Harish. We learned from his
rider, who, as may be imagined, was glad enough of the company of a
caravan, that the post went each way once a week, and so kept up some
degree of communication between El Harish and the outer world. The ease
with which the fleet animal strode across the sandy ground was quite
delightful to witness. Now and again he got some distance ahead, and our
horses had some difficulty in overtaking him. The entomology, too, of
the desert did not escape our attention. We collected several specimens
of _Anthia_, _Asida_, and _Scarabaeus sacer_, the historical Scarabaeus of
the Egyptians.

After going slightly up hill for some distance further through the
wearisome sand, our eyes were gladdened by the sight of the group of
palms "El Guja"--"the snail," at the foot of the sand-hills, towards
which we turned that we might take our lunch beneath their grateful
shade. As one descends, a charming desert scene is presented by this
oasis, with the Jebel Abou Assab in the background. As soon as we
reached the spot, at half-past eleven o'clock, we pitched our little
tent, and, soothed by the gentle rustling of the breeze through the
leafy crowns of the tall and slender palms, enjoyed a delightful rest. I
afterwards made a sketch of a portion of the group (see illustration),
while Vives (one of our party) shot a couple of Calander larks and
captured a snake. Striking our tent at two o'clock, we went, before
continuing our journey, to look at the little well, which is lined with
palm-stems to keep out the sand. We found the water saline, as is usual
with desert springs.

Again, proceeding upward across the sandy ground, we obtained a view on
our right of the summit of Jebel Abou Assah. Further on, we reached an
extended range of sand-hills, the tops of which had, from the action of
the wind, become as angular as though they had been cut with a knife. In
every direction were to be seen scattered about carcasses and skeletons
of camels, the most recent of which our horses passed with great
reluctance. The only living creatures to be met with in this still
desert region are a few king-ravens, two of which came within range, but
we did not feel tempted to take a shot at them. To our right we passed,
at the foot of low sand-hills, another small group of palms, called by
the natives El Garabiyat--"the foreign woman," with an enclosure
made by the Bedouins for the storage of dates.

[Illustration: EL GUJA.]

[Illust