[Un-numbered file] 'Diary of Colonel Hamilton's Visit to Nejd 1918' [‎32v] (64/206)

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Distance —136 hours, 35 minutes, miles.
At dawn —Temp. 60°.
Distance—34S miles.
At dawn —Temp. ^0°, Bar. 3,230'.
29th Started at 6-15, daylight, and marched till 9-30 a.m.,
camping on stony ground. After |
hour’s marching, came on a deep and
broad depression with 4 stone pillars
built on the cliffs above. This shaib ( ) is called Abu Barcjah.
( Ay y,} ). Muhammad Ibn Rashid came here with his army when he com
quered Qasim. We halted here at 10-30 a.m., marched again at 2-45 p.m. until
sunset, when we had our usual halt of 35 minutes, then on till 9-5 p.m., and
encamped in a charming little hollow in the Nufudh. Going was either over
the level or among hummocks. At about hours before sunset we came
upon a deepish depression, running, where we entered it, about due N. and S.
Here were a long strings of villages and walled gardens, which we perceived as
we climbed the opposite hill. Sandhills, or Nufudh, extended as far as the eye
could reach in both directions. The village we descended into is called Shima-
siyah. We watered our camels at a conduit of water drawn from a well about
70 to 75 ft. deep. An excellent photo of this well is given at plate LX in
the “ Handbook of Arabia ”, volume I, and is mentioned by Raunkiaer in his
book “Across Wahibiland on camel back”. The water was sweet but luke?
warm. The descent into this long valley is steep and rocky on the eastern, or
^ilfi, side and equally steep, though soft and sandy, on the western slope.
30th October. —Started at about 7 a.m. after sunrise, sending on 2
riders to inform Turki Bin Saud of our
arrival. When within a mile of the fort,
or qasr, of Buraidah we were met by a
troop of horse under Abbas “ Beg”.
They came up at a gallop while we halted on our camels, and gave us a
display of horsemanship, letting off their rifles and curvetting round us. Their
mounts looked well, but were small, few of them more than 13-3 in height. A
spare horse was brought for me, but I had my own animal. We rode through
the town gates and then into the fort, which is an imposing structure standing
on high ground. It has 6 square towers and is machicolated. We dismounted
and were led up 3 flights of mud stairs to a room about 30 ft. long and 16
ft. broad with roof of rough ithal beams. The floor was deep, soft sand. As I
entered, Turki Bin S£ud walked quickly towards me, shook hands, and spoke
very cordially, asking the usual questions about our health in a cordial manner.
He took me to a seat at the head of the hall—a sort of double seat with a window
behind—-through which armed men kept watch. He placed me on his left, and
tea, followed by coffee, was served. We conversed about the general situation,
he telling me that Ibn Rashid was now in Madinah with Rakhri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. and
Ibn Lailah atBamascus with Jamal Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. . He enquired after news of the dear
Government (British) and I was able to tell him that on the day of my
arrival at Baghdad (30th September) we had gained a nice victory over the
Turks at Ramadi, taking 3,000 odd prisoners and 12 guns. I told him how
the Turks were caught and obliged to surrender, the commander being one
Ahmad Beg. He told me that all was peace at present on these borders? He
gave me a letter from his father, Bin Saud, in which the latter said he was very
busy in Riadh at present, but would like to see me there, when it suited my
convenience. J
My reception was extraordinarily good. I was offered a house in the town or
tents outside, choosing the latter as that arrangement pleased them most. They
pitched 2 large tents for the men and 1 smaller, but higher, red tent for me.
Abbas “ Beg ” conducted me back to my camp after our reception at the Palace"
I riding back to camp on Turki’s mare. Our camp was on sand near a clumn
of ithal outside the N. E. face of the Buraidah town wall, which is about a mile
long with walls about 15 feet high, and a great fort about the centre of the walls
with a tower at each corner and one in the centre. A large watch-tower is a
conspicuous object in the rear face.
Turk! has a thin, pale face of a sort of old ivory colour and smoothness •
black eyes, small, but not set too close together; about 5' 8" in height. 1^611^
gent and brave, I should say, and a man fond of honour and with a penchant
for higher ideals but somewhat effeminate, with’the inevitable stamp of the
favourite son. His face narrow, general expression pleasing, boyish, rather