Here the course of the river again changes, becoming slightly west of north to the Lake of Hems (Buheiret-Hems), which is nine or ten miles below Ribleh.

Issuing from the Lake of Hems about lat.
34 deg.

43', the Orontes once more flows to the north east, and in five or six miles reaches Hems itself, which it leaves on its right bank.
It then flows for twenty miles nearly due north, after which, on approaching Hama (Hamath), it makes a slight bend to the east round the foot of Jebel Erbayn, and then entering the rich pasture country of El-Ghab' runs north-west and north to the "Iron Bridge" (Jisr Hadid), in lat.

36 deg.

11'.