( 4 8 9 )

XL. i. July iS. 1678. At 5. in the Morning, we set out from Aleppo, ^ ‘»Ht' vbeing 16 EngltQr, bin witb Scrvants and Mulettiers in all 40; and in 4 M^chfn« h a-Hours and an half, Travelling South by East, we arrived at a Village call’d |£pp°; T ^-

Caßer abite , being at thc Edge of thc Defart. _ Tim!

19. Wc rose at One in the Morning, and dlrected our Course S. S. E. M/. Aaron c.ooa-over thc Dejart , for a Fcuntain call’d Cburraick\ but our Guide lofing his p"!',.*’way, there being no Path, ’twas ncar Noon betöre we found ir. The Wa-tts is of a Turgatiit Qpality. In our way we found two Arabs wich twoAsse?, one whereof carried Water and a little Bread, the other they Rode onby turns • they had One Gua wherewith they shot Gaz-els, the Bullet be-ing a hard stone broken round and cased with Lead ; they had on the Palmsoftheir Pfands, Elbows, Knees and Feet, seme Gazcl-Skin tied, that theymight be able to Crcep the bettet on the Grouud, to stioot; one ot the Asses’waiking by as a Stalking Horle, and the Arab imitating the Cry of thcGaz,el till hegets within shot. These Arabs are call’d Selebee. At the Wellcame to us forne Arabs that were making Astes of the ordinary fort ofWeeds call’d Chuddratfe, Ruggot, and Cuttaff ; thesc they Cut and Dry,and putting them into a Pit, set Firc to them, and the Aflies Cake at thcbottom. The Astes they carry to Eglib and Tripoli, to malte Soap of: Butthe best fort of Astes are made of the Weed Shinon, which grows aboutTadmor, Soukney , Ttbe and Tarne« ; it grows like Broom in England, andin shape reftmblcs Coral.

ao. We rose at 4 in the Morning, and Travelling 2 Hours E. S. E.we arriv’d at Andrtne, where we found thc Ruins of 2 or 3 Qburcbes, andof a Great Town lying in a large Plain ; where having taken Tome Frag-ments ot Gretk Infcriptions , which afforded no certain Sense, but yet wereEvidently Christian , we marched again 8. b. E. and in about 4 Hours timecame to a pleasant Aquedutt call’d Sheck-alal ; this Aquedufl is Cut throughthe tnain Rock, for a great way from the Mountains; and where it End«,the Arabs have made a Garden , which afforded us Melms, Cucumbers , P«r-stain, &c. In a Grott hard by, there dwelt an Arab with his Family; hehad aDozen Buffalo’s which they used both for their Milk, and to Plow theGround, Sowing both Wheat and Barley: hither the Arabs resbrt, whenthey have committed any Robbery about Aleppo, or Hama , and here theyRepose aud Divide thc Spoil.

it. We rose at 4 in the Morning, and riding 2 Hours South, we cameto a Ruin call’d Briadetn ; here we found the following Fnfcription on a Stone,good part in the Ground :

A4>IEPft>0H AAIATNAIOT TOT AM* 6TOTCAIA MAT6PN0T KA slTlJ ANNOT KAI MAIKOT KN6TMN■ -■ .T* —" ■ ■■ - -N

From hcnce going S. E. in 4 Hours more we came to a Well call’d Costali(which iignisies a Spring in Arab. ) Most part of our way through theDefart we were troubkd with Rat-holesva great Numbers, like Coney-Vol. III. " ’ Rrr hotoughs ,