From Deli-Abas we crossed the river Hassei by
a bridge built over it.
20th June. We found a chan here; but it was so decayed that we were
obliged to encamp outside, as there is danger of snakes and
scorpions in such ruins. A number of dirty Arab tents lay near the
chan. The desire for something more than bread and cucumber, or
old, half-rotten dates, overcame my disgust, and I crept into
several of these dwellings. The people offered me buttermilk and
bread. I noticed several hens running about the tents with their
young, and eagerly looking for food. I would gladly have bought
one, but as I was not disposed to kill and prepare it myself, I was
obliged to be contented with the bread and buttermilk.
Some plants grow in this neighbourhood which put me in mind of my
native country - the wild fennel. At home I scarcely thought them
worth a glance, while here they were a source of extreme
gratification. I am not ashamed to say, that at the sight of these
flowers the tears came into my eyes, and I leant over them and
kissed them as I would a dear friend.
We started again today, as early as 5 in the evening, as we had now
the most dangerous stage of the journey before us, and were desirous
of passing it before nightfall. The uniformly flat sandy desert in
some degree altered in character. Hard gravel rattled under the
hoofs of the animals; mounds, and strata of rock alternated with
rising ground. Many of the former were projecting from the ground
in their natural position, others had been carried down by floods,
or piled over each other. If this strip had not amounted to more
than 500 or 600 feet, I should have taken it to be the former bed of
a river; but as it was, it more resembled the ground left by the
returning of the sea. In many places saline substances were
deposited, whose delicate crystals reflected the light in all
directions.
This strip of ground, which is about five miles long, is dangerous,
because the hills and rocks serve as a favourable ambush for
robbers. Our drivers constantly urged the poor animals on. They
were obliged to travel here over hills and rocks quicker than across
the most convenient plains. We passed through in safety before
darkness came on, and then proceeded more leisurely on our journey.
21st June. Towards 1 in the morning, we came up with the town
Karatappa, of which, however, we saw only the walls. A mile beyond
this we halted in some stubble fields. The extensive deserts and
plains end here, and we entered upon a more cultivated and hilly
country.
On the 22nd of June, we halted in the neighbourhood of the town
Kuferi.
