volume 2 - Robert Bedrosian's Armenian History Workshop

Camel Fair at Sukhnah. 195
tent between lines of camels seemed interminable, and
in the dim lantern light the gurgling and grunting and
smeUy beasts assumed colossal proportions.
We had now to prepare for our journey across the
desert which lies between Sukhnah and Der az-Zur.
We had filled our water-skins at Arak and therefore had
no need to drink the sulphur water at Sukhnah, but
we had not enough to take us on to Der az-Zur. So
we were obliged to fill up our water-skins before we
left the town, for Muhammad thought it quite likely
that we should not be able to find the only well in the
desert (Bir al-Kabakib), and even if we did we should find
the water too bitter to drink. We expected to be joined
by the three Turkish officers and the lady who had
come with us to Sukhnah the day before, but heard
that they had already set off three hours before daylight.
Turkish officers were not at that time popular
among the Arabs, and the few soldiers who were
quartered at Sukhnah advised our travelling companions
to leave the town in the dark. But we were to have
with us the fine old Arab and his caravan until the
evening at least, and Muhammad and I were glad. We
left Sukhnah at 11.25 a.m., November 9th, and took
the track on the eastern side of the long range of
mountains which had been on our left all the way from
Tudmur. At two o'clock we passed Tall al-Maiyalat
on our right, and began to cross a flat and truly horrible
desert. The ground was greyish-white and of a stony
character, and threw up into our faces the fierce heat
which beat upon it from the sun ; this part of the desert
was perfectly flat and stretched away into infinite
distance : and the silence was almost frightening. The
animals reeked of sulphur, and their riders found the
atmosphere decidedly unpleasant. About four o'clock
we overtook the Turkish officers, and we all rode on
together imtU 6.15, when we two camped for a while.
Muhammad made a fire to cook our supper, and as
we were doing this the Turkish officers came up and
wanted us to put the fire out, as they were afraid that
its light would discover us to wandering Arabs. Whilst
2