stones have been hurled into the Wady below; the large
pavement-slabs have been torn up and tossed about to a chaos; and
the restless drifting of the loose yellow Desert-sand will soon
bury it again in oblivion. The result of all such ruthless
ruining was simply null. The imaginative Naji declared, it is
true, that a stone dog had been found; but this animal went the
way of the "iron fish," which all at El-Muwaylah asserted to have
been dug up at El-Wijh--the latter place never having heard of
it. Wallin (p. 316) was also told of a black dog which haunts the
ruins of Karayya, and acts guardian to its hidden treasures.
Years ago, when I visited the mouth of the Volta river on the
Gold Coast, the negroes of Cape Coast Castle were pleased to
report that I had unearthed a silver dog, at whose appearance my
companion, Colonel de Ruvignes, and myself fell dead. But why
always a dog? The "Palace" is a Roman building of pure style;
whether temple or nymphaum, we had no means of ascertaining. The
material is the Rugham or alabaster supplied by the Secondary
formation; and this, as we saw, readily crumbles to a white
powder when burnt. The people, who in such matters may be
trusted, declare that the quarries are still open at Abu
Makharir, under the hills embosoming Aba'l-Maru. We should have
been less surprised had the ruin been built of marble, which
might have been transported from Egypt; but this careful and
classical treatment of the common country stone, only added to
the marvel.

It must have been a bright and brilliant bit of colouring in its
best days--hence, possibly, the local tradition that the stone
sweats oil. The whole building, from the pavement to the coping,
notched to receive the roof-joists, is of alabaster, plain-white