cy's extravagant ideas of the Pentapolis of
Sodom, etc., had not then been published.

In another quarter of an hour we had reached the extremity of the "Salt
Mountain," with all its distorted, sometimes even perpendicular
stratification. By this time we were convinced that the whole of the
mountain is not salt, but that a good deal of the upper length of it is a
mixture of salt and marl or sand. Between it and the water's edge we
frequently saw blocks and spires of rock-salt protruding through the flat
beach.

There can be no doubt that the Arabic name, _Usdum_, is identical with
Sodom, by a well-known custom of the language to invert the consonant and
vowel of the first syllable. But even this is brought back to the
original state in the adjective form. Thus I heard our guides speak of
the Jebel Sid'mi, meaning the Khash'm or Jebel Usdum, or promontory of
Sodom.

The _Wadi Netheeleh_ comes up from the southwest to the shore at this
northern end of the mountain, parallel to the Wadi Hhuggereh at the
southern end.

We kept along the sea-side, and on rising to a higher level, near five
o'clock, halted for the night at the mouth of a valley where some water
was to be procured, and near us was a broken tower. This site is named
_Mobugghek_ or _Umm-Bugghek_. As we were scarcely out of the reach of
the Ghawarineh Arabs, our people had to go out in armed detachments for
collecting firewood.

During the process of pitching the tents, one of our men, named 'Odeh,
perceived a stranger at a great distance, and half stripping himself, ran
nimbly up a steep sand hill, ready for whatever operation might be
necessary. Our European, I might rather say, our civilised eyes, could
not have discovered the ill-omened object at that distance, but those of
desert Arabs are far more powerful than ours. I do not know that I shall
ever forget the ardent brilliancy of Shaikh Selameh's eyes at all times,
as witnessed constantly during our excursion.

While we rambled on the beach in search of bitumen or sulphur, we
suddenly heard a furious screaming in the direction of our tents, and
hastily returning, found a number of strangers coming down a winding
path. Our men were gathered together, and armed. The captain also
examined the state of his double-barrelled pistols. However, on their
arrival, the newcomers were recognised as people _not hostile_ to the
Jehaleen, and their general location is near 'Ain 'Aroos. So, after some
s