THE WATERLESS WASTE 307

to be quite firm and hard as the result of its recent watering.
Here and there a jumble of short formless ridges broke the
general monotony of the bare plain, while in one spot we saw
a fine massif of high dunes about a mile or so to the south-
west, white and grey, in the alternating streaks of sunshine
and shadow. Everywhere the plants of the desert were
parched and dead, and no living thing did we see till nearly
noon when I was thrilled by the Bight of a swallow. A swallow
lost in that wilderness ! Round and round an Abal bush it
was flying when we first saw it. Twice it circled round our
little caravan in the friendliest manner, as it might do about a
ship at sea, and then it disappeared over a ridge ta return no
more—apparently travelling northwards. Some days later
we were to see its fellows in plenty at Sulaiyil—presumably
on the main route of their seasonal migration. This one may
have strayed from the flock or been blown out of its way. It
would scarcely find water to refresh it short of Jabrin.

We passed on, marching parallel with a very long and
unusually fine range of dunes extending as far as we could see
to north-east and south-west. In due course we struck at
right angles up its long, steep slope and down over its summit
into an absolutely bare plain, where the sand lay in well-
marked ribs across our path and its surface was sodden with
moisture to a depth of half an inch. There had clearly been
more rain here than we had enjoyed at any point, and we
spoke longingly of the rich herbage which would soon be
sprouting up in this area—too late for us, for we had not
given the rain time to do its work. Perhaps in a month's
time or more the Arabs of the great desert would be bringing
their cattle here to enjoy the fresh pastures, and they would
certainly find Oryx and hares in plenty for the pot.

The name of Bard Zainan1 would seem to indicate the
generally easy character of this tract of broad, featureless
valleys and plains lying between distant low ridges in con-
trast with the tract of Hawaya2 which signifies feequent,
narrow depressions or valleys between high dune-ranges

1 Zain =good, pleasant, while tbe common local term Bout (»>. children
of) seems to be familiarly appiied to dunee and ridges.
* i.e. plenty, quantity,