| | |stony ground, which would be | | |very troublesome at night or | | |even for a considerable body | | |marching by day. From Meshra El | | |Abiad road runs along river | | |bank; good going for camels, | | |and some grass and thorn | | |grazing. A few huts at Amrao, | | |where there is plenty of room | | |to camp and some shade. | | | | | |There is also a road by the | | |river, which was used by | | |General Hunter’s column. It is | | |said to be bad and to take | | |baggage camels 5 hours. | | | | | |Desert road leaves river at | | |once and follows telegraph wire | | |for 3½ miles, when latter | | |strikes off to right to river, | | |and continues along it to Abu | | |Haraz. To 3½ miles road is | | |good, in flat khor, few bushes | | |on left, and gigantic boulders | | |on right. Keeps on straight to | | |8 miles, crossing plain strewn | | |with scattered ridges of | | |granite boulders, and then | | |turns slightly to right down to Abu Haraz | 9½ | 36½ |river at Abu Haraz, 9 miles, | | |where there are a few ruined | | |mud houses, and a clump of | | |palms at 9½ miles, with camp | | |and shade for a battalion. No | | |water along road. | | | | | |For 4½ miles road winds in and | | |out of low slaty and granitic | | |ridges, with strip of good sand | | |between, keeping generally near | | |the river. It then leaves the