'Southern Arabia, by Theodore Bent, F.R.G.S., F.S.A., Author of 'The Ruined Cities of Mashonaland' 'The Sacred City of the Ethiopians' 'The Cyclades, Or Life Among the Insular Greeks' etc. and Mrs Theodore Bent' [‎264] (315/552)

264 DHOFAE AND THE GAR/V MOUNTAINS
and is more like Africa than Arabia. The anthills, though
very extensive, were not so fantastic as those we saw in
Africa. We were going eastward over high ground; we
decided to halt for two nights near a pretty little hole full
of maidenhair fern, where there was water. It was nice and
clean at first, but even at the end of the first day it was
much diminished and very muddy. Travellers like ourselves
mast be a great nuisance drinking up the scanty supply of
water which might last the inhabitants for a long while.
We had hoped to get a good rest after our many days of
marching, but while we were here there came on the most
frightful hurricane from the north ; it blew steadily for
two days and nights and put all rest out of the question.
With difficulty could we keep our tents erect; when we
were in ours we had to be tightly tied in and sit next to the
sunniest wall; in the evening when the wind abated a little
we used to sit by a large fire, dressed in blankets.
The piercing blasts quit'e shrivelled up our poor unclad
conductors, who crouched in an inert mass round log fires
which they made. We were obliged to remain inactive, for
they said the camels would not move during this wind,
though I believe the cause of inaction rose more from their
own dislike to travel in the cold; and so inert were they
that we could hardly get them to fetch us water from the
neighbouring spring, their whole energy being expended in
fetching huge logs of wood to keep the fires burning, and I
think the}' were all pleased when the time came to descend
to the lower regions again and a warmer atmosphere.
W e were afraid to start before the sun was up for fear
the camels would be too cold to move, and he did not visit
us very early.
Sheikh Sehel promised to take us across the Gara border
into Nejd if we wished; but as it would have entailed a
consideiable delay and parley with the sheikhs of the Nejd