Sun Feb 22 [22 February 1914] Off at 6. I took a forward bearing onto
the Khabra, 76?, and to the right onto Dulu 81-82, Khashab 88-90, the E
point of 'Ajja [Aja, Jabal] 91, Saq 100, and the triple peak of Htalah
148-149, this I never saw again. At 6.10 I got the Marabib 349-357, and
Irus al Ma' 9-11. At 6.40 we came to the khabra and found a good
jubb, but there is only water after rain. I went a little out of the way to
see Twaiyyah [Tuwayyah, At] which has some 6 or 7 houses, a plot or
two of corn and some tall ithl trees. Some of the inhabitants have
palm trees at Mogug [Mawquq] and go there after the corn is ripe.
The Shammar Ghitheh camp round here in the summer for the sake of
the wells and go as far off as Habran but there is danger in summer of
Htaim raids. The people came out with guns - 5 men - thinking we
were raiders. They pressed us to stay and drink coffee and gave us
a skin of leben. I got bearings back to the point of Rakham above our
camp. Twaiyyeh is in a hollow bottom of the Nefud [Nafud, An] and
we rode first over low sand banks and then over regular Nefud
ground by a hollow way from which we saw nothing. I got Saq at 8.50
(117) and at 10.40 Dulu' 86-96. At 11 immediately in the right hand was
a deep hollow in which is water, Shbaikah. It is extremely salt, but
permanent. In the summer the Shammar mix leben with it and drink it.
Some way (perhaps a mile) to the left is Shbaikan also permanent
water and sweet. At 12.50 we passed under the spurs of Dulu'
perhaps 2 miles from the high point I had taken as the E. bearing and
at 1.14 I saw th high cliff I had taken as the E. end of 'Ajja (106) I cd no
longer see Rakham as there were high sand banks in the way. I took
the bearing onto Dubi' 78?. Before we came into camp we saw some
regular Nefud horseshoes, but this part is not good mara. We got,
however, nusi', 'adair and firewood. Several times we met herdsmen,
all of the Ghitheh. They came to us for news and were usually told we
came from the Nefud or from Habran or from Muaddam. Ibrahim,
brother of Zamil, is wakil at Hayyil [Hail]. Sa'ud is north of
Haiyaniyyeh [Hayyaniyah, Al] raiding some of the Ruwalla. It was
lovely at dawn in Rakham, the sunrise flushing the granite ["basalt?"
written above] rocks. Near the jubb the rocks looked hard and close
woven like basalt or real granite and 'Ali observed that it was the mill
stone rock. Al Hailam is the most charming of rafiqs. He is not very
fond of 'Ali whom he addresses as Ya Agaili. He rebukes him for
sleeping in camp Qum, gum, ghabut al shems! He makes funny
swimming[?] movements with his hands as he talks. The granite grit
floor is the same as the sandstone with perhaps one or two plants
added - but it all grows in sand filled places so it can't be much
different. Very hot sun today but cool wind and the temp only 66 when
we camped. [House of Rashid family tree on second page of entry.]