Norris: Diary, July - September, 1904

December 25 Christmas Day 1904

Melaḥ 9:00 A.M. calm. Temp. 40 °F. Baro. S. 25.43 nimbus & cumulus clouds 1/2 Snow went fast during day, which was spent in Shêkh's house.

December Monday 26 1904

Melaḥ 7:30 A.M. Temp. 38 °F. Baro. S. 25.35 Calm clear to a few cimbus? Thin ice formed in night

Left Melaḥ 8:17 A.M. iṣ-Ṣâfiyeh 9:05 " iṣ-Ṣâfiyeh 10:55 " Burâḳ 11:30 " Burâḳ 1:40 P.M. Khậzimeh 2:12 " Khậzimeh 3:45 " Melaḥ 5:00

Roads good quite straight, Level Guide mounted.

December Tuesday 27 1904

Melaḥ 7:00 A.M. Baro. S. 25.23 Temp. 42 °F.

Clear. Calm - Thin ice in nigh. cimbus? clouds #2 breeze W. Left Melaḥ 8:30 Dêr in-Naṣrânī 10:10 " Dêr in N. 11:45 Melaḥ 1:13

Road good, level until at base of hill, straight, Guide mounted

Left Melaḥ 2:20 Khậzimeh 3:35 " K. 4:00 Imtận 5:10

Roads good, L. & S. G. Mounted. Melaḥ to Khậzimeh

Over plowed fields, 1st 3/4 of way then fair road K. to Imtận G.M.

B's horse & mine broke loose at Melaḥ 12:30 & had a terrible fight knocking each other down, grabing? each other by backs of necks with teeth, then both rearing together and striking out with fore feet and bellowing like mad - conseqence is that my horse is lame in right shoulder.

Our Dragoman has been worried for some time about me fearing that my horse will hurt me. He is the most vicious one in camp. This morning he reared with me several times & cut up badly in his efforts to fight B's horse on account of jealousey? over a mare.

December Wednesday 28 1904

Imtân 7:00 A.M. Temp. 32 °F. Baro. S 25.53 #3 Breeze W. Clear. Breeze increased to #4 or #5 & blew all day & into night. Ice in night

Left Imtân 8:03 little N. of E Umm Ḳoṣêr 9:13 * " Umm K. 9:31 S. il-Mithnâyeh 10:06 " M. 10:50 S.W. passed Umm il-Mezâbil

(Mother of the Dung heaps) at 11:31, ruins of piles of stones & few caves on slight rise of ground - Reached Gharâbeh 12:06 Ruins approx. 2 miles W. of Wadi Râdjil.

Left Gharâbeh 2:30 W.N.W. Umm Liwân (Mother of the hall) 3:10 ascending by the S. side the Easterly of 2 conical shaped hills on the summit of which are ruins of a small village and numerous caves of considerable size, evidently now used at some season of the year by the Beduin although deserted when we saw them, and containing some cut-stones taken from ruins outside - good place to look for inscrptions. Baro. S. 25.62 Temp. 48 ° Left. 4:05 Directly facing the setting sun - I'nât 4:40

Way all day G.S. & L - G.M.

* Umm Ḳoṣêr approx. 1 mile W. of Wadi Râdjil

December Thursday 29 1904

I'nât 8:15 A.M. Temp. 34 °F. Baro. S 25.95 Clear, Calm Ice in night.

F.A.N.Left I'nât 9:09 N. foot of Irmâḥ 10:30 Arrived summit Road G.S. & L. G. on foot 10:55 Left summit 3:25 horse to summit through volcanic ashes & Lava at top. 15 min. to descend on foot. Arrived I'nât 5:02

B. & L. went S. 1 h 30 min to Dêr il Kahf, a ruined Roman fortress, in midst of Desert country and at the crest of a gradual slope to the South. After spending approx. 4 hours there, the went W.N.W. for 50 min to a small ruined village uninhabited, but with a few Beduin tents in the ruins, where the Beduin shepherds of the Druse of I'nât were camped. village called idj-Djubaiy and contained ruins of a convent with the town standing. They stayed there 50 min. and then returned to I'nât going N.E. 1:20 mins. at a faster gait, over a good road most of way. View to S. from idj-Djubaiy cut off by slight rising ground.

Way good, straight, slightly rolling. Guide mounted pace 2 3/4 miles per hour, but about 3 1/2 miles per hour back from idj-Djubaiy.