Page:The Northern Ḥeǧâz (1926).djvu/115

 and when we should prepare the midday meal they had finally departed.

Passing through a narrow, rocky ravine we came at 12.50 P. M. to a šeʻîb which contained an abundant growth of plants, and here we stayed until 2.30 P. M. Our guide was acquainted not only with the region lying between the right-hand side of the al-Abjaẓ valley and the sea but also with the territory situated to the east and northeast of al-Abjaẓ. From his various remarks I gathered that he was a chief of robbers and that he only occasionally visited his tent. He was willing to accompany us as far as al-Bedʻ, where he had left with the Mesâʻîd two stolen camels that he intended either to sell or to send to Egypt. Of all our camels, he liked best the one that Ismaʻîn was riding. He stroked it and patted it at every opportunity, which made Ismaʻîn afraid that the man would steal the animal during the night.

At 2.59 we observed the mountain range of al-Mwêleḥ to the southeast. It consists of two horizontal strata, the lower one white, the upper one black. From this range proceeds the šeʻîb of the same name, which joins with al-Abjaẓ on the left-hand side. East-southeast of al-Mwêleḥ rise two cones of Jabb, and southwest of these cones we could see the ridge of aš-Šemrâḫ with several high pyramids denoting the pass of al-Ḫeǧijje. On our left we had the head of the šeʻîb of Seʻêd, which joins al-Abjaẓ opposite the šeʻîb of al-Mwêleḥ. At 3.10 the guide showed me the spring of ʻEjert al-Kabš on the right, while on the left we saw the ravine of Ḥṣij al-Benn with several black boulders, said to be possessed by spirits (mamlûkât). At 3.20 we had the šeʻîb of al-Klejb on our right and aṭ-Ṭrejfi on our left. Through a gap in the left-hand rocky wall we perceived at 3.32 three palm trees above the fountain of Môjet al-Ḥṣâne. At 3.45 we rode around a large pile of stones heaped up upon the grave of al-Welijje Saʻîde, or the holy woman Saʻîde, who is said to help women in distress or illness. At 4.05 we observed the šeʻîb of Medliǧ on the left, and south of it Mount aẓ-Ẓrejbijje, with springs of the same name, from which proceed the šeʻibân of ad-Dbâklijje and al-Mešall, which join with al-Ḥṣâne and end in Wâdi al-Abjaẓ.

We rode through the šeʻîb of al-Ḥṣâne until 4.20, when we reached the red elevation of as-Snejdʻe and the shallow channels of ar-Rîḥijjât. To the southeast glistened the red