Page:The Northern Ḥeǧâz (1926).djvu/60

 berijja and is joined on the left by Abu Ḥalûfa. Its lower course is known as al-Mṣawwal.

We stood on the ridge of the aš-Šera’ range where, after running from north to south, it turns off almost at a right angle to the east, thus forming for a distance of nearly one hundred kilometers the natural frontier between territory on the north which might be partially cultivated and rocky and sandy desert on the south; between present-day Syria and the Ḥeğâz; between the Arabia Petraea and Arabia Felix of classical times; and between the mountain range of Seʻîr, or Edom and the territory of the Madianites of Biblical times.

Returning to our baggage, we came without warning upon Ismaʻîn sitting quietly by the fire drinking coffee. Five of the camels were not to be seen, but two of them were grazing on a hill about two kilometers away. When I reproached him for neglecting to guard the camels, which, in this undulating region, might easily be driven off by enemies moving through the numerous passes, he replied calmly: “If Allâh has decreed that the camels are to be stolen from us, we cannot prevent it even if we guard them.”

After the evening meal we proceeded farther to the west at 7.40 and at 8.47 encamped in the šeʻîb of Ṣnâʻ Ẓâher. The night was very warm and clear.

On Wednesday, June 1, 1910, I roused my companions at three o’clock, untethered the camels so that they could graze, and lit a small fire over which I warmed the coffee. Mḥammad and Ismaʻîn did not get up until the smell of the steaming beverage reached them. A small cup of coffee and a morsel of bread composed our breakfast. At 4.45 (temperature: 17° C) we set off on the march, at first to the west, but from five o’clock onwards due north, because aš-Šera’ itself turns off almost at a right angle to the north near Râs al-Msaṭṭara (1455 m.). We proceeded over broad, low table-lands, and through shallow, broad valleys, all of which could have been cultivated. They were covered with an abundance of annuals and perennials. To the west these plateaus fall away steeply, without any transition, to a depth of about three hundred meters, while to the east the descent is gradual. At eight o’clock we reached a region where the table-lands