Mount Seir, Sinai and Western Palestine/Chapter 8

by Edward Hull

CHAPTER VIII.

REGION OF THE TÎH.

We had now entered the district of the Tîh plateau, as generally understood; but towards the south-eastern part of its extension its margin can scarcely be recognised. From the Wâdy el Ain northward and eastward, the country is formed of a succession of scarped ridges and valleys, with but little symmetry or order of succession; so that it is impossible in this district to say within many miles where “the escarpment of the Tîh” really begins or ends. This disarrangement of the geographical boundaries is, I need scarcely say, due to geological causes. The strata, instead of preserving a regular order of succession, according to which the limestone ridge forming the margin of the Tîh succeeds a plateau of sandstone, as in the district north of Debbet er Ramleh, are here broken into, and displaced, by several large “faults,” ranging both in northerly and easterly directions. Thus, the order of succession is disturbed, the strata are dislocated, sometimes repeated over again, and a series of scarps and valleys, transverse in direction to each other, are produced. Even when we had reached the limestone district new ridges of considerable elevation were descried far to the north and west, and it was a question whether these ought not to be taken as the boundary of “the Tîh.” As a geologist, however, I must hold that the Tîh begins with the limestone formation; though I doubt whether this ground of identification will be considered satisfactory by geographers. Another consequence of this irregularity in the contours is, that the southern drainage system is prolonged far inwards towards the north. Several of the faults, or lines of dislocation in the strata above referred to, were seen by us on our way, and as far as practicable laid down on the geological map which accompanies this volume.

Desert partridges appeared to be numerous in the Wâdy el Tîhyeh.^[1] Shortly after entering we noticed several harriers soaring above the right side of the valley, and presently the cause was revealed when a “covey” of the partridges were started by us amongst the rocks. They are a little smaller than the English partridge, and differ in colour and general appearance, being light reddish-brown on the back and speckled white and brown on the breast; the beak is bright yellow. They seldom take the wing; but when startled either lie close to the ground, which they greatly resemble in colour, or run up the banks or rocks with great speed, and try to hide themselves.

During our long rides we often beguiled the way with a song, a cigarette, or a scrap of conversation. Amongst all our party there was no one such an adept at the latter art as Ibraham, our dragoman. He was a strict Mohammedan, and had done haj (or pilgrimage) to Mecca; and from having seen so much of the world could spin his yarn by the hour. Often I have been amused to watch him and Bernhard Heilpern riding side by side, the former keeping up a brisk conversation, to which the other had only to reply by an occasional grunt, or nod of assent. One day, after one of these tête-à-têtes (which were always in Arabic), Ibraham came to me, and says, “Mr. Bernhard, sir, he be very good man; he want to improve the costumes (customs) of these Bedawins.”

“Why,” I replied, “does he want them to wear trowsers? I fancy a Bedawin in trowsers would be no longer a Bedawin.”

“No, sir, he wants the Bedawin to settle down and cultivate the ground, but Bedawin will not do that.” (Ibraham always spoke of the Arabs with mingled contempt and pity.) “I say to our sheikh, ‘You be very poor peeble here; you have very little to eat and very little cloths. Why you no go to Cairo and get some land; then you grow crops and get rich?’ (Sheikh). ‘If I go to Cairo and take land I have to pay for it. If I lose my crops I have to pay all the same or go to prison.^[2] If wicked Bedawin come and kill other Bedawin on my land, he go off, but I be killed, or go to prison for life. If wicked Bedawin steal a donkey of other Bedawin on my land, I have to pay for the donkey, or go to prison. I don't want to go to prison, or to pay for my land. Here (looking around) I have no master; I be free. Nobody can put me in prison in the desert.’”

It is to be feared that with such strong arguments against settling down as an agriculturalist in Egypt before him, there is not much hope that the Arab of the desert will fulfil the hopes of good Bernhard.

Perhaps I may here relate another of Ibraham's tales. It is about the origin of the Dabour tribe; “Dabour” in Arabic means “a wasp.”

Once a pious Bedawin, seeing with pity the ignorant state of his friends around him, determined to make a journey to Cairo “to buy some Khoran,” and so to teach them how to pray. So he collects together all his money and effects, and after a long journey arrives at Cairo. There, a stranger and unbefriended, he enters a coffee-house, where he meets a man to whom he recounts the object of his visit. “Very good,” says the man, “how much money have you got?” “Four dollars,” replies the Arab. “Well,” says the other, “that is enough to buy some Khoran; hand the money over to me, and to-morrow I will bring you what you require.”

So the poor Bedawin hands over his four dollars, and his considerate friend appoints a convenient place where he may receive the Khoran next day. Accordingly at the time appointed the two meet each other, and the stranger pulls out a leathern bag tied at the mouth with a string, and says, “This is the Khoran, put your ear to it and you will hear the Khoran speak.” So the Arab applies his ear to the bag, and hears, buzz—buzz—buzz. “Now,” says the man, “take this home, and when you arrive call all your friends together, then put the Khoran on your head, and tie the string tight; tell all your friends to say exactly what you say, and to do exactly as you do;—and then they will know how to pray aright.”

So in due course the Bedawin returns to his family and friends with “the Khoran,” and having assembled them together around him, says: “Here is the Khoran, which will teach you how to pray. Now, when I put it on my head, you do what I do, and say exactly what I say.” He then proceeds to open the bag very carefully and to insert his head therein, tying the string tight; the wasps which the bag contained naturally resent this intrusion, and proceed to show their resentment in the usual way. So, presently, the Bedawin exclaims, “Oh, Allah, Allah, help, help!” All exclaim, “Oh, Allah, help, help!” The Bedawin, “Oh, I shall die!” All, “Oh, I shall die!” (oft repeated). He then falls to the ground, rolling and kicking about vigorously; all follow his example. This goes on for a little time, and with a probable termination in accord with the poor Bedawin’s exclamation, when “a sensible man” happens to pass by, and says, “What are you all doing, what is it all about?” So the people explain that their friend in the centre has got the Khoran on his head, and is showing them how to pray. “But,” says the man of sense, “that

Fig. 5.—Escarpment of Tore-er-Rukn. Looking north and west.

Cliffs of Limestone resting on variagated sandstone. Plain covered by gravel and herbage. In the foreground our luncheon-tent pitched at noon, 28th November, 1883.

is not the Khoran, and that is not the way to pray.” So he goes over to the Bedawin — now half dead with agony — and loosens the string of the bag, upon which out fly the wasps, and every one scampers away. The secret was out, and the poor Arab found out that he was “sold to the Egyptians!”

The man and his tribe were henceforth called “Dabours,” and they inhabit a district of the Tîh between Nakel and the Gulf of Suez. It will probably be allowed that a dragoman, with an illimitable stock of such stories, must be a favourite on a long day's march!

We camped for the night in the Wâdy el Khiass (Valley of Thieves),^[3] a wide valley in the district of the Tîh, but of ill repute, as its name signifies. It lies in fact on the border land of several tribes, and is thus more than ordinarily open to the incursions of those who do not respect the rights of property, especially in the matter of flocks and herds. As we were approaching the time when we should part with our escort, my son thought it a favourable opportunity for taking measurements of their individual heights of stature, breadth of chest, and length of arm, with the general result of showing that the Arabs of the Towara tribe (at least as represented by our guides) are somewhat lower of stature than the British army standard. Their power of enduring fatigue, and bodily agility, would probably be found superior.

The next morning we were on camel back by 7.30. The air was very cold, the thermometer having registered 27° Fahr. during the night, and in an hour we reached a tableland about 3,450 feet above the sea level; the highest point of our line of march in the region of the Tîh. Towards the east hills rose above us still enveloped in the morning mists; but in the opposite direction the sun was lighting up an extensive range of white limestone ridges, stretching in a north-easterly direction, the upper surface of which corresponded to an imaginary plain at least 1,000 feet above our present level, but broken through by many glens and depressions, amongst which the early rays of the sun were playing with exquisite effect. In about two hours more we came in sight of the Wâdy el Arabah, with the mountains beyond. It appeared like a vast plain, bounded on the eastern side by ragged and dark mountains rising behind each other, range above range, to a great, but unknown, elevation. Near our midday camp (Nov. 28), we descended from the limestone ridge on to an extensive plain of the sandstone formation. The boundary of the two formations runs along the crest of a broken ridge called Turf-er-Rukn (Fig. 5), at an elevation of about 3,600 feet above the sea level, often forming isolated tors, and tabulated headlands. The plain is covered with scrub, and strewn with pretty little round pebbles, formerly imbedded in the sand-stone rock itself. Here we noticed several individuals of a little animal, a batrachian, allied to the salamander (one of the group of so-called "Sand Lizards"), darting about over the hot sands. It is about 5 inches long from head to tip of tail, head flattish, and of a colour exactly resembling that of the sand over which it runs, except in the dusky bands over the lower part of the tail. It is very active, and when pursued makes vigorous efforts to escape amongst the prickly bushes of the desert. It probably feeds on ants and other insects.

We camped for the night on a pebbly plain, preparatory to our descent the next day into the great valley of the Arabah, which was to terminate the first stage of our survey. Our course had been very much that of the arc of a circle, the chord of which woidd lie from W. to E.; that is, from the head of the Gulf of Suez to that of the Gulf of Akabah. Henceforth it was to be northwards, along a tract of country not well known, and offering to us the prospect of much which would be interesting and new to science. On the day following, 29th November, we descended the eastern slopes of the Tîh, by the Haj Road, amongst features and scenery of the grandest description, down to the shore of the Gulf of Akabah. At about noon we came in front of a massive serrated ridge of red granite and porphyry, which rose up, as it were, across our path, and stretched in a north and south direction for several miles. On reaching its base the road turns sharply to the right, and for some distance lies along a valley, bounded on the left by the porphyry, and on the right by contorted beds of limestone. The line of this valley coincides (in fact) with that of a great fault, the direction of which Mr. Laurence determined with the prismatic compass to be North 28° East. Along this line of displacement the limestone strata are brought down against the porphyry, as shown in the annexed section, Fig. 6, p. 68. The effect of this sudden change in the character of the physical features is most marked, and can scarcely fail to attract the notice of the most casual observer.

Descending to the foot of the mountains we crossed the level plain by the margin of the waters of the Tranquil Sea, and passing through the palm groves, which give the name of "Elim" to the spot, we made for our tents, which we found pitched near the fort, beyond those of the engineers. Close by Sheikh Mohammed, with several of his relatives, was seated; we saluted each other, and passed on. Bernhard Heilpern had accomplished his mission, and the Sheikh had declared that he considered himself engaged to settle with us before coming to an arrangement with any other party. He no doubt inwardly chuckled at the good fortune which had sent him at one time two sets of English travellers to fleece, and to outbid each other for the honour of his valuable services.

Sheikh Mohammed Ibn Jhad, head of the Alowîn tribe, is a man of about sixty summers; of full, rather common-place features, dark eyes, and beard tinged with grey. He was clad in a rich scarlet cloak lined with yellow silk, a white shirt and girdle, yellow silken khefeyeh^[4] on his head, and red leather boots. He earned a large, rather antique scimitar, and a revolver was stuck in his girdle; of course the long pipe was in his hand. He spoke with animation, and much modulation of voice, from the sotto voce of confidence to the high pitch of expostulation.

His brother, Sheikh Ali, who afterwards became our guide through the Wâdy el Arabah, was of the usual Arab type, with sharp aquiline features, and dark restless eyes. He was less gorgeously clad than his elder brother, and only chimed in occasionally during the conversation relating to our proposed route. In one respect both brothers exactly resembled each other—they loved money much!

That evening the preliminaries were verbally agreed upon, in presence of the Government notary, who was to draw up a document for signature, in which the terms were to be distinctly stated, and the following evening was appointed for the execution of the deed. The terms were to the effect that Sheikh Ali (as representing his brother) was to conduct us safely up to the entrance of the valley towards Petra and Mount Hor (Jebel Haroun), and one day’s march up the Wâdy el Arabah beyond; from which point we were to turn off to the left towards Gaza, to the south of the territory of the Tîhyaha, with whom the Alowîn were at feud. We were not to sleep even for one night at Petra; or to delay longer than absolutely necessary in a district the inhabitants of which were, in the Sheikh’s opinion, “very bad people.” We were to pay (as we supposed) 36 dollars for the right to pass through his lands, and so much for each camel per day. The whole journey was to be completed in 15 days; and

Fig. 6.—Geological Section along the Haj Road above the Gulf of Arabah.
Beds of yellow and white limestone broken off against the red granite along a line of fault.	Red granite and porphyry penetrated by dykes of porphyry diorite.

the Sheikh undertook to have the camels and men ready for us early on Monday morning. When we met the following evening the document was read out by the notary, but a little hitch occurred at the article about the 36 dollars. We had understood this was toll for the whole party; the Sheikh asserted that he meant it was the sum for each of the six “hawajahs,” making 216 dollars. A long and angry discussion took place on this point; but as the Sheikh was firm, declaring that this amount had been settled by the Government at Cairo as the toll for travellers, we had to give in. At length the document having been agreed upon, our conductor produced the money bag, counted out the large silver pieces, which the Sheikh placed in little piles before him on the floor, amounting altogether to a sum equal to £135 sterling. Mohammed then proceeded to untie a corner of his inner garment, and from the folds thereof produced the important seal, which alone could give efficacy to the instrument. It was a small seal of white metal engraved with Arabic characters. This the notary took, and having wetted a space on the parchment impressed the seal with due solemnity. Before leaving home I had hunted out an old family seal, unused for many years, and had brought it with me for an occasion of this kind. This seal I now produced, and it was also impressed on the document. Finally, Bernhard Heilpern, as representing Messrs. T. Cook and Son, signed his name. We then broke up; and recollecting that sharks abounded in the waters of the gulf close by, I thought this fish a true representative of the man we had been dealing with, and I took this opportunity of dubbing the head of the Alowîn tribe by the style and title of “Sheikh Shark,” the name by which he is in future to be known.^[5]

It will be seen from the above account of our agreement with Sheikh Mohammed that the route was different from that marked out for us by the Committee of the Palestine Exploration Fund, and which we had determined, if possible, to adhere to; namely, to make a reconnaissance down the whole length of the Wâdy el Arabah to the shores of the Salt Sea. This route Mohammed positively refused to undertake on the ground that his brother had killed a sheikh of the Tîhyaha, and that if he were to pass through their territory, which lay north of the road to Gaza, we might be attacked.^[6] He therefore proposed the only alternative, that we should proceed across the Tîh to Gaza. This was a serious disappointment to us all; for it not only would have extended our journey over a district we did not much care to visit, but would also have obliged us to leave unexplored an important portion of the Arabah Valley, and to make a gap in our surveys between the Sinaitic peninsula and Southern Palestine. How it ultimately happened that we managed to complete our survey of the whole valley of the Arabah down to the shores of the Salt Sea, and also to visit Gaza, will appear in the sequel.

It now remained for us to take leave of our Towâra guides, and to hand them the usual “bakhsheesh,” or present, expected by all Arabs, whether well paid or otherwise, for their services.^[7] Accordingly each of us presented our camel drivers with a sum equal to about five shillings, and 50 shillings were divided amongst those who had care of the baggage. The sheikhs received double the amount of the drivers. This seemed to give satisfaction, and wishing each other “ma’as salamah,” we shook hands and parted.

---

1. Probably “Hey’s Sand Partridge” (Ammoperdix Heyi).
2. A Land Act is evidently badly wanted here!
3. Wâdy el Khiass leads into Wâdy el Hessi.
4. A kind of kerchief with tassels at the four corners. When worn it is doubled and bound on the head by a double chord or fillet. The ends either hang down, or are drawn up, and fastened in the fillet by means of the tassels.
5. The late Dean Stanley states that he was treated by Sheikh Mohammed with almost princely courtesy. Probably so, if the Dean gave him everything he asked for; or possibly he may not then have learnt how to bleed travellers.
6. He stated that we (the travellers) would be in no personal danger, but that his Arabs might be killed, our camels carried off, and we left in the lurch.
7. This is a detestable system, and should be discouraged by travellers, except for extraordinary services and good behaviour.