The town belongs to the Benu Hosayn, a race of schismatics mentioned in the foregoing pages. They claim the allegiance of the Badawi tribes around, principally Mutayr, and I was informed that their fealty11 to the Prince of Meccah is merely nominal12. The morning after our arrival at Al-Suwayrkiyah witnessed a commotion13 in our little party: hitherto they had kept together in fear of the road. Among the number was one Ali bin14 Ya Sin, a perfect “old man of the sea.” By profession he was a “Zemzemi,” or dispenser of water from the Holy Well,1 and he had a handsome “palazzo” at the foot of Abu Kubays in Meccah, which he periodically converted into a boarding-house. Though past sixty, very decrepit15, bent16 by age, white-bearded, and toothless, he still acted cicerone to pilgrims, and for that purpose travelled once every year to Al-Madinah. These trips had given him the cunning of a veteran voyageur. He lived well and cheaply; his home-made Shugduf, the model of comfort, was garnished17 with soft cushions and pillows, whilst from the pockets protruded18 select bottles of pickled limes and similar luxuries; he had his travelling Shishah (water-pipe),2 and at the halting-place, disdaining19 the crowded, reeking20 tent, he had a contrivance for converting his vehicle into a habitation. He was a type of the Arab old man. He mumbled21 all day and three-quarters of the night, for he had des insomnies. His nerves were so fine, that if any one mounted his Shugduf, the unfortunate was condemned22 to lie like a statue. Fidgety and priggishly neat, nothing annoyed him so much as a moment’s delay or an article out of place, a rag removed from his water-gugglet, or a cooking-pot imperfectly free from soot24; and I judged his avarice25 by observing that he made a point of picking up and eating the grains scattered26 from our pomegranates, exclaiming that the heavenly seed (located there by Arab superstition) might be one of those so wantonly wasted. Ali bin Ya Sin, returning to his native city, had not been happy in his choice of a companion this time. The other occupant of the handsome Shugduf was an ignoble-faced Egyptian from Al-Madinah. This ill-suited pair clave together for awhile, but at Al-Suwayrkiyah some dispute about a copper27 coin made them permanent foes28. With threats and abuse such as none but an Egyptian could tamely hear, Ali kicked his quondam friend out of the vehicle. But terrified, after reflection, by the possibility that the man, now his enemy, might combine with two or three Syrians of our party to do him a harm, and frightened by a few black looks, the senior determined29 to fortify30 himself by a friend. Connected with the boy Mohammed’s family, he easily obtained an introduction to me; he kissed my hand with great servility, declared that his servant had behaved disgracefully; and begged my protection together with an occasional attendance of my “slave.”
This was readily granted in pity for the old man, who became immensely grateful. He offered at once to take Shaykh Nur into his Shugduf. The Indian boy had already reduced to ruins the frail31 structure of his Shibriyah by lying upon it lengthways, whereas prudent32 travellers sit in it cross-legged and facing the camel. Moreover, he had been laughed to scorn by the Badawin, who seeing him pull up his dromedary to mount and dismount, had questioned his sex, and determined him to be a woman of the “Miyan.3” I could not rebuke33 them; the poor fellow’s timidity was a ridiculous contrast to the Badawi’s style of mounting; a pull at the camel’s head, the left foot placed on the neck, an agile34 spring, and a scramble35 into the saddle. Shaykh Nur, elated by the sight of old Ali’s luxuries, promised himself some joyous36 hours; but next morning he owned with a sigh that he had purchased splendour at the extravagant37 price of happiness — the senior’s tongue never rested throughout the livelong night.
During our half-halt at Al-Suwayrkiyah we determined to have a small feast; we bought some fresh dates, and we paid a dollar and a half for a sheep. Hungry travellers consider “liver and fry” a dish to set before a Shaykh. On this occasion, however, our enjoyment38 was marred39 by the water; even Soyer’s dinners would scarcely charm if washed down with cups of a certain mineral-spring found at Epsom.
We started at ten A.M. (Monday, 5th September) in a South-Easterly direction, and travelled over a flat, thinly dotted with Desert vegetation. At one P.M we passed a basaltic ridge8; and then, entering a long depressed40 line of country, a kind of valley, paced down it five tedious hours. The Samum as usual was blowing hard, and it seemed to affect the travellers’ tempers. In one place I saw a Turk, who could not speak a word of Arabic, violently disputing with an Arab who could not understand a word of Turkish. The pilgrim insisted upon adding to the camel’s load a few dry sticks, such as are picked up for cooking. The camel-man as perseveringly41 threw off the extra burthen. They screamed with rage, hustled42 each other, and at last the Turk dealt the Arab a heavy blow. I afterwards heard that the pilgrim was mortally wounded that night, his stomach being ripped open with a dagger44. On enquiring45 what had become of him, I was assured that he had been comfortably wrapped up in his shroud46, and placed in a half-dug grave. This is the general practice in the case of the poor and solitary47, whom illness or accident incapacitates from proceeding48. It is impossible to contemplate49 such a fate without horror: the torturing thirst of a wound,4 the burning sun heating the brain to madness, and — worst of all, for they do not wait till death — the attacks of the jackal, the vulture, and the raven50 of the wild. At six P.M., before the light of day had faded, we traversed a rough and troublesome ridge. Descending51 it our course lay in a southerly direction along a road flanked on the left by low hills of red sandstone and bright porphyry. About an hour afterwards we came to a basalt field, through whose blocks we threaded our way painfully and slowly, for it was then dark. At eight P.M. the camels began to stumble over the dwarf52 dykes53 of the wheat and barley fields, and presently we arrived at our halting-place, a large village called Al-Sufayna. The plain was already dotted with tents and lights. We found the Baghdad Caravan54, whose route here falls into the Darb al-Sharki. It consists of a few Persians and Kurds, and collects the people of North-Eastern Arabia, Wahhabis and others. They are escorted by the Agayl tribe and by the fierce mountaineers of Jabal Shammar. Scarcely was our tent pitched, when the distant pattering of musketry and an ominous55 tapping of the kettle-drum sent all my companions in different directions to enquire56 what was the cause of quarrel. The Baghdad Cafilah, though not more than 2000 in number, men, women and children, had been proving to the Damascus Caravan, that, being perfectly23 ready to fight, they were not going to yield any point of precedence. From that time the two bodies encamped in different places. I never saw a more pugnacious57 assembly: a look sufficed for a quarrel. Once a Wahhabi stood in front of us, and by pointing with his finger and other insulting gestures, showed his hatred58 to the chibuk, in which I was peaceably indulging. It was impossible to refrain from chastising59 his insolence60 by a polite and smiling offer of the offending pipe. This made him draw his dagger without a thought; but it was sheathed61 again, for we all cocked our pistols, and these gentry62 prefer steel to lead. We had travelled about seventeen miles, and the direction of Al-Sufayna from our last halting place was South-East five degrees. Though it was night when we encamped, Shaykh Mas’ud set out to water his moaning camels: they had not quenched63 their thirst for three days. He returned in a depressed state, having been bled by the soldiery at the well to the extent of forty piastres, or about eight shillings.
After supper we spread our rugs and prepared to rest. And here I first remarked the coolness of the nights, proving, at this season of the year, a considerable altitude above the sea. As a general rule the atmosphere stagnated64 between sunrise and ten A.M., when a light wind rose. During the forenoon the breeze strengthened, and it gradually diminished through the afternoon. Often about sunset there was a gale65 accompanied by dry storms of dust. At Al-Sufayna, though there was no night-breeze and little dew, a blanket was necessary, and the hours of darkness were invigorating enough to mitigate66 the effect of the sand and Samum-ridden day. Before sleeping I was introduced to a namesake, one Shaykh Abdullah, of Meccah. Having committed his Shugduf to his son, a lad of fourteen, he had ridden forward on a dromedary, and had suddenly fallen ill. His objects in meeting me were to ask for some medicine, and for a temporary seat in my Shugduf; the latter I offered with pleasure, as the boy Mohammed was longing67 to mount a camel. The Shaykh’s illness was nothing but weakness brought on by the hardships of the journey: he attributed it to the hot wind, and to the weight of a bag of dollars which he had attached to his waist-belt. He was a man about forty, long, thin, pale, and of a purely68 nervous temperament69; and a few questions elicited70 the fact that he had lately and suddenly given up his daily opium71 pill. I prepared one for him, placed him in my litter, and persuaded him to stow away his burden in some place where it would be less troublesome. He was my companion for two marches, at the end of which he found his own Shugduf. I never met amongst the Arab citizens a better bred or a better informed man. At Constantinople he had learned a little French, Italian, and Greek; and from the properties of a shrub72 to the varieties of honey,5 he was full of “ useful knowledge,” and openable as a dictionary. We parted near Meccah, where I met him only once, and then accidentally, in the Valley of Muna. At half-past five A.M. on Tuesday, the 6th of September, we rose refreshed by the cool, comfortable night, and loaded the camels. I had an opportunity of inspecting Al-Sufayna. It is a village of fifty or sixty mud-walled, flat-roofed houses, defended by the usual rampart. Around it lie ample date-grounds, and fields of wheat, barley, and maize73. Its bazar at this season of the year is well supplied: even fowls74 can be procured75.
We travelled towards the South-East, and entered a country destitute76 of the low ranges of hill, which from Al-Madinah southwards had bounded the horizon. After a two miles’ march our camels climbed up a precipitous ridge, and then descended77 into a broad gravel78 plain. From ten to eleven A.M. our course lay southerly over a high table-land, and we afterwards traversed, for five hours and a half, a plain which bore signs of standing79 water. This day’s march was peculiarly Arabia. It was a desert peopled only with echoes — a place of death for what little there is to die in it — a wilderness80 where, to use my companion’s phrase, there is nothing but He.6 Nature scalped, flayed81, discovered all her skeleton to the gazer’s eye. The horizon was a sea of mirage82; gigantic sand-columns whirled over the plain; and on both sides of our road were huge piles of bare rock, standing detached upon the surface of sand and clay. Here they appeared in oval lumps, heaped up with a semblance83 of symmetry; there a single boulder84 stood, with its narrow foundation based upon a pedestal of low, dome-shapen rock. All were of a pink coarse-grained granite85, which flakes86 off in large crusts under the influence of the atmosphere. I remarked one block which could not measure fewer than thirty feet in height. Through these scenes we travelled till about half-past four P.M., when the guns suddenly roared a halt. There was not a trace of human habitation around us: a few parched87 shrubs88 and the granite heaps were the only objects diversifying89 the hard clayey plain. Shaykh Mas’ud correctly guessed the cause of our detention90 at the inhospitable “halting-place of the Mutayr” (Badawin). “Cook your bread and boil your coffee,” said the old man; “the camels will rest for awhile, and the gun will sound at nightfall.” We had passed over about eighteen miles of ground; and our present direction was South-west twenty degrees of Al-Sufayna.
At half-past ten that evening we heard the signal for departure, and, as the moon was still young, we prepared for a hard night’s work. We took a south-westerly course through what is called a Wa’ar — rough ground covered with thicket92. Darkness fell upon us like a pall4. The camels tripped and stumbled, tossing their litters like cockboats in a short sea; at times the Shugdufs were well nigh torn off their backs. When we came to a ridge worse than usual, old Mas’ud would seize my camel’s halter, and, accompanied by his son and nephew bearing lights, encourage the animals with gesture and voice. It was a strange, wild scene. The black basaltic field was dotted with the huge and doubtful forms of spongy-footed camels with silent tread, looming93 like phantoms94 in the midnight air; the hot wind moaned, and whirled from the torches flakes and sheets of flame and fiery95 smoke, whilst ever and anon a swift-travelling Takht-rawan, drawn96 by mules97, and surrounded by runners bearing gigantic mashals or cressets,7 threw a passing glow of red light upon the dark road and the dusky multitude. On this occasion the rule was “every man for himself.” Each pressed forward into the best path, thinking only of preceding his neighbour. The Syrians, amongst whom our little party had become entangled99, proved most unpleasant companions: they often stopped the way, insisting upon their right to precedence. On one occasion a horseman had the audacity100 to untie101 the halter of my dromedary, and thus to cast us adrift, as it were, in order to make room for some excluded friend. I seized my sword; but Shaykh Abdullah stayed my hand, and addressed the intruder in terms sufficiently102 violent to make him slink away. Nor was this the only occasion on which my companion was successful with the Syrians. He would begin with a mild “Move a little, O my father!” followed, if fruitless, by “Out of the way, O Father of Syria8!” and if still ineffectual, advancing to a “Begone, O he!” This ranged between civility and sternness. If without effect, it was supported by revilings to the “Abusers of the Salt,” the “Yazid,” the “Offspring of Shimr.” Another remark which I made about my companion’s conduct well illustrates103 the difference between the Eastern and the Western man. When traversing a dangerous place, Shaykh Abdullah the European attended to his camel with loud cries of “Hai! Hai9!” and an occasional switching. Shaykh Abdullah the Asiatic commended himself to Allah by repeated ejaculations of Ya Satir! Ya Sattar10!
The morning of Wednesday (September 7th) broke as we entered a wide plain. In many places were signs of water: lines of basalt here and there seamed the surface, and wide sheets of the tufaceous gypsum called by the Arabs Sabkhah shone like mirrors set in the russet framework of the flat. This substance is found in cakes, often a foot long by an inch in depth, curled by the sun’s rays and overlying clay into which water had sunk. After our harassing104 night, day came on with a sad feeling of oppression, greatly increased by the unnatural105 glare:—
“In vain the sight, dejected to the ground,
Stoop’d for relief: thence hot ascending106 streams
And keen reflection pain’d.”
We were disappointed in our expectations of water, which usually abounds108 near this station, as its name, Al-Ghadir, denotes. At ten A.M. we pitched the tent in the first convenient spot, and we lost no time in stretching our cramped109 limbs upon the bosom110 of mother Earth. From the halting-place of the Mutayr to Al-Ghadir is a march of about twenty miles, and the direction south-west twenty-one degrees. Al-Ghadir is an extensive plain, which probably presents the appearance of a lake after heavy rains. It is overgrown in parts with Desert vegetation, and requires nothing but a regular supply of water to make it useful to man. On the East it is bounded by a wall of rock, at whose base are three wells, said to have been dug by the Caliph Harun. They are guarded by a Burj, or tower, which betrays symptoms of decay.
In our anxiety to rest we had strayed from the Damascus Caravan amongst the mountaineers of Shammar. Our Shaykh Mas’ud manifestly did not like the company; for shortly after three P.M. he insisted upon our striking the tent and rejoining the Hajj, which lay encamped about two miles distant in the western part of the basin. We loaded, therefore, and half an hour before sunset found ourselves in more congenial society. To my great disappointment, a stir was observable in the Caravan. I at once understood that another night-march was in store for us.
At six P.M. we again mounted, and turned towards the Eastern plain. A heavy shower was falling upon the Western hills, whence came damp and dangerous blasts. Between nine P.M. and the dawn of the next day we had a repetition of the last night’s scenes, over a road so rugged111 and dangerous, that I wondered how men could prefer to travel in the darkness. But the camels of Damascus were now worn out with fatigue112; they could not endure the sun, and our time was too precious for a halt. My night was spent perched upon the front bar of my Shugduf, encouraging the dromedary; and that we had not one fall excited my extreme astonishment113. At five A.M. (Thursday, 8th September) we entered a wide plain thickly clothed with the usual thorny114 trees, in whose strong grasp many a Shugduf lost its covering, and not a few were dragged with their screaming inmates115 to the ground. About five hours afterwards we crossed a high ridge, and saw below us the camp of the Caravan, not more than two miles distant. As we approached it, a figure came running out to meet us. It was the boy Mohammed, who, heartily116 tired of riding a dromedary with his friend, and possibly hungry, hastened to inform my companion Abdullah that he would lead him to his Shugduf and to his son. The Shaykh, a little offended by the fact that for two days not a friend nor an acquaintance had taken the trouble to see or to inquire about him, received Mohammed roughly; but the youth, guessing the grievance117, explained it away by swearing that he and all the party had tried in vain to find us. This wore the semblance of truth: it is almost impossible to come upon any one who strays from his place in so large and motley a body.
At eleven A.M. we had reached our station. It is about wenty-four miles from Al-Ghadir, and its direction is South-east ten degrees. It is called Al-Birkat (the Tank), from a large and now ruinous cistern118 built of hewn stone by the Caliph Harun.11 The land belongs to the Utaybah Badawin, the bravest and most ferocious119 tribe in Al-Hijaz; and the citizens denote their dread120 of these banditti by asserting that to increase their courage they drink their enemy’s blood.12 My companions shook their heads when questioned upon the subject, and prayed that we might not become too well acquainted with them — an ill-omened speech!
The Pasha allowed us a rest of five hours at Al-Birkat: we spent them in my tent, which was crowded with Shaykh Abdullah’s friends. To requite121 me for this inconvenience, he prepared for me an excellent water-pipe, a cup of coffee, which, untainted by cloves122 and by cinnamon, would have been delicious, and a dish of dry fruits. As we were now near the Holy City, all the Meccans were busy canvassing123 for lodgers124 and offering their services to pilgrims. Quarrels, too, were of hourly occurrence. In our party was an Arnaut, a white-bearded old man, so decrepit that he could scarcely stand, and yet so violent that no one could manage him but his African slave, a brazen-faced little wretch125 about fourteen years of age. Words were bandied between this angry senior and Shaykh Mas’ud, when the latter insinuated126 sarcastically127, that if the former had teeth he would be more intelligible128. The Arnaut in his rage seized a pole, raised it, and delivered a blow which missed the camel-man, but, which brought the striker headlong to the ground. Mas’ud exclaimed, with shrieks129 of rage, “Have we come to this, that every old-woman Turk smites130 us?” Our party had the greatest trouble to quiet the quarrel[l]ers. The Arab listened to us when we threatened him with the Pasha. But the Arnaut, whose rage was “like red-hot steel,” would hear nothing but our repeated declarations, that unless he behaved more like a pilgrim, we should be compelled to leave him and his slave behind.
At four P.M. we left Al-Birkat, and travelled Eastwards131 over rolling ground thickly wooded. There was a network of footpaths132 through the thickets133, and clouds obscured the moon; the consequence was inevitable134 loss of way. About 2 A.M. we began ascending hills in a south-westerly direction, and presently we fell into the bed of a large rock-girt Fiumara, which runs from east to west. The sands were overgrown with saline and salsolaceous plants; the Coloquintida, which, having no support, spreads along the ground13; the Senna, with its small green leaf; the Rhazya stricta14; and a large luxuriant variety of the Asclepias gigantea,15 cottoned over with mist and dew. At 6 A.M. (Sept. 9th) we left the Fiumara, and, turning to the West, we arrived about an hour afterwards at the station. Al-Zaribah, “the valley,” is an undulating plain amongst high granite hills. In many parts it was faintly green; water was close to the surface, and rain stood upon the ground. During the night we had travelled about twenty-three miles, and our present station was south-east 56° from our last.
Having pitched the tent and eaten and slept, we prepared to perform the ceremony of Al-Ihram (assuming the pilgrim-garb135), as Al-Zaribah is the Mikat, or the appointed place.16 Between the noonday and the afternoon prayers a barber attended to shave our heads, cut our nails, and trim our mustachios. Then, having bathed and perfumed ourselves — the latter is a questionable136 point — we donned the attire137, which is nothing but two new cotton cloths, each six feet long by three and a half broad, white, with narrow red stripes and fringes: in fact, the costume called Al-Eddeh, in the baths at Cairo.17 One of these sheets, technically138 termed the Rida, is thrown over the back, and, exposing the arm and shoulder, is knotted at the right side in the style Wishah. The Izar is wrapped round the loins from waist to knee, and, knotted or tucked in at the middle, supports itself. Our heads were bare, and nothing was allowed upon the instep.18 It is said that some clans139 of Arabs still preserve this religious but most uncomfortable costume; it is doubtless of ancient date, and to this day, in the regions lying west of the Red Sea, it continues to be the common dress of the people.
After the toilette, we were placed with our faces in the direction of Meccah, and ordered to say aloud,19 “I vow140 this Ihram of Hajj (the pilgrimage) and the Umrah (the Little pilgrimage) to Allah Almighty141!” Having thus performed a two-bow prayer, we repeated, without rising from the sitting position, these words, “O Allah! verily I purpose the Hajj and the Umrah, then enable me to accomplish the two, and accept them both of me, and make both blessed to me!” Followed the Talbiyat, or exclaiming —
“Here I am! O Allah! here am I—
No partner hast Thou, here am I;
Verily the praise and the grace are Thine, and the empire —
No partner hast Thou, here am I20!”
And we were warned to repeat these words as often as possible, until the conclusion of the ceremonies. Then Shaykh Abdullah, who acted as director of our consciences, bade us be good pilgrims, avoiding quarrels, immorality142, bad language, and light conversation. We must so reverence143 life that we should avoid killing144 game, causing an animal to fly, and even pointing it out for destruction21; nor should we scratch ourselves, save with the open palm, lest vermin be destroyed, or a hair uprooted145 by the nail. We were to respect the sanctuary146 by sparing the trees, and not to pluck a single blade of grass. As regards personal considerations, we were to abstain147 from all oils, perfumes, and unguents; from washing the head with mallow or with lote leaves; from dyeing, shaving, cutting, or vellicating a single pile or hair; and though we might take advantage of shade, and even form it with upraised hands, we must by no means cover our sconces. For each infraction148 of these ordinances149 we must sacrifice a sheep22; and it is commonly said by Moslems that none but the Prophet could be perfect in the intricacies of pilgrimage. Old Ali began with an irregularity: he declared that age prevented his assuming the garb, but that, arrived at Meccah, he would clear himself by an offering.
The wife and daughters of a Turkish pilgrim of our party assumed the Ihram at the same time as ourselves. They appeared dresse in white garments; and they had exchanged the Lisam, that coquettish fold of muslin which veils without concealing151 the lower part of the face, for a hideous152 mask, made of split, dried, and plaited palm-leaves, with two “bulls’-eyes” for light.23 I could not help laughing when these strange figures met my sight, and, to judge from the shaking of their shoulders, they were not less susceptible153 to the merriment which they had caused.
At three P.M. we left Al-Zaribah, travelling towards the South-West, and a wondrously155 picturesque156 scene met the eye. Crowds hurried along, habited in the pilgrim-garb, whose whiteness contrasted strangely with their black skins; their newly shaven heads glistening157 in the sun, and their long black hair streaming in the wind. The rocks rang with shouts of Labbayk! Labbayk! At a pass we fell in with the Wahhabis, accompanying the Baghdad Caravan, screaming “Here am I”; and, guided by a large loud kettle-drum, they followed in double file the camel of a standard-bearer, whose green flag bore in huge white letters the formula of the Moslem150 creed158. They were wild-looking mountaineers, dark and fierce, with hair twisted into thin Dalik or plaits: each was armed with a long spear, a matchlock, or a dagger. They were seated upon coarse wooden saddles, without cushions or stirrups, a fine saddle-cloth alone denoting a chief. The women emulated159 the men; they either guided their own dromedaries, or, sitting in pillion, they clung to their husbands; veils they disdained160, and their countenances161 certainly belonged not to a “soft sex.” These Wahhabis were by no means pleasant companions. Most of them were followed by spare dromedaries, either unladen or carrying water-skins, fodder162, fuel, and other necessaries for the march. The beasts delighted in dashing furiously through our file, which being lashed163 together, head and tail, was thrown each time into the greatest confusion. And whenever we were observed smoking, we were cursed aloud for Infidels and Idolaters.
Looking back at Al-Zaribah, soon after our departure, I saw a heavy nimbus settle upon the hill-tops, a sheet of rain being stretched between it and the plain. The low grumbling164 of thunder sounded joyfully165 in our ears. We hoped for a shower, but were disappointed by a dust-storm, which ended with a few heavy drops. There arose a report that the Badawin had attacked a party of Meccans with stones, and the news caused men to look exceeding grave.
At five P.M. we entered the wide bed of the Fiumara, down which we were to travel all night. Here the country falls rapidly towards the sea, as the increasing heat of the air, the direction of the watercourses, and signs of violence in the torrent166-bed show. The Fiumara varies in breadth from a hundred and fifty feet to three-quarters of a mile; its course, I was told, is towards the South-West, and it enters the sea near Jeddah. The channel is a coarse sand, with here and there masses of sheet rock and patches of thin vegetation.
At about half-past five P.M. we entered a suspicious-looking place. On the right was a stony167 buttress168, along whose base the stream, when there is one, swings; and to this depression was our road limited by the rocks and thorn trees which filled the other half of the channel. The left side was a precipice169, grim and barren, but not so abrupt1 as its brother. Opposite us the way seemed barred by piles of hills, crest170 rising above crest into the far blue distance. Day still smiled upon the upper peaks, but the lower slopes and the Fiumara bed were already curtained with grey sombre shade.
A damp seemed to fall upon our spirits as we approached this Valley Perilous171. I remarked that the voices of the women and children sank into silence, and the loud Labbayk of the pilgrims were gradually stilled. Whilst still speculating upon the cause of this phenomenon, it became apparent. A small curl of the smoke, like a lady’s ringlet, on the summit of the right-hand precipice, caught my eye; and simultaneous with the echoing crack of the matchlock, a high-trotting dromedary in front of me rolled over upon the sands — a bullet had split its heart — throwing the rider a goodly somersault of five or six yards.
Ensued terrible confusion; women screamed, children cried, and men vociferated, each one striving with might and main to urge his animal out of the place of death. But the road being narrow, they only managed to jam the vehicles in a solid immovable mass. At every match-lock shot, a shudder172 ran through the huge body, as when the surgeon’s scalpel touches some more sensitive nerve. The Irregular horsemen, perfectly useless, galloped173 up and down over the stones, shouting to and ordering one another. The Pasha of the army had his carpet spread at the foot of the left-hand precipice, and debated over his pipe with the officers what ought to be done. No good genius whispered “Crown the heights.”
Then it was that the conduct of the Wahhabis found favour in my eyes. They came up, galloping174 their camels —
“Torrents less rapid, and less rash —
with their elf-locks tossing in the wind, and their flaring175 matches casting a strange lurid176 light over their features. Taking up a position, one body began to fire upon the Utaybah robbers, whilst two or three hundred, dismounting, swarmed177 up the hill under the guidance of the Sharif Zayd. I had remarked this nobleman at Al-Madinah as a model specimen178 of the pure Arab. Like all Sharifs, he is celebrated179 for bravery, and has killed many with his own hand.24 When urged at Al-Zaribah to ride into Meccah, he swore that he would not leave the Caravan till in sight of the walls; and, fortunately for the pilgrims, he kept his word. Presently the firing was heard far in our rear, the robbers having fled. The head of the column advanced, and the dense180 body of pilgrims opened out. Our forced halt was now exchanged for a flight. It required much management to steer181 our Desert-craft clear of danger; but Shaykh Mas’ud was equal to the occasion. That many were not, was evident by the boxes and baggage that strewed182 the shingles183. I had no means of ascertaining184 the number of men killed and wounded: reports were contradictory185, and exaggeration unanimous. The robbers were said to be a hundred and fifty in number; their object was plunder186, and they would eat the shot camels. But their principal ambition was the boast, “We, the Utaybah, on such and such a night, stopped the Sultan’s Mahmil one whole hour in the Pass.”
At the beginning of the skirmish I had primed my pistols, and sat with them ready for use. But soon seeing that there was nothing to be done, and wishing to make an impression — nowhere does Bobadil now “go down” so well as in the East — I called aloud for my supper. Shaykh Nur, exanimate with fear, could not move. The boy Mohammed ejaculated only an “Oh, sir!” and the people around exclaimed in disgust, “By Allah, he eats!” Shaykh Abdullah, the Meccan, being a man of spirit, was amused by the spectacle. “Are these Afghan manners, Effendim?” he enquired187 from the Shugduf behind me. “Yes,” I replied aloud, “in my country we always dine before an attack of robbers, because that gentry is in the habit of sending men to bed supperless.” The Shaykh laughed aloud, but those around him looked offended. I thought the bravado188 this time mal place; but a little event which took place on my way to Jeddah proved that it was not quite a failure.
As we advanced, our escort took care to fire every large dry Asclepias, to disperse189 the shades which buried us. Again the scene became wondrous154 wild:—
“Full many a waste I’ve wander’d o’er,
Clomb many a crag, cross’d many a shore,
But, by my halidome,
A scene so rude, so wild as this,
Yet so sublime190 in barrenness,
Ne’er did my wandering footsteps press,
Where’er I chanced to roam.”
On either side were ribbed precipices191, dark, angry, and towering above, till their summits mingled192 with the glooms of night; and between them formidable looked the chasm193, down which our host hurried with shouts and discharges of matchlocks. The torch-smoke and the night-fires of flaming Asclepias formed a canopy194, sable195 above and livid red below; it hung over our heads like a sheet, and divided the cliffs into two equal parts. Here the fire flashed fiercely from a tall thorn, that crackled and shot up showers of sparks into the air; there it died away in lurid gleams, which lit up a truly Stygian scene. As usual, however, the picturesque had its inconveniences. There was no path. Rocks, stone-banks, and trees obstructed196 our passage. The camels, now blind in darkness, then dazzled by a flood of light, stumbled frequently; in some places slipping down a steep descent, in others sliding over a sheet of mud. There were furious quarrels and fierce language between camel-men and their hirers, and threats to fellow-travellers; in fact, we were united in discord197. I passed that night crying, “Hai! Hai!” switching the camel, and fruitlessly endeavouring to fustigate Mas’ud’s nephew, who resolutely198 slept upon the water-bags. During the hours of darkness we made four or five halts, when we boiled coffee and smoked pipes; but man and beasts were beginning to suffer from a deadly fatigue.
Dawn (Saturday, Sept. 10th) found us still travelling down the Fiumara, which here is about a hundred yards broad. The granite hills on both sides were less precipitous; and the borders of the torrent-bed became natural quays199 of stiff clay, which showed a water-mark of from twelve to fifteen feet in height. In many parts the bed was muddy; and the moist places, as usual, caused accidents. I happened to be looking back at Shaykh Abdullah, who was then riding in old Ali bin Ya Sin’s fine Shugduf; suddenly the camel’s four legs disappeared from under him, his right side flattening200 the ground, and the two riders were pitched severally out of the smashed vehicle. Abdullah started up furious, and with great zest201 abused the Badawin, who were absent. “Feed these Arabs,” he exclaimed, quoting a Turkish proverb, “and they will fire at Heaven!” But I observed that, when Shaykh Mas’ud came up, the citizen was only gruff.
We then turned Northward202, and sighted Al-Mazik, more generally known as Wady Laymun, the Valley of Limes. On the right bank of the Fiumara stood the Meccan Sharif’s state pavilion, green and gold: it was surrounded by his attendants, and he had prepared to receive the Pasha of the Caravan. We advanced half a mile, and encamped temporarily in a hill-girt bulge203 of the Fiumara bed. At eight A.M. we had travelled about twenty-four miles from Al-Zaribah, and the direction of our present station was South-west 50°.
Shaykh Mas’ud allowed us only four hours’ halt; he wished to precede the main body. After breaking our fast joyously204 upon limes, pomegranates, and fresh dates, we sallied forth205 to admire the beauties of the place. We are once more on classic ground — the ground of the ancient Arab poets —
“Deserted206 is the village — waste the halting place and home
At Mina, o’er Rijam and Ghul wild beasts unheeded roam,
On Rayyan hill the channel lines have left their naked trace,
Time-worn, as primal207 Writ208 that dints the mountain’s flinty face;25”
— and this Wady, celebrated for the purity of its air, has from remote ages been a favourite resort of the Meccans. Nothing can be more soothing209 to the brain than the dark-green foliage210 of the limes and pomegranates; and from the base of the Southern hill bursts a bubbling stream, whose
“Chaire, fresche e dolci acque”
flow through the gardens, filling them with the most delicious of melodies, the gladdest sound which Nature in these regions knows.
Exactly at noon Mas’ud seized the halter of the foremost camel, and we started down the Fiumara. Troops of Badawi girls looked over the orchard211 walls laughingly, and children came out to offer us fresh fruit and sweet water. At two P.M., travelling South-west, we arrived at a point where the torrent-bed turns to the right[;] and, quitting it, we climbed with difficulty over a steep ridge of granite. Before three o’clock we entered a hill-girt plain, which my companions called “Sola.” In some places were clumps212 of trees, and scattered villages warned us that we were approaching a city. Far to the left rose the blue peaks of Taif, and the mountain road, a white thread upon the nearer heights, was pointed107 out to me. Here I first saw the tree, or rather shrub, which bears the balm of Gilead, erst so celebrated for its tonic213 and stomachic properties.26 I told Shaykh Mas’ud to break off a twig214, which he did heedlessly. The act was witnessed by our party with a roar of laughter; and the astounded215 Shaykh was warned that he had become subject to an atoning216 sacrifice. 27 Of course he denounced me as the instigator217, and I could not fairly refuse assistance. The tree has of late years been carefully described by many botanists218; I will only say that the bark resembled in colour a cherry-stick pipe, the inside was a light yellow, and the juice made my fingers stick together.
At four P.M. we came to a steep and rocky Pass, up which we toiled219 with difficulty. The face of the country was rising once more, and again presented the aspect of numerous small basins divided and surrounded by hills. As we jogged on we were passed by the cavalcade220 of no less a personage than the Sharif of Meccah. Abd al-Muttalib bin Ghalib is a dark, beardless old man with African features derived221 from his mother. He was plainly dressed in white garments and a white muslin turband,28 which made him look jet black; he rode an ambling222 mule98, and the only emblem223 of his dignity was the large green satin umbrella born[e] by an attendant on foot.29 Scattered around him were about forty matchlock men, mostly slaves. At long intervals224, after their father, came his four sons, Riza Bey, Abdullah, Ali, and Ahmad, the latter still a child. The three elder brothers rode splendid dromedaries at speed; they were young men of light complexion225, with the true Meccan cast of features, showily dressed in bright coloured silks, and armed, to denote their rank, with sword and gold-hilted dagger.30
We halted as evening approached, and strained our eyes, but all in vain, to catch sight of Meccah, which lies in a winding226 valley. By Shaykh Abdullah’s direction I recited, after the usual devotions, the following prayer. The reader is for[e]warned that it is difficult to preserve the flowers of Oriental rhetoric227 in a European tongue.
O Allah! verily this is Thy Safeguard (Amn) and Thy (Harim)! Into it whoso entereth becometh safe (Amin). So deny (Harrim) my Flesh and Blood, my Bones and Skin, to Hell-fire. O Allah! save me from Thy Wrath228 on the Day when Thy Servants shall be raised from the Dead. I conjure229 Thee by this that Thou art Allah, besides whom is none (Thou only), the Merciful, the Compassionate230. And have Mercy upon our Lord Mohammed, and upon the Progeny231 of our Lord Mohammed, and upon his Followers232, One and All!” This was concluded with the “Talbiyat,” and with an especial prayer for myself.
We again mounted, and night completed our disappointment. About one A.M. I was aroused by general excitement. “Meccah! Meccah!” cried some voices; “The Sanctuary! O the Sanctuary!” exclaimed others; and all burst into loud “Labbayk,” not unfrequently broken by sobs233. I looked out from my litter, and saw by the light of the Southern stars the dim outlines of a large city, a shade darker than the surrounding plain. We were passing over the last ridge by a cutting called the Saniyat Kuda’a, the winding-place of the cut.31 The “winding path” is flanked on both sides by watch-towers, which command the Darb al-Ma’ala or road leading from the North into Meccah. Thence we passed into the Ma’abidah (Northern suburb), where the Sharif’s Palace is built.32 After this, on the left hand, came the deserted abode234 of the Sharif bin Aun, now said to be a “haunted house.33” Opposite to it lies the Jannat al-Ma’ala, the holy cemetery235 of Meccah. Thence, turning to the right, we entered the Sulaymaniyah or Afghan quarter. Here the boy Mohammed, being an inhabitant of the Shamiyah or Syrian ward43, thought proper to display some apprehension236. The two are on bad terms; children never meet without exchanging volleys of stones, and men fight furiously with quarterstaves. Sometimes, despite the terrors of religion, the knife and sabre are drawn. But their hostilities237 have their code. If a citizen be killed, there is a subscription238 for blood-money. An inhabitant of one quarter, passing singly through another, becomes a guest; once beyond the walls, he is likely to be beaten to insensibility by his hospitable91 foes.
At the Sulaymaniyah we turned off the main road into a byway, and ascended239 by narrow lanes the rough heights of Jabal Hindi, upon which stands a small whitewashed240 and crenellated building called a fort. Thence descending, we threaded dark streets, in places crowded with rude cots and dusky figures, and finally at two A.M. we found ourselves at the door of the boy Mohammed’s house.
From Wady Laymun to Meccah the distance, according to my calculation, was about twenty-three miles, the direction South-East forty-five degrees. We arrived on the morning of Sunday, the 7th Zu’l Hijjah (11th September, 1853), and had one day before the beginning of the pilgrimage to repose241 and visit the Harim.
I conclude this chapter with a few remarks upon the watershed242 of Al-Hijaz. The country, in my humble243 opinion, has a compound slope, Southwards and Westwards. I have, however, little but the conviction of the modern Arabs to support the assertion that this part of Arabia declines from the North. All declare the course of water to be Southerly, and believe the fountain of Arafat to pass underground from Baghdad. The slope, as geographers244 know, is still a disputed point. Ritter, Jomard, and some old Arab authors, make the country rise towards the south, whilst Wallin and others express an opposite opinion. From the sea to Al-Musahhal is a gentle rise. The water-marks of the Fiumaras show that Al-Madinah is considerably245 above the coast, though geographers may not be correct in claiming for Jabal Radhwa a height of six thousand feet; yet that elevation246 is not perhaps too great for the plateau upon which stands the Apostle’s burial-place. From Al-Madinah to Al-Suwayrkiyah is another gentle rise, and from the latter to Al-Zaribah stagnating247 water denotes a level. I believe the report of a perennial248 lake on the eastern boundary of Al-Hijaz, as little as the river placed by Ptolemy between Yambu’ and Meccah. No Badawi could tell me of this feature, which, had it existed, would have changed the whole conditions and history of the country; we know the Greek’s river to be a Fiumara, and the lake probably owes its existence to a similar cause, a heavy fall of rain. Beginning at Al-Zaribah is a decided249 fall, which continues to the sea. The Arafat torrent sweeps from East to West with great force, sometimes carrying away the habitations, and even injuring the sanctuary.
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1
abrupt
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| adj.突然的，意外的；唐突的，鲁莽的 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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bulwark
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| n.堡垒，保障，防御 | |
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pall
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| v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕 | |
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barley
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| n.大麦，大麦粒 | |
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essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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brackish
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| adj.混有盐的；咸的 | |
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fealty
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| n.忠贞，忠节 | |
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nominal
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| adj.名义上的；(金额、租金)微不足道的 | |
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commotion
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| n.骚动，动乱 | |
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bin
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| n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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decrepit
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| adj.衰老的，破旧的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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garnished
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| v.给（上餐桌的食物）加装饰( garnish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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protruded
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| v.（使某物）伸出，（使某物）突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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disdaining
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| 鄙视( disdain的现在分词 )； 不屑于做，不愿意做 | |
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reeking
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| v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的现在分词 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象） | |
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mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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23
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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soot
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| n.煤烟，烟尘；vt.熏以煤烟 | |
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avarice
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| n.贪婪；贪心 | |
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26
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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28
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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29
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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fortify
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| v.强化防御，为…设防；加强，强化 | |
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frail
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| adj.身体虚弱的；易损坏的 | |
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32
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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33
rebuke
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| v.指责，非难，斥责 [反]praise | |
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agile
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| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
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35
scramble
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| v.爬行，攀爬，杂乱蔓延，碎片，片段，废料 | |
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36
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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39
marred
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| adj. 被损毁, 污损的 | |
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depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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41
perseveringly
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| 坚定地 | |
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42
hustled
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| 催促（hustle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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43
ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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44
dagger
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| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
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45
enquiring
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| a.爱打听的，显得好奇的 | |
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46
shroud
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| n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏 | |
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47
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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49
contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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50
raven
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| n.渡鸟，乌鸦；adj.乌亮的 | |
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51
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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52
dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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53
dykes
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| abbr.diagonal wire cutters 斜线切割机n.堤( dyke的名词复数 )；坝；堰；沟 | |
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54
caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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55
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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56
enquire
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| v.打听，询问；调查，查问 | |
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57
pugnacious
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| adj.好斗的 | |
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58
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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chastising
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| v.严惩（某人）（尤指责打）( chastise的现在分词 ) | |
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insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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61
sheathed
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| adj.雕塑像下半身包在鞘中的；覆盖的；铠装的；装鞘了的v.将（刀、剑等）插入鞘( sheathe的过去式和过去分词 )；包，覆盖 | |
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gentry
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| n.绅士阶级，上层阶级 | |
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63
quenched
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| 解（渴）( quench的过去式和过去分词 )； 终止（某事物）； （用水）扑灭（火焰等）； 将（热物体）放入水中急速冷却 | |
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64
stagnated
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| v.停滞，不流动，不发展( stagnate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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66
mitigate
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| vt.（使）减轻，（使）缓和 | |
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longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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elicited
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| 引出，探出( elicit的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71
opium
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| n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的 | |
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shrub
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| n.灌木，灌木丛 | |
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maize
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| n.玉米 | |
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fowls
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| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
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procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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76
destitute
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| adj.缺乏的；穷困的 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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81
flayed
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| v.痛打( flay的过去式和过去分词 )；把…打得皮开肉绽；剥（通常指动物）的皮；严厉批评 | |
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82
mirage
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| n.海市蜃楼，幻景 | |
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semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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84
boulder
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| n.巨砾；卵石，圆石 | |
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85
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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86
flakes
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| 小薄片( flake的名词复数 )； （尤指）碎片； 雪花； 古怪的人 | |
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87
parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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88
shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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89
diversifying
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| v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的现在分词 )；进入新的商业领域 | |
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90
detention
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| n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下 | |
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91
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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92
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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93
looming
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|
| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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94
phantoms
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| n.鬼怪，幽灵( phantom的名词复数 ) | |
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95
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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96
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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97
mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 )； 拖鞋； 顽固的人； 越境运毒者 | |
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98
mule
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| n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人 | |
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99
entangled
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|
| adj.卷入的；陷入的；被缠住的；缠在一起的v.使某人（某物/自己）缠绕，纠缠于（某物中），使某人（自己）陷入（困难或复杂的环境中）( entangle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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100
audacity
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| n.大胆，卤莽，无礼 | |
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101
untie
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|
| vt.解开，松开；解放 | |
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102
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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103
illustrates
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|
| 给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明 | |
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104
harassing
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| v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人） | |
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105
unnatural
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| adj.不自然的；反常的 | |
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106
ascending
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|
| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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107
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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108
abounds
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| v.大量存在，充满，富于( abound的第三人称单数 ) | |
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109
cramped
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| a.狭窄的 | |
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110
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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111
rugged
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| adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的 | |
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112
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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113
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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114
thorny
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| adj.多刺的，棘手的 | |
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115
inmates
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| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
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116
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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117
grievance
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| n.怨愤，气恼，委屈 | |
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118
cistern
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| n.贮水池 | |
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119
ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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120
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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121
requite
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| v.报酬，报答 | |
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122
cloves
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| n.丁香（热带树木的干花，形似小钉子，用作调味品，尤用作甜食的香料）( clove的名词复数 )；蒜瓣(a garlic ~|a ~of garlic) | |
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123
canvassing
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| v.（在政治方面）游说( canvass的现在分词 )；调查（如选举前选民的）意见；为讨论而提出（意见等）；详细检查 | |
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124
lodgers
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| n.房客，租住者( lodger的名词复数 ) | |
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125
wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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126
insinuated
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| v.暗示( insinuate的过去式和过去分词 )；巧妙或迂回地潜入；（使）缓慢进入；慢慢伸入 | |
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127
sarcastically
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| adv.挖苦地，讽刺地 | |
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128
intelligible
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| adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的 | |
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129
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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130
smites
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的第三人称单数 ) | |
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131
eastwards
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| adj.向东方（的），朝东（的）；n.向东的方向 | |
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132
footpaths
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| 人行小径，人行道( footpath的名词复数 ) | |
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133
thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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134
inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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135
garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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136
questionable
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| adj.可疑的，有问题的 | |
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137
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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138
technically
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| adv.专门地，技术上地 | |
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139
clans
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| 宗族( clan的名词复数 )； 氏族； 庞大的家族； 宗派 | |
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140
vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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141
almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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142
immorality
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| n. 不道德, 无道义 | |
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143
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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144
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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145
uprooted
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|
| v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园 | |
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146
sanctuary
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| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
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147
abstain
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| v.自制，戒绝，弃权，避免 | |
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148
infraction
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| n.违反；违法 | |
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149
ordinances
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| n.条例，法令( ordinance的名词复数 ) | |
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150
Moslem
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| n.回教徒，穆罕默德信徒；adj.回教徒的，回教的 | |
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151
concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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152
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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153
susceptible
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| adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的 | |
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154
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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155
wondrously
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| adv.惊奇地，非常，极其 | |
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156
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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157
glistening
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|
| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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158
creed
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| n.信条；信念，纲领 | |
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159
emulated
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| v.与…竞争( emulate的过去式和过去分词 )；努力赶上；计算机程序等仿真；模仿 | |
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160
disdained
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| 鄙视( disdain的过去式和过去分词 )； 不屑于做，不愿意做 | |
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161
countenances
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| n.面容( countenance的名词复数 )；表情；镇静；道义支持 | |
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162
fodder
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| n.草料；炮灰 | |
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163
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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164
grumbling
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| adj. 喃喃鸣不平的, 出怨言的 | |
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165
joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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166
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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167
stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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168
buttress
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| n.支撑物；v.支持 | |
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169
precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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170
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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171
perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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172
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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173
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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174
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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175
flaring
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| a.火焰摇曳的，过份艳丽的 | |
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176
lurid
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| adj.可怕的；血红的；苍白的 | |
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177
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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178
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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179
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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180
dense
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| a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的 | |
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181
steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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182
strewed
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| v.撒在…上( strew的过去式和过去分词 )；散落于；点缀；撒满 | |
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183
shingles
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| n.带状疱疹；（布满海边的）小圆石( shingle的名词复数 )；屋顶板；木瓦（板）；墙面板 | |
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184
ascertaining
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的现在分词 ) | |
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185
contradictory
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| adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立 | |
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186
plunder
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| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
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187
enquired
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| 打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问 | |
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188
bravado
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| n.虚张声势，故作勇敢，逞能 | |
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189
disperse
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| vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散 | |
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190
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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191
precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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192
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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193
chasm
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| n.深坑，断层，裂口，大分岐，利害冲突 | |
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194
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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195
sable
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| n.黑貂；adj.黑色的 | |
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196
obstructed
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| 阻塞( obstruct的过去式和过去分词 )； 堵塞； 阻碍； 阻止 | |
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197
discord
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| n.不和，意见不合，争论，（音乐）不和谐 | |
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198
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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199
quays
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| 码头( quay的名词复数 ) | |
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200
flattening
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|
| n. 修平 动词flatten的现在分词 | |
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201
zest
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| n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣 | |
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202
northward
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| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
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203
bulge
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| n.突出，膨胀，激增；vt.突出，膨胀 | |
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204
joyously
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| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
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205
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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206
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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primal
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| adj.原始的；最重要的 | |
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208
writ
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| n.命令状，书面命令 | |
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soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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orchard
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| n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场 | |
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clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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tonic
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| n./adj.滋补品，补药，强身的，健体的 | |
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twig
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| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
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astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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atoning
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| v.补偿，赎（罪）( atone的现在分词 )；补偿，弥补，赎回 | |
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217
instigator
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| n.煽动者 | |
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218
botanists
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| n.植物学家，研究植物的人( botanist的名词复数 ) | |
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toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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cavalcade
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| n.车队等的行列 | |
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derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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222
ambling
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| v.（马）缓行( amble的现在分词 )；从容地走，漫步 | |
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emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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225
complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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227
rhetoric
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| n.修辞学，浮夸之言语 | |
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228
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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conjure
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| v.恳求，祈求；变魔术，变戏法 | |
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compassionate
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| adj.有同情心的，表示同情的 | |
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progeny
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| n.后代，子孙；结果 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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235
cemetery
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| n.坟墓，墓地，坟场 | |
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apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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hostilities
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| n.战争；敌意(hostility的复数)；敌对状态；战事 | |
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subscription
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| n.预订，预订费，亲笔签名，调配法，下标（处方） | |
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ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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whitewashed
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| 粉饰，美化，掩饰( whitewash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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242
watershed
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| n.转折点，分水岭，分界线 | |
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243
humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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geographers
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| 地理学家( geographer的名词复数 ) | |
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245
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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246
elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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247
stagnating
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| v.停滞，不流动，不发展( stagnate的现在分词 ) | |
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perennial
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| adj.终年的；长久的 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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