saw on the 2d April at Abu
Dahook's camp were of the same faction, probably also my visitors of the
Khazneh yesterday. Selameh thought that for a couple of gazis (about
three shillings and sixpence) he might succeed in a redemption of his
goods. These I gave him, and he trudged back over the hills with one of
his people, while we kept on our way. He was to meet us at our night's
station.

The last glance given to Petra showed us the palace of Pharaoh, and the
peak of Hor with Aaron's tomb.

Our way led us over a tolerable plain, made agreeable by the fragrance of
the ret'm, as wafted along by the breeze; this plant sometimes almost
covering the small branch valleys.

Soon after noon we were in the _Wadi Nemela_, through which we travelled
for nearly two hours,--a scene of broken rocks on each side, and the
intermediate space with a profusion of oleander, ret'm and 'arar, all in
flower, some of the latter having trunks of ten feet in circumference.

Thence we issued upon a heath covered with low fragrant herbs; our Arabs
singing, and the camels striding on famously, followed by a poor little
lamb that we had bought at Petra. This, of course, we did not intend to
convey all the way to Jerusalem; but his presence constantly reminded me
of the text, (Isa. xvi. 1,) "Send ye the lamb (to) the ruler of the land
from Sela [_i.e._ Petra] to the wilderness, unto the mount of the
daughter of Zion." This is no longer the time when the king of Moab paid
tribute "to the king of Israel, 100,000 lambs and 100,000 rams, with the
wool," (2 Kings iii. 4.)

Soon after two P.M. we were passing over ledges of porphyry
mountain-cliffs, dark and gloomy, but enlivened by large yellow salvia in
bloom, and plenty of flowers visible in the hollow below; the whole scene
most romantic and fantastic in formation. Such huge piles of porphyry I
had not seen since those of the coast of Peterhead and Buchan, lashed by
the great billows coming from the Baltic Sea. Occasionally we came to
standing pools of water, which, lying on this hard kind of stone, could
not filter away or be absorbed, as in our Palestine limestone would be
the case. From these settlements our water vessels were supplied.
Thermometer in shade of a rocky cliff, 75.75 degrees Fahrenheit.

We were soon again upon sandstone cliffs, but wildly broken, and
descending into lower ground with its juniper and oleander. Then
ascended again, and attained our greatest elevation by h