CHAPTER XI.
PETRA AND MOUNT HOR.
We rose early next day to commence our short day’s journey towards Petra. All around we beheld a sea of ridges and furrows of various rocks—and still more varied colours—tints of red, purple, and grey predominating, and we camped at the entrance of a grand gorge leading up into the heart of the Mountains of Edom, there to await the arrival of the Sheikhs of Petra, who we felt sure would not be long in making their presence known.
During our progress up the Wâdy el Arabah we had seen from time to time the English engineers whom I have already described as having passed our tents in the Wâdy el Ain, and whom we afterwards found camped at Akabah on our arrival there. We had had no communication, as they appeared to desire to avoid our company, and had forbid their dragoman (as we were informed) even to divulge their names. It may be presumed they were engaged in endeavouring to ascertain by the barometric process the elevation of the watershed of the Arabah above the Gulf of Akabah. On our part the observations of this same point would necessarily be more complete, as the level could be determined, not only by means of the aneroid, but by that of the theodolite, and also from both sides;—that of the Gulf of Akabah and of the Salt Sea, the depth of which below the Mediterranean had been accurately determined by the Ordnance Survey of Palestine by actual levelling from the Mediterranean itself. It can therefore be stated[1] that the height of the saddle is nearly 700 feet; but even were
- ↑
Determinations of the Elevation of the Watershed, W. el Arabah.
Above Gulf of Akabah. Mr. R. Laurence, 6 Dec. 1883, by aneroid 910 feet. Do. Do. deduced from hypsometrical determination of elevation of Mount Hor 390 ,, Mean 650 ,, M. Vignes’ determination, 240 metres 787 ,, Major Kitchener and Mr. Armstrong’s determination by triangulation 660 ,, Mean of all 699 feet
