I have deferred it to this point in order not to interrupt the thread of the previous narrative. The fact was that our plans had undergone a complete change previous to our expedition to Petra, and it came about in this wise.
Sheikh Ali, amongst other qualities, not restricted to Arabs, was fond of money. Like his brother, Mohammed, he was a devoted worshipper of "the almighty dollar," and he had probably been pondering for some time on the best means of adding to the treasures he was to receive from us Englishmen by some special service. He was aware of our desire to traverse the whole of the Great Valley down to the shore of the "Bahr Lut," or Salt Sea, and of the disappointment it had been to us when his brother Mohammed Ibn Jhad had declared his inability to forward us in that direction beyond one day's march from the Wâdy Kuseibeh. Ali however, had no such scruples; and being now his own master, he resolved to make a proposal which would have the twofold advantage of falling in with our views and of putting some additional dollars into his own pocket. On the morning of the 7th December, as we were approaching the watershed, he hinted to our dragoman, Ibraham, the idea that to reach the Salt Sea in a direct line down the Wâdy el Arabah was not absolutely impracticable; and that having a great desire to forward our views, he would undertake all the risks and dangers appertaining to such an exploit, provided a sufficient inducement were held out to him on our side.
Ibraham was not long in communicating this intelligence to our conductor, Bernhard Heilpern, who at once entered into negotiations with Sheikh Ali, and a sum of 100 dollars was ultimately agreed upon. We were seated in our luncheon tent on the afternoon of the 7th December, which was pitched on the gravelly terrace forming part of the watershed of the Arabah, and, looking northward towards the hills overhanging the basin of the Salt Sea, we felt how hard was our lot that our passage thereto was barred;—that our plan of a survey from end to end was beyond our powers, owing to the fears, real or pretended, on the part of our Sheikh and his brother; and that the interesting series of observations on the topography and geology of the great valley were now about to be abruptly broken off. On the other hand, the prospect before us was one sufficiently discouraging. There, to our left, lay the great limestone table-land of the Tîh, which all travellers had condemned as for the most part monotonous, dreary, and uninviting. Over this "Desert of the wanderings" lay our journey towards Gaza of about ten days' march, where we expected to
