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[-We-]{+Dr. Wallin’s Route in Northern Arabia. 41
We+} rose immediately and continued our journey, which for 4j h.
was over the same kind of dark, mountainous ground, and in the
same direction of E. S. E. as yesterday, when we reached the valley
of Darb al-Bekra (Darbu-l-Bekrah), which has here a rocky, uneven
surface, and a much greater expanse than where I had crossed
it higher up to the N.; so much so, as to lose the appearance of a
valley. We then passed over irregular ranges of lofty hills, and
in 2 h. 20 m. came to the high road of the Syrian pilgrims, at a
spot about 3 hours’ journey N. of Dar al-Hamra
(Daru-1-Hainrah), which is the third station south of Tebook (Tehuk).
The pilgrim road here takes for a considerable distance a
southeastern course, through a broad and extensive valley, bordered on
its north-eastern side by higher and more regular ranges of hills
than those we had just crossed, hut which are probably an eastern
branch of the same system, although the volcanic* aspect and the
layer of black fragments by which the natural red colour of the
sandstone is hid in other parts of the Harra mountains, is now no
longer observable. We crossed this valley in a S. S. E. direction
in 1 h. 20 m., and then began to ascend the hills on the opposite
side, through a defile called Ahoo Guneib (Abu Guneib). The
view from the top of the defile, as far as the eye could reach,
discovered a succession of undulating sandstone hills, becoming
gradually lower towards the E., and crossed by winding valleys,
opening into a larger one called Wadi Marta (Wadi Marta),
which runs parallel with the pilgrim road, and gradually widens
with a south-east descent.
On the 18th, our way continued through the same defile for
40 m., when, turning to our left, we entered a lateral valley, in
which we proceeded in a N. E. direction for 1 h., and afterwards
with a course due E. for 111. 10m. The mountains had now
decreased to undulating stony table-land ; and instead of sandy
valleys with arta bushes, through which we had lately passed, we
had shallow rocky ravines. After a march of 7l h., in an easterly
direction, over much rough ground, we arrived at a cistern formed
in the side of a hill, on the edge of a large plain which commences
here, under the name of al-Hala (Halah), and extends, with few
interruptions, as far as al-Kasim (Kasim). We filled our
waterskins in great haste from the cistern, which was well supplied, and
immediately continued our journey ; for my companions, though
on a plundering expedition, were afraid of encountering any
hostile party of Bedouins stronger than their own on a similar
mission, and did not consider us safe before we had the cistern
ljh. behind us. During this day’s march we made continual
circuits to avoid our footsteps on the soft sand being tracked by
1848.
Apr. 18.
* See note, p. 33.—A.
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