Norris: Diary, January - May, 1905

was evident that the man was a thief - either sent as a spy to find out our strength, or taken by surprise on his way to his hidden booty - in either case he signalled something to his confederates.

Left Umm is-Surab 2:15 P.M. going East, arrived at a branch of *Wadi Butm 2:27 and following it all the way up, crossed Roman road 2:53. Informed that it went from a tower 25 min. N 20° W of is-Summākiyât to il-Feden S.W. Crossed another Roman Road 3:09. Was informed that it came from kalát Zerka & met the other road at the tower above mentioned, & from there on was a road to Bosra. Arrived is-Summākiyât 3.25 Roads. G.S. & fairly level - gradual ascent - 75 ft. to mile. Guide mounted, pace 3 miles per hours: *See note Jan. 15th

Jan 15th '05. B. walked in morning 10 mins. E. to Kôm is-Summākiyât on S. side of wadi, a good sized town completely ruined with two churches & two birkets.

Jan. 26th chorus from townhouses: It seems like the sweetest music I had ever heard, although only from a music box, in the dining tent. It had only played two or three bars when a wolf nearby waited & howled as if in sympathy with the spirit of the scene.

Feb. 1st '05. little grass- only bunches of those bushes of the desert. We left Hammân is-Sarakh at 1.25 P.M. going W. over what appeared to be the lowest land for miles. It was perfectly flat nearly free of stones quite liberally covered with turf with bunches of ___ growing in it.

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Memoranda

These stretches in the level in which is Ḳoṣer it Ḥallabât, and they are called Ḳi'ân Khanneh. Sometimes they hold water in part & look like lakes, E. of Ḳoṣer it Ḥallabât approx. 6 hours is a range of hills called It Manâṣit, reported to be 3 hours N. of Kálat Ezrâk.

Feb. 5th 1905 their methods of dispossing of the dead are not perhaps so unsanitary after all. Our servants say that God was with us on Feb. 2nd and caused the rain & mist to come to conceal us from the Arabs who were in number and raiding the country only 2 hours ride from us; although at the time I was bemoaning my fate at not having good weather for sights for geographical work.

Feb. 8th 1905 most oriental ones. It seemed that in times past this Moḥammed had stolen a donkey and has traded it off with the Arab for a goat. The Arab was caught with the goods and punished. Now when he saw Moḥammed he wanted him to repay him for the goat with damages for false imprisonment besides.

Feb. 15th whip started to fight, striking with his fore feet, bigoting & kicking. They both bellowed like mad and wore with difficulty separated. I stuck my feet up in the air to save them from injury by flying hoofs and succeeded in not being hurt, although a flying hood caught the sole of one shoe, We arrived at iṭ- Ṭaiyibeh at 4.30. E & L, looked over the town which is Moslem pop. est. 400, with 2 Christian families no architecural remains of interest.

Feb 19th '05 pack and then ? in silence for some tea ? with the look of a dog waiting for his master to finish a chop and throw him the bone. Then he said the word which everybody understands in this country as soon as he steps foot on shore, the word "Backshish, "Backshish"? Why of course, you ought to have in? for how else can you live on a salary that is small and never paid, you with a large family to support, and a hard working ? ? Backshish? To be sure! And I look and my purse and gave him a medyidhe?. He grabbed my hand and kissed it and pressed it to his forehead nearly bowing to the ground in profound? gratitude. I would have no trouble at all, no inconvenience it was only his duty to get my name that was all and it? pained? him greatly to disturb me. He begged a thousand pardons + got out at the next station. He told my servant and the station platform that his master was very very kind. In my expansive? book is written: "Seeing the pleasure of the Becries? ?" 1 medjidhle?. Coming over the meter? there was considerable snow and we were enveloped in clouds. It rained + was very cold., but when we arrived in Berich? the entire complection of Thango? was changed - beautiful spring weather, everything fresh and green, flowers growing, blossoms and orange ?, this delightely? wafted odors of growing things and a refreshing air half cool and half baking that added to a ? of ? delight softened with by ? ? . It was too good: I would have been overjoyed with 1/10 of the blessing of God? that were heaped upon me. Ah! and the blue Meterarean? in all its serene majesty! But if I think of

in all any ? I shall go to ?. I shall cry with joy. How glad I am that I spent those 4 months on the desert and endured those - now all most forgotten hardships - but how I wish I could store ups these present delights and saturate my being with a few of them at a time. Now I am like a bee in a bed of roses. There are so many. Which shall I drink of first?

Mar 6th '05 contd. destroyed the tower. Afterwords the government protected them with soldiers.

Mar 10th - 05. The hill has sloping sides, goes up to a point nearly has a ? Wele? on its summit in the ruins of a - see B. It commands a fine view + appears to be the highest point in the Bjobel Ala. It rises some 150 ft above the plateau and is ? to near summit? which is approx 150 ft above plateau. In afternoon P.L. + N.went to Sabba, 20 mins away over flat evenly plowed fields, and spent about 2 hours. Left Shekh Ali Kaisun 1:52 arrived Sabba 2:30 a small knoll with village of about 20 houses of B. Baseth? settled Bed?. Remains of bldg. of large cut stone, dated 546 A.D. 3 Green inscriptions dates from 543 to 578 A.D. walks of 1 part the bldg. partly standing. Left 5:08 returning to camp 5:30. Pace about 2 1/2 miles per hour.