'Routes in Arabia' [‎683] (714/852)

m
Kouri! No ' 188— concld.
supply of water; brackish but drinkable. From here at 320°
over rolling downs; stony but with abundance of grass, slopes, say,
1 in 30 ; and at mile 29, four wells, 5 feet below surface of ground,
water good. From here due west over fiat grassy plain. At
mile 51, a conspicuous red mound visible from a considerable
distance round. About | mile west of this 6 wells, 6 feet below
surface, water brackish but drinkable. From here at 280°
over a sandy stony plain, the grass though still existent becom
ing appreciably less, up to mile 87.
From here at 260°—over same kind of ground—up to mile
97, and from there at 270° up to mile 119, where the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Hail
is reached. (This is its name according to the Bedouins). This
is a valley about 1 mile broad, which holds running water accord
ing to native reports at times of excessive rain. Its bed is
about 50 feet below surface of the plain : its sides slope at about
1 in 60. Its course is from north-east to south-west. Accord
ing to native reports it begins at hills to the north-east and runs
for a day's march (say 40 miles) to the south-east beyond the
point where I crossed it. Also according to native reports
(a) water can bo obtained at 4 feet, below the surface but is
very brackish, (6) there is a well of bad water in the wddi about
i m. south-east of my point of crossing.
From the wddi at 300° over rolling stony downs, the grazing
improving up to mile 139, where there are eight wells, 10 feet
below plain surface, with good water—slightly salt. From
the wells at 270° up a long broad valley, running east and west
bordered on south by edge of the downs, on north by salt hills,
up to mile 167.
From here at 250° to mile 183 follow the course of the valley,
and thence at 220° to south border of valley at mile 196 where
the downs bend away to south and consequently the valley ceases.
From here at 240° until the road from Dair-az-Zor to Tadmur
was reached at mile 212. The point where it was met was about
20 miles north-east of Tadmur. Total distance 232 miles.
N ote .—Apparently there is no regular direct route between Abu Kamal
and Tadmur because of the shortage of water; there being no wells between mile
51 on lieutenant Fowle's route and Tadmur. As the erow fliee the distance
is barely 160 miles.