[p.627] and he dreaded them the more on account of the Arab of their
tribe whom he had killed near Akaba. They looked very greedily at my
travelling sack, but as I pretended to belong to the Pashas garrison at
Suez, they did not make any attempt upon it. They told us that in coming
here, they had found five Bedouins sitting near the well, who retired
when they approached it, and who were probably the men we saw. As we
thought it very likely that they would waylay us farther on, in the
narrow pass of Montala, we deemed it prudent to retire to Adjeroud, and
take shelter in the castle for the night. When we reached that place, it
was with great difficulty that I persuaded the officer to open the gates
and let us in; he was in no less fear of the robbers than ourselves; for
two days they had driven back his people from the well of Emshash, where
they were accustomed to fill their water skins, so that the garrison was
reduced to great distress, as they had no provision of sweet water, and
that of the castle well is scarcely drinkable. A Turkish officer, with
his wife and son, and eight peasants from the Sherkieh, formed the whole
garrison, and they trembled at the name and sight of the Bedouins as
much as the monks of the Sinai convent.
June 9th.This morning I proposed to the officer that we should go out
in force and drive the robbers from the well, which was only half an
hour distant; but this he refused to do, saying that he had no orders to
leave the castle; he found it more convenient to seize my skins, which I
had filled at Suez, and to make use of their contents for his family.
Towards noon we saw several of the Bedouins hovering round the castle,
no doubt expecting us to issue from it. In this difficulty, the Turkish
officer having refused to lend his horse, I mounted Hamd in the evening
upon the strongest of the camels, and told him to gallop to Suez, and
acquaint the commander there with our situation, or else to hire some of
his
[p.628] countrymen, who were there waiting for the departure of the
caravan, and in their company to return to our relief, bringing with him
a supply of water. He set out, but had not proceeded a mile before he
saw the robbers running upon him from different quarters, and
endeavouring to cut him off from the road. They fired at him, upon which
he returned their fire, and gallopped back to the castle. The officer
and his valiant garrison were now thrown into the greatest
consternation, and could not devise any means of relief. I offered to
ride to Suez, provided the officer would lend me his horse; but he
appeared to be more afraid of losing the horse, than of dying from
thirst. Being thus unable to effect any thing, I was under the necessity
of waiting patiently till the great caravan from Suez should pass.
June 10th.There was now not a drop of sweet water in the castle, and
all that we could procure of the well-water of Adjeroud had been
standing in the tank since it was filled from the well at the time of
the last pilgrimage. The wheels of the well, which is two hundred and
fifty feet in depth, are put in motion only at that time; during the
rest of the year the building which encloses the well is shut up; and
the person who keeps the key was now at Cairo. The water we were thus
obliged to drink was saline, putrid, and of a yellow green colour, so
that boiling produced no improvement in it, and our stomachs could not
retain it.
June 11th.A slight shower of rain fell, which the Turk ascribed to his
prayers; but all the water we could collect in every vessel which the
castle could furnish, scarcely afforded to each of us a draught. Hamd
made a second attempt to night to go to Suez, but it being unfortunately
moonlight, he was seen and again driven back.
June 12th.After three days blockade, I had the pleasure of descrying
the Suez caravan at a distance, on its way towards