Page:The Northern Ḥeǧâz (1926).djvu/70

 the fertile soil from being washed away. The Merâjʻe clan, belonging to the Ḥwêṭât, was encamped north of the spring, and close beside them stood several tents of the Ḳabâla clan of the Saʻîdijjîn tribe.



Before long we were surrounded not only by the men but also by the women and children, who meddled with our things and asked inquisitively. who we were, what we were selling and buying, and where we were going. Fearing that some of our camels might be driven away from us, we divided ourselves into two groups, one of which mounted guard over the camels and the other over the baggage. I did not wish to start off until I had found a reliable guide. We were anxious to proceed through the rocky territory of the Ḳabâla clan to the ruins of al-Ḥomejma, and we needed a Saʻîdi not only to show us the road and tell us the names of the various places but also to protect us from his fellow-tribesmen and from the rapacious ʻAlâwîn, to whom al-Ḥomejma belongs. After lengthy negotiations I hired a guide, and at 4.15 we were able to start off. Ismaʻîn and Mḥammad heaped abuse