halt. We distributed ourselves round this rock as well as we could, in
order to repose;[76] Khalil Aga and myself making a covering from the
sun by means of my carpet, propped up by our fusees and fastened by the
corners to stones we placed upon the rock, by means of our shawls and
sashes. We stayed here till the middle of the afternoon, when we mounted
our camels in order to reach the well Morat as soon as possible, in
order to water those patient and indispensable voyagers of the desert.[77]
We traversed a tolerably level but rocky tract till about two hours
after midnight, when we reached the well. It lies in a valley between
two high chains of mountains of black granite. Its water is somewhat
bitter, as its name imports, and is not drank by travelers except when
their water-skins are exhausted. It serves, however, for the camels
of the caravans, and for the inhabitants of two Arab villages in the
vicinity, named "Abu Hammak" and "Dohap" who brought their camels to
water here the morning after our arrival. These poor but contented
people are obliged to subsist, for the most part, upon their camels'
milk, their situation affording little other means of nourishment. They
are, however, independent, and remote from the tyranny and oppression
which afflicts the people of most of the countries of the east.[78]

On the rocks near the well we saw some rude hieroglyphics, representing
bulls, horses, and camels, cut in the granite, in the manner of those
found in the rocks near Assuan, on the south side of the cataract. Our
guide tells us that such cuttings in the rocks are found in many of the
mountains of the desert.

During our stay at Morat a violent dispute had arisen among the Arabs of
our caravan about some money which had been stolen from one of them. The
man suspected of the theft endeavored to justify himself by much hard
swearing, but circumstances being strong against him, I told the man
who had been robbed, that if the money was not restored previous to our
arrival at Assuan, I would speak to the Cacheff about the affair,
who would take the proper measures to detect and punish the thief.
In consequence of this menace, the man robbed, next morning had the
satisfaction to find unexpectedly that his money had been secretly
restored and deposited among the baggage, from whence it had been
stolen.

On the 13th, at sunset, we quitted Morat; and after a winding march
among the hills for five hours, we arrived at a broa