[p.626] hillock in the lower part of Wady Szeder, where we found
protection against the driving sands.
June 7th.In the morning we reached Ayoun Mousa. We found here, as we
had previously done, in many places near the shore, the tracks of wheel-
carriages, a very uncommon appearance in the east, and more particularly
in deserts. It was by this road that Mohammed Alis women passed last
year from Tor to Suez in their elegant vehicles. Towards evening we
entered Suez.
June 8th.A caravan was to leave Suez this day, but its departure was
delayed. As I knew that the plague had subsided at Cairo, and thought
that the road was tolerably safe, I asked Hamd whether he would venture
with me alone upon the journey; fear seemed to be quite unknown to this
excellent young man, and he readily acquiesced in my proposal. We left
Suez in the evening with some hopes of overtaking a caravan of Towaras,
which we were informed had this day passed to the north of Suez, in
their way to Cairo with charcoal. Towards sunset we came in sight of the
castle of Adjeroud, when Hamd having descried from afar some Bedouins on
foot, who, from the circumstance of their walking about in different
directions in a place where no road passed, and where Bedouins never
alight, appeared to him to be suspicious characters, we halted behind a
hill till it was dark, and took our supper. After sunset we saw several
fires at a distance, in the plain, which Hamd immediately concluded to
be those of the Towara caravan. Taking advantage of the darkness, to
avoid the observation of the suspected persons, we rode towards the
fires, which, instead of being those of the Towara, proved to belong to
a small party of Omran, encamped near the well in the Wady Emshash. Hamd
was much alarmed when he perceived his mistake, for he was well
acquainted with the bad character of the Omran,