Bartlett, William Henry: Forty days in the desert, on the track of the Israelites: or a journey from Cairo by Wady Feiran, to Mount Sinai and Petra (London, [1840])

WADY MOKATTEB—SINAITIC WHITINGS.

47

ing his insinuating appeals for backshish, by asking what he meant
to give us for qualifying him as a cicerone. In answer to this he put
forth his foot, which was but little hurt; and with a small present
we dismissed him happy and contented. We had now the laugh
against our stupid sheik; and as we proceeded towards Wady
Mokatteb, ironically twitted him with " Maghara ma fish," till he
was fain to drop in the rear, quite crest-fallen, whilst Ibrahim re-
tailed our disasters in the wady to the great amusement of the
lively Arabs.

In a short time after leaving the mouth of Wady Maghara the
valley expands into a small plain, and again suddenly contracts : it
is here, on the right-hand rocks, that the largest collection of the
Sinaitic writings is to be found ; they occur, indeed, in very con-
siderable quantity, and must have been the work of a large body of
men. Wady Mokatteb is the name given to the spot.

The drawing will convey a correct idea both of the characters and
of the rude attempts to pourtray camels, and other animals—perfectly