'Routes in Arabia' [‎334] (367/852)

334
R oute N o . 90— contd.
point the road is a good, level one over hard sand and earth ;
i a mile after entering the pass the road branches into 3',
the right-hand one {i. e., the east one) being the one to Laudar
The road here turns north-east, crosses a valley, then a small
ridge up a slope of about 3^ and then descends into another
valley, where the road again branches, both going to Laudar,
but the right-hand one is the most direct. This latter emerges
from the hills ^ of a mile beyond the branch ; the other winds
along a small valley for f of a mile before leaving the hills. The
whole distance through these hills is about 2^ miles or 2 miles
by the shorter road to Laudar. Following the former after
leaving the hills the road crosses the Ardh Ahl Said in a north-
north-west direction towards the isolated ridge, Haid Mahrab, 5
miles distant and just before reaching which it turns north-east
and keeps in this direction all the way to Al-Jauf. The road
across this plain is over hard sand an J is perfectly level until
within a mile of Al-Jauf, when it descends slightly to the village.
The whole plain is covered with scrub, thick' in most places but
only enough to stop one's view. The other road to Laudar is
the same kind and good, but goes straight toward.", Al-Jauf with a
bearing of 16°.
A - Jauf is a small village consisting of one stone building sur
rounded by a wall 8 feet high with a few native huts attached
to it on the north side and some more 300 yards away to the
north-east. There is a little cultivation all round. It is with
in sight of Laudar, which is 5 or 6 miles distant, and there is a
range of low hills about a mile to the north of Al-Jauf running
straight for Laudar. Al-Jauf is about 5 miles north of the road
from Mis-hal to Dakhlah.
A small force of about 100 men encamped here on January
8th, 1904. The camp faced north with the main tower of the
village immediately in rear. To the front were some fields of
millet.
1 he well is a good mile along the road towards Laudar. The
water is good, but there is not much of it.
No supplies to any extent are procurable at Al-Jauf, but
everything can easily be obtained from Laudar. Although
there is a little firewood to be picked up, it is better to collect
»t on the march as there is plenty on this road.
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