Fri 23. [23 March 1900] Up at 6.30 and at 7.30 rode out to see the two
columns at the west side of the town - very rough work and all bits put
together. Went up to the Serai to see if the Effendi wanted to be
photographed but found he was too busy, so I photographed Hanna's
arus instead - a very pretty girl. Off about 8 with a Circassian soldier,
Mahmud, whom the Effendi insisted on giving me. Dull ride of 3 hours
across the uplands. I was in an enormous train of soldiers and
people going to Kerak [Karak], a miserable Christian who has been
accused by his mussulman servants of the murder of a bashbuzook.
We crossed 2 shallow valley and passed by some ruins, one of them
called Libb. Then down the deep Wady Waly by the paved Roman
road and lunched by the stream near the ruins of a Roman bridge.
There were also some dolmens. A fringe of Oleanders by the water.
Talked to the unhappy prisoner. At 1 off again and half way up met Mr
Hall and sent messages to the Rosens. Another dull 2 hours, past by
Diban [Dhiban] which is all in ruins. Quite suddenly we came to the
edge of the Mojib [Mujib (Arnon)] gorge which we took an hour to
come down. Saw partridges, shubbah Tarif calls them. He shot one.
Camped by the river by the Roman bridge in a field of yellow daisies.
Delicious warm night. I bathed in the river. Lots of broken columns on
the road down the valley, Roman I suppose. Great croaking of frogs.
The oleanders just coming out. They called the upland country on
which I was, the Kurah. It is the Hamideh country. At the Serai was an
old man with a poisonous snake a yard long in his bosom - I saw a
dead one in the road. A very heavy dew this morning and none at the
Mojib.