[p.411] the west. It is intersected by numerous Wadys of winter
torrents, and by three or four valleys watered by rivulets which unite
below and flow into the Ghor. The Ghoeyr is famous for the excellent
pasturage, produced by its numerous springs, and it has, in consequence,
become a favourite place of encampment for all the Bedouins of Djebal
and Shera. The borders of the rivulets are overgrown with Defle and the
shrub Rethem (Arabic). The rock is principally calcareous; and there are
detached pieces of basalt and large tracts of brescia formed of sand,
flint, and pieces of calcareous stone. In the bottom of the valley we
passed two rivulets, one of which is called Seil Megharye (Arabic),
where we arrived at the end of a four hours walk, and found some Bedouin
women washing their blue gowns, and the wide shirts of their husbands. I
had taken the lead of our party, accompanied by my guides little boy,
with whom I reached an encampment, on the southern side of the valley,
to which these women belonged. This was the encampment to which my guide
belonged, and where he assured me that I should find his camels. I was
astonished to see nobody but women in the tents, but was told that the
greater part of the men had gone to Ghaza to sell the soap-ashes which
these Arabs collect in the mountains of Shera. The ladies being thus
left to themselves, had no impediment to the satisfying of their
curiosity, which was very great at seeing a townsman, and what was still
more extraordinary, a man of Damascus (for so I was called), under their
tents. They crowded about me, and were incessant in their inquiries
respecting my affairs, the goods I had to sell, the dress of the town
ladies, &c. &c. When they found that I had nothing to sell, nor any
thing to present to them, they soon retired; they however informed me
that my guide had no other camels in his possession than the one we had
brought with us, which was already lame. He soon afterwards arrived, and
when I began to expostulate with him on his
[p.412] conduct, he assured me that his camel would be able to carry us
all the way to Egypt, but begged me to wait a few days longer, until he
should be well enough to walk by its side; for, since we left Beszeyra
he had been constantly complaining of rheumatic pains in his legs. I saw
that all this was done to gain time, and to put me out of patience, in
order to cheat me of the wages he had already received; but, as we were
to proceed on the following day to another encampment at a few hours
distance, I did not choose to say any thing more to him on the subject
in a place where I had nobody but women to take my part; hoping to be
able to attack him more effectually in the presence of his own
tribesmen.
August 15th.We remained this day at the womens tents, and I amused
myself with visiting almost every tent in the encampment, these women
being accustomed to receive strangers in the absence of their husbands.
The Howeytat Arabs resemble the Egyptians in their features; they are
much leaner and taller than the northern Arabs; the skin of many of them
is almost black, and their features are much less regular than those of
the northern Bedouins, especially the Aeneze. The women are tall and
well made, but too lean; and even the handsomest among them are
disfigured by broad cheek bones.
The Howeytat occupy the whole of the Shera, as far as Akaba, and south
of it to Moyeleh (Arabic), five days from Akaba, on the Egyptian Hadj
road. To the east they encamp as far as Akaba el Shamy, or the Akaba on
the Syrian pilgrim route; while the northern Howeytat take up their
winter quarters in the Ghor. The strength of their position in these
mountains renders them secure from the attacks of the numerous hordes of
Bedouins who encamp in the eastern Arabian desert; they are, however, in
continual warfare with them, and sometimes undertake expeditions of
twenty days journey, in order to surprise some encampment of their
[p.413] enemies in the plains of the Nedjed. The Beni Szakher are most
dreaded by them, on account of their acquaintance with the country, and
peace seldom lasts long between the two tribes. The encampment where I
spent this day was robbed of all its camels last winter by the Beni
Szakher, who drove off, in one morning, upwards of twelve hundred
belonging to their enemies. The Howeytat receive considerable sums of
money as a tribute from the Egyptian pilgrim caravan; they also levy
certain contributions upon the castles on the Syrian Hadj route,
situated between Maan and Tebouk, which they consider as forming a part
of their territory. They have become the carriers of the Egyptian Hadj,
in the same manner, as the Aeneze transport with their camels the Syrian
pilgrims and their baggage. When at variance with the Pashas of Egypt,
the Howeytat have been known to plunder the caravan; a case of this kind
happened about ten years ago, when the Hadj was returning from Mekka;
the principal booty consisted of several thousand camel loads of Mocha
coffee, an article which the pilgrims are in the constant habit of
bringing for sale to Cairo; the Bedouins not knowing what to do with so
large a quantity, sold the greater part of it at Hebron, Tafyle, and
Kerek, and that year happening to be a year of dearth, they gave for
every measure of corn an equal measure of coffee. The Howeytat became
Wahabis; but they paid tribute only for one year, and have now joined
their forces with those of Mohammed Aly, against Ibn Saoud.
August 16th.We set out for the encampment of the Sheikh of the northern
Howeytat, with the tent and family of my guide: who was afraid of
leaving them in this place where be thought himself too much exposed to
the incursions of the Beni Szakher. We ascended on foot, through many
Wadys of winter torrents, up the southern
[p.414] mountains of the Ghoeyr; we passed several springs, and the
ruined place called Szyhhan (Arabic), and at the end of three hours walk
arrived at a large encampment of the Howeytat, situated near the summit
of the basin of the Ghoeyr. It is usual, when an Arab with his tent
reaches an encampment placed in a Douar (Arabic), or circle, that some
of the families strike their tents, and pitch them again in such a way
as to widen the circle for the admission of the strangers tent; but the
character of my guide did not appear to be sufficiently respectable to
entitle him to this compliment, for not a tent was moved, and he was
obliged to encamp alone out of the circle, in the hope that they would
soon break up for some other spot where he might obtain a place in the
Douar. These Arabs are much poorer than the Aeneze, and consequently
live much worse. Had it not been for the supply of butter which I bought
at Beszeyra, I should have had nothing but dry bread to eat; there was
not a drop of milk to be got, for at this time of the year the ewes are
dry; of camels there was but about half a dozen in the whole encampment.
I here came to an explanation with my guide, who, I saw, was determined
to cheat me out of the wages he had already received. I told him that I
was tired of his subterfuges, and was resolved to travel with him no
longer, and I insisted upon his returning me the goats, or hiring me
another guide in his stead. He offered me only one of the goats; after a
sharp dispute therefore I arose, took my gun, and swore that I would
never re-enter his tent, accompanying my oath with a malediction upon
him, and upon those who should receive him into their encampment, for I
had been previously informed that he was not a real Howeytat, but of the
tribe of Billy, the individuals of which are dispersed over the whole
desert. On quitting his tent, I was surrounded by the Bedouins
[p.415] of the encampment, who told me that they had been silent till
now, because it was not their affair to interfere between a host and his
guest, but that they never would permit a stranger to depart in that
way; that I ought to declare myself to be under the Sheikhs protection,
who would do me justice. This being what I had anticipated, I
immediately entered the tent of the Sheikh, who happened to be absent;
my guide now changed his tone, and began by offering me two goats to
settle our differences. In the evening the Sheikh arrived, and after a
long debate I got back my four goats, but the wheat which I had received
at Beszeyra, as the remaining part of the payment for my mare, was left
to the guide. In return for his good offices, the Sheikh begged me to
let him have my gun, which was worth about fifteen piastres; I presented
it to him, and he acknowledged the favour, by telling me that he knew an
honest man in a neighbouring encampment, who had a strong camel, and
would be ready to serve me as a guide.
August 18th.I took a boy to shew me the way to this person, and driving
my little flock before us, we reached the encampment, which was about
one hour to the westward. The boy told the Bedouin that I had become the
Sheikhs brother, I was therefore well received, and soon formed a
favourable opinion of this Arab, who engaged to take me to Cairo for the
four goats, which I was to deliver to him now, and twenty piastres
(about one pound sterling) to be paid on my arrival in Egypt. This will
be considered a very small sum for a journey of nearly four hundred
miles; but a Bedouin puts very little value upon time, fatigue, and
labour; while I am writing this, many hundred loaded camels, belonging
to Bedouins, depart every week from Cairo for Akaba, a journey of ten
days, for which they receive twenty-five piastres per camel. Had I been
known to be an European, I certainly should not have been able to move
without promising at least a thousand piastres to my guide. The
excursion of M. Boutin, a French traveller, from