The Lower Parts Of Wady Wardan, Extending
Six Or Eight Miles In Breadth, Consist Of Deep Sand, Which A Strong
North Wind Drove Full In Our Faces, And Caused Such A Mist That We
Several Times Went Astray.
Upon small sandy mounds in this plain
tamarisk trees grow in great numbers, and in the midst of these lies the
well of Szoueyra, which it is extremely difficult to find without a
guide.
It is about two miles from the sea. We here met many Terabein
women occupied in watering their camels; I enquired of them whether they
ever collected manna from the tamarisks; I understood from them that in
this barren plain, the trees never yield that substance. In the evening
we rode along a narrow path, parallel with the sea, for two hours and a
half. The wind still continued, and obliged us to seek for shelter
behind a
DESERT OF SUEZ
[p.626] hillock in the lower part of Wady Szeder, where we found
protection against the driving sands.
June 7th.—In the morning we reached Ayoun Mousa. We found here, as we
had previously done, in many places near the shore, the tracks of wheel-
carriages, a very uncommon appearance in the east, and more particularly
in deserts. It was by this road that Mohammed Ali’s women passed last
year from Tor to Suez in their elegant vehicles. Towards evening we
entered Suez.
June 8th.—A caravan was to leave Suez this day, but its departure was
delayed. As I knew that the plague had subsided at Cairo, and thought
that the road was tolerably safe, I asked Hamd whether he would venture
with me alone upon the journey; fear seemed to be quite unknown to this
excellent young man, and he readily acquiesced in my proposal. We left
Suez in the evening with some hopes of overtaking a caravan of Towaras,
which we were informed had this day passed to the north of Suez, in
their way to Cairo with charcoal. Towards sunset we came in sight of the
castle of Adjeroud, when Hamd having descried from afar some Bedouins on
foot, who, from the circumstance of their walking about in different
directions in a place where no road passed, and where Bedouins never
alight, appeared to him to be suspicious characters, we halted behind a
hill till it was dark, and took our supper. After sunset we saw several
fires at a distance, in the plain, which Hamd immediately concluded to
be those of the Towara caravan. Taking advantage of the darkness, to
avoid the observation of the suspected persons, we rode towards the
fires, which, instead of being those of the Towara, proved to belong to
a small party of Omran, encamped near the well in the Wady Emshash. Hamd
was much alarmed when he perceived his mistake, for he was well
acquainted with the bad character of the Omran,
CASTLE OF ADJEROUD
[p.627] and he dreaded them the more on account of the Arab of their
tribe whom he had killed near Akaba. They looked very greedily at my
travelling sack, but as I pretended to belong to the Pasha’s garrison at
Suez, they did not make any attempt upon it. They told us that in coming
here, they had found five Bedouins sitting near the well, who retired
when they approached it, and who were probably the men we saw. As we
thought it very likely that they would waylay us farther on, in the
narrow pass of Montala, we deemed it prudent to retire to Adjeroud, and
take shelter in the castle for the night. When we reached that place, it
was with great difficulty that I persuaded the officer to open the gates
and let us in; he was in no less fear of the robbers than ourselves; for
two days they had driven back his people from the well of Emshash, where
they were accustomed to fill their water skins, so that the garrison was
reduced to great distress, as they had no provision of sweet water, and
that of the castle well is scarcely drinkable. A Turkish officer, with
his wife and son, and eight peasants from the Sherkieh, formed the whole
garrison, and they trembled at the name and sight of the Bedouins as
much as the monks of the Sinai convent.
June 9th.—This morning I proposed to the officer that we should go out
in force and drive the robbers from the well, which was only half an
hour distant; but this he refused to do, saying that he had no orders to
leave the castle; he found it more convenient to seize my skins, which I
had filled at Suez, and to make use of their contents for his family.
Towards noon we saw several of the Bedouins hovering round the castle,
no doubt expecting us to issue from it. In this difficulty, the Turkish
officer having refused to lend his horse, I mounted Hamd in the evening
upon the strongest of the camels, and told him to gallop to Suez, and
acquaint the commander there with our situation, or else to hire some of
his
[p.628] countrymen, who were there waiting for the departure of the
caravan, and in their company to return to our relief, bringing with him
a supply of water. He set out, but had not proceeded a mile before he
saw the robbers running upon him from different quarters, and
endeavouring to cut him off from the road. They fired at him, upon which
he returned their fire, and gallopped back to the castle. The officer
and his valiant garrison were now thrown into the greatest
consternation, and could not devise any means of relief. I offered to
ride to Suez, provided the officer would lend me his horse; but he
appeared to be more afraid of losing the horse, than of dying from
thirst. Being thus unable to effect any thing, I was under the necessity
of waiting patiently till the great caravan from Suez should pass.
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