[Un-numbered file] 'Diary of Colonel Hamilton's Visit to Nejd 1918' [‎23r] (45/206)

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15
12th November. —Left Barrah at 6 a. m., marched to bluff on left of road
, oC ' . ; and entrance into long valley, which is
Distance—195 hours, 35 minutes, miles. , . „ ,1 ,ivi •
T 0 .v,r. koo T, ar A a.w about 5 miles broad at its mouth. 1ms
shciib has a torrent bed with trees on both
sides ; it narrows to about 500 yards higher up ; then an ascent of about
200 ft. to watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. and descent into Wad Haisiyah, where I saw the largest
trees I have yet come across in Arabia. Some of them attained a height ^ of
25 to 30 ft. We halted at 11 a.m. for 3^ hours and reached our camping
place on the Sudus road at sunset, 5-30 p.m. A good talk with ‘Abdul ‘Aziz,
and think I have straightened him up. No grazing between Barrah and the
head of Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Hanifah.
The Haisiyah Shaib has steep, clifflike sides. I saw only one path across
them to the right and one on the left. These were mere sheep tracks impossible
for loaded camels. Saw some small partridges in rocks.
After crossing the watershed The boundary between adjacent drainage basins. we came on to a long plain, ending in the
head of Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Hanifah. Here, too, begin the extensive and imposing ruins
of Al-Aiyainah ( ). This old town was about 2f miles long. The torrent
banks are revetted with stone masonry, without mortar, roughly dressed. Many
wells, much like those of to-day but with no water in them. At Al-Jubailah
( aJju^I ) is a mud village among the ruins of the old town but the only
inhabitant appeared to be an old negro who has a house and a patch of
cultivation there. He looks after travellers and is, I think, a guard of Bin
Saud’s.
12th November .—Started at 6-15 a.m. and halted at 11 a.m. by some
trees at the ruined village of Al-Jubailah
Distance—204 hours, 20 minntes, miles. . t \ mi n i
{see above). There was one well above
this ; here there are two, one of which is at the foot of the ruined village. The
water at Al-Aiyainah (one well), is at a depth of 96 ft., at Al-J ubailah 84 ft., at
Daraiyah 72 ft., at Biadh 84 ft., and at Barrah about 48 ft. The negro told me
that ‘Abdul ‘Aziz Bin Saud and his escort rode here in 12| hours from Biadh 2
months ago.
The cemetery at Al-Jubafiah is very extraordinary ; the graves are exposed
on the side of the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. by diluvion action. These graves are said to be those
of the companions or of the followers of Khalid ibn Walid and other worthies
of early Muhammadan times. Plenty of wood-cutters with their camels on the
Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. of Hanifah ; each camelload fetches in Biadh 1 | or 2 dollars. To-day I
rode more or less all the time with the baggage, but yesterday afternoon went
off with Sa’ad (‘Ajman) Amar, the Mullah, and Pahad Hhafiri. We set up a
target, after some private camel-racing in which my camel, usually by far the
fleetest, did not distinguish herself greatly. She is a bit tired out I think.
The baggage thought we were being attacked and sent on all their riders to
help us. Nights very windless ; the days much the same. Only two or three
cloudy nights since we left and never one with wind ; always slept in the open.
‘Abdul ‘Aziz bin Hassun complained. This led to a big row (‘Abdul ‘Aziz’s last
fight for independence—since then he has been a lamb).
Continued march down Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Hanifah. The wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. , as it is familiarly
called in these parts, is said to rise behind the village of Awainib and Al-
Garadan {see 11th November, page 14, ante), a scarp which stands out very promi
nently almost due south of Barrah village ( ). Awainib is the fortified
village which we passed on our right about 2 miles out from Barrah. I could
not make out exactly where Haisiyah ends and where Hanifah begins, but I
think it is somewhere in the vicinity of Aiyainah to the north-west of the ruins.
Beached Daraiyah about | hour before sunset with | dozen riders and
found plenty of lucerne and wood, also, later, some milk and eggs collected by
Saud and Ibn Dahibas, who had been sent on ahead. Met a lad about 12 years
of age of the As-Saud family who came down to our camp-fire on the wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. bed
to chat with us. His name is Hadhlul ( ) w and he belongs to the Al-
Jaluwi branch.
13th Started at 6-5 A. M. and reached the outskirts of Biadh at
8-45 a. M. We were met 2 miles out of
Distance 207 hem's, 683 mil®. Riadh a t a large tree by ‘Abdul ‘Aziz ibn
Babayi and 5 horsemen who gave us the
Temp. 58°, Bar. 3190'.
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