Sat 25. [25 April 1914] Off at 5.25 - mist hanging all over the desert but
it blew off at 8 and the sun came out. We marched till 7.45 over the
great flat. F. [Fattuh] gave an alarm of zol but it was nothing. At 7.45
we were in the very shallow Wadi al Uwairid. We then crossed 5
Salahib, and in a tributary of one of them stopped to let the camels eat
the beautiful grass. Be hal rantha[?] khallihum yu dahhin said Assaf.
At 10.30 I saw the mountains, so faint, such children of the mist that I
could not believe in them. But an hour later on top of another ridge
they were clear, the Palmyrene hills. At 11.15 we crossed the first of
the Jiffah tributaries and at 12.40 came to another Jiffah valley where
we found Slubba with sheep. We alighted at their tents and bought
some dehin[?] - semen. They were very friendly, pressed us to stay
saying they had never seen a khatun before. One man was dressed
in gazelle skin robe. The desert is quiet; an encampment of Fed'an
somewhere to the right. At 2.40 we reached the main Jiffah valley and
camped with the mountains in full view of my open tent. The ther. was
70. [Written at top of page:] Great bargaining with the Slubba. God
between us and you and the price of a Homs [Hims] ratl is 11/4 mej
but that of a Damascus [Dimashq (Esh Shems, Damas)] ratl 11/2.
We call God to witness.