[Un-numbered file] 'Diary of Colonel Hamilton's Visit to Nejd 1918' [‎49r] (97/206)

To-day as yesterday weX are crossing the Summan,
a stony undulating tract of country. We seem to
be moving through a succession amphitheatres
which have no apparent exits; mostly circular
with a diameter of one to two miles. Crossing
from one to another is rough going for camels.
1 wonder that their feet stand it and don*t
believe any but the locally-bred baasts could.
Managed to shake off the Shammar crowd,
which is bodnd for Artawiyah and joined up with
us yesterday. But I shall have to leave the
caravan again; they are too painfully slow,
73 //* 3o
Dist. 21st . Started at 3.2b a.m, and chose nice little
miles,
hollow with grazing at about 9-2b a.m. We ate
Bar. 2680’.
dried gazelle of which we had bought 27 car
casses from the Solubbis at al Gara’a. We paid
2 dollars per carcass. Lately there was a lot
of unnecessary talk about the march,and conti
nuing with or leaving the caravan,the proper
time to start or to halt,everyone having his
own and a difficult idea on these points. Deter
mined, therefore, totake charge myself and have
no more argument or advice. Sooner or later
every traveller is compelled to do the same,
of travel in Arabia;
however slight may be his expereince/ otherwise
there are disputes from which all sorts of little
troubles arise. The result of my taking charge
as caravan leader has so far been satisfactory.
We had a good 3 or 4 hours march before daylight
and the camels came on gaily all the way.
Aarched from 2.15 p.m. to 8.45 p.rn. ; met small
rrfj±£«k»
body of Shammars,taking goods to Artawiyah. They
collided with us on our route at night and there
was a lot of drawing rifles and very nearly a
r©w until re separated. Marched one hour into
the Dahana.