and
stripped themselves to bathe in small pools formed in holes of the rock
by settlements of rain-water.

This was our halting-place, but the scene beggars all power of
description. We were shut into a contracted glen by a maze of tortuous
windings, between mountains of yellow marl on either side; but broken,
rugged, naked of all vegetation,--referring one's imagination to the
period when the earth was yet "without form and void," or to the
subsiding of the deluge from which Noah was delivered.

Looking upwards to a great height we could just see the tops of the
imprisoning hills gilded awhile by the setting sun, and a small space of
blue making up the interval between the precipices. Those precipices
were not, however, entirely yellow, but variegated with occasional red or
somewhat of brown ochre. So fantastic in position or shape were the
masses hurled or piled about, and the place so utterly removed "from
humanity's reach," that it might be imagined suitable to mould the genius
of Martin into the most extravagant conceptions of chaos, or to suggest
the colouring of Turner without his indistinctness of outline.

The echoes of the men's voices and bursts of laughter (the latter so
uncommon among Arabs) when splashing in the water, were reverberated from
hill to hill and back again; but there were no wild birds among the rocks
to scream in rejoinder as at Petra.

After a time a voice was heard from above, very high, (it is wonderful
how far the human voice is carried in that pure atmosphere and in such a
locality,) and on looking up I saw a dark speck against the sky waving
his arms about. It was one of the Ta'amra asking if he should bring down
my mattress. Consent was given, and, behold, down came tumbling from
rock to rock the mattress and blanket tied up into a parcel; when
approaching near us, it was taken up by the man who followed it, and
carried on his back; and when still nearer to us it was carefully borne
between two men. Thus I enjoyed the distinction above all the rest of
having a mattress to lie upon; the shaikh had a couple of cloaks, the
kawwas had one, and the others were utterly without such luxurious
accessories, and slept profoundly.

Our people called the place _'Ain Merubba'_, (the square fountain.) I
saw no fountain of any form, but there must have been one, for we had a
supply of good water, and the designation "'Ain," or fountain, is one of
too serious importance to be employed for