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The Land of Midian, Vol. 2

R >> Richard Burton >> The Land of Midian, Vol. 2




Noon. 30.15 - 65 64 57 22 In main cabin. Glorious
day. Blue sky; bluer
sea. Strong breeze.
Cloudy and clear.

3p.m. 30.16 - 67 65 58 25 In main cabin. After
noon wind gradually
fell, and sky cleared;
became much warmer.
Steamer (five and a half
knots) beat the sailing
tender. North perfectly
clear; south and east,
fleecy clouds. Sun clear
and warm.

At sunset red cirri. Wind increased greatly. Waves following us, high and
hollow. Bad night. Wind and water high. At midnight(?), rode with head to
gale. February 9th, four a.m., turned south. Six a.m. stood for Makná (right
angles, and nearly "turned turtle").

ON BOARD "MUKHBIR."

Feb. 9. 7a.m. 30.22 - - 64 26 26 In main cabin, off Sharm
Dabbah. Sky quite clear.
North wind colder than
ever, yet we are going
south. Beginning of
dangerous gale which
lasted till February
13th. Ugly hollow sea.

1p.m. 30.15 - - 66 58 28 In main cabin. Out of
'Akabah Gulf. Passed
into a summer sea. Under
lee of Tirán. On deck 63
degrees (F.).

3p.m. 30.11 - - 69 59 27 In main cabin, rounding
south of Jezirat Tirán.
Sky all clear, except
wind cirri over 'Akabah
Gulf and to west.

At nine p.m. halo round moon, and far from it--bad sign! Before midnight gusts
began. Increased at one a.m. (February 10). At four a.m. very violent north
wind from El-'Akabah.

Feb. 10 7a.m. 30.07 - - 69 65 30 In cabin of Mukhbir,
south of Tirán. Water
ruffled. Clouds
everywhere. Rain on the
coast. Felt raw. Mottled
sky.

Noon. 30.03 - - 72 64 38 In cabin at Tirán. Sun
out at nine a.m. Clouds
and clear. Windy sky.
Cirri to west and north-
west. Dark clouds to
leeward.

3p.m. 29.94 - - 74 65 25 In cabin at Tirán. Rain-
storm to south-west.
Wind north. Sky cloudy
and clear. Cool breeze,
not high.

At four p.m. a few large drops fell. Heavy rain at El-'Akabah and on east
coast. Sand-veil over Sinaitic shore. Six p.m., wind gusty. Rain-clouds all
over coast. Wind becoming warm. At 1.15 a.m. (February 11), terrible rush and
fall of rain. Wind westing. Mild at first. Five a.m., hard Gharbi, threatening
Azyab. All mist--could hardly see the shore.

Feb. 11. 7a.m. 29.82 - - 71 67 35 To windward of Tirán.
Howling west wind. Sun
like pale cheese.
Aneroid falling. After
seven a.m. the storm
broke, and we narrowly
escaped a wreck in two
places, Tirán and
Sináfir. Crisis of gale.

Noon. 29.80 - - 70 60 30 In Sináfir port, main
cabin. Wind west,
bending to south on
falling.

3p.m. 28.20 - - 72 65 24 In main cabin. Mist and
sand. English sun. Wind
west and warm. Sea green
and breaking.

At five p.m. the sand-mist began to clear off. Wind died away, then turned
north and north-north-east. Light scud over moon, going slowly. Patches of
blue, and stars. Barometer rising fast. Perfectly still night till midnight,
when it began to blow, about the setting of the moon. At Suez, during the
gale, red dust prevented ships seeing one another; and at Cairo trees were
uprooted.

AT SINÁFIR ISLAND.

Feb. 12 " 30.13 - - 68 62 31 In main cabin. At 3.30
a.m. a violent Ayli,
like that of El-'Akabah,
began to blow. Gusts and
shivering water. Swept
off all sand-fog.

Noon. 30.17 - - 73 64 27 In main cabin. Howling
wind. Sea less, because
of ebb. Breeze fresh.
Sky clear to south; few
white clouds to north-
east and west. Sun
bright and warm.

3p.m. 30.14 - - 75 65 24 In cabin. Wind violent
as ever, and cold from
north.

During the night the wind blew from all possible directions; north-east, and
at one time due west.

LEFT SINÁFIR FOR SOUTH.

Feb. 13. " 30.18 - - 66 60 36 In main cabin. Howling
north wind till four
a.m., then milder.
Hardly a speck of cloud.
Fresh cool air from
north. Sea very blue.
All sail set. Mist-
clouds on tallest peaks
of coast-range. Wind
diminished as we went
south. Cirri everywhere,
zenith and on horizon.

Noon. 30.12 - - 69 59 26 On deck. Soft pleasant
air; before cold and
hard. Influence of
El'Akabah. Thermometer
on deck 69 degrees (F.).

3p.m 30.10 - - 71 62 20 On board. Sky milky
everywhere with cirri.
Wind north-west, going
west.

Red sunset. Distant halo round moon--cleared off soon (a good sign), and not
well marked. Light westerly gale (No. 2).

AT SHARM YÁHÁRR.

Feb. 14. 7a.m. 30.06 - - 64 58 22 In cabin (open).
Splendid morning. Wind
west, set in hard before
noon. Milk-and-water
sky. Should have been
kept at Sináfir.

Noon. 30.04 - - 71 60 20 West wind increased. Sky
clear; but SHÁRR
Mountains cloudy--
condensing moisture.

3p.m. 30.02 - - 71 60 20 In cabin. North-west
wind strong. Moved ship.
Heavy black clouds on
mountains.

ON BOARD "MUKHBIR" AT SHARM YÁHÁRR.

Feb 15. " 30.10 - - 66 58 30 In cabin.

Noon. 30.13 - 72 - - 35 In cabin.

3p.m. 30.14 - 75 - - 26 On deck. Clouds above
the mountains.

Cold north-west breeze at five p.m. Sea high. Aneroid observations at Sulphur
Mountain--foot, 30.14; top, 29.90; difference .24 = 250 feet.

Feb. 16. 7.30a.m. 30.23 - - 63 55 20 In cabin. Aneroid
unusually high. Clear
and cloudy at mountains.
Cool air and light
breeze.

12.50p.m. 30.23- - 64 55 20 Cool. Wind north. In
cabin.

3p.m. 30.20 - - 66 56 18 In cabin. Cool. No
clouds.

Splendid night. Not a sign of cloud. Cool. White streak on the water (milky
sea, like that of Bombay, caused by fish?). Finest weather yet seen.

ON BOARD "MUKHBIR."

Feb. 17. 6a.m. 30.17 - 66 - - 15 In cabin. Cool, clear,
splendid. Forenoon warm
and still. Sea glassy.

Noon. 30.16 - 74 - - 20 In cabin. Sea-breeze
came up strong at eleven
a.m.

3p.m. 30.13 - - - - 23 In cabin. Sky clouded
all the afternoon--did
not see the sun. Moon
veiled--not a nice look.

Night very cold (shivery). Wind Barri ("land-breeze").

IN MESS-TENT, OPEN TO EAST.

Feb. 18. 6.30a.m. 30.00 - 61 - - 14 Cold and clear. Land-
breeze.

Noon. 30.04 - 78 - - 33 Sea-breeze setting;
land-breeze stopped. Sky
perfectly clear. Sun
hot. No end of flies.

3p.m. 30.04 - 78 - - 22 Fierce and violent west
wind--a Gharbi, or
exaggerated sea-breeze?
Sky quite clear.

Night quite still. Cold wind stopped at nine p.m. rather suddenly.





OBSERVATIONS TAKEN DURING SECOND MARCH TO THE HIMSÁ PLATEAU, SOUTH-EASTERN
MIDIAN, BETWEEN FEBRUARY 19 AND MARCH 8, 1878.



The distance traversed comprised 222-1/4 statute miles, mostly through
unexplored country.

On return compared aneroids:--
French .............................. 763 millimetres.
My Casella .......................... 762 "

Difference .......................... .001 "

Date. Time. Aneroid Ther. Hygr. Remarks.
Inches. (deg.)(deg.)

Feb. 19. 6.20a.m. 30.07 65 23 In big tent at El-Muwaylah. Cool land-
breeze. Sky quite clear.

Noon. 29.82 74 23 At Wady Surr, under tree in sea-breeze.
Clear sky, few white clouds. Cold land-
breeze in Wady Surr at ten a.m.; cold sea-
breeze at eleven a.m.

3.40p.m. 29.60 76 20 At Safh Wady Malayh (Malih), in big tent.
Feels as if high up.

Night perfectly still, except a gust about midnight.

Feb. 20. 6.25a.m. 29.53 60 21 In big tent at Safh Wady Malayh. Clear and
fine.

11.20a.m.29.40 73 43 Under tree at base of western Gháts. Fine
cool sea-breeze.

3p.m. 29.44 78 17 At Sayl Wady el-Jimm ("water-gathering").
Hot sun. Cold sea-breeze.

Night cold, with land-breeze.

Feb. 21. 6.15a.m. 29.38 64 7 In big tent at Sayl Wady el-Jimm. Clouds
to north and east; air damp. High wind and
clouds.

12.45p.m.28.82 71 25 On march up Wady Sadr, under tree. Cold
sea-breeze. Sky quite clear; sun warm.
Awful east winds down these Wadys form the
Goz or sand-heaps.

3.30p.m. 28.86 76 7 In small tent at El-Nagwah, in Wady Sadr.
Sun hot; breeze cold.

Night cold, but not so cold as we expected.

Feb. 22. 6a.m. 28.86 56 8 In big tent at El-Nagwah.

11.50a.m.25.40 65 4 Under tree in Wady Sadr; say, 1600 feet
high. White clouds. West wind (sea-breeze
deflected to north) blowing. Here cold
comes from wind.

3p.m. 27.80 74 3 In big tent at Amwáh el-Rikáb, Wady Sadr.

At four p.m. cold and clouds; cumuli and cirri. West wind deflected to north.
At five p.m. thermometer in tent 66 degrees. Fire in tent. Night cold, clear,
and still. A few gusts about midnight.

AT HEAD OF WADY SADR.

Feb. 23. 6.30a.m. 27.80 53 5 In big tent foot of Gháts. Weather lovely-
-clear, fine, and cold. At eight a.m. sun
warm, then cold wind.

1.30p.m. 26.88 72 5 In big tent. Cold easterly gale.

4p.m. 26.90 65 2 In small tent, same place.

Violent wind at midnight. Cold; thermometer 38 degrees.

Feb. 24. 6a.m. 26.95 48 0 At head of Wady Sadr.

26.15 45 0 To summit of Khuraytat el-Jils (Pass).
Above the Pass, aneroid 26.25; below,
26.70: difference, .55 = 450 feet. Walked
down in twenty-six minutes.

11.30a.m.26.18 56 0 In the open, under shade. Perfectly clear
of clouds. Sun hot.

3p.m. 26.26 66 -2 In big tent on Hismá plateau (short
descent to camping-ground). Air clear; sun
hot.

Very cold when sun sets. Gusts from east at night.

ON HIMSÁ PLATEAU.

Feb. 25. 6.30a.m. 26.30 42 3 In big tent.

12.30p.m.27.84 74 12 At foot of Khuraytat el-Jils. Still, no
wind; no clouds.

3.30p.m. 27.83 78 17 No wind; no clouds.

Night splendidly clear and still. Felt warm.

Feb. 26. 6a.m. 27.72 64 2 In big tent on Hismá plateau. Glorious
orange-coloured dawn. Mild north wind.
Moon in last quarter. At eight a.m. good
breeze from north; at eleven a.m. cool and
pleasant breeze from east.

Noon. 28.00 70 -8 On march in Shafah Mountains. Hot sun.
Cold wind.

3p.m. 28.30 85 -4 Camp Majrá el-Ruways. In small tent.
Strong west breeze in gusts.

Night glorious at foot of the two Passes.

Feb. 27. 6a.m. 28.10 65 -4 On ground outside tent at Majrá el-Ruways.
Sky overhead quite clear; a few flecks to
south, low clouds to east. At 8.30 a.m.
wind south. Sun at first hot; then sky
cloudy.

11.45a.m.28.48 80 3 At El-Rahabah, head of Wady Dámah, under
tree. Fine sea-breeze. High white strata
to north-east and south. No clouds
elsewhere.

5p.m. 28.56 76 -5 Under thorn-tree at Wady Dámah. Fleeting
cirro-cumuli.

Night very cold. Not a sign of dew till we returned on board Mukhbir.

Feb. 28. 6a.m. 28.50 44 -5 At Wady Dámah, on box in open. Clouds and
sea-breeze at 8.45 a.m.

1p.m. 28.29 70 19 Under tree at Shuwák ruin. Thermometer in
sun, 82 degrees. Bits of cumuli from
south. At two p.m. furious wind and dust
(sand-devils) scouring up valley from
south, also deflected to west by Pass
gorge. "Sand-devils" in Wadys Surr, Sadr,
Dámah, Shuwák, and Salmá.

3p.m. 28.19 71 16 In big tent.

A few gusts during early part of night; the rest very still. Cold and clear.

AT SHUWÁK RUIN.
Mar. 1. 6.45a.m. 25.30 46 10 Very cold; hands chilled. Land-breeze at
eight a.m. At barrage (dam), aneroid
28.36.

Noon. 28.37 76 17 In small tent. Noon hot. Wind gusty--not
regular and strong as yesterday.

3p.m. 28.34 77 6 In small tent. Sky clear; air still and
sultry.

Mar. 2. 6a.m. 28.30 58 11 In big tent at Shuwák. Air still. Clouds
to east. Afterwards sky mottled, windy
striae. At seven a.m. rainbow without
rain; thin cloud north of sun;
perpendicular streak, brilliant enough:
lasted twenty minutes.

9a.m. 28.75 66 - At Shaghab ruin. Sea-breeze at eleven a.m.
Clear and cool. Day slightly cloudy; sun
partly hidden.

3p.m. 28.60 86 15 In big tent at Majrá el-Wághir. Mild sea-
breeze. Hot sun. High clouds.

Night windless, except few occasional gusts. Stars veiled. Grand zodiacal
light (now the regular thing). Cool and pleasant.

Mar. 3. 6a.m. 28.55 66 14 At Majrá el-Wághir, outside tent. Sky
cloudy; mist to north, "mackerel's back"
to east. Sea-breeze at 9.30 a.m. in Wady
Dámah.

Noon. 29.13 75 26 Under tree in Wady Dámah. Cool wind from
south-west. A few clouds, getting
gradually darker to west and south-west.

4p.m. 29.20 78 15 At El-Kutayyifah (camp) under a tree. Cool
south-west wind.

6a.m. 29.30 63 16 Cold north wind. Sea-breeze at nine a.m,
In big tent at El-Kutayyifab.

Mar. 4. 11.30a.m. 29.33 68 11 In shade of rock, Umm ámil.

4p.m. 29.63 80 10 In small tent at Má el-Badi'h, Wady Salmá.
Cold, stiff gale: dust-laden sea-breeze up
the ugly gorge.

5.45a.m. 29.50 60 13 At Má el-Badi'h, on box in open air. Air
clear; thin threads to south.

Mar. 5. 12.30p.m. 30.06 84 -3 At Zibá, in big tent, open east and west,
fronting the bay.

2.45p.m. 30.00 82 4 At Zibá, in small tent.

AT ZIBÁ, IN CAMP (our second halt).

Mar. 6. 6a.m. 29.92 61 15 In big tent. Rather heavy clouds to east
and elsewhere. Sea-breeze began at ten
a.m.

Noon. 30.04 86 10 In big tent. Air dull and heavy. "Rain-
sun."

3.45p.m. 30.00 81 3 Sky quite clear.

Storm at sunset. Heavy clouds rising over arch from west to north: all said
meant wind. At seven p.m. violent gusty gale; nearly blew down tents. Rushing
and furious rain from north-west. Gusts lasted long. Fell about eleven p.m.
Rose again very violently at midnight; then blew itself out. Followed by cold
air. Rain lasted about one hour; damped the ground, and left deep puddles in
the rock-hollows.
Never had thunder and lightning in Midian.

Mar. 7. 6a.m. 31.12 58 15 At Zibá, on box. Cold and clear. A few
clouds to west.

11.30a.m.29.96 74 19 At Jebel el Ghál, in shade in the open.
Fine west wind.

Night and morning cold. On summit of Jebel el-Ghál, aneroid 29.75.

Mar. 8. 6a.m. 30.04 51 11 At Máyat el-Ghál (camp), on box.

March 8th is the 30th (last day of) Imshir (February), 1094.
March 9th is the 1st of Barmáhát (March). See Chap. I. p. 22.
In the early days of Barmáhát they expect the Husum or violent wind which
destroyed the tribe of Ad.
After seven nights and eight days begins the Bard el-Agúz, or "old man's
cold."
On Barmáhát 12 (March 20) is the Intikál el-Shams, or "vernal equinox;" after
which the weather becomes warmer.





OBSERVATIONS TAKEN ON BOARD "MUKHBIR" IN SHARM YÁHÁRR, BETWEEN MARCH 8 AND
MARCH 12, 1878.



Date. Time. Aneroid Ther. Dry Wet Hygr. Remarks.
Inches. (deg.)Bulb. Bulb.(deg.)

Mar. 8. 12.40p.m.30.08 74 - - 18 Main cabin, Mukhbir.

Mar. 9. 7a.m. 30.10 20 69 62 - In cabin.

12.30p.m.30.13 73 72 64 - Quite clear. Fresh sea-breeze.

3p.m. 30.11 75 74 64 - Clouds white and streaky
everywhere.

In the evening clouds on hills and mountains, especially the SHÁRR; elsewhere
clear. Red sunset, grand. At night dew heavy on board Mukhbir; gunwales wet in
morning. Moon with kind of half halo round her. Night very hot--sign of coming
storm.

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