d by wild herbs of many kinds, which often
entirely screen the sand from view, and give it the appearance of a
prairie.

Nor is the desert always flat, for its huge undulations suggest ocean
billows petrified into stillness, while rocky hills and
earthquake-riven valleys give it a fantastic variety which is wildly
picturesque.

Though generally barren, the desert supports growths of many kinds;
wild hyssop, thorns, the succulent ice-plant, and a great variety of
other shrubs. Flowers also abound, and though they are usually small,
I have counted as many as twenty varieties in an area of as many feet,
and in some of the deep "wadis," as the mountain valleys are called,
wild plants grow in such profusion as to give them the appearance of
rock gardens.

In aspect the desert varies very much, according to the time of day or
changing effect of light.

At dawn a curious mauve tint suffuses it, and the sun rises sharp and
clear above the horizon, which also stands out crisply against the
sky, so pure is the air. Presently, as the sun slowly rises higher in
the sky, every shrub or stone or little inequality of surface is
tipped with gold and throws long blue shadows across the sand. At
midday a fierce glare envelops it, obliterating detail and colour,
while by moonlight it is a fairyland of silver, solemn, still, and
mysterious. Each phase has its special beauty, which interests the
traveller and robs his journey of monotony.

Scattered over the surface of the sand are innumerable pebbles of all
sizes and colours--onyx, cornelian, agate, and many more, as well as
sea fossils and other petrifactions which boys would love to collect.
And it is also curious to notice that the rocks which crop up in all
directions become _sunburnt_, and limestone, naturally of a dazzling
white, often assumes a variety of tints under the influence of the
powerful sun, as may be seen in the foreground of my picture of the
pyramids.

Animal life also exists in profusion; every tuft of scrub supports a
variety of insects upon which the hunting spider and desert lizard
feed; the tracks of giant beetles or timid jerboa scour the sand in
all directions, and many wild-birds make these wastes their home.
Prowling wolves and foxes hunt the tiny gazelle, while the rocky
hills, in which the wild goats make their home, also give shelter to
the hyenas and jackals, which haunt the caravan routes to feast upon
the dying animals which fall abandoned to the