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Al Ma'a is a wretched hamlet, which has seen very much better days. There are high ruined castles, destroyed by the present sultan, as Al Ma'a and its head-men were once in revolt. Now there are only three or four Arab houses and a collection of reed huts. The valley is about two miles wide, and there are four or five Yafei towers near. Our escort were very much afraid.
He and the soldiers and the wazir, Abdullah bin Abdurrahman, rode at some distance to our left, between us and the dangerous Yafei towers. The Goddam or Kadam range, which separates the Wadi Yeramis from the Abyan, is a mass of arid peaks, none reaching to more than 2,000 feet. A road leads from Al Ma'a across the mountains to the sea at Asala.
De Peyster loosed her grip on Matilda's arm and vanished noiselessly downward. "Speak up there," commanded Jack, "or I'll fire on the chance of getting you in the dark." "It's only me, Mr. Jack," trembled Matilda. "What, Matilda!" cried Jack; and from above, like an echo transposed an octave higher, sounded another, "What, Matilda!" "Yes, Mr. Jack. Yes, ma'a yes, Mary."
It had never in its life been completely washed, though several large spots and trimmings had been painted on its head. My husband joined me at last, and had coffee too. It was fourteen miles to Al Ma'a, and took us six hours. We passed up the Wadi Hassan, and saw Al Husn in the distance. We did not go quite to the corner where the Wadi Hassan turns east.
She's bug-house on this social position business, but aside from that she's perfectly human." "Jack!" in her scandalized tone. "Isn't he awful Matilda?" "Ye yes, ma'am." "Don't call me 'ma'am, Matilda. Since we're to be together constantly this summer, call me Mary." "Yes, ma'a Mary." "That's right, Matilda," put in Jack. "We're going to run this place as a democracy.
We also passed the tomb of a seyyid with four large smooth stones at the top anointed with oil for the Ed. Before we reached Al Ma'a the river-bed narrowed in from the other side, and along the raised bank at short intervals were watch-towers of the Yafei. At Al Ma'a they are quite close, about half a mile off at most. The country was still very arid and barren, but the mountains very fine.
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