[p.503] whose straight and regular ridge runs quite across the
peninsula, and is easily distinguished from the surrounding mountains.
We halted at the end of five hours in a rocky valley at the foot of Ras
Om Haye, where acacia trees and some grass grow. Ayd assured us that in
the mountain, at some distance, was a reservoir of rain water, called Om
Hadjydjein [Arabic], but he could not answer for its containing water at
this time. He described to Hamd its situation, and the way to it, with a
view of persuading him to go and fetch some water for us; but his
description was so confused, and I thought contradictory in several
circumstances, and withal so pompous, that I concluded it to be all a
story, and told him he was a babbler. A babbler! he exclaimed; min
Allah, no body in my whole life ever called me thus before. A babbler!
I shall presently shew you, which of us two deserves that name. He then
seized one of the large water skins, and barefooted as he was, began
ascending the mountain, which was covered with loose and sharp stones.
We soon lost sight of him, but saw him again, farther on, climbing up an
almost perpendicular path. An hour and a half after, he returned by the
same path, carrying on his bent back the skin full of water, which could
not weigh less than one hundred pounds, and putting it down before us
said, There! take it from the babbler! I was so overcome with shame,
that I knew not how to apologize for my inconsiderate language; but when
he saw that I really felt myself in the wrong, he was easily pacified,
and said nothing more about it till night, when seeing me take a hearty
draught of the water, and hearing me praise its sweetness, compared with
the brackish water of the coast, he stopped me, and said, Young man,
for the future never call an old Bedouin a babbler.
On the opposite side of the gulf the mountains recede somewhat from the
shore, leaving at their feet a sloping plain. A place on
[p.504] the coast, called Hagol [Arabic], bore from hence E. b. S; it is
a fruitful valley by the water side, with large date plantations, which
were clearly discernible. It is in possession of the tribe of Arabs
called Akraba [Arabic]. Behind them, in the mountains, dwells the strong
and warlike tribe of Omran [Arabic]. Hagol is one long days journey
from Akaba; to the south of it about four hours is a similar cluster of
date trees, called El Hamyde [Arabic], which bore from us S.E. b. E. The
mountains on that coast are steep, with many peaks.
No Arabs live on the western coast, owing to the scanty pasturage; it is
occasionally visited by fishermen and others, who come to collect the
herb from which the soda ashes are obtained, or to cut wood and burn it
into charcoal. The fishermen are very poor and visit the coast only
during the summer months; they cure their fish with the salt which they
collect on the southern part of the coast, and when they have thus
prepared a sufficient quantity of fish, they fetch a camel and transport
it to Tor or Suez. At Tor a camels load of the fish, or about four
hundred pounds, may be had for three dollars. The fishermen prepare also
a sort of lard by cutting out the fat adhering to the fish and melting
it, they then mix it with salt, preserve it in skins, and use it all the
year round instead of butter, both for cookery and for anointing their
bodies. Its taste is not disagreeable. As the Bedouins prefer the upper
road, this road along the coast is seldom visited, except by poor
pilgrims who have been cut off from the caravan, or robbed by Bedouins,
and who being ignorant of the road across the desert to Cairo, sometimes
make the tour of the whole peninsula by the sea side, as they are thus
sure not to lose their way, and in winter-time seldom fail in finding
pools of water. Ayd told me that he had frequently met with stragglers
of this description, worn out with fatigue and hunger.