Page 199 - Arabian Studies (II)

The First Days of British Aden 191

sepulchres were those of his family, all carved in Arabic
characters. The floor was thickly carpetted and from a cotton
cloth, which concealed the height of the dome above, hung
suspended a number of glass lamps and ostrich eggs.
Having satisfied our curiousity here we returned through
the burying grounds (I might almost say the whole of the
plain of Aden is one large burying ground) to the right, where
we remarked some handsome marble slabs of some antiquity
and beautifully carved. I longed for an opportunity to carry
away one or two of them, they having at present no
proprietor.
Returned to the tent, played chess with S. and J., beat
them.
3 Sunday. Started with Evans at daybreak for the camp near
the Turkish wall. Ascended the hills to the right of the valley
to a square tower on the loftiest. Here there were signs of the
Bedouins having been lately at the spot. A chatty or earthen
vessel, full of very cool water was standing near the wall, and
there were the remains of mats, dates etc, close by. In
ascending we passed several tanks generally at the termi­
nation of a ravine to catch the rain water there flowing. One
was at a short distance from the tower, evidently for the
supply of the occupants in summer. They must have had
much trouble in taking water up there, the height being
about 1,000 feet and the acclivity steep. Not far from the
tower was a stout spar let into the rock with an iron fastening
at the top of it, either used to support a swivel or a beacon to
light, in case of an alarm being given. From this height we
had a view of most of the other towers which flank the wall
running along these hills, also of the town and bay and part
of the Turkish wall.
Skirted the wall for some distance passing two guns, the
wooden carriage of one of which was of singular con­
struction., and clambering over a portion of the wall which
was rather lower than the rest, descended to the plain by a
ravine.
The Turkish wall was constructed in the time of Soliman
the Magnificent2 3 and runs across the isthmus which unites
peninsula of Cape Aden to the main. It is now in a very
dilapidated state. It was supplied with water (at least its
defenders) by an aqueduct from a distance of about seven
miles, the remains of which are still discernible.
To check the Arabs before they could get to the town in
case of an attack, Major Bailie, the commandant, has
stationed a force of about 250 men at the wall, detachments
of the Bombay European Regiment being stationed on the :
right and left and one of the 24th N.I. in the centre. We bent