About two o’clock we passed a “memorial heap,” or cairn.  Some tragedy occurred there, and the custom of the region is that the passer-by places reverently on the pile of rocks already formed an additional stone.  Elsewhere I had seen this done when it seemed to me the actor was under the spell of a superstitious fear.

About the middle of the afternoon a soldier, full armed, dashes up to us in a mad gallop, hands a message to my dragoman, and then as rapidly rides back again.  I am a little alarmed at this until I learn that he has entrusted a writing to us to be delivered in Jerusalem.  A little later I see another soldier leave the group in which he is riding and gallop ahead across the open way to the brow of a hill.  There he dismounts, lays down his gun, takes the robe, or blanket, on which he rode, spreads it upon the ground, faces toward Mecca, and prostrates himself in prayer.  The prayer over, he dashes down to his party and they are off like the wind.

About four o’clock we passed near a little village, the only place where I saw a house on that long afternoon ride.  It is not safe for any one to live outside the villages; hence there are no isolated dwellings in all this region.  We did not halt for one moment, but kept pressing steadily on.

After five o’clock the plain was deserted; we saw from that time neither man nor beast.  I was cramped and painfully tired, and feeling that if I could but walk for a few minutes it would be quite a relief, I dismounted—­quite a difficult thing to do and keep from sprawling upon the ground.  But I was no sooner off my horse than Haleel was beside me, and my dragoman, who was at that time nearly a hundred yards ahead of me, rode back and sternly commanded:  “You get right back on that horse; this is no time to think of walking; you can do that some other time.”  Inwardly I resented it; how could I stand it longer!  I blamed it on the saddle, then I thought that they must have given me the worst horse of the three.  But all this helped nothing.  They assisted me again into the saddle.  Then my guide delivered a little speech in Arabic to Haleel.  I did not then understand it, but shortly after I learned the essence of it; it was, “You keep your eye on him and see that he keeps his horse moving.”  When I found myself again in the saddle I determined that if I must ride there would be no more trotting of my horse,—­I would proceed as gently as possible.  But, alas!  Haleel had his whip and my dream of controlling my horse was over.  After that I kept close to my dragoman.  At that time I thought it harsh treatment, but later I understood.