When the Amk turned westward6 we crossed it, going up between piles of the warped7 grey granite8 (like cold toffee) which was common up-country in the Hejaz. The defile9 culminated10 at the foot of a natural ramp11 and staircase: badly broken, twisting, and difficult for camels, but short. Afterwards we were in an open valley for an hour, with low hills to the right and mountains to the left. There were water pools in the crags, and Merawin tents under the fine trees which studded the flat. The fertility of the slopes was great: on them grazed flocks of sheep and goats. We got milk from the Arabs: the first milk my Ageyl had been given in the two years of drought.
The track out of the valley when we reached its head was execrable, and the descent beyond into Wadi Marrakh almost dangerous; but the view from the crest12 compensated13 us. Wadi Marrakh, a broad, peaceful avenue, ran between two regular straight walls of hills to a circus four miles off where valleys from left, right and front seemed to meet. Artificial heaps of uncut stone were piled about the approach. As we entered it, we saw that the grey hill-walls swept back on each side in a half-circle. Before us, to the south, the curve was barred across by a straight wall or step of blue-black lava14, standing15 over a little grove16 of thorn trees. We made for these and lay down in their thin shade, grateful in such sultry air for any pretence17 of coolness.
The day, now at its zenith, was very hot; and my weakness had so increased that my head hardly held up against it. The puffs18 of feverish19 wind pressed like scorching20 hands against our faces, burning our eyes. My pain made me breathe in gasps21 through the mouth; the wind cracked my lips and seared my throat till I was too dry to talk, and drinking became sore; yet I always needed to drink, as my thirst would not let me lie still and get the peace I longed for. The flies were a plague.
The bed of the valley was of fine quartz22 gravel23 and white sand. Its glitter thrust itself between our eyelids24; and the level of the ground seemed to dance as the wind moved the white tips of stubble grass to and fro. The camels loved this grass, which grew in tufts, about sixteen inches high, on slate-green stalks. They gulped25 down great quantities of it until the men drove them in and couched them by me. At the moment I hated the beasts, for too much food made their breath stink26; and they rumblingly belched27 up a new mouthful from their stomachs each time they had chewed and swallowed the last, till a green slaver flooded out between their loose lips over the side teeth, and dripped down their sagging28 chins.
Lying angrily there, I threw a stone at the nearest, which got up and wavered about behind my head: finally it straddled its back legs and staled in wide, bitter jets; and I was so far gone with the heat and weakness and pain that I just lay there and cried about it unhelping. The men had gone to make a fire and cook a gazelle one of them had fortunately shot; and I realized that on another day this halt would have been pleasant to me; for the hills were very strange and their colours vivid. The base had the warm grey of old stored sunlight; while about their crests29 ran narrow veins30 of granite-coloured stone, generally in pairs, following the contour of the skyline like the rusted31 metals of an abandoned scenic32 railway. Arslan said the hills were combed like cocks, a sharper observation.
After the men had fed we re-mounted, and easily climbed the first wave of the lava flood. It was short, as was the second, on the top of which lay a broad terrace with an alluvial33 plot of sand and gravel in its midst. The lava was a nearly clean floor of iron-red rock-cinders34, over which were scattered35 fields of loose stone. The third and other steps ascended36 to the south of us: but we turned east, up Wadi Gara.
Gara had, perhaps, been a granite valley down whose middle the lava had flowed, slowly filling it, and arching itself up in a central heap. On each side were deep troughs, between the lava and the hill-side. Rain water flooded these as often as storms burst in the hills. The lava flow, as it coagulated, had been twisted like a rope, cracked, and bent37 back irregularly upon itself. The surface was loose with fragments through which many generations of camel parties had worn an inadequate38 and painful track.
We struggled along for hours, going slowly, our camels wincing39 at every stride as the sharp edges slipped beneath their tender feet. The paths were only to be seen by the droppings along them, and by the slightly bluer surfaces of the rubbed stones. The Arabs declared them impassable after dark, which was to be believed, for we risked laming40 our beasts each time our impatience41 made us urge them on. Just before five in the afternoon, however, the way got easier. We seemed to be near the head of the valley, which grew narrow. Before us on the right, an exact cone-crater42, with tidy furrows43 scoring it from lip to foot, promised good going; for it was made of black ash, clean as though sifted44, with here and there a bank of harder soil, and cinders. Beyond it was another lava-field, older perhaps than the valleys, for its stones were smoothed, and between them were straths of flat earth, rank with weeds. In among these open spaces were Beduin tents, whose owners ran to us when they saw us coming; and, taking our head-stalls with hospitable45 force, led us in.
They proved to be Sheikh Fahad el Hansha and his men: old and garrulous46 warriors47 who had marched with us to Wejh, and had been with Garland on that great occasion when his first automatic mine had succeeded under a troop train near Toweira station. Fahad would not hear of my resting quietly outside his tent, but with the reckless equality of the desert men urged me into an unfortunate place inside among his own vermin. There he plied48 me with bowl after bowl of diuretic camel-milk between questions about Europe, my home tribe, the English camel-pasturages, the war in the Hejaz and the wars elsewhere, Egypt and Damascus, how Feisal was, why did we seek Abdulla, and by what perversity49 did I remain Christian50, when their hearts and hands waited to welcome me to the Faith?
So passed long hours till ten at night, when the guest-sheep was carried in, dismembered royally over a huge pile of buttered rice. I ate as manners demanded, twisted myself up in my cloak, and slept; my bodily exhaustion51, after those hours of the worst imaginable marching, proofing me against the onslaught of lice and fleas52. The illness, however, had stimulated53 my ordinarily sluggish54 fancy, which ran riot this night in dreams of wandering naked for a dark eternity55 over interminable lava (like scrambled56 egg gone iron-blue, and very wrong), sharp as insect-bites underfoot; and with some horror, perhaps a dead Moor57, always climbing after us.
In the morning we woke early and refreshed, with our clothes stinging-full of fiery58 points feeding on us. After one more bowl of milk proffered59 us by the eager Fahad, I was able to walk unaided to my camel and mount her actively60. We rode up the last piece of Wadi Gara to the crest, among cones61 of black cinders from a crater to the south. Thence we turned to a branch valley, ending in a steep and rocky chimney, up which we pulled our camels.
Beyond we had an easy descent into Wadi Murrmiya, whose middle bristled62 with lava like galvanized iron, on each side of which there were smooth sandy beds, good going. After a while we came to a fault in the flow, which served as a track to the other side. By it we crossed over, finding the lava pocketed with soils apparently63 of extreme richness, for in them were leafy trees and lawns of real grass, starred with flowers, the best grazing of all our ride, looking the more wonderfully green because of the blue-black twisted crusts of rock about. The lava had changed its character. Here were no piles of loose stones, as big as a skull64 or a man’s hand, rubbed and rounded together; but bunched and crystallized fronds65 of metallic66 rock, altogether impassable for bare feet.
Another watershed67 conducted us to an open place where the Jeheina had ploughed some eight acres of the thin soil below a thicket68 of scrub. They said there were like it in the neighbourhood other fields, silent witnesses to the courage and persistence69 of the Arabs.
It was called Wadi Chetl, and after it was another broken river of lava, the worst yet encountered. A shadowy path zigzagged70 across it. We lost one camel with a broken fore-leg, the result of a stumble in a pot-hole; and the many bones which lay about showed that we were not the only party to suffer misfortune in the passage. However, this ended our lava, according to the guides, and we went thence forward along easy valleys with finally a long run up a gentle slope till dusk. The going was so good and the cool of the day so freshened me that we did not halt at nightfall, after our habit, but pushed on for an hour across the basin of Murrmiya into the basin of Wadi Ais, and there, by Tleih, we stopped for our last camp in the open.
I rejoiced that we were so nearly in, for fever was heavy on me. I was afraid that perhaps I was going to be really ill, and the prospect71 of falling into the well-meaning hands of tribesmen in such a state was not pleasant. Their treatment of every sickness was to burn holes in the patient’s body at some spot believed to be the complement72 of the part affected73. It was a cure tolerable to such as had faith in it, but torture to the unbelieving: to incur74 it unwillingly75 would be silly, and yet certain; for the Arabs’ good intentions, selfish as their good digestions76, would never heed77 a sick man’s protesting.
The morning was easy, over open valleys and gentle rides into Wadi Ais. We arrived at Abu Markha, its nearest watering-place, just a few minutes after Sherif Abdulla had dismounted there, and while he was ordering his tents to be pitched in an acacia glade78 beyond the well. He was leaving his old camp at Bir el Amri, lower down the valley, as he had left Murabba, his camp before, because the ground had been fouled79 by the careless multitude of his men and animals. I gave him the documents from Feisal, explaining the situation in Medina, and the need we had of haste to block the railway. I thought he took it coolly; but, without argument, went on to say that I was a little tired after my journey, and with his permission would lie down and sleep a while. He pitched me a tent next his great marquee, and I went into it and rested myself at last. It had been a struggle against faintness day-long in the saddle to get here at all: and now the strain was ended with the delivery of my message, I felt that another hour would have brought the breaking point.
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1
tributary
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| n.支流；纳贡国；adj.附庸的；辅助的；支流的 | |
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seepage
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| n.泄漏 | |
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stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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7
warped
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| adj.反常的；乖戾的；（变）弯曲的；变形的v.弄弯，变歪( warp的过去式和过去分词 )；使（行为等）不合情理，使乖戾， | |
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granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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defile
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| v.弄污，弄脏；n.(山间)小道 | |
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culminated
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| v.达到极点( culminate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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ramp
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| n.暴怒，斜坡，坡道；vi.作恐吓姿势，暴怒，加速；vt.加速 | |
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12
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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13
compensated
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| 补偿，报酬( compensate的过去式和过去分词 )； 给（某人）赔偿（或赔款） | |
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lava
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| n.熔岩，火山岩 | |
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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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16
grove
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| n.林子，小树林，园林 | |
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pretence
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| n.假装，作假；借口，口实；虚伪；虚饰 | |
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18
puffs
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| n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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19
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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scorching
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| adj. 灼热的 | |
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21
gasps
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| v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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22
quartz
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| n.石英 | |
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23
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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24
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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25
gulped
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| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
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26
stink
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| vi.发出恶臭；糟透，招人厌恶；n.恶臭 | |
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27
belched
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| v.打嗝( belch的过去式和过去分词 )；喷出，吐出；打（嗝）；嗳（气） | |
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28
sagging
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| 下垂[沉，陷]，松垂，垂度 | |
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29
crests
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| v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的第三人称单数 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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30
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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31
rusted
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| v.（使）生锈( rust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
scenic
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| adj.自然景色的，景色优美的 | |
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33
alluvial
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| adj.冲积的；淤积的 | |
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34
cinders
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| n.煤渣( cinder的名词复数 )；炭渣；煤渣路；煤渣跑道 | |
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35
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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36
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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38
inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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39
wincing
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的现在分词 ) | |
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40
laming
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| 瘸的( lame的现在分词 )； 站不住脚的； 差劲的； 蹩脚的 | |
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41
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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42
crater
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| n.火山口，弹坑 | |
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43
furrows
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| n.犁沟( furrow的名词复数 )；（脸上的）皱纹v.犁田，开沟( furrow的第三人称单数 ) | |
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44
sifted
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| v.筛( sift的过去式和过去分词 )；筛滤；细查；详审 | |
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45
hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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46
garrulous
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| adj.唠叨的，多话的 | |
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47
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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48
plied
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| v.使用（工具）( ply的过去式和过去分词 )；经常供应（食物、饮料）；固定往来；经营生意 | |
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49
perversity
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| n.任性；刚愎自用 | |
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50
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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51
exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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52
fleas
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| n.跳蚤( flea的名词复数 )；爱财如命；没好气地（拒绝某人的要求） | |
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53
stimulated
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| a.刺激的 | |
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54
sluggish
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| adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的 | |
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55
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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56
scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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57
moor
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| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
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58
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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59
proffered
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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actively
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| adv.积极地，勤奋地 | |
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61
cones
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| n.（人眼）圆锥细胞；圆锥体( cone的名词复数 )；球果；圆锥形东西；（盛冰淇淋的）锥形蛋卷筒 | |
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62
bristled
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| adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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fronds
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| n.蕨类或棕榈类植物的叶子( frond的名词复数 ) | |
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metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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watershed
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| n.转折点，分水岭，分界线 | |
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thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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persistence
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| n.坚持，持续，存留 | |
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70
zigzagged
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| adj.呈之字形移动的v.弯弯曲曲地走路，曲折地前进( zigzag的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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71
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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72
complement
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| n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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incur
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| vt.招致，蒙受，遭遇 | |
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unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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digestions
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| n.消化能力( digestion的名词复数 )；消化，领悟 | |
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77
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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78
glade
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| n.林间空地，一片表面有草的沼泽低地 | |
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79
fouled
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| v.使污秽( foul的过去式和过去分词 )；弄脏；击球出界；（通常用废物）弄脏 | |
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