[p.527] part is called El Ak-ha [Arabic], and excepting in the beds of
the torrents, where some verdure is produced, it is an entirely barren
tract. At nine hours we approached the Tarfa, between which and our road
were low hills called Hodeybat el Noszara [Arabic], i. e. the hump backs
of the Christians. The waters which collect here in the winter flow into
the sea at Wady Nabk. At ten hours the plain opens still wider, and
declines gently eastwards to the sea. To the left, where the mountains
terminate, a sandy plain extends to the water side. At eleven hours is
an insulated chain of low hills, forming here, with the lowest range of
the Tarfa, a valley, in which our road lay, and in which we halted,
after a fatigueing days journey of twelve hours. As there were only two
camels for three of us, we rode by turns; and Ayd regretted his younger
days, when, as he assured us, he had once walked from the convent to
Cairo in four days. The hills near which we halted are called Roweysat
Nimr [Arabic], or the little heads of the tiger.
May 14th.We descended among low hills, and after two hours reached the
harbour of Sherm [Arabic]. This is the only harbour on the western coast
of the gulf of Akaba, which affords safe anchorage for large ships,
though, by lying close in shore, small vessels might, I believe, find
shelter in several of the bays of this gulf. At Sherm there are two deep
bays little distant from each other, but separated by high land, in both
of which, ships may lie in perfect safety. On the shore of the southern
bay stands the tomb of a Sheikh, held in veneration by the Bedouins and
mariners: a small house has been built over it, the walls of which are
thickly hung with various offerings by the Bedouins; and a few lamps
suspended from the roof are sometimes lighted by sailors. Sherif Edrisi,
in his geography, mentions these two bays of Sherm, and calls the one
Sherm el Beit [Arabic], or of the house, and the other Sherm el Bir
[Arabic], or of the well, thus accurately describing both;
[p.528] for near the shore of the northern bay are several copious wells
of brackish water, deep, and lined with stones, and apparently an
ancient work of considerable labour. The distance from Sherm to the Cape
of Ras Abou Mohammed is four or five hours; on the way a mountain is
passed, which comes down close to the sea, called Es-szafra [Arabic],
the point of which bears from Sherm S.W. by S.
Bedouins are always found at Sherm, waiting with their camels for ships
coming from the Hedjaz, whose passengers often come on shore here, in
order to proceed by land to Tor and Suez. The Arab tribes of Mezeine and
Aleygat have the exclusive right of this transport. Shortly after we had
alighted at the well, more than twenty Mezeine came down from the
mountain with their camels; they claimed the right of conducting me from
hence, and of supplying me with a third camel; and as both my camels
belonged to Arabs of the tribe of Oulad Sayd, they insisted upon Hamd
taking my baggage from his camel, and placing it upon one of theirs,
that they might have the profits of hire. After breakfasting with them,
a loud quarrel began, which lasted at least two hours. I told them that
the moment any one laid his hands upon my baggage to remove it, I should
consider it as carried off by force, and no longer my property, and that
I should state to the governor of Suez that I had been robbed here.
Although they could not all expect to share in the profits arising from
my transport, every one of them was as vociferous as if it had been his
exclusive affair, and it soon became evident that a trifle in money for
each of them was all that was wanted to quiet them. They did not,
however, succeed; I talked very boldly; told them that they were
robbers, and that they should be punished for their conduct towards me.
At last their principal man, seeing that nothing was to be got, told us
that we might load and depart. He accompanied us to a short
[p.529] distance, and received a handful of coffee-beans, as a reward
for his having been less clamorous than the others.
These people believed that my visit to Sherm was for the mere purpose of
visiting the tomb of the saint. I had assigned this motive to Ayd, who
was himself a Mezeine, telling him that I had made a vow to thank the
saint for his protection in our encounter with the robbers; Ayd would
otherwise have been much astonished at my proceeding to this distance
without any plausible object. The nearest road from Sherm to the convent
is at first the same way by which we came, and it branches off northward
from Wady Orta; but as I was desirous of seeing as much as possible of
the coast, I suggested to my guides, that if we proceeded by that route
the Mezeine of Sherm might possibly ride after us, and excite another
quarrel in the mountain, where we should find it more difficult to
extricate ourselves. They consented therefore to take the circuitous
route along the shore. Such stratagems are often necessary, in
travelling with Bedouins, to make them yield to the travellers wishes;
for though they care little for fatigue in their own business, they are
extremely averse to go out of their way, to gratify what they consider
an absurd whim of their companion.
From Sherm we rode an hour and a quarter among low hills near the shore.
Here I saw for the first and only time, in this peninsula, volcanic
rocks. For a distance of about two miles the hills presented
perpendicular cliffs, formed in half circles, and some of them nearly in
circles, none of them being more than sixty to eighty feet in height; in
other places there was an appearance of volcanic craters. The rock is
black, with sometimes a slight red appearance, full of cavities, and of
a rough surface; on the road lay a few stones which had separated
themselves from above. The cliffs were covered by deep layers of sand,
and the valleys at their feet