BSY_FB_28-074

March Wednesday 15 1905

Shêkh 'Alī Kāsûn 7:30 A.M. Temp. 48 ° Baro. L. 27.75
calm 1/2 cloudy - showery.

P & N. left camp 8:35 to Tạrrad & then branched? E. arriving
at 9:45 il-Laḥûneh, a small settlement of Beduins & peasants
at the foot of the 'Alī, in a little basin nearby surrounded by the hills but
with a break to the S. through which can be seen part of the
village of Tell iḍ-Ḍura direction 178 ° distance 3 1/2 to 4 miles. The boundry?
of the 'Alī can be seen or 2 1/2 miles running 161 °.
We ascended hill to N.W. of town and took some sights. We then
left hill at 11:00 and went in a winding course generally Westerly down
a valley and the? skirted the N. side of a hill arriving at 12:25 at a
small uninteresting settlement of Kubabs il-'Ôdjā on the plain? and 10 min. S. of
the road from Shêkh 'Alī Kāsûn to Hâmā. To the N. and 5 min. to N.
of said road at the base of the 'Alī was a small village Resm il-Baghl?
same description as il-'Ôdjā. We lunched outside of the village and
proceeded at 1:42 going E.N.E. and crosing road above mentioned then
going in same direction arrived at small settlement il-'Êwir 2:17. Besides
the usual hovels it contained a house of one story made of mud
covered with nice white plaster and enclosed in a yard with a 6 ft.
wall made of same material. This was the establishment of
'Abd il-Kerîm Pasha, the shêkh of the Benī Khâlid tribe of
Beduins that had settled in the 'Alī. The government had given
him a decoration. We did not dismount but turned back to road
reaching it in 5 mins. and then following it to camp arriving 3:50.

Butler arrived from Damascus 5:50 P.M.

cont'd.