On the 13th, we saw, about a mile to the northwest of us, Hambily, a
rock not considerable in size, but, from the plain country in which it
is situated, having the appearance of a great tower or castle. South
of it were too smaller hills, forming, along with it, landmarks of the
utmost consequence to caravans, because they are too considerable in
size to be at any time covered by the moving sands. We alighted on the
following day among some acacia trees, after travelling about twenty
miles. We were here at once surprised and terrified by a sight, surely
one of the most magnificent in the world. In that vast expanse of
desert, we saw a number of prodigious pillars of sand at different
distances, at one time moving with great celerity, at another stalking
on with majestic slowness. At intervals we thought they were coming to
overwhelm us; and again they would retreat, so as to be almost out of
sight, their tops reaching to the very clouds. There the tops often
separated from the bodies; and these, once disjoined, dispersed in
the air, and did not appear more. Sometimes they were broken near the
middle, as if struck with a large cannon shot. About noon, they began to
advance with considerable swiftness upon us, the wind being very strong
at north. Eleven of them ranged alongside of us, about the distance of
three miles. The greatest diameter of the largest appeared to me at that
distance as if it would measure ten feet. They retired from us with a
wind at S.E., leaving an impression upon my mind to which I can give no
name, though surely one ingredient in it was fear, with a considerable
deal of wonder and astonishment. It was vain to think of flying; the
swiftest horse, or fastest sailing ship, could be of no use to carry us
out of this danger; and the full persuasion of this rivetted me to the
spot where I stood, and let the camels gain on me so much, that, in my
state of lameness, it was with some difficulty I could overtake them.
The effect this stupendous sight had upon Idris was to set him to his
prayers, or rather to his charms; for, except the names of God and
Mahomet, all the rest of his words were mere gibberish and nonsense.
Ismael the Turk violently abused him for not praying in the words of the
Koran, at the same time maintaining, with great apparent wisdom, that
nobody had charms to stop these moving sands but the inhabitants of
Arabia Deserta.