Wed 28. [28 March 1900] Up at 6 and off at 7.45. Very heavy dew. At
the top of the hill saw down into the Ghor es Safi to the right and to the
left over a level plain as far as the eye cd see. The Haj [Hajj] road
passes out there somewhere. A couple of volcanic hills in the
foreground. In front a great broken[?] valley with Shobek [Shaubak]
(Mons Regalis) on the opposite side and far away the low range
which marks the beginning of the Wady Musa [Wadi Musa]. Along
the R. road, lots of ruins probably sort of guard houses, and a fallen
pillar, perhaps a milestone. A few flocks but no tents. No grass, but
tufts of green scrub. At length we got into the Wady Nejel [Nigil, Wadi]
and presently met a stream. A few fellaheen ploughing and a litte,
poor, crop of corn, a beautiful big sweet scented forget me not and
white thorn. Lunched about 12.30 and gathered that we were still 6
hours from Wady Musa. Decided to go on to Bir el Tabagha so off at
1.45, riding with our mules across an interminable featureless country
along the R. road. About 4, entered a shallow valley with turpentine
trees growing parklike and a thorn covered with mistletoe. Rode up it
to this watershed (but there was no water) and down a similar wad to
the left, only treeless and at 5.30 got to the Bir. The mules arrived at 6.
The wind, cold all day, rose high and bitter, but fortunately dropped
soon after sunset. A ruined guard house near us. We put up a fox
today. The Hardings' man cooked their flat cakes of bread over the
fire of brushwood. We have little charcoal, no barley and no meat
and we have not met a single tent today so we could not supply
ourselves. The govt had great difficulty in mastering this country and
had to fight a battle with the Beni Tai 2 years later. They had 500 guns
and a few cannon and only lost 2 men. The Beni Sakhr used to raid
here. There was a soldier at the Nejel. He came from Shobek. We
saw the road going out eastwards to Maan [Ma'an]; it is 10 hours from
Shobek. Ayoub had never heard of Jof [Jawf, Al (Al Jauf)] but Hanna
knew about Abu Rashid. I hear of Beni 'Atayieh in this country but we
only saw fellaheen. Eastwards Sha'lan, and the Sherarat.