Page:The Northern Ḥeǧâz (1926).djvu/164

 beneath us the unforgettable ravine of aẓ-Ẓjejḳe; and before us extended a region of narrow šeʻibân and rocky knolls. At 5.30 we had reached the pools of the spring of an-Naʻemi in the šeʻîb of the same name. The water of an-Naʻemi is surrounded by steep rocky walls more than two hundred meters high. Beside the water we searched for a path that I would lead to the south or to the east, but we could not find one. Proceeding downward through the šeʻîb, we came to a standstill at the edge of a declivity more than twenty meters deep. Here we branched off into a gap leading eastward, but after half an hour we had to return again because steep rocks prevented us from going on. Šerîf then called out that we were being watched by two men on the hillside. They vanished, however, the moment they perceived that we had observed them. The sun had now set, and we did not know whether they were friends or enemies (temperature: 32.4° C).

Having returned to the šeʻîb of an-Naʻemi, we encamped in the middle of it, so that no stones could be rolled down upon us. Crawling upon my hands and knees I slipped out to the eastern slope to look round for any signs of a fire and to listen for voices from an encampment. Nothing could be seen from the slope, but about two hundred meters to the east there rose the black bulk of a knoll, to which I made my way. From it I saw, at some distance to the southeast of us, the glow of several fires, which I knew must belong to the camp of some clan of the Beni ʻAṭijje. Were the two men, whom we had perceived, from this camp and had they returned there, or were they acting as scouts for robbers and watching the spring of an-Naʻemi to see whether they could water their animals and supply themselves with water there undisturbed? These questions I was unable to answer.

I found the descent of the slope much more dangerous than the ascent, and when, in the morning, I observed the place where I had climbed, I could not understand how I had managed it.

All night long we kept up a big fire and had our rifles loaded beside us, prepared to defend ourselves. None of us closed an eye, but the night was calm.

On Thursday, June 16, 1910, at six o’clock we were drawing near to the water on a fresh search for a path leading to the east, when suddenly we saw two men mounted on camels galloping straight toward us. They waved their rifles and