'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from September 1850 to June 1852. Edited by the Secretary. Volume X.' [‎101] (234/458)

MEMOia ON THE " TIGRIS.
101
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ambiguity with the u Meshw&r” of distance which has any length from
a horses walk backwards and forwards to a journey of a weeks' dura
tion. From the conversation in the Majuramah camp the error would
have been continued had I not proceeded to the spot, and indeed so
lax are they in speech that notwithstanding we stood upon the limit of
the dyke which one and all had called “ Ch&li Batikh” for the previous
twenty four hours, they had now managed in a distance of six miles to
confound with the Izhaki canal, a traveller unacquainted with the lan
guage of the country and receiving his information through an inter
preter, would be thus liable to endless deceptions, particularly when
numbers, breadth and extent are conveyed by idiomatic phrases or
metaphorical signs. Enquiry indeed, in this country is attended with
much vexation and labor from the proneness of the Arab to exagge
rate and falsify the little knowledge of locality which he really posses
ses, and the person who seeks for authentic information will do well
therefore to trust in nothing but his own eyes.
We now turned to retrace our steps in the direction of the bridge
ofHarbeh, our guides first minutely examining a “ trail" that had
been under their scrutiny for the half hour we remained on the spot.
Unseen by us it appears that four horsemen, having discerned our
party in the distance had made all speed to get away before they could
be overtaken. The Arabs declared the foot prints of the horses as not
half an hour old and indeed, a little further on some fresh horse dung
proved them to be right. From a closer inspection they even ven
tured to pronounce the fugitives as a party of Dellim, but I never
could understand how they had arrived at the conclusion. It is certain
however that in tracing they are very keen, and in this case every
organ of the party was at work to assist perception in much the same
way as an ore seeker would grub among the soils for traces of the
metals he was in quest of. As we had come along we had evidence of
the spot being a favorite winter locality of the Bedoins spread over as
the plain was with camel dung and the marks of their camp-fires under
the lee of the Chabi the high mounds of which doubtless afford them a
good shelter from the piercing N. W. winds. Progressing now
an E. N. E. course over the desolate plain, our party be-
came more loquacious the nearer we approached the inhabited