pressed forward, likewise wishing to drink. At my command the baggage was again unloaded from the animals, and we once more doled out water among them (Fig. 69). As they were tired and had rarely been able to graze to their satisfaction, I decided that they should at least not suffer thirst (temperature: 36° C).
Fig. 69—At the rain well Mšâš al-Ǧdejjed.
From al-Ǧdejjed we wished to proceed to the ruins of Ṛwâfa. Sbejḥ declared that we should find no water there, but one of the two men who had attacked us assured us that the rain water well there contained water that year, but that it flowed slowly. I should have liked to take one of the Ḥwêṭât with me as a guide, but they would not accompany us, their excuse being that they were afraid of the bands of raiders and that they could not leave their post. Having returned to the plain, we branched off to the east-southeast. There was a complete absence of pasturage, for all the plains were dry. It was not until after six o’clock in the evening that we perceived near the western border of the narrow defile Ḫarm al-Faḥam a fair-sized group of half-green ʻarfeǧ. We remained there from six o’clock to 8.20 (temperature:
