Wed 16. [16 May 1900] Off at 5 with 'Ali to see about camels and rode
through trees and water and corn to Jerud [Jayrud] where we went to
the house of Sheikh Ahmed. Got there about 7.30 and waited till 9.30
for the mules who went by a different road. Sh. Ah. gave us mulberries
and coffee and then an excellent meal. Rode on to 'Atney, the country
getting barer, but one or two little oases with trees and so to
Nasariyeh. An old unused Kanat runs all the way and there are 2
Kanayits with water in them and maiden hair growing by its edge. A
great stretch of salt under the hills to the right. Nasariyeh is a new
village belonging to the Sultan. There are no trees. Got there at 11.30
and lunched. Found the mules. The sun baking. Waited for the
camels and to our horror found there was no corn to be got in
Nasariyeh. Hannah and Yacoub rode back to 'Atneh an hour away.
The camels came up and the process of loading the water skins on
them began during the course of which I was called in to mend one.
NB fill your skins before you buy them - ours all leaked a little - and
see that the men fill them and tie them up. This we did. H and Y
returned and we were all off at 2.30. A large caravan of camels and
merchants from Baghdad resting[?] here. They had been 2 months
on the road. We marched across the wide desert plain between low
hills for 21/2 hours, then we pitched our camp it didn't much matter
where. Muhammad Haji tells me that 8 days east of Salkhad are 2
places where the Druzes go to get salt, one of them is called Kaf and
the other EtrÈ [Arabic characters] A lovely night. I had 2 camels
carrying 4 tauckat[?] 8 kureb and 4 jud[?] of water. It was more than
enough. I paid them 4 mej.