so, but in far more agreeable melody; but
where they could be was more than I could discover--not a tree or a shrub
was within sight-distance.

After an hour we commenced our return by a different route from that of
our arrival. Shaikh Ayan and Hadj 'Othman, of the quarantine, amusing
themselves with jereed-playing and other mimic manoeuvres of warfare,
which they performed very cleverly.

The shaikh being dismissed with sufficient compliments on each side, we
proceeded upon the main track from Egypt across the plain towards
_Doheriyeh_, passing occasional parcels of durrah stubble rising out of
mere scratches of the soil, varied by the wilderness plants of tamarisk,
etc. When one remembers the fact of that same land in the days of
Abraham and Isaac producing a hundredfold of corn, (Gen. xxvi. 12,) how
deplorable it is to see it lying untilled for want of population, and
serving only as so much space for wild tribes to roam over it! Surely it
will not always remain so.

Crossing a good road at right angles with ours, we met a large caravan of
camels going eastwards. The people told us they were going to _Ma'an_,
(beyond Petra,) one of the Hadj stations between Damascus and Mecca,
where stores of provisions are always laid up by the Government for
supply of the pilgrims at the appointed season of the year.

Approaching the hills, we rested from the heat, which had become
considerable, beneath a neb'k-tree, where all the roads between Egypt and
Hebron meet at a point.

At the entrance of a valley between the hills the quails were very
numerous, and so tame as to come almost under the horses' feet.
Unfortunately, just at the time when wanted, my fowling-piece was found
to be unloaded, that is to say, not reloaded after having gone off
yesterday by an accident.

It was a relief from the great heat to mount the hills to Doheriyeh,
although the road was tiresome, winding round and among the bases of
almost circular hills in succession. At the village all the population
was cheerfully employed in threshing or winnowing the harvest, and their
flocks crouched in the shade of the trees. It was early in the
afternoon, and we lay down to rest under the branches of a fig-tree
growing out of a cavern, which cavern was so large that we placed all our
horses in it.

We parted from the quarantine soldiers, and took a guide for Hebron. The
road was good and direct, through a pleasant country, so that we made
quick progres