Here Egypt ends. We have done our work--

"And now the hills stretch home."

I must, however, beg the reader to tarry with me awhile. The next
march to the north will show him what I verily believe to be the
old gold-mine lying around El-Marwah. It acquires an especial
interest from being the northernmost known to the mediaeval
geographers.

El-Mukaddasi (vol. I. p. 101), in an article kindly copied by my
friend, the Aulic Councillor, Alfred Von Kremer, says, "Between
Yambu' and El-Marwah are mines of gold;" adding ("Itinerary,"
vol. i. p. 107) the following route directions: "And thou takest
from El-Badr ('the New Moon')[EN#77] to El-Yambu' two stages;
thence to the Ras el-'Ayn (?),[EN#78] one stage; again to the
mine (subaudi, of gold), one stage; and, lastly, to El-Marwah,
two stages. And thou takest from El-Badr to El-Jar[EN#79] one
stage; thence to El-Jahfah (?), or to El-Yambu', two stages each.
And thou takest from El-Jiddah (Jedda) to El-Jar, or to
El-Surrayn (?), four stages each. And thou takest from El-Yasrib
(Jatrippa or El-Medinah) to El-Suwaydiyyah (?), or to Batn
el-Nakhil (?), two stages each; and from El-Suwaydiyyah to
El-Marwah, an equal distance (i.e. four marches); and from the
Batn el-Nakhil to the mine of silver, a similar distance. And if
thou seek the Jaddat Misr,[EN#80] then take from El-Marwah to
El-Sukya[EN#81] (?), and thence to Bada Ya'kub,[EN#82] three
marches; and thence to El-'Aunid, one march." Hence Sprenger
would place Zu'l-Marwah "four days from El-Hijr, on the western
road to Medina;" alluding to the western (Syrian) road, now