'Akabah. 2nd. At 'Akabah a base line was measured, and the former work connected with it. A triangulation was then extended up the Wâdy 'Arabah until, at Ras Zuweirah and Kusr Sh. Ali, it joins on to the old triangulation of Palestine proper.

The attached diagram of triangulation will show the number of points observed.

The plans will show full details of the work done. Heights were obtained up the Wâdy 'Arabah by vertical angles.

The total area triangulated and surveyed in the above manner in the two months employed is roughly 3,000 square miles.

Owing to the rapid passage of the party through the country, and the impossibility of getting guides with local knowledge, the names are not, in my opinion, in every case reliable, although I took every opportunity to