are Ventiducts for the Air to pass, and the holes are surrounded with small Mounts of Earth to keep the Sand and Dust from falling down. We marched close by these Mounts, which might serve us for Defence, expecting every moment that the _Arabs_ would come to Assail us, having the disadvantage of Sun and Wind in our Faces: wherefore we Travelled hard to gain an Eminence where we might Post our selves advantageously, and stop and repose a little, to consider what we had to do. The _Arabs_ finding us to come on with this Order and Resolution, thought not fit to adventure on us, so we gained the Hill, from whence we might discern these vast and noble Ruins, having a Plain like a Sea for greatness to the Southwards of it. Here having refresh'd our Men, we fetch'd a little Compass and descended by the foot of a Mountain, on which stands a great Castle, but uninhabited. Here two _Arabs_ came to us with Lances, one being Chiah to _Melkam_, and we sent two to meet them; they gave the _Salam alika_, and ours returned the _Alica salam_, and advancing to our Company, told us the _Emir_ had understood of our coming, and had sent them to acquaint us that he was our Friend, and that all the Country was ours. We sent back with them our _Janizary_ and a Servant to visit the Prince in his Tents, which were in a Garden. In the mean time we dismounted at a watering Place amidst the Ruins, but did not unload till our _Janizary_ and Servant returned with the _Emir's Tescarr_, assuring us of Friendship and Protection, a Writing which the _Arabs_ were never known to violate before. With them came also one that belonged to the _Sheck_ of the Town, for whom we had Letters from _Useffe Aga_ the _Emeer_ of _Aleppo_. He desired us for greater Security to pitch our Tents under the Town Walls, which is in the Ruins of a great Palace, the Wall yet standing very high, the Town within but small, and the Houses excepting two or three no better than Hog-sties. So we pitched in a deep Sandy Ground where we found it exceeding hot. Here we waited till three of the Clock without eating any thing, expecting the _Sheck_ should have presented us according to the usual Custom of the _Turks_ to their Friends, and have given some answer to the Letters we brought him; but on the contrary we found by the gesture of the People, that we had Reason to suspect them. Hereupon two of our Company believing that the want of a present to the _Emir_ was the cause thereof resolved to adventure to give him a Visit, and taking the _Janizary_ and one Servant, they carried him a Present of two pieces of Red Cloath, and four of Green, and several other things: Being come he welcomed them into his Tent, and placed the one on his right Hand and the other on his left. _Melkam_ was a young Man, not above Five and Twenty, and well Featur'd, and a most Excellent Horse-man; _Hamet Shideed_, the other Prince, was more elderly, as about forty Years of Age, and was not in the Tent, but sat under a _Palm-Tree_ near it.