"نجد الجنوبية: رحلة إلى الخرج والأفلاج والسليل ووادي الدواسر في سنة ١٩١٨." [ظ‎‎٢‎٦] (١٠٠/٥٧)

west of the Tuwaiq barrier is a vast plain of sand rising in parts
to substantial ridges and whether or not in the distant part
floods have ever covered this tract, it is certain that they have
not done so either recently or frequently enough to make an
impression on its surface, and the unprecedented floods of July,
1917, which I shall presently have occasion to discuss more
fully, failed by many miles to reach this point. Nevertheless,
the fact that there is an ample (though bad) supply of subsoil
water at no great depth from the surface in the area covered
by the settlement makes it extremely probable if not certain
that Kimida lay in the direct line of the flood channel, which
at one time cleft the barrier of Tuwaiq asunder.
Our intention had been to push on after our midday siesta
to Raka on the confines of the wadi and to reach Dam early
on the following morning but our plans were upset by the
occurrence of complications of a serious nature. On our arrival
at Sulaiyyil we had sent on messengers with our credentials
to the wadi to announce our arrival and another messenger
had gone ahead of us from Tamra to arrange for the supply
of fodder and other necessaries at our destination. The latter we
found awaiting us at Kimida with a messenger from the Amir
Hearing of our intentions the people of Dam had held an
indignation meeting and announced their firm resolve to oppose
the entry of the infidel into their hitherto unsullied territory,
if necessary by force, and suiting their actions to their words
had sent out a band of armed roughs to hold the outskirts of
the wadi against us. Ibrahim in all seriousness was for return
ing to the fastnesses of the Tuwaiq and sending for reinforcements
from Riyadh, but more sensible counsels prevailed and we
sent forward messengers with letters couched in suitably abusive
terms to the chief men of Dam and to the Amir himself announc
ing our intention of arriving on the morrow whatever the
consequences to ourselves and warning them of the consequences
to them if ill befell us.
This done we camped for the night and on the following
morning resumed our march wondering what the day had in
store for us. Our course lay over the same sort of desolate
sand desert as we had traversed on the previous day, but soon
alter leaving Kimida the sand ridges appeared to be running in
parallel lines from west to east with shallow depressions between
them. A march of five miles along one of these depressions